Proteas white-ball coach has eye on the future with Andile Simelane selection

The 21-year-old Simelane was chosen in a 16-man Proteas squad for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and two T20Is against Ireland to be played later this month.

Simelane does not have much top-level games under his belt, having only played seven first-class matches and 20 50-over and T20s apiece.

The former U19 all-rounder has though put in some eye-catching performances in his young senior career that has made Walter sit up and take notice.

Just last month Simelane cracked 110 off just 70 balls for the South African Emerging side against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and also impressed with the ball in a recent 50-over series for the South Africa A team against their Sri Lanka counterparts.

Walter emphasised that Simelane might not play on the upcoming tour but will benefit immensely from being in and around the national group.

"If you look at that Afghanistan squad, there are 16 players and ultimately we are taking Andile as the 16th player," Walter said.

"We are doing our best to identify series where we can take what I call high potential players along to expose them to international cricket, to the Proteas environment and the requirements of international cricket.

"The emphasis is not necessarily on playing, but the initial exposure to cricket at a higher level. In terms of watching him, I was with the SA A side against Sri Lanka and saw him play there.

"I really enjoy his skill set as a young cricketer. He hasn't played a huge amount, but it's about recognising high potential talent and providing him with an avenue to grow."

The Proteas management have made a point of trying to grow the depth of the national team as they look ahead to the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 50-over global tournament that will be hosted in South Africa in 2027.

The likes of Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen will all miss the tour to the UAE to give others an opportunity to impress.

Walter added: "The reality is we can't rely on one group of players to win games for South Africa and so the players that you see in the squad are either high-potential players that we believe can make big contributions for South Africa moving forward, or the next-best players in the country.

"We want to make sure that we have a bigger group of players that can win games for South Africa. If we want to keep relying on the same faces to do that, what happens with injury, what happens with retirement, what happens in all those instances?

"The only way to know is to keep exposing players to international cricket. We have decided to give opportunities to some of the fringe players and those who have impressed in recent weeks and months."

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