Klaasen Left Out Of SA's Central Contract List; Miller Take Hybrid Deal

Heinrich Klaasen's international cricket career could be in jeopardy after he was excluded from Cricket South Africa's (CSA) 18-player central contract list which will run from June 1 to May 31 next year. Having retired from Test cricket in January 2024, Klaasen was on a white-ball-only contract in the previous cycle and is believed to be focusing on his T20 league career moving forward. Meanwhile, CSA in a statement said that "discussions regarding his future are ongoing and a final decision will be made in due course". With the introduction of hybrid contracts, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen will be contracted to participate in specific agreed-upon bilateral tours and ICC events.

National contracts have been awarded for the first time to seam bowler Lizaad Williams and all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy. They are joined by fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, who made his international debut in all formats this past season.

All-rounder Wiaan Mulder, batter David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne all earned contract upgrades during the current season and have been retained for the upcoming season.

The contracts will cover a busy season for the national team with bilateral tours away to Zimbabwe, Australia, England, Pakistan and India, as well as a home series against the West Indies.

The calendar will also feature two major ICC events: the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia, which will take place at Lord's in England in June, and the T20 World Cup 2026, to be played in India and Sri Lanka early next year.

Director of National Teams and High Performance Enoch Nkwe said, “I want to congratulate all the players who have been awarded national contracts for the next 12 months, especially the players who have been contracted for the first time. All of these players have been contracted with the importance of the next World Test Championship cycle and the 2027 Cricket World Cup on home soil in mind.

“The hybrid contracts take into consideration the dynamic nature of modern-day cricket and will provide David and Rassie with the opportunity to contribute to the team during specific bilateral tours and ICC events. An exciting season awaits as we compete for the WTC mace and look to take one step further in next year's T20 World Cup. We wish all the contracted players the very best for the year ahead.”

SA men's contract list:

Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams

Hybrid contracts: David Miller, Rassie van der Dussen

--IANS

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Cricket