South Africa name five uncapped players in 16-member squad for Zimbabwe tour

‌South Africa has announced a 16-member squad that will tour Zimbabwe later this month for a two-Test series at Bulawayo. Temba Bavuma will lead a young and inexperienced side in the series that is not included in the World Test Championship calendar since Zimbabwe is not part of the tournament.

Cricket South Africa has named five uncapped players including Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius in the team that does not feature up to six players who are part of the WTC final squad that will play Australia at Lord’s from June 11. With Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Dane Peterson not featuring in the Zimbabwe tour, it will be an opportunity for the younger players to make their case as the side looks to find the right mix for the upcoming WTC cycle. 

Both Brevis and Pretorius have been merited a place after their impressive campaigns for Titans in the recently concluded CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 2024-25 season. Brevis was second on the list of overall run-getters with a tally of 573 runs from eight matches with two fifties and two hundreds at an average of 47.75. Meanwhile, Pretorius scored three hundreds, including a 114 in the final, and a fifty in five matches to amass 436 runs at an average of 72.66.

Batter Lesego Senokwane along with medium pacer Codi Yusuf and off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen are also in line for a Test debut after finishing in the top-five list of batters and bowlers respectively in the domestic campaign. The five uncapped players will be joined by the trio of Matthew Breetzke along with pacers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka who all have played a solitary Test match for the Proteas. Batter Zubayr Hamza, who is in line to play his first Test match since February 2024, is also in the side.

Lungi Ngidi will be the leader of the pace attack with Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams missing out as they are still recovering from injury and Cricket South Africa taking a cautious approach in the case of Gerald Coetzee who made his return in IPL 2025 after a groin injury.

The first Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe is scheduled to start at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on June 28 while the second match will also be played at the same venue from July 6-10. 

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf.