Image Credit- AP
The South African Test team has signed opening batsman
Edward Moore for their two-Test series against New Zealand starting next month.
Moore brings the overall number of players in the travelling group to 15,
making him the eighth uncapped player picked.
Following Tony de Zorzi’s signing of a SA20 contract
with Durban’s Super Giants, Moore was called up. De Zorzi had been selected to
start as the series’ opener and had done so in the A team’s matches against the
West Indies. However, he is not permitted to participate in the series due to
the CSA’s rule, which states that players must complete their SA20 obligations
before playing for their country.
Moore is quite experienced, even though he has only
played domestic cricket. He has 117 first-class caps and an average of over 40
in red-ball cricket. He is currently the seventh-highest run scorer in the
first-class competition this season with 414 runs scored at an average of
51.57. Neil Brand, the captain without a cap, will probably open the batting
with him.
More than two weeks before the first Test, on Friday,
South Africa will leave for New Zealand in order to allow themselves time to
become acclimated to the weather before the series begins. South Africa is
ranked third after one series in the 2023–2025 World Tour cycle, which includes
the two Test matches. During the holiday season, they played India to a 1-1
draw using their full strength roster. After fruitless attempts to postpone the
series, South Africa has decided to send a makeshift Test side to New Zealand
because to the clash with the SA20.