Injured de Kock likely to be named in World Cup squad

South Africa are expected to name injured wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock in their World Cup squad although he is only expected to recover from an ankle ligament tear after the first two games in the tournament. De Kock was injured during the first Test against West Indies mid-December and was thought to need upto three months out of the game.

The ICC allows teams to name injured players in their squad and has made provision for them to be replaced should they fail to recover or exacerbate the injury during the tournament, if a medical certificate is provided. Morne van Wyk will likely be on standby in case de Kock is unable to participate in the tournament at all.

That means South Africa will rely on AB de Villiers to keep wicket at first, despite Russell Domingo's concerns, and will need a makeshift opening batsman for their first few games. They could either turn to Faf du Plessis or Wayne Parnell, who have done the job at 20-over and franchise level in the past, or may task the reserve batsman, likely to be Rilee Rossouw, with the job.

De Kock has not had surgery on his ankle and is in the midst of his rehabilitation process. He was seen with the Test squad during the Newlands Test and spotted doing mild training.

Another player who has spent a significant period of time on the sidelines is JP Duminy, who has not played any cricket since early November when he aggravated a knee niggle in Australia. Duminy's recovery took longer than expected after he was initially said to be targeting a comeback in the Boxing Day Test. He has been in nets at Newlands and was named in South Africa's T20 squad to play West Indies. He should be available for the second T20, the entire ODI series and the World Cup.

Aaron Phangiso is the last of the walking wounded. He injured his finger in New Zealand and missed most of the series against Australia but made a comeback last month and is expected to be fit for the global tournament. Imran Tahir will remain South Africa's first-choice spinner.

South Africa's attack should take on a familiar look with the Test pack of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander the first names on the list. They will be backed-up by either Kyle Abbott or a left-arm option of Wayne Parnell or Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who has not played for South Africa since the World T20 but has enjoyed a resurgence in form at his franchise, Lions.

Whether or not Tsotsobe travels is part of the conundrum facing South Africa's selection panel as they decide whether to include an extra allrounder - someone like Ryan McLaren - or a seamer. Although McLaren was the first-choice allrounder following Jacques Kallis' retirement, he lost ground during the tour to Australia, when he only played in three of the five games. While McLaren offers reliability, South Africa may prefer Wayne Parnell, who can produce stand-out performances despite his inconsistency. But taking both allrounders would leave no room for Abbott or Tsotsobe, and on pitches Down Under, South Africa will want a fully stocked seamers' cupboard.

South Africa's World Cup squad, bar de Kock, will likely be the same squad that plays West Indies in five ODIs in the lead-up to the tournament.

South Africa probable squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Imran Tahir, Aaron Phangiso, three out of Lonwabo Tsotsobe/Ryan McLaren/Kyle Abbott/Wayne Parnell