South Africa have named a 15-man squad under Temba Bavuma for their two-Test home series against Bangladesh, with fast bowler Anrich Nortje and opener Tony de Zorzi back from injury and David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne left out, CricTracker reported on Monday. The first Test starts at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on 15 November.
Bangladesh will arrive with five days between the end of the Sylhet Test and the start of this series, against a side that has just beaten Australia 2-1. Nortje’s return gives South Africa a fourth genuine quick for the Highveld, which is exactly where Bangladesh’s batting looked weakest in Mirpur.
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Key points
- Temba Bavuma captains a 15-man South Africa squad for two Tests against Bangladesh
- Anrich Nortje and Tony de Zorzi return from injury; David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne are left out
- First Test at the Wanderers from 15 November, second at SuperSport Park, Centurion, from 23 November
Who is in and who is out
Nortje missed the last two Tests against Australia with a groin injury. De Zorzi sat out the whole series with a hamstring problem, and Zubayr Hamza is also recalled. Bedingham and Verreynne, the wicketkeeper-batter, are not in the 15, and Ryan Rickelton is listed as the keeper.
Lungi Ngidi was not considered. He is still in rehabilitation.
The squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton.
Pace for Johannesburg, spin kept for Centurion
Rabada, Jansen, Nortje and Paterson give Bavuma four seamers before Bosch and Mulder are counted. The two spinners stay as well: Simon Harmer took 6 for 16 at Newlands to bowl Australia out for 111 and settle that series, and Keshav Maharaj keeps his place beside him.
Head coach Shukri Conrad said South Africa expect Bangladesh’s own quicks to be very effective in Highveld conditions, according to the CSA comments carried by CricTracker. That is a nod to Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam, who are all in Bangladesh’s squad for Sylhet.
What it means for Bangladesh
Bangladesh are still waiting for their first Test win over South Africa. They come into this tour fifth in the World Test Championship after the eight-wicket defeat to West Indies in Mirpur, while South Africa are second on 71.43 per cent, UNI reported.
Bangladesh had not named their squad for the tour by Monday evening, and the selectors will see one more Test first: the Sylhet match against West Indies from 5 to 9 November, where Amite Hasan comes in for the concussed Mominul Haque.
What happens next
South Africa’s squad meets in Johannesburg on 11 November. The first Test runs from 15 to 19 November at the Wanderers, and the second from 23 to 27 November at SuperSport Park, Centurion. Both count towards the World Test Championship.
Market watch
- South Africa will be strong favourites at home. Bangladesh’s best hope of a result is weather or a big first-innings total from their top order.
- A fit Nortje changes the new-ball picture at the Wanderers, where bounce has usually rewarded genuine pace.
- Watch who Bangladesh pick as their third seamer. Conrad’s comment suggests South Africa expect a pace contest, not a spin one.
For more, see our teams hub, the latest cricket predictions and upcoming fixtures in our match centre.
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Macaela Becker
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