South Africa keep Rabada in an 18-man squad for the first Test against Australia

Kagiso Rabada has been named in an extended South Africa squad for the first Test against Australia, with the fast bowler still to prove his fitness after a hamstring injury

South Africa named an 18-man preliminary squad on Monday for the opening match of their home Test series against Australia, which begins at Kingsmead in Durban on 9 October. Three players will be cut before the final 15 is confirmed.

Rabada has not played a match since the Indian Premier League in May, having hurt his right hamstring in winter training. He has sat out the one-day series against Australia and his involvement in the Tests had been in doubt.

Head coach Shukri Conrad said the size of the squad was a direct response to a shortage of fit seamers. "Having a larger bowling group gives us the flexibility to cover all bases," he said.

A hamstring problem running through the attack

Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman and Kwena Maphaka are all managing hamstring injuries of their own and none was available for selection. Rabada is the only bowler carrying such a problem who was picked.

That leaves allrounder Marco Jansen as the senior fit quick, with Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder the other seam options in the group.

Gerald Coetzee is also in line for a Test return after an absence stretching to almost two years. Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy give Conrad three frontline spinners to choose from.

Rabada given until the intra-squad game

The squad assembles in Durban from 1 October for scenario-based training and a two-day intra-squad match, which is the hurdle Rabada has to clear.

"We also want to give Kagiso every chance of being available for selection for the first Test, and the two-day game will give us a clearer picture of where he is in terms of his match readiness," Conrad said.

Rabada has taken 341 Test wickets at 22.02 and has a long record against Australia. He was the leading wicket-taker the last time the two sides met in a Test series in South Africa, in 2018, and took nine wickets in last year's World Test Championship final at Lord's.

Nortje recalled after three years away

Anrich Nortje returns to a Test squad for the first time since March 2023, an absence that is unusual even by the standards of a career interrupted by injury.

A back stress fracture ruled him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup, and he has not played anything longer than a T20 since. He opted out of a national contract the following year and has worked as a T20 freelancer.

Ackerman the only uncapped name

Marques Ackerman, the 30-year-old left-hander who has captained South Africa A, is the one player in the squad yet to play a Test.

He has made more than 1000 runs in his last 10 red-ball appearances for the A side at an average of 82.92, including four hundreds and a career-best 256 against Bangladesh A in August.

"It's great to have Marques in the squad," Conrad said. "The way he has led the SA 'A' side, both as captain and through his performances with the bat, has earned him this opportunity." There was no place for Dewald Brevis, who has also been left out of the one-day side.

Three Tests inside three weeks

The series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle. After Durban, the sides move to St George's Park in Gqeberha from 18 October and finish at Newlands in Cape Town from 27 October.

Australia, captained by Pat Cummins, play a warm-up match at Potchefstroom on 3 and 4 October before the Test series begins. The third and final one-day international is at the same ground on 30 September.

Temba Bavuma leads a batting group Conrad described as largely unchanged, with David Bedingham, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne all retained.

South Africa will confirm their final 15 for the first Test once the intra-squad match in Durban is done.

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