Aspirant Proteas to face India and Australia at home

Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa`s (CSA) development programmes will be put to the test over the next two months when South Africa A face tough home series in both the four-day and 50 overs formats against their Australian and Indian counterparts.

South Africa will play two four-day Test matches against both opponents as well as a triangular ODI series which will consist of two matches each against both Australia and India followed by a final. "The South Africa A side has become a key component in our talent pipeline in preparing the next generation of players to represent the Proteas," said Corrie van Zyl, CSA General Manager, Cricket. "It has been really exciting to see how products of the pipeline have fitted so easily into the Proteas set-up when given the opportunity. Recent examples have included the likes of Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso, Chris Morris and Henry Davids," added Van Zyl. "The ICC Champions Trophy in England has underlined how susceptible players are to injury and it is important to continue building our talent base and our reserve strength." The South African squads for the games are expected to be announced at the beginning of July. PTI