Squad Announced for Test Series Against Pakistan

JOHANNESBURG: Red-ball head coach Shukri Conrad has today announced a 16-player squad for the two-match Test series against Pakistan, starting at SuperSport Park on Thursday, 26 December.

Momentum Multiply Titans seamer Corbin Bosch has earned his maiden call-up to the Test side. The 30-year-old has been in fine form in first-class cricket, boasting an overall tally of 72 wickets at an average of 36.75 and an economy rate of 3.24 across 34 matches. He also averages over 40 with the bat, showcasing his all-round ability. Bosch recently featured in the SA Invitational XI side that defeated England Lions in Cape Town.

Joining him in the squad is uncapped DP World Lions seamer Kwena Maphaka, who was part of the squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka.

DP World Lions all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has also been included squad as he completes the final phase of his recovery from a fractured right center finger, which kept him out of the second Test against Sri Lanka. If Mulder is selected for the first Test, Dafabet Warriors batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.

Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj sustained an acute groin strain on Tuesday during warm-ups ahead of the first One-Day International against Pakistan at Boland Park in Paarl. He will undergo a scan on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury.

Test captain Temba Bavuma will lead the side in what marks the final Test series of the summer and the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle, where South Africa currently occupy top spot.

Commenting on the squad, Shukri said: “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.

“In terms of our own squad, we have added Corbin to the mix. His all-round ability with both bat and ball adds depth and his pace brings an extra bite to our attack, so we’re excited to see him make that step up to Test cricket.

“Dane Paterson really impressed us against Sri Lanka and we look forward to seeing him again. Overall, the pace attack is a really good one. We are keeping a close eye on Kesh (Keshav Maharaj) and hope his injury is not too serious.

“A lot of the batters stood up when they were needed against Sri Lanka and this is another opportunity for all of them to showcase what they can do against a good Pakistan bowling attack.”

Proteas Test squad against Pakistan
Temba Bavuma (captain, DP World Lions), David Bedingham (World Sports Betting Western Province), Corbin Bosch (Momentum Multiply Titans), Matthew Breetzke (Dafabet Warriors), Tony de Zorzi (World Sports Betting Western Province), Marco Jansen (Renault North West Dragons), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kwena Maphaka (DP World Lions), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans), Wiaan Mulder (DP World Lions), Senuran Muthusamy (Dafabet Warriors), Dane Paterson (World Sports Betting Western Province), Kagiso Rabada (DP World Lions), Ryan Rickelton (DP World Lions), Tristan Stubbs (Dafabet Warriors), and Kyle Verreynne (World Sports Betting Western Province).

South Africa Test series against Pakistan

26 – 30 December at 10:00

South Africa vs Pakistan – SuperSport Park, Centurion

03 – 07 January at 10:00

South Africa vs Pakistan – World Sports Betting Newlands Cricket Stadium, Cape Town

Source: cricket.co.za

Tristan Stubbs: BORN – August 14, 2000. BATTING STYLE – Right hand Bat. BOWLING STYLE – Right arm Offbreak. FIELDING POSITION – Wicketkeeper. PLAYING ROLE – Batter. EDUCATION – Knysna Primary School, Grey High School. TEAMS – South Africa, Delhi Capitals, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Warriors, Eastern Province, Manchester Originals (Men), MI New York, Mumbai Indians 2023, South Western Districts, South Western Districts Under-13s, Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

A batter seemingly born for the modern game, Tristan Stubbs is known for his fearless approach to batting. But there is more to him than just big-hitting. Stubbs also takes an energetic approach to longer-formats, and within four years of making his first-class debut, averaged over 50 in it.

Schooled at Grey High School in Gqeberha, Stubbs was the captain of the first team. He was also the leading run-scorer at the 2018 Khaya Majola Cricket week, an Under-19 tournament in South Africa, and was selected for the SA Schools side. Stubbs did not make the South Africa Under-19 squad, but was instead selected to make his provincial debut for Eastern Province in January 2020.

On reputation, Stubbs was signed by Mumbai Indians (MI) for IPL 2022, before he had made his T20I debut, which eventually came in June 2022. He only played four matches for MI over two seasons, before moving to Delhi Capitals in 2024, where he was their second-highest run-scorer that year. Stubbs was also part of South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad in 2024.

In the longer formats, he was the second-highest run-getter in the 2022-23 domestic one-day competition, and the second-highest in the 2023-24 domestic first-class competition, thanks largely to his 302* against Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland, scored off 372 balls. Stubbs made his Test debut against India in January 2024, and was earmarked to take over the No. 3 position later that year.