Tanveer Sangha to debut in place of ill Adam Zampa against South Africa

Tanveer Sangha. (Photo Source: Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Australia spin wizard Adam Zampa has been ruled out of the opening T20I against South Africa, slated to take place in Durban. Cricket Australia has confirmed the latest development and mentioned that the leg-spinner is currently dealing with an illness and, hence, will not be able to participate in the match. 21-year-old Tanveer Sangha will be replacing Zampa in the playing XI and will have an excellent opportunity to showcase his class and cement his spot.

Sangha will also face the pressure on his debut. He has played only 31 T20 matches so far in his career and has picked up 42 wickets at an economy of 7.46. He played for Birmingham Phoenix in the recently concluded The Hundred, where the bowling all-rounder picked up three wickets in the last match against London Spirit. Hence, he would aim to continue with the same momentum and perform well in his first international match.

Four Aussies set to make T20I debut in Durban

Other than Sangha, Matthew Short, Aaron Hardie, and Spencer Johnson will also make their Australia debut in the first T20I against South Africa. In the absence of all the big boys in the form of David Warner, Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and many others, the youngsters have a perfect opportunity to prove themselves in the middle. With the T20 World Cup set to take place in 10 months, this is a perfect platform for them to cement their place.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh will lead the team in the T20I and ODI series. He will have a tough job as all players would expect to get a relative game time against Proteas. Notably, the likes of Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson were sensational in the last edition of the Big Bash League (BBL), and it will be interesting to see how they fair out in international cricket.