Cape Town – Marques Ackerman earns a maiden Test call-up and Kagiso Rabada is included as South Africa name their squad for the first Test against Australia in Durban.
South Africa’s selection panel has named a preliminary 18-player squad for the first Test against Australia, which gets underway at Kingsmead in Durban on 9 October and runs until 13 October.
Dolphins batter Marques Ackerman is the only uncapped player in the group, rewarded with his first Test call-up after a strong run of form for South Africa A.
Highlights: Proteas vs Australia
Kagiso Rabada has been included as he continues to recover from a right hamstring injury. His fellow seamers Ottneil Baartman, Kwena Maphaka and Lungi Ngidi were not considered, all still rehabilitating from hamstring problems of their own.
A captain’s knock to remember! 🇿🇦
SA ‘A’ skipper Marques Ackerman has brought up a magnificent 256 off 237 balls, powering his side to a commanding 478/4 against Bangladesh ‘A’ on Day 2, leading by 356 runs with the final session underway at Tuks Oval. 🏏
He’s been the driving… pic.twitter.com/QeqtSxQkKV
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 24, 2026
There are also recalls for Gerald Coetzee of the Titans, Anrich Nortje of the Dolphins and Dane Paterson of the Cobras, who all return to the Test setup.
Temba Bavuma will captain the side, which also includes David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT – FIRST TEST 🚨
The South Africa Men’s selection panel has today named a preliminary 18-player squad for the first Dafabet Test against Australia, scheduled to take place from 09 – 13 October at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
Hollywoodbets… pic.twitter.com/ZhfnXDl19F
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) September 28, 2026
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