South Africa Names Test Squad For Pakistan Series

Wiaan Mulder, who missed out on the second Sri Lanka Test earlier in the season, has also been included in the squad as he completes the final phase of his recovery from a fractured finger. If the all-rounder is selected for the first Test, batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad. Spinner Keshav Maharaj, who incurred an acute groin strain in the leadup to the first ODI against Pakistan, is also in the squad but will undergo further tests.

South Africa’s red-ball coach, Shukri Conrad stated that his side was focused on securing a positive result with the World Test Championship Final in sight. At the moment South Africa leads the standings.

“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.

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,” Shukri Conrad was quoted by ICC as saying. The two-match Test series will kick off on December 26 in Centurion. The second and final match of the series will be played in Cape Town from January 3.

South Africa Squad: Temba Bavuma (C), 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, and Kyle Verreynne.