Edward Moore has been included in the Test squad of South Africa for their upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand beginning next month. Moore increases the total number of members in the traveling party to 15 as the eighth uncapped player to be named.
After Tony de Zorzi became unavailable following his signing of a SA20 contract with Durban’s Super Giants, Moore was called up. De Zorzi was designated as the opener for the New Zealand series and performed in that capacity for the A team against the West Indies; however, he is unable to participate in the series due to the CSA directive that players must complete SA20 obligations prior to international cricket.
Moore is a domestic cricket veteran with 117 first-class appearances and an average of over 40 runs scored in red-ball matches. As of now, he is ranked seventh in the first-class competition with 414 runs scored at an average of 51.57 this season. He will most likely join uncapped captain Neil Brand in opening the proceedings.
On Friday, over two weeks prior to the first Test, South Africa will depart for New Zealand, allowing the team to acclimate to the conditions in advance of the series. South Africa is positioned third after one series of the 2023-2025 World Test Cycle, in which the two Tests are included. Using their entire squad, they and India shared a 1-1 draw during the holiday season. Due to the conflict with the SA20, South Africa has chosen to dispatch a provisional Test squad to New Zealand in lieu of rescheduling the series, which was not possible.
