Kagiso Rabada has been named in South Africa’s 18-man preliminary squad for the first Test against Australia, giving the fast bowler a chance to prove his fitness before the October 9 opener in Durban.
Rabada is recovering from a right hamstring injury. The problem has kept him out of the ongoing ODI series against Australia.
Head coach Shukri Conrad said Rabada will get a chance to prove his fitness in a two-day intra-squad practice match before the Test series.
“We also want to give Kagiso every chance of being available for selection for the first Test, and the two-day game will give us a clearer picture of where he is in terms of his match readiness,” Conrad said.
South Africa will also have Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee and Dane Paterson back in the pace attack. Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Ottneil Baartman miss out as they continue their recovery from injuries.
Nortje will bring valuable experience to the bowling attack. He has not played a Test for South Africa since 2023.
“During the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Anrich indicated that he still wanted to be available for all formats,” Conrad said.
“So it’s a great opportunity to get Anrich involved as soon as possible, being able to assess exactly where he is. Great to have someone of his calibre and pace available to us.”
South Africa will gather in Durban on October 1. They will have several training sessions before playing the two-day intra-squad match.
The team will also work through different match scenarios. Those sessions will help the selectors reduce the preliminary squad to a final 15.
Marques Ackerman is the only uncapped player in the squad. He has scored more than 1,000 red-ball runs in his last 10 matches for South Africa A.
Ackerman has averaged 82.92 during that run. He has also scored four centuries, including a career-best 256 against Bangladesh A in August.
“It’s great to have Marques in the squad. The way he has led the SA ‘A’ side, both as captain and through his performances with the bat, has earned him this opportunity,” Conrad said.
Dewald Brevis misses out despite his recent form in limited-overs cricket. Conrad said the young batter will feature later in the summer but does not currently rank among South Africa’s preferred Test batters.
The three-Test series will be important for both teams as they chase places in the 2027 World Test Championship final.
The first Test will take place at Kingsmead in Durban from October 9-13. The second Test will be held in Gqeberha from October 18-22, before the series ends in Cape Town from October 27-31.
