DURBAN: AB de Villiers has been ruled out of the first three ODIs againstIndia with a finger injury. The selectors will not name a replacement, sothe squad has been trimmed to 14 players, with the likelihood of KhayaZondo being handed a debut now higher.
De Villiers sustained the injury to his right index finger during the thirdTest against India and will need two weeks to make a complete recovery. Heis expected to be fit for the fourth match, the pink ODI at the Wanderers,for which he is one of the ambassadors.
South Africa had named a squad for the first three matches only as theylook to launch vision 2019, their pathway to the World Cup.
It was without Farhaan Behardien, a possible replacement for de Villiers inthe middle order but included Zondo, who was part of the South Africansquad that toured India in late 2015 although he did not play a game.Zondo’s List A numbers do not put him among the top-performing domesticplayers but his performances for South Africa A and his “potential”,according to convener of selectors Linda Zondi, is what the selectors areinterested in.
Opener Aiden Markram, who could slot in further down the order, is also inthe squad.