Grant Flower returns to international cricket after six years

South Africa:

Grant Flower returned to the Zimbabwe team after a six-year gap for the first of three one-day internationals against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Friday.

The 39-year-old Flower, who retired from international cricket in 2004, will play his 220th one-dayer.

He retired from international cricket after a dispute between the country's senior players and the national cricket board and joined English county side Essex. He is also Zimbabwe's new batting coach.

Flower and all rounder Sean Williams are the two changes to the team that lost the Twenty20 series to South Africa last weekend. They have replaced Charles Coventry and Keith Dabengwa.

South Africa, which won the toss and opted to bat under captain Graeme Smith, recalled opening batsman Hashim Amla, big-hitting all rounder Albie Morkel, bowler Charl Langeveldt and ICC one-day player of the year AB de Villiers.

Smith returns to the captaincy after stepping down from the role in T20 matches.

The home team also handed ODI debuts to batsman Colin Ingram and seam bowler Juan Theron -- who both made their international debuts in the Twenty20 series.

Batsman Jacques Kallis and fast bowler Dale Steyn were not picked, with both still recovering from injury ahead of South Africa's T20, ODI and test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates later this month.