South Africa have named a 16-man squad for this month’s Test series against Pakistan.
All-rounder Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka have been included in the squad. Bosch and Maphaka have not yet played Test cricket.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder have been selected despite respective finger and groin injuries.
“We head into this series with a clear focus, with a spot in the World Test Championship final being the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We’ve selected a squad which gives us the best chance to achieve that,” said Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad.
“It’s an exciting time for South African cricket and we’re particularly looking forward to this battle against Pakistan. They always pose a strong threat with the talented fast bowlers they produce and I expect it to be no different this time around.
“In terms of our own squad, we have added Corbin to the mix. His all-round ability with both bat and ball adds depth and his pace brings an extra bite to our attack, so we’re excited to see him make that step up to Test cricket.
“Dane Paterson really impressed us against Sri Lanka in the recent series and we look forward to seeing him again. Overall, the pace attack is a really good one. We are keeping a close eye on Keshav and hope his injury is not too serious.”
South Africa and Pakistan will meet for two Tests. The first Test will be played in Centurion from 26 December 2024. The second will be played in Cape Town from 3 January 2025.
Latest Proteas’ Test squad
- Temba Bavuma (captain)
- David Bedingham
- Corbin Bosch
- Matthew Breetzke
- Tony de Zorzi
- Marco Jansen
- Keshav Maharaj
- Kwena Maphaka
- Aiden Markram
- Wiaan Mulder
- Senuran Muthusamy
- Dane Paterson
- Kagiso Rabada
- Ryan Rickelton
- Tristan Stubbs
- Kyle Verreynne