Reeza Hendricks loses out on World Cup selection as the Proteas name their 15-man squad.

The wait and debate are finally over. The trusted XV have been revealed and there is one massive omittance from the side that travels to England and Wales for the Cricket World Cup that starts on 30 May.

Amla has been picked and the Proteas have left out Hendricks from their 15-man squad. Despite a lot of speculation whether or not Amla would be selected, CSA has trusted the 36-year-old as a crucial cog in the side.

Both Hendricks and Markram were competing as Amla’s backup for the majority of the season, but Markram has won the race.

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The Proteas also made a final decision on their No 7 dilemma. Wiaan Mulder and Chris Morris both miss out, while Dwaine Pretorius has been named in the squad.

The rest of the side picks itself. As expected, Gibson’s side is a representation of his strengths. Being a bowling coach, he has opted for four out-and-out seamers, with Anrich Nortje making the cut with just four ODIs to his name. The 25-year-old made his debut against Sri Lanka in March and showed great pace and control, taking eight wickets at an economy of 4.76.

It was Nortje’s Mzansi Super League campaign, however, that gave the youngster his claim to fame. Playing for the Cape Town Blitz and bowling at speeds above 150 km/h, he took eight wickets in three matches before an ankle injury ruled him out of the tournament. His performances were good enough to land him an IPL contract, but a shoulder injury forced CSA to pull him out of the competition. Despite picking up so many injuries in quick succession, CSA has still trusted the young speedster to be their trump card bowler.

ALSO READ: Gibson impressed by Nortje

Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi have been selected as the Proteas’ two spinners.

Proteas World Cup squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, Dwaine Pretorius, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.

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