South Africa have gone the tried-and-tested route for this winter’s ‘A’ tour, recalling Dane Paterson and Ottneil Baartman for two four-day games against the England Lions from 22 May. The squad, captained by Dolphins batter Marques Ackermann and overseen by Wandile Gwavu, mixes hardened county campaigners with a clutch of twenty-somethings who have hardly seen an English spring.
Paterson, now 37, last played a Test during the 2024 Boxing Day win that booked South Africa’s place in the World Test Championship final. He travelled to Lord’s for that showpiece but carried the drinks, then slipped out of the national frame altogether. With no central contract and eight home Tests pencilled in for next summer, many felt the seamer’s international days were finished. Instead, the selectors have decided there is still value in his stump-to-stump relentlessness – especially in England, where his accuracy has served Nottinghamshire well.
Baartman sits in a similar bracket. The 33-year-old missed the recent T20 World Cup – a call that raised more than a few eyebrows after his strong domestic season – yet remains on the radar for the longer format. England provides a timely audition. The raw pace is supplied by 19-year-old Nqobani Mokoena, already capped in T20Is and now handed his first red-ball opportunity outside South Africa.
After the four-day fixtures at Arundel and Beckenham, an expanded squad plays three one-dayers in Leicester and Worcester. Gerald Coetzee and teenage left-armer Kwena Maphaka bolster the white-ball attack, while Lhuan-dré Pretorius and Connor Esterhuizen fly in from the IPL to add punch with the bat.
Tony de Zorzi – recovered from the side strain that ruled him out of the World Cup – features in both squads. Jason Smith, included in that tournament but used only once, also travels, as do the Hermann brothers, Jordan and Rubin. Qeshile and Senokwane, frequently on the fringes of the Test set-up, get another look. South Africa’s top six is settled for now, yet the coming home summer against Sri Lanka and Pakistan will demand a deeper pool of ready-made options; this tour is designed with that in mind.
Coaching support is plentiful. Former Test all-rounder Justin Ontong mentors the batting group, while Rory Kleinveldt – a bowler who understands English conditions – looks after the seamers. The itinerary is short, the weather unpredictable, but selectors believe two competitive matches in early UK season conditions will tell them plenty.
Four-day squad:
Marques Ackermann (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Zubayr Hamza, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, Nqobani Mokoena, Dane Paterson, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lesego Senokwane, Jason Smith, Prenelan Subrayen, Tiaan van Vuuren, Codi Yusuf.
One-day squad:
Marques Ackermann (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Dian Forrester, Bjorn Fortuin, Rubin Hermann, Kwena Maphaka, Nqobani Mokoena, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile, Jason Smith, Prenelan Subrayen.
Fixtures:
22-25 May – England Lions v SA A, Arundel
29 May-1 Jun – England Lions v SA A, Beckenham
4 Jun – 1st unofficial ODI, Leicester
7 Jun – 2nd unofficial ODI, Worcester
9 Jun – 3rd unofficial ODI, Worcester
It is not a long tour, and English early-season surfaces can be unforgiving, but Paterson and Baartman know exactly what is required. The younger quicks should learn plenty; the batters will get a first-hand look at the Dukes ball in cool air. South Africa hope the whole exercise adds two or three names to the list of players who can step into a Test or ODI side at a moment’s notice.
