Cricket South Africa (CSA) has finalized a 16-player squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, running from June 28 to July 10. Captain Temba Bavuma will lead the side into action at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo with five uncapped talents earning their places.
This series, although not part of the World Test Championship (WTC), arrives on the heels of South Africa's historic WTC 2023-25 campaign, including their victory over Australia at Lord’s in the final.
Head coach Shukri Conrad has opted to rest some of the names from the Lord’s fixture such as Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Ryan Rickelton, and Tristan Stubbs to better manage workloads and explore developmental options.
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South Africa Usher in New Test Chapter with Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius in Squad
The uncapped hopefuls include teenage batter Lhuan‑dre Pretorius, who has scored three centuries and one fifty in just 10 first-class innings and averages over 60. Alongside him is Lesego Senokwane, another batter who impressed in the CSA 4-Day series with over 550 runs.
Pace bowler Codi Yusuf, who ended the season with 23 wickets at an average of 22.39, have also earned his first senior Test call-up.
Other names included in the squad are Dewald Brevis and Prenelan Subrayen, both of whom narrowly missed past national selections and are still awaiting their Test caps. Brevis smashed 573 first-class runs in the domestic season, the second-highest in the tournament, while Subrayen finished with 34 wickets, also the second-most.
The Bavuma-led squad also includes David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi and wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne.
Notably, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, and Lizaad Williams miss out due to ongoing fitness concerns.
South Africa would want to carry on the momentum of their most significant achievements in the country’s cricketing history. At Lord’s, under Bavuma’s leadership, the Proteas produced a disciplined and resilient performance to overcome Australia and lift the WTC title for the very first time, their first ICC trophy since 1998.
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South Africa Squad for Zimbabwe Test Series
Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf.
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