South Africa name five uncapped players in 15-man squad for New Zealand T20Is, Keshav Maharaj to lead

Cricket South Africa (CSA) have named a 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which is set to start on March 15, just a week after the conclusion of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The squad, led by left-arm spinner Keshav, include no less than five uncapped players.

Apart from Maharaj, left-arm spinner George Linde and Jason Smith are the only ones to be included from South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad. South Africa will also welcome top-order batter Tony de Zorzi, returning from a hamstring injury, and pacer Gerald Coetzee, who has been on the sidelines since October 2025.

Connor Esterhuizen, Dian Forrester, Jordan Hermann, Eathan Bosch and Nqobani Mokoena are the five uncapped players. Jordan is the brother of Rubin Hermann, also included in the squad, while Eathan is Corbin Bosch’s younger brother.

The 19-year-old Mokoena, meanwhile, impressed at the latest SA20, bagging 13 wickets from 10 games at an economy of 9.62 for the Paarl Royals to finish as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the 2025-26 edition, leading to his national call-up.

"With this series taking place directly after the T20 World Cup, the majority of that squad will return home, which creates a great opportunity for this group of players to step into the international environment and show what they're about at this level," South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"Keshav has experience captaining the Proteas and has led two teams to the SA20 finals. His leadership and calm presence make him the ideal person to lead this group on this tour.

"The battng unit is particularly exciting for this tour. Tony brings experience to the top order, while Connor, Dian and Jordan have all demonstrated the ability to play positive, attacking cricket for their domestic teams. Nqobani showed during SA20 that he is an exciting young quick with the ability to make an impact and this series will give him the perfect opportunity to expose him to the international setup."

In a first, South Africa women's team will be simultaneously touring New Zealand for T20Is, with the fixtures of the men’s and women’s teams to be played as double-headers on the same day.

The series-opener will be played at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui before subsequent games in Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington (Sky Stadium) and Christchurch.

South Africa squad for New Zealand T20Is

Keshav Maharaj (c), Ottneil Baartman, Eathan Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Dian Forrester, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Nqobani Mokoena, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla, Prenelan Subrayen, and Jason Smith.