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South Africa drop Stubbs and bring in Breetzke for must-win Gqeberha Test
Ryan Rickelton will take the gloves and Kagiso Rabada is fit again as the hosts try to level the series against Australia at St George's Park from Sunday.
Key points
- Tristan Stubbs is out of a 17-man squad after scores of 32 and 1 in Durban.
- Coach Shukri Conrad said Ryan Rickelton will keep wicket in the second Test.
- Australia say Cameron Green is progressing well but may not be fit for Sunday.
South Africa have left out Tristan Stubbs and brought in Matthew Breetzke for the second Test against Australia, which starts at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Sunday. The hosts named a 17-man squad on Thursday, three days after losing the series opener in Durban by 214 runs.
Stubbs made 32 and 1 at Kingsmead. His place goes to a batter with only 14 runs from two Tests but in strong one-day form, including a hundred against Australia in Durban in the ODI series last month.
Coach Shukri Conrad was frank about the reasoning. “The fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gave him an inside lane,” he said.
A new man behind the stumps
The bigger change may come with the gloves. Conrad said Ryan Rickelton will keep wicket, which leaves Kyle Verreynne, who has gone 11 Test innings without a fifty, likely to miss out. Tony de Zorzi was not considered as he recovers from a left hamstring injury.
Kagiso Rabada, held back from the first Test as a precaution after a hamstring problem, is in the squad and expected to return to the attack. Anrich Nortje, who made his Test comeback in Durban, is seen as the bowler most likely to make way.
Conrad said the side would change without overreacting to one defeat. “Will there be changes? We have guys in our squad who deserve a crack. So safe to say that might be an option,” he said.
He was blunt about where the first Test was lost. “Dismissals in the batting sit in one of three categories. It’s either technical, tactical or mental,” he said. “And if we’re brutally honest, a lot of our dismissals sat in the mental.”
The weather could also have a say in the final XI. “The weather, the forecast isn’t great for day one,” Conrad said.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne.
Australia wait on Green
Australia, 1-0 up in the three-match series, are waiting on Cameron Green, who missed Durban with an abdominal injury. Coach Andrew McDonald said the all-rounder was “progressing well” but had “a few things to go through in the next three, four days”. Even if he plays, Green is unlikely to bowl on this tour.
Reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, recovering from a fractured finger, has been batting in the nets. “Josh had a couple of hits during this Test match out the back of the nets during lunchtime, and that’s gone well,” McDonald said. Cooper Connolly, who missed the first Test with a head cold, could also come back into contention.
The second Test runs from 18 to 22 October. The series ends in Cape Town later this month.