South Africa have gambled on the fitness of Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder, and included both in the Test squad to play Pakistan over the festive season.
Maharaj suffered an 11th hour groin strain in the warm-ups for the first ODI in Paarl on Tuesday and had to be removed from the team sheet just before the toss. He will undergo a scan later on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury. Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy is the only other spinner in the squad.
Mulder broke his right middle finger while batting against Sri Lanka in Durban last month and is in the final phase of his recovery. If he is passed fit for the Boxing Day match, top-order batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.
There are two uncapped players in the mix: seam bowlers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka. Bosch, the son of former international Tertius, has earned his first call-up to an international side. He recently featured for a South African Invitation XI against the England Lions and took 1 for 21 in five overs. Maphaka was called up to the squad that played Sri Lanka as cover when Gerald Coetzee was injured but did not play. He is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan.
Seven other Test players are also in the 50-over playing group: captain Temba Bavuma, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada and Maharaj.
Rabada and Jansen both played the opening game but are unlikely to feature in all three matches as South Africa manage their bowling resources, especially with Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams are all injured and unavailable until next year.
South Africa need one more win to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and two Tests to try and achieve that. They face Pakistan at SuperSport Park on Boxing Day and then at Newlands for the annual New Year’s Test.
South Africa squad for Tests against Pakistan
Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)
More to follow…
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
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