06|05|2026

by Scent Senti

The SA A squad to tour England from 22 May was announced last week, with Marques Ackerman named captain of both the red-ball and white-ball squads.

 

While the formidable squad, mentored by Wandile Gwavu, includes many strong players, some South African cricket enthusiasts believe several key names were overlooked.

 

At Four6Out, we have compiled a list of 6 players who should have been flying to England this May.

 

Gavin Kaplan (Boland): The Goldrush Boland top-order player started his career in Cape Town before moving to Paarl. That move has proven beneficial for the 27-year-old, especially this season, as he scored 903 runs at an average of 89 in the CSA 4-Day Series. His numbers in the CSA One Day Cup were also respectable, with 200 runs at an average of 40. For this tour, he could have been exclusively considered for the red-ball leg.

 

Daniel Smith (WP): The WP captain and wicketkeeper could have served as the second wicketkeeper for the red-ball leg. He is also strong enough to compete with Connor Esterhuizen for the white-ball gloves, potentially allowing Esterhuizen to play purely as a batter. In the domestic 4-Day competition, Smith finished as the third-highest run-scorer with 665 runs at an average of 55. While he scored only one century, his consistency was remarkable, hitting seven half-centuries when no other batter managed more than four. Although he struggled in the 50-over competition, he excelled in the CSA T20 Challenge. He finished that competition as the fourth-highest run-scorer and was one of only two players to score a century, boasting a very healthy strike-rate of 176.

 

Matthew de Villiers (Warriors): The Dafabet Warriors captain may appear to be primarily a red-ball player, but he excelled in white-ball cricket this season. He finished the One Day Cup as the second-leading run-scorer, accumulating 340 runs at an average of 56 and a strike-rate of 116. He also recorded the tournament's highest individual score of 133. His white-ball success was no surprise, as he had previously finished the T20 Challenge as the highest run-scorer, which earned him a Betway SA20 contract with Joburg Super Kings.

 

Duan Jansen (Titans): Duan Jansen often faces the unfortunate comparison to his twin brother, especially as they offer similar attributes to teams. Marco, being taller, often receives more attention, but Duan consistently claimed wickets in both the 4-Day and One-Day competitions. He took 24 wickets at an average of 18 and a strong strike-rate of 31 in the 4-Day Series. In the One Day Cup, he secured 16 wickets at an average of 18. With the bat, Duan also contributed, bolstering his claim as a genuine bowling all-rounder.

 

Matthew Boast (Warriors): His move from KwaZulu to Gqeberha has proved successful for Matthew Boast. This season, he took almost 50 wickets in the 4-Day competition, a tally 14 wickets higher than his previous best. Along with his impressive wicket tally, he averaged 12 with the ball and maintained a strike-rate of 34.

 

Gideon Peters (Warriors): He truly caught the attention of the cricket community in the SA20 for the Pretoria Capitals. In the One-Day Cup, he demonstrated serious pace, finishing among the leading wicket-takers despite bowling fewer overs than any of the other top 10 bowlers. Claiming 16 wickets in just 5 innings, he averaged 12 with the ball and maintained an impressive economy of 4.85.

 

Notable mentions: Beyers Swanepoel, One Nyaku, Kyle Simmonds, Modiri Litheko, Tristan Luus, Delano Potgieter, and Aphiwe Mnyanda