Hybrid deal for Miller, Van Der Dussen
JOHANNESBURG, April 7: Cricket South Africa on Monday announced the names of 18 centrally-contracted players but star batter Heinrich Klaasen was surprisingly missing from the list, while David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen were awarded hybrid deals.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has stated that discussions regarding his contract are still going on and a final decision on Klaasen, currently playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, would be made in due course, according to an ICC report.
Among the notable names, who have been contracted for the period between June 2025 till May 2026, are Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada.
Right-arm pacer Lizaad Williams, left-handed all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, and teenage left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka have got their first central contracts.
Klaasen had scored a hard-fought 46 in a low-scoring group match in the T20 World Cup against Bangladesh in New York, which proved crucial to the Proteas’ nail-biting four-run win.
“CSA also introduced ‘hybrid contracts’ with David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen receiving them – hybrid contracts allow for players to feature in specific agreed-upon bilateral tours and ICC events,” according to the report.
“All-rounder Wiaan Mulder, batter David Bedingham, and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne all earned contract upgrades during the current season and have been retained for the upcoming 2025/26 season,” it added.
“The hybrid contracts take into consideration the dynamic nature of modern-day cricket and will provide David (Miller) and Rassie (van der Dussen) with the opportunity to contribute to the team during specific bilateral tours and ICC events,” said CSA’s Director of National Teams and High Performance Enoch Nkwe.
South Africa will take on Australia in the World Test Championship Final, scheduled at Lord’s in June. Their other big assignment is the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
The team will also tour Zimbabwe, Australia, England, Pakistan and India, besides hosting West Indies at home.
Contracted Squad:
Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, and Lizaad Williams.
Hybrid Contracts: David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen. (PTI)