Skipper Temba Bavuma returned as South Africa named a 14-man squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka set to kick off on November 27 in Durban. Bavuma missed the Bangladesh series due to an elbow injury he sustained during the second ODI against Ireland at the start of October but has recovered and was declared ahead of an important Test series for the Proteas, who still have a shot to make it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
"Captain Temba Bavuma will lead the side after being cleared for selection following a fitness test on Monday. He has recovered from a left elbow injury that sidelined him during the recent Test tour of Bangladesh, a Cricket South Africa (CSA) statement on X (previously Twitter) stated. South Africa red-ball coach Shukri Conrad was glad to welcome back a fully-fit Bavuma while thanking Aiden Markram for stepping in and registered what was an important 2-0 series win.
"We've picked the strongest possible side to ensure we stay competitive and keep our hopes alive for a place in the World Test Championship final," said Conrad. Along with Bavuma, pace-bowling all-rounders Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen too have returned to the Test squad after 11 months.
"It's also pleasing to welcome back Marco and Gerald to the Test side. Both have worked incredibly hard during their conditioning programmes, and it's great to see them back in the fold, ready to contribute to the team," he added.
Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder and Dane Paterson will complete the pace attack while Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy are the only two frontline spinners with Dane Piedt being left out. Meanwhile, Markram retained his spot despite the slump in form across formats and these two matches will be really crucial with the multi-format series against Pakistan to follow.
South Africa squad for Sri Lanka Tests: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne
