The veteran all-rounder made himself unavailable for the 15-man group traveling to England.
In a shock development South Africa did not announce all-rounder Jacques Jallis in their 15-man Champions Trophy squad, even though it was thought Kallis would be named.
The all-rounder made himself unavailable for the touring party citing personal reasons and the Proteas will certainly miss the 37-year-old’s experience in all areas.
The absence of Kallis will be a big blow for the side but selection convenor Andrew Hudson was refusing to be anything but positive.
“Jacques’ experience will obviously be missed but it does create an opportunity for David Miller whose recent form has been most impressive,” Hudson said on ESPNcricinfo.
“It also gives a young player a chance to make his mark ahead of the ICC World Cup in 2015.”
There is good news for South Africa however as batsman JP Duminy returns to the one-day set-up after missing more than six months of cricket with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Although Duminy is not yet fully fit he has been doing some running and practice in the nets and is expected to be back to 100% fitness by the time the tournament starts in June.
The 29-year-old has played 94 one-day internationals for his country and hit 2,601 runs.
In Kallis the South Africans will be missing a cricketer who has played 321 ODIs however, scoring 11,498 runs at an average of 45.26, as well as taking 270 wickets.
Squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
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