Senuran Muthusamy has been recalled and Dane Piedt has got another go alongside Keshav Maharaj as South Africa named three spinners for their two-Test tour of Bangladesh in October. The squad, which South Africa red-ball coach Shukri Conrad said was “for the conditions we are expecting to greet us” also has Matthew Breetzke, the only uncapped member of the 15.
There were question marks over the tour, of two World Test Championship matches, because of the political unrest in Bangladesh in the recent past. But CSA gave the tour the go-ahead on Monday after its security assessment team conducted “an in-loco inspection” of Dhaka and Chattogram, the venues for the two Tests.
“I want to firstly thank both boards, Cricket South Africa and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, for ensuring the series goes ahead,” Conrad said in a statement. “Bangladesh is always a tough place to tour. They’ve become a formidable side at home and we have to be prepared for the challenge that awaits us. We have therefore chosen a squad for the conditions we are expecting to greet us when we get there.
“We have three frontline spinners and all of them have the ability to step up at any time they are needed. This is a great chance for someone like Senuran, who has potential to make a mark with both bat and ball. We are really looking forward to seeing what he can offer. Overall, we trust the depth and versatility in our squad to meet this challenge head-on.”
There is no Lungi Ngidi, and there is no update on whether there are fitness concerns around him or it’s a case of workload management. He’s currently part of the UAE tour where South Africa are playing Ireland in a white-ball series. Anrich Nortje, who has been in action in the CPL, has also not been picked, while Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee are both on a break and were not considered for selection.
Paterson, 35, and the US-based Piedt, 34, memorably, went on South Africa’s Test tour of New Zealand at the start of the year, when South Africa could not send many of their first-choice players on tour because of the SA20.
They have been included, as has Breetzke, the highly rated 25-year-old top-order batter who has played only eight T20Is in his international career so far. But with Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, captain Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, and wicketkeeper-batters Ryan Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne in the mix, Breetzke might find it tough to make his Test debut in Bangladesh.
Also in the South Africa travelling party is Ashwell Prince, the batting coach, who missed South Africa’s tour of the West Indies because of personal reasons. Having worked as Bangladesh’s batting coach in the past, Prince could be valuable to the South Africa management.
South Africa have so far played six matches in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and have six more Tests left. They are currently in sixth position on the table, having won two, lost three and drawn one Test.
South Africa squad for Test series in Bangladesh
Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Kyle Verreynne (wk)
