Kallis has represented South Africa in the World Twenty20 previously
Veteran South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been included in the 15-man squad that will represent the country at the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 next month in Sri Lanka.
Kallis has not been a regular member of South Africa’s Twenty20 squad since mid-2010, when the Proteas were touring the Caribbean.
AB de Villiers has been given the captaincy after regular captain Graeme Smith, did not make the cut.
Pace bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel will also return to the squad for the World Twenty20.
Quick bowler Marchant de Lange, who was supposed to be part of the South African squad that is currently touring England, will also miss out on the tournament after failing to sufficiently recover from a lower back injury he sustained when playing in a Twenty20 triangular series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Cricket South Africa’s selection convener, Andrew Hudson said: “We have had basically the same squad together for the past year and many of them also produced stand-out performances at the Indian Premier League (IPL), [they] will have excellent preparation for the World Twenty20 by finishing the England tour with three [Twenty20] matches there. They may be playing on a different surface to that they will find in Sri Lanka, but they will be able to hone their Twenty20-specific skills.”
Kallis played a huge role in helping his IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, register their first win in the tournament’s history, as he scored 409 runs in 17 games.
Kallis also scored 69 runs off 49 balls in the final, which helped the Knight Riders chase down the Chennai Super King’s total of 191.
However, Kallis also contributed with the ball for the Knight Riders, as he claimed 15 wickets throughout the tournament, which was the second-highest out of all the bowlers in the team.
South Africa’s team for the World Twenty20 is as follows: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.