Skipper Temba Bavuma is among the big names that return to the South Africa squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The 34-year-old hurt his elbow in the second ODI against Ireland in early October which forced him to miss the Test series in Bangladesh where South Africa won 2-0.
Bavuma was with the side in Bangladesh but he did not feature in a single game. His last Test match was in the Caribbean against West Indies where he got 105 runs in four innings. Those are the only two Tests he’s played in 2024.
South Africa red-ball coach Shukri Conrad admitted that Bavuma’s lack of match practice is a concern but he revealed that the short camp in Pretoria where they will have match simulations will help the Test captain.
“He’s probably going in cold in the back of not having played any matches but we’re certainly going to be simulating match situations during our short camp we’re going to have in Pretoria,” Shukri Conrad was quoted saying.
Jansen, Coetzee return to Test squad after nearly a year
Fast bowlers Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee also make a comeback to the Test squad. Both bowlers returned to international cricket in the T20I series against India recently. Prior to that, their last international appearance was in the T20 World Cup 2024. In fact, both players last featured in a Test match back in the 2023-24 series against India at home. Jansen has an impressive Test record, especially at home where he has taken 27 wickets at an average of 20.07. Coetzee has played only three Tests and he has 10 wickets while averaging 24.50.
Apart from the two, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson and Wiaan Mulder are the pace options in the 14-member squad. Rabada has been in magnificent form in 2024, taking 26 wickets in five Tests at an average of 14.65. Paterson and Mulder were impressive in Bangladesh.
The rest of the squad is on the expected lines. Keshav Maharaj is the primary spinner in the squad. Left-handed all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy is the other spin option in the side.
Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs will form the top three with Bavuma slotting in at 4. David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne and Ryan Rickelton are the frontline batters in the squad.
The two-match Test series starts on the 27th of November in Durban before Port Elizabeth hosts the second Test which will start on the 5th of December.
South Africa are still in the hunt for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. They have four games remaining (all at home), two against Sri Lanka and two against Pakistan. If they win all of these matches, they are almost certain to qualify for the WTC final.
SOUTH AFRICA SQUAD: Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, Dane Paterson, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy.
