By Herman Mostert.
Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad on Wednesday named a 16-man squad for the upcoming two-Test home series against Pakistan.
The first Test is at SuperSport Park in Centurion from 26-30 December and the second encounter will take place at Newlands in Cape Town from 3-7 January.
There is a maiden call-up for Titans seamer Corbin Bosch, who is rewarded for stellar performances on the domestic front.
Bosch boasts a tally of 72 wickets at average of 36.76 in first class cricket and also averages 40.46 with the bat. The 30-year-old recently featured for the SA Invitational XI side that defeated the England Lions in Cape Town.
Uncapped Lions pacer, Kwena Maphaka, who was part of the Proteas squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka, is also retained in the squad.
Elsewhere, Lions all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has also been included as he completes his recovery from a fractured right middle finger which kept him out of the second Test against Sri Lanka. Should Mulder be declared fit, then Warriors batsman Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.
Meanwhile off-spinner Keshav Maharaj, who sustained an acute groin strain during the warm-up ahead of Tuesday’s ODI against Pakistan in Paarl, is included in the squad. He will, however, undergo a scan on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury.
Temba Bavuma will again lead the Proteas in what will be their final Test series in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle, where they currently occupy top spot. The South Africans only need one win from their two Tests against Pakistan to book a spot in the final.
Conrad said they had their sights firmly set on reaching the ICC showpiece match at Lord’s in London next June.
“We head into this series with a clear focus, with a spot in the World Test Championship final being the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We’ve selected a squad which gives us the best chance to achieve that.
“It’s an exciting time for South African cricket and we’re particularly looking forward to this battle against Pakistan. They always pose a strong threat with the talented fast bowlers they produce and I expect it to be no different this time around,” Conrad said.
Conrad said Bosch’s versatility helped in him getting a call-up.
“In terms of our own squad, we have added Corbin to the mix. His all-round ability with both bat and ball adds depth and his pace brings an extra bite to our attack, so we’re excited to see him make that step up to Test cricket.
“Dane Paterson really impressed us against Sri Lanka and we look forward to seeing him again. Overall, the pace attack is a really good one. We are keeping a close eye on Kesh (Maharaj) and hope his injury is not too serious.
“A lot of the batters stood up when they were needed against Sri Lanka and this is another opportunity for all of them to showcase what they can do against a good Pakistan bowling attack.”