Johannesburg, Jan 2 : South Africa have included young pacer Kwena Maphaka and top-order batter Jason Smith in their squad for the T20 World Cup, with no place for batsmen Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs.

Smith's selection comes on the back of his recent prolific form, earning him the nod ahead of Stubbs, who was in South Africaâ??s squad where they finished runners-up in 2024 Menâ??s T20 World Cup.

Smith made his T20I debut in 2024 and boasts of a strike-rate of 128.30 and is currently turning out for MI Cape Town in SA20. One of his most recent standout performances came in the T20 Challenge, where he struck an unbeaten 68 off 19 balls to steer the Dolphins into the playoffs in November.

Rickelton, meanwhile, was unable to force his way into a squad already packed with top-order options like captain Aiden Markram and wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock. Apart from Smith and Maphaka, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira and George Linde have earned their maiden T20 World Cup call-ups.

â??We are returning to the subcontinent, where we recently competed against hosts India. The experience we gained playing in those conditions will undoubtedly benefit us as we head into this tournament.

â??Many of the players selected for the World Cup squad were on that trip and experienced first-hand the pitches that we will likely encounter and that will stand them in good stead once we get to India.â??

â??We do have one more T20I series against the West Indies before we depart for the World Cup, and that squad will be announced later this month,â?? said head coach Shukri Conrad in a statement.

Kagiso Rabada returns to the T20I setup after missing the recent white-ball tour against India due to a rib injury. Another notable inclusion is pacer Anrich Nortje, who finished as South Africaâ??s leading wicket-taker in the 2024 Menâ??s T20 World Cup.

South Africa are drawn in Group D of the 2026 Menâ??s T20 World Cup alongside Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. They will begin their campaign on February 9 against Canada at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Former South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel will be a part of the team as the specialist consultant. â??Firstly, I would like to congratulate the players who will be representing South Africa at their maiden T20 World Cup. This is an incredible opportunity for them in what was a difficult squad to select.

â??We have had to make some big calls, but we feel this group is the strongest and has every chance of succeeding in India and Sri Lanka. We have assembled a world-class squad with some of the finest and most experienced players in the game, together with some of the best T20 youngsters coming through,â?? said Patrick Moroney, Convenor Selector for the Proteas Men.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Smith.

/IANS