Proteas Test captain and batter Temba Bavuma taking to the field. (Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
- Captain Temba Bavuma returns as the Proteas named their 16-man squad for next month’s two-match Test series against West Indies.
- Matthew Breetzke was rewarded for his maiden Test call-up after a solid domestic season with the bat.
- The Proteas, who are competing in the Major League Cricket, will join the squad in the Caribbean.
- For more on the Proteas, visit News24’s dedicated section.
Proteas red-ball coach Shukri Conrad announced on Monday his 16-man squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, which starts on 7 August.
Temba Bavuma is back and will wear the captaincy armband with wicket-keeper batter Ryan Rickelton also returning to the red-ball setup.
Warriors batter Matthew Breetzke received his maiden Test call-up after an impressive summer, which included a decent showing at the domestic 4-day competition with 322 runs at an average of 46, including a top score of 188.
Breetzke, who also led South Africa A in a four-day match against India A in December, finished as third-highest run-scorer in the SA20 and topped the CSA T20 Challenge batting charts as he scored 467 runs in 15 games for the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa decided to rest all-rounder Marco Jansen for the Test series.
Eight members of the squad will attend a red-ball camp from 15-19 July in Durban before the squad will get together in Trinidad and Tobago on 27 July.
Proteas Test squad against West Indies
Temba Bavuma* (captain, Lions), David Bedingham (Western Province), Matthew Breetzke* (Warriors), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Gerald Coetzee (Titans), Tony de Zorzi* (Western Province), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Titans),Wiaan Mulder* ( Lions), Lungi Ngidi* (Titans), Dane Paterson* (Western Province), Dane Piedt (Knights), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Tristan Stubbs* (Warriors), Ryan Rickelton (Lions), and Kyle Verreynne* (Western Province).
*These players will attend a red-ball camp.
The two-match Test series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship, will be South Africa’s first in the Caribbean since June 2021, which saw them claim a 2-0 series win over the hosts.
“We are looking forward to returning to Test cricket after a busy period of limited-overs cricket over the past few months,” said Conrad.
“This tour is extremely important for us as we aim to improve our standing in the ICC World Test Championship. We have therefore selected our strongest possible squad and look forward to strong performances in the Caribbean.
“We have one new face in the squad, Matthew Breetzke, who is selected on the back of an excellent past season.
“The decision to rest Marco Jansen was taken to allow for a conditioning period aimed at ensuring optimal physical and mental well-being given the season-long workloads.”
Four members of the Test squad are currently competing in the Major League Cricket (MLC): Aiden Markram (Texas Super Kings), Kagiso Rabada (MI New York), Ryan Rickelton (Seattle Orcas) and Nandre Burger (Seattle Orcas).
Players competing in the MLC final on 28 July will join the squad on 29 July.
Proteas tour to West Indies:
Warm-up match: 31 July – 3 August – West Indies Invitational XI vs South Africa at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago (16:00 SA time)
1st Test: 07-11 August at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago (16:00 SA time)
2nd Test: 15-19 August at Guyana National Stadium, Guyana (16:00 SA time)
