Kagiso Rabada Ruled Out Of The First Test As The Proteas Choose Two Spin Options
Rabada, who missed the recent ODI series due to a hamstring injury, has not played an official match since May.
South Africa have announced their squad for the first Test against Australia at Kingsmead, with fast bowler Kagiso Rabada officially ruled out and the Proteas selecting two spinners, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer.
Rabada, who missed the recent ODI series due to a hamstring injury, has not played an official match since May. Captain Temba Bavuma said the team adopted a conservative approach and gave the speedster time to return to full fitness. "We took a conservative route and gave him a few extra days to get as close to 100% fitness as possible," Bavuma said. "If he is cleared, we expect him to be in the starting lineup."
In Rabada's absence, Anrich Nortje will play his first Test since March 2023 in the final showdown against West Indies. Injury-prone Nortje has largely limited himself to playing T20 cricket in recent years, a decision Bavuma said was intentional.
"He doesn’t have the weight of overs under his belt of bowling with red-ball cricket. He’s been very impressive in the nets, so I think it was a calculated call to give Anrich Nortje a go.” Nortje has been training with a red ball under national bowling coach Piet Botha to build his workload.
David Bedingham also returns to the team and will bat at three. The 32-year-old has not played a single match in the current 2025/27 WTC cycle, with his last match coming against Zimbabwe in July 2025. The selection of Maharaj and Harmer reflects Kingsmead's recent support for spin.
The pair last played together in the final Test in South Africa in November last year, winning by 408 runs in Guwahati, India's first series win in 25 years. Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton will start the match, with Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, Bian Mulder and Kyle Veraine lining up in the middle order. Marco Jansen will partner Nortje in the pace department, with Mulder providing the overall options.
SA Playing XI for 1st Test vs AUS:
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje.
