South Africa tasted long-awaited success with victory in the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month, but there will be several new faces for the first Test against Zimbabwe that starts in Bulawayo on Saturday.
Captain Temba Bavuma has not recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in the five-wicket win at Lord’s, while batters Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs, and bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi, are all rested.
The latter will be available for the second Test, but with seven of the XI who started at Lord’s missing the series opener at the Queen’s Sports Club, it will be a new-look line-up with much to prove.
Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis and 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius are all young, attacking batters, and it is likely at least two of the three will play. The more experienced Lesego Senokwane could also make his international debut.
The expected slow wicket means stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj and off-spinning all-rounder Prenelan Subrayen will likely both play, but firebrand 19-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, who debuted against Pakistan earlier this year, could also be given a chance. Uncapped seamer Codi Yusuf is also in the squad.
“I think there’s a lot of guys who want to prove a point, why they’re here, and how well they’ve played over the last couple of domestic seasons to get here,” all-rounder Wiaan Mulder told reporters.
“We look at ourselves as world champions. That’s the standard we set for ourselves. Everybody has that in the back of their mind. We are not trying to become something new.
“The guys that are going to fill a spot or take someone like Ricks’ (Rickelton) or Marco’s (Jansen) place are going to put them under pressure when they come back.”
Zimbabwe will also be missing several of their regular players, including the injured pair of batter Ben Curran and new-ball bowler Richard Ngarava. Experienced middle-order batter and spin option Sikandar Raza has opted to play in Major League Cricket over this period.
“There’s a real buzz around the squad. I think they’re very excited. I’m super excited for the challenge that lies ahead and the guys are amped for it,” Zimbabwe’s South African-born coach Justin Sammons said.
“They’re looking forward to testing themselves and showing what they’re capable of. I think they really want to make a statement over the next couple of weeks.”
South Africa have won eight of their previous nine Tests against Zimbabwe, with a single draw in 2001, which was also their only previous fixture in Bulawayo.