Temba Bavuma will captain South Africa’s Test group amid sweeping adjustments to the set-up within the publish Mark Boucher period. Bavuma’s first task might be to guide the facet within the two-match Test collection in opposition to West Indies, beginning on February 28, which might be a part of the WTC.
Bavuma takes over from Dean Elgar, who was named Test captain in mid-2021 and
won his first four series, together with a house collection win over India, but misplaced in England and Australia. Bavuma may even proceed as ODI captain but has relinquished the T20I job, following South Africa’s group-stage exits on the final two T20 World Cups.
“We trust he [Bavuma] will deliver on all our expectations and help carry the team forward after some excellent work by his predecessor Dean during the same period,” Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s director of cricket, mentioned. “At the same time, I would like to sincerely thank Dean for all his commitment to the role over the past two years. He helped the team navigate through some stormy waters and put them in good position on the ICC World Test Championship table.
“Both males have made us proud with the work they’ve carried out throughout the wider Proteas group and look ahead to the subsequent step in what’s a brand new period for the Proteas below the management of twin coaches Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter.”
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Speaking at the SA20 debrief, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who is the league’s commissioner, said any new captain would have a daunting task ahead. “The necessary half is for them to grasp the technique of how they’ll get our group taking part in properly once more and dominating the world once more,” he said. “That goes to be a very powerful half. All folks in a lot of these management positions are going to have a powerful buy-in with the important thing directors who can assist them develop the sport and get higher: from the selectors to the director of cricket to the CEO to a number of the board members. That assist, and that construction and the alignment of the technique, is so necessary. They must spend money on that and take issues on.”
Van der Dussen dropped, Markram recalled
Markram will face competitors from Western Province opener Tony de Zorzi, who earned his maiden call-up. De Zorzi is at present the
leading run-scorer in CSA’s four-day division 1 collection tallying 489 runs with a better of 304 not out.
Keegan Petersen returned after recovering from a hamstring injury, and Ryan Rickelton was also included despite carrying a severe ankle injury that required surgery. He too has had a good run in the four-day tournament, scoring 240 runs in four innings with the help of two centuries.
The squad will assemble in Centurion on February 24 and the first Test will start on February 28 in Centurion.
South Africa squad for West Indies Tests: Temba Bavuma (capt), Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton
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JP Duminy is set to be appointed batting coach
There are also changes to South Africa’s coaching set-up. JP Duminy is in discussions to take over as batting coach and will replace Justin Sammons, who was in the role under former coach Boucher. Duminy is currently the head coach of Boland, who are sixth in Division One of the four-day competition and finished in the same position in the One-Day Cup, and he also coached Paarl Royals, who lost in the semi-finals of the SA20.
The selection panel, too, has been restructured. Victor Mpitsang and Patrick Moroney, who were in the jobs of selection convener and selector respectively, have been released. Among their more controversial decisions was the inclusion of Simon Harmer in the Manchester Test, which changed a winning attack from Lord’s and forced South Africa to bat first on a seamer-friendly pitch.
CSA is reviewing the choice committee procedures. In the interim, the pinnacle coaches of the respective groups will play a number one function in squad choices.
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