Rabada heads six-man pace attack in SA's WTC final squad

South Africa have named a familiar-looking Test squad to take on Australia at the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's next month, led by Temba Bavuma and headlined by pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has completed a one-month ban for failing a drug test.

Rabada served his sanction between April 3 and May 3 and has since been cleared to play. He was available for Gujarat Titans' match against Mumbai Indians at the IPL on May 6 but was not selected. Rabada will lead a six-man pace pack at the WTC final which includes Lungi Ngidi, who has not featured in Tests since August last year.

Gerald Coetzee, who was ruled out of the home summer when he injured his groin in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka and 19 year-old left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka, who debuted against Pakistan at Newlands, have not been selected. Neither have Anrich Nortje, who does not have a central contract but was in consideration for Tests this summer before he broke his toe, or Nandre Burger, who has recovered from a lower back stress fracture and is at the IPL. Dane Paterson, a key member of South Africa's success at home and who is currently playing at Middlesex, has been included.

South Africa have picked two spinners in Keshav Maharaj and allrounder Senuran Muthusamy, who has been a regular member of squads but has not played since the tour of Bangladesh last October.

The batting line-up is also familiar, with Aiden Markram likely to open with one of Tony de Zorzi or Ryan Rickelton. It is yet to be seen if Tristan Stubbs will continue to hold on to the No.3 spot or be moved lower down, while Bavuma, who has recovered from an elbow niggle that kept him out of the domestic four-day final, will bat at No.4.

There will be questions over whether David Bedingham will keep his place in the starting XI after a home summer in which he top-scored with 44* in eight innings, and a period of time on the sidelines. Bedingham is recovering from a broken toe and has not played a match since April 11 but is expected to return to action for Durham this week. Kyle Verreynne will remain the first-choice wicket-keeper and also has experience in the UK. He is playing for Nottinghamshire and scored a century in his first appearance for them this season.

"Firstly, I want to congratulate each of the players selected for this squad. It is a special moment for this group to contest the WTC Final. Over the past 18 months, we've worked hard to build a competitive red-ball unit, and this achievement reflects that progress," Shukri Conrad., South Africa's head coach said. ""A key part of our success has been consistency in selection, and we've stuck with the core group of players who have been part of this WTC cycle. We've selected a balanced squad for the conditions we expect at Lord's. I'm particularly pleased to welcome Lungi back. He's put in the work and offers us an experienced option with the ball."

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has not officially confirmed whether their players will return to the IPL and how long they will be available there for but their statement announcing the squad indicated they will all assemble in England on May 31. Initially, the IPL contingent of Rabada, Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs were given NOCs to run until May 25. The IPL has since been extended until June 3, when South Africa are due to begin a four-day warm-up match against Zimbabwe at Arundel. The non-IPL players will leave South Africa on May 30.

SA squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Kyle Verreynne