Bavuma out of Test series against Pakistan with calf strain; Markram to lead

South Africa's Test captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of South Africa's first assignment of their World Test Championship title defence, against Pakistan, with a calf strain. Bavuma sustained the injury on the recent white-ball tour of England and is expected to need six to eight weeks of recovery. Aiden Markram will captain the side in his absence.

The squad also includes a recall for offspinner Simon Harmer, who has not played a Test since March 2023. He joins Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen in the spin department. First-choice spinner Keshav Maharaj is only available for the second Test after suffering a groin strain in England.

In other major news, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has reversed his retirement from ODI cricket and returns to both ODI and T20I squads against Pakistan. De Kock last played for South Africa at the T20 World Cup final in Barbados last June.

South Africa opted to rest all their all-format players, except Corbin Bosch and Dewald Brevis, for the white-ball leg of the Pakistan tour. David Miller will captain the T20I squad while Matthew Breetzke will lead the ODI squad.

South Africa also play a T20I in Namibia, to inaugurate their new stadium in Windhoek, the day before the first Test against Pakistan, and will have a makeshift squad for that match. Allrounder Donovan Ferreira will captain that side, which includes de Kock, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Reeza Hendricks and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Rivaldo Moonsamy, who earned a maiden call-up.

Ferreria has also been named in the ODI squad to face Pakistan, alongside Burger, Coetzee and de Kock, while left-arm spinners George Linde and Bjorn Fortuin have been recalled. Legspinner Nqaba Peter completes a strong spin contingent but Tabraiz Shamsi, who opted out of a national contract, is not in any of the squads. Neither is seamer Anrich Nortje, who has also not agreed to a national contract.

The Test squad retains the core that won the WTC mace against Australia in June. Brevis, Subrayen and Zubayr Hamza are new to the group with no room for Dane Paterson or Lungi Ngidi, who is part of the white-ball squads. Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder make up the pace contingent.

"Temba's calf strain will unfortunately keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks, but the focus is on giving him the best chance to be fully ready for the India tour in November," head coach Shukri Conrad said. "Naturally, we are disappointed not to have Temba available. He has been such an important leader and batter for us in the Test side, and his presence on and off the field will be missed.

"At the same time, the majority of the Test squad have experience of playing in the subcontinent and understand the demands that come with it, so I'm confident they will embrace the challenge. Pakistan is one of the tougher places to tour, and with spin-friendly conditions expected and Keshav only available from the second game, it was important to have an experienced campaigner like Simon in the squad to provide extra depth in the spin department."

Speaking about the choice of stand-in captains, with Markram resting from the white-ball series, Conrad explained that Breetzke's experience at domestic level and Ferreira's growth have resulted in their temporary appointments. "Matthew has really come into his own in the 50-over space and has led SA A and the Warriors in this format before, and I have no doubt he'll captain the ODI side with that same character and composure which he brings to his game. During the T20I series against England, I was impressed by Donovan's maturity, his understanding of the game, and the way he connects with the younger players in the squad. His appointment as captain for the T20I against Namibia presents an exciting challenge, one that I believe will only enhance his development as a cricketer."

Asked about the bowling combination South Africa expect to play, Conrad said it would come down to conditions in Pakistan, with "extreme spin" expected as has been the case in recent Tests there involving England and West Indies.

"We've got to look at how we structure our line-up in terms of balance," Conrad said. "We expect extreme spin in Pakistan. It's about whether we go with two quicks - KG [Rabada] and Wiaan, KG and Marco, and then how many batters, how many spinners. We've got three spinners available for the first Test. Wiaan has made the No. 3 spot his own but it could change based on what we see in Pakistan. Its comes down to the balance of our bowling attack and which seamers there are. I can't tell you who will be No.3, 4 and 5 in the line-up but it will be similar to what we had in Bangladesh."

On Ngidi's absence from the Test squad in Pakistan, Conrad felt his skillset wasn't quite suited to the conditions expected. "We don't think Lungi will be as effective in Tests in Pakistan. Hence, not including him."

Bavuma's injury is particularly concerning for South Africa given that it occurred soon after he had missed their most recent Test series - two Tests in Zimbabwe - with a hamstring strain that he suffered during the WTC final. An injury to the left elbow - a joint that has troubled him multiple times since a fracture in 2022 - had put him out of action for two months before the WTC final.

"Very concerned about Temba," Conrad said. "Every series has been an injury and it is not for want of him of trying. He is doing everything in his powers to make sure he remains injury free. His form is definitely good enough and he is definitely worth managing. Age is not on his side so it is a concern but I am confident in the medical staff and Temba's desire to get him fit."

On Shamsi's absence from the white-ball squads, Conrad said the left-arm wristspinner still had a future with South Africa, but for now they were looking to give the younger spinners a run in the side.

"Shammo and I chatted during that Zim series," Conrad said. "He was fully understanding about what I explained to him. We wanted to see more of the spinners. We know what we've got in Shammo. I told him to keep playing in the leagues so we can monitor his form and fitness. Post-Pakistan, we've got the India series and if Shammo's name pops up, we will discuss him. Shammo remains in the conversation. We haven't ruled him out."

South Africa play two Tests, three T20Is and three ODIs in Pakistan before two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is in India, which will make up the bulk of their preparation for the T20 World Cup. They have no home Tests in the 2025-26 season but host West Indies for the five T20Is before the T20 World Cup.

Aiden Markram (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj (second Test only), Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne

David Miller (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane, Lizaad Williams

Matthew Breetzke (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile

Donovan Ferreira (capt), Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, Kwena Maphaka, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Lizaad Williams