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Andile Phehlukwayo has emerged as one of the most important cogs in the South African limited-overs side recently, owing to his all-around skills. While growing up, Phehlukwayo had an affinity towards cricket and hockey, and despite earning a scholarship in Hockey, cricket was his first choice, and he slowly but steadily rose through the ranks and made his international debut for South Africa in 2016. Having performed consistently for the Dolphins in the domestic circuit, Phehlukwayo managed to break into the national squad. He was part of the triumphant U-19 World Cup-winning campaign in 2014, but failed to make an impression, having played just a solitary game in the tournament. He was part of the Dolphins squad in the Champions League later in the year, but yet again he failed to make a name for himself. Phehlukwayo went back to basics and found success in the domestic circuit before getting in the XI for a tour game against the visiting English side. The all-rounder came up with some consistent performances for South Africa A and was included in the ODI squad for the series against Australia and Ireland. He played a pivotal part as South Africa whitewashed the Aussies 5-0. After suffering a groin injury, Phehlukwayo returned for the tour of Sri Lanka and found himself in the thick of things with exemplary death overs bowling. He was part of the Champions Trophy squad in 2017 and went on to emerge as a regular in the ODI set-up. He also played in the 2019 World Cup during a forgettable campaign for the Proteas. The all-rounder was also included in the Test squad for the series against India in 2018. He had a good time with the ball and bagged some crucial wickets. Following the 2019 World Cup, Phehlukwayo remained a regular in South Africa’s ODI and T20I squads. He played an important role in several bilateral series, often delivering match-winning performances with his economical bowling and explosive batting in the lower order.
