CAPE TOWN, Dec 18 (Reuters) – South Africa have added uncapped batsman Raynard van Tonder, seamer Lutho Sipamla and all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius to their squad for the two-test home series against Sri Lanka that starts in Pretoria on Boxing Day.

Former South Africa Under-19 captain Van Tonder, 22, has been in a rich vein of form in the domestic four-day competition, scoring 604 runs at an average 67.11 this season, including a double-hundred just this week.

Sipamla has been capped before in white-ball cricket but earns his first test call-up, while Pretorius has recovered from a hamstring injury that had made him a doubt for the series.

Cricket South Africa say the addition of the trio is “part of the organisation’s plan to integrate more players at the conclusion of the latest round of the CSA 4-Day Cup”, but comes amid a number of COVID-19 cases in domestic matches in which members of the test squad played.

It forced CSA to postpone a round of four-day domestic games that were scheduled to be played from Dec. 20-23.

So far there is no indication that any of the test squad have tested positive for the virus. The addition of the trio takes to 19 the number of players in camp for the two-game series.

The second test against Sri Lanka takes place in Johannesburg from Jan. 3.

Squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Beuran Hendricks, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Sarel Erwee, Anrich Nortje, Glenton Stuurman, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne, Migael Pretorius, Dwaine Pretorius, Lutho Sipamla, Raynard van Tonder.

(Reporting by Nick Said Editing by Toby Davis)

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