South Africa have named an 18-man preliminary squad to take on Australia in the first Test at Durban that begins on 9th October.
Injury problems have plagued many of the Proteas front line bowlers in recent months, but Kagiso Rabada appears to be on his way back to full fitness after being included in the squad. Rabada, 31, suffered a hamstring injury during winter training and will get the chance to prove that he is reaching match sharpness in an intra-squad game that is set to take place next week.
However, there is no place for Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman and Kwena Maphaka who are all still recovering from hamstring injuries.
Seamer Anrich Nortje is in line to make a return to the Test side for the first time since 2023, despite no longer being centrally contracted to CSA (Cricket South Africa).
The 32-year-old is one of seven quicks that have been named among the extended squad and coach Shukri Conrad is confident that he can make an impact for the world Test champions on his return from a lengthy spell away from the format.
"Anrich is as pedantic and professional as they come. He has got spreadsheets that detail all of the work that he has done. I'm very comfortable that he has done all the necessary work," said Conrad. "We've just got to look at the intensity that its done in. We've got to look at whether a Test match is the best introduction back to the international fold."
There is also room in the side for uncapped batter Marques Ackerman, whose exploits for South Africa A have earned him a spot in the senior side. He has scored more than 1,000 runs for the A-side and is set to battle it out with Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs for a place in the top order.
"On the batting front, we've stuck with our core group," Conrad added. "It's great to have Marques in the squad. The way he has led the SA 'A' side, both as captain and through his performances with the bat, has earned him this opportunity. We're looking forward to having him in the Test environment."
South Africa head into the series with three spin options: Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy; all three of whom played important roles in their Test world championship win.
Conrad's men sealed ODI series success over Australia after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead courtesy of a 32-run win on Sunday. Skipper Temba Bavuma and David Miller both blasted centuries as South Africa posted an impressive first innings score of 365/9. The Aussies made a good effort in the chase, however, fell short with Lizaad Williams taking 3/54 for the hosts.
The third and final One-Day match of the series takes place on Wednesday before both sides prepare to begin a three-match Test series on 9th October in Durban.
South Africa squad to face Australia in 1st Test
Temba Bavuma (C), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
