Kallis, Amla rested for last three ODIs

Johannesburg: Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla have been rested from South Africa's one-day international (ODI) squad for the remainder of the series against Sri Lanka, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Sunday.

All-rounder Kallis, 36, has been rested while Amla, the top-ranked batsman in ODIs, has been granted time off as his wife is expecting the couple's first child. The other change to the original 14-man squad sees all-rounder Rory Kleinveldt ruled out through injury. Batsmen Alviro Petersen and Colin Ingram and all-rounder Vernon Philander were named as the replacements.

Philander, who played the last of his seven ODIs in 2008, earns a place in the squad on the back of an impressive introduction to Test cricket after capturing 30 wickets in his first four Tests.

While Jacques Kallis has been rested for the last three ODIs against Sri Lanka, Hashim Amla has taken time-off for the birth of his child.

"Both Petersen and Philander showed excellent form in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka and they have also represented the Proteas in the ODI format before. So I don't anticipate their having any problems adapting to 50-overs cricket," CSA selection convener Andrew Hudson said in a statement.

"Although we are sad to lose players such as Amla and Kallis, I see this as an opportunity to try out our options. There are still places up for grabs in our ODI squad and I must say I am excited to see the talent coming through our development pipeline."

South Africa lead the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-0 with the third match scheduled for Tuesday in Bloemfontein. The series concludes in Johannesburg on January 22.

South Africa squad: Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (capt), JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe. (Reporting by Jason Humphries in Durban; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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