Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced an 18-player preliminary squad for the three-match Test series against Australia starting October 9. The group features the return of fast bowler Anrich Nortje for the first time since March 2023 and a maiden call-up for batter Marques Ackerman.
Kagiso Rabada is included in the squad but faces a fitness assessment for a right hamstring injury. The spearhead will undergo testing during a two-day intra-squad match after the team assembles in Durban on October 1. Head coach Shukri Conrad confirmed the medical team will monitor his progress closely before the first Test at Kingsmead.
“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.
Nortje’s recall comes despite the 30-year-old no longer holding a central contract with CSA. His inclusion follows a series of hamstring injuries to the Proteas’ pace department, with Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka, and Ottneil Baartman all ruled out. Conrad dismissed concerns over Nortje’s readiness for the long format despite his three-year absence from red-ball cricket.
“Anrich is as pedantic and professional as they come. He has got spreadsheets that detail all of the work that he has done. I’m very comfortable that he has done all the necessary work,” Conrad noted.
Ackerman, 30, earns his first international call-up after averaging 82.92 across his last 10 first-class appearances for South Africa ‘A’. The squad also sees the return of David Bedingham, who was not part of the previous tour of India. These selections come as South Africa prepares to defend their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title, having won the 2025 final.
The Proteas enter the Test leg having already clinched the ongoing ODI series against Australia 2-0. The third and final ODI will be played in Potchefstroom on September 30. The Test series begins in Durban on October 9, followed by the second Test in Gqeberha (October 18) and the third in Cape Town (October 27).
The preliminary 18-man squad will eventually be trimmed to 15 players following the intra-squad assessment in Durban.
