Keshav Maharaj headlines South Africa’s squad for next month’s three-match T20I series in England, ending a brief spell out of the shortest-format side. The left-arm spinner, currently ranked No.1 in one-day internationals, sat out the recent tri-series in Zimbabwe and the trip to Australia while the selectors looked at other spin options. He is joined by fellow slow-bowler Senuran Muthusamy, giving coach Shukri Conrad two frontline spinners plus part-time cover.
Fast bowlers Marco Jansen and Lizaad Williams also make welcome returns after surgery-enforced lay-offs. Jansen has not featured since damaging a thumb in June’s World Test Championship final, while Williams last played in October 2024 before a knee operation. Both have been passed fit after domestic match-simulation work at Centurion.
The batting group is largely unchanged. David Miller slots straight back in after franchise commitments with Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, and all-rounder Donovan Ferreira will link up from Oval Invincibles once that competition finishes. The squeeze leaves no room for Rassie van der Dussen, George Linde or leg-spinner Nqaba Peter. Off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen, reported for a suspect action, is omitted while he awaits biomechanical testing in Brisbane.
“We were experimenting with the spin-bowling all-rounders in our most recent T20I series, and Keshav was always part of our broader plans,” Conrad said in Cricket South Africa’s release. “His return to the squad strengthens our spin options. Beyond his obvious skill with the ball, he brings calmness and leadership to the group.”
England will host three T20Is after an opening three-match ODI leg, and South Africa have retained the one-day side that beat Australia 2-1 earlier this month. Teenage left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka stays on tour as cover for Kagiso Rabada, who is easing back from an ankle problem.
“We are hopeful that he will be available for part of the ODI series,” Conrad noted. “But we are prioritising T20I cricket and will take a conservative approach. We won’t rush him back.”
Management will continue to rotate white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, back from a hamstring strain. He scored a half-century in the first ODI against Australia and was rested for the second before pencilled in for the final fixture.
“This is exactly how we plan to manage him for England as well,” Conrad added. “The bigger picture is next year’s T20 World Cup.”
The England tour is the first assignment under new selection convenor Patrick Moroney, appointed on 1 August. With domestic cricket overlapping and the Hundred still running, Moroney and Conrad have chosen a blend of experience and youth, mindful of workloads ahead of a packed 2026 calendar.
Key squads
ODIs: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi
T20Is: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kwena Maphaka
Rabada to be assessed in England.
South Africa’s schedule
ODIs: 6, 8 and 11 September – Leeds, Southampton, The Oval
T20Is: 13, 15 and 17 September – Chester-le-Street, Manchester, Cardiff
The selectors see this block as pivotal preparation. Maharaj’s return firms up the spin department; Jansen and Williams add left-arm and right-arm pace variety; and Miller’s experience lengthens the batting. Casual followers may note a surprise omission in van der Dussen, but the management view the run of form from Hendricks, Stubbs and Klaasen as sufficient middle-order cover. With a year to the T20 World Cup, places remain fluid yet competition is clearly intensifying.
