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| Duminy selected for Champions Trophy, Kallis unavailable | | |
South Africa: Jacques Kallis has not been named in South Africa's Champions Trophy squad after he made himself unavailable for selection due to personal reasons. Batsman JP Duminy meanwhile makes a return to the team. Kallis's decision comes as a surprise. He was expected to be a part of the team after selection convenor Andrew Hudson said on Monday that Kallis was "available and ready to go". Kallis has not been playing in bilateral one-day series, in order to ensure that he is fit for Tests. However, he has stated that he is keen on playing the 2015 World Cup, and it was expected that he would be picked for the ICC tournament. Coach Gary Kirsten had said that South Africa would reserve the right to turn to Kallis for tournaments they deem important. Kallis hasn't played an ODI since February 2012. Hudson said that while the side would miss Kallis' experience, his absence was an opportunity for youngsters to perform. "Jacques' experience will obviously be missed but it does create an opportunity for David Miller whose recent form has been most impressive," Hudson said. "It also gives a young player the chance to make his mark ahead of the ICC World Cup in 2015." Duminy had been sidelined after suffering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon in a Test match against Australia in November last year. While not yet fully fit, he is expected to be ready to play all formats by the end of the month, Cricket South Africa said in a release. On Duminy's return to the team, Hudson said: "His return adds a lot of balance to the side and that, together with the presence of two batting allrounders in Faf du Plessis and Farhaan Behardien, means that we now have the option to go into the tournament with seven specialist batsmen." Duminy's inclusion is the only change in the squad that played against Pakistan earlier this year, replacing wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. |
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