NEW DELHI:
South Africa
’s squad for the upcoming
ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled across England from June 1-18, carries with it a familiar and unwanted question: can this be the team that finally shakes the 'chokers' tag and wins the silverware?
No South African cricket team has lifted any ICC tournament since the 1998 ICC Knockout. Since then, they have always found a way to exit in heartbreak. AB de Villiers will captain top-ranked South Africa as they seek a first limited-overs title in 19 years.
SQUAD: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis,
JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel
Likely starting XI: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir
Matches: June 3 v Sri Lanka, The Oval; June 7 v Pakistan, Edgbaston; June 11 v India, The Oval
Past record: 1998 - winners; 2000 - semi-finalists; 2002 - semi-finalists; 2004 - league stage; 2006 - semi-finalists; 2009 - league stage; 2013 - semi-finalists.
Most runs: Jacques Kallis (653)
Most wickets: Jacques Kallis (20)