South Africa will begin the defence of their World Test Championship crown without Temba Bavuma. The captain has a grade-two calf strain picked up on the white-ball trip to England and needs six to eight weeks’ rest, medical staff say. With Bavuma grounded, Aiden Markram takes over for the two-match series in Pakistan, starting next month.
Spin has dominated the selection meeting. Simon Harmer is back after an 18-month absence, joining Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen. First-choice left-armer Keshav Maharaj is nursing a groin niggle and will only be available from the second Test. Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder headline a familiar pace pack, while youngsters Dewald Brevis and Zubayr Hamza add batting cover.
Head coach Shukri Conrad tried to strike a calm note. “Temba’s calf strain will unfortunately keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks, but the focus is on giving him the best chance to be fully ready for the India tour in November,” he said. “Naturally, we are disappointed not to have Temba available. He has been such an important leader and batter for us in the Test side, and his presence on and off the field will be missed.
“At the same time, the majority of the Test squad have experience of playing in the subcontinent and understand the demands that come with it, so I’m confident they will embrace the challenge. Pakistan is one of the tougher places to tour, and with spin-friendly conditions expected and Keshav only available from the second game, it was important to have an experienced campaigner like Simon in the squad to provide extra depth in the spin department.”
De Kock back in the fold
Away from the red ball, Quinton de Kock has shelved his one-day retirement and is listed in both the ODI and T20 squads to meet Pakistan. The wicketkeeper-batter last appeared in national colours during the T20 World Cup final in Barbados three months ago.
Selectors have rested most multi-format regulars for the limited-overs leg, keeping workloads in check. David Miller captains the T20 side, while Matthew Breetzke leads the ODIs. Corbin Bosch and Dewald Brevis are the only two all-format players asked to double up.
There is an extra fixture squeezed in as well: a one-off T20 against Namibia to open the new ground in Windhoek, staged barely 24 hours before the first Test in Karachi. All-rounder Donovan Ferreira will marshal a scratch XI for that occasion, which includes De Kock, quicks Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, top-order man Reeza Hendricks, teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius and uncapped keeper Rivaldo Moonsamy.
Spin depth across formats
George Linde and Bjorn Fortuin return to the 50-over squad, with rookie leggie Nqaba Peter completing a five-strong spin group. Tabraiz Shamsi, who declined a national contract earlier this year, is missing from all lists, as is fast bowler Anrich Nortje, still negotiating his own deal.
The Test group otherwise mirrors the one that lifted the WTC mace against Australia in June. Dane Paterson and Lungi Ngidi miss out this time; Ngidi is instead pencilled in for the white-ball matches.
Measured optimism
On paper South Africa retain a balanced side, even minus Bavuma. Markram’s captaincy credentials were on show in the recent SA20 season, and the core of Rabada, Jansen, Markram and Maharaj has toured Asia before. The trick, as ever in Pakistan, will be posting competitive first-innings totals and coping with reverse swing once the ball gets scuffed. For that reason the inclusion of Harmer, able to hold an end for hours, feels logical.
If De Kock’s return stabilises the top order in limited-overs cricket, selectors may view the upcoming month as a double win: rest for overworked bowlers and a gentle re-introduction for one of the country’s most gifted batters. But, as Conrad admitted, winning in Pakistan is rarely straightforward. Plenty rests on Markram’s ability to juggle tactics, spinning conditions and a rebuilt middle order – all without the calming presence of his regular skipper.
Squads in brief
Tests: Markram (capt), Brevis, Elgar, Hamza, Harmer, Jansen, Maharaj (from 2nd Test), Mulder, Muthusamy, Rabada, Rickelton (wk), R Hendricks, Subrayen.
ODIs v Pakistan: Breetzke (capt), Bosch, Burger, Coetzee, De Kock (wk), Ferreira, Fortuin, Linde, Miller, Peter, Pretorius, Van der Dussen.
T20Is v Pakistan: Miller (capt), Breetzke, Brevis, Bosch, Burger, Coetzee, De Kock (wk), Ferreira, Hendricks, Linde, Mulder, Shamsi.
Namibia T20 (Windhoek): Ferreira (capt), Burger, Coetzee, De Kock (wk), Hendricks, Moonsamy, Pretorius plus provincial call-ups.
South Africa fly out next week; the first Test starts in Karachi on 15 October.
