George Linde, the spin bowling all-rounder, is been added to the squad as a traveling reserve as a cover for vice-captain Aiden Markram in the ongoing Champions Trophy squad ahead of South Africa's semi-final match against New Zealand. Markram injured his right hamstring while fielding against England and spent the rest of the match on the sidelines. The right-hand batter will now undergo a fitness test at training on Tuesday to determine his availability for the semis clash against New Zealand on Wednesday, March 4 in Lahore.
Linde will join the Proteas squad on Tuesday evening, but the all-rounder will not officially be able to replace Markram in the playing XI as the ICC's event technical committee confirms the swap. Linde, - who is a left-arm spin bowler, has been added to the squad as the third spinner - Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are the other spinners.
Primarily, South Africa added Linde to the squad due to Dubai conditions, which tend to favor spinners. India played four spinners against New Zealand and Australia on the sluggish Dubai pitches.
South Africa eyes final spot against New Zealand
For the unversed, Linde was in the reckoning to be included in South Africa's 15-member squad for the CT 2025 event due to his scintillating form in the SA20 League. The southpaw scored 161 runs in 11 games coming in number six, and also chipped in with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.29. While Maharaj is a sure-shot starter in the playing XI against New Zealand, Linde's good form augurs well for South Africa depthwise. Meanwhile, the Proteas topped Group B by winning games against Afghanistan and England.
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Their bowling is looking good, with Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Wiaan Mulder in fine form. Against New Zealand, they will be hoping the bowling to come good on a relatively flat pitch in Lahore.
