• Different squads for different formats?

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    In February, Australia are playing a T20 at home while their Test side is on tour in India. Is this the way forward? SAcricketmag.com picks their T20 sides if the Proteas were to do that.

    Australia will have to pick two completely different squads in February 2017, as they play a T20 international against Sri Lanka on the 22nd, a day before the Test side begin their four-match Test series against India in Pune.

    Picking two separate squads is not unprecedented in Australian cricket. Something similar happened in 2014 when Australia’s Test stars were unavailable for home T20 series against England and South Africa, while an ODI series against New Zealand back in January this year got in the way of selecting a full team to play a T20 against India.

    Australia appear to be the guinea pigs in this regard, but it’s clear it is something they are trying to embrace, as the traditional game increasingly looks to adapt to the demands of the shortest format, especially as the Indian Premier League falls in the time that players should be resting.

    ‘To a certain extent I want to embrace it,’ said Cricket Australia high performance chief Pat Howard. ‘We’ve done better and performed better when players have really lavished the opportunity, versus it being tackled on at the end of a long season. So there is a way to have a think about this differently to give us a better chance of winning.’

    What if this happened to the Proteas? If a T20 team had to be selected today, with the Test squad (and injuries) already in place, here is what our writers have gone for:

    Tom Sizeland’s XI
    1. JJ Smuts
    2. Reeza Hendricks
    3. Theunis de Bruyn
    4. David Miller
    5. Qaasim Adams
    6. Heinrich Klaasen (wk)
    7. Dwaine Pretorius
    8. Andile Phehlukwayo
    9. Beuran Hendricks
    10. Aaron Phangiso
    11. Imran Tahir

    Mark Salter’s XI
    1. Heino Kuhn (wk)
    2. Stiaan van Zyl
    3. Richard Levi
    4. Theunis de Bruyn
    5. Wiaan Mulder
    6. David Miller (c)
    7. Khaya Zondo
    8. Andile Phehlukwayo
    9. Duanne Olivier
    10. Lungi Ngidi
    11. Imran Tahir

    Khalid Mohidin’s XI
    1. Stiaan van Zyl
    2. Heinrich Klaasen (wk)
    3. Jason Smith
    4. Theunis de Bruyn (c)
    5. Khaya Zondo
    6. David Miller
    7. Andile Phehlukwayo
    8. Dwaine Pretorius
    9. Duanne Olivier
    10. Imran Tahir
    11. Sisanda Magala

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