OBAKENG MELETSE
Temba Bavuma will have an opportunity to lead a Proteas Test side with a lot of new faces to the same heights we have seen the white-ball teams reach over the past two years.
The South Africans will kick off their campaign against the West Indies that forms part of the World Test Championship (WTC) in less than two weeks, and having finished third the last time out, they will want to kick on and win it.
And with a new-look team, a different coach in Shukri Conrad and a couple of fresh faces, they have an opportunity to kick-start the tour on a positive note against a West Indies side also going through a huge rebuild, with a host of the popular names having made way.
Bavuma missed out the last time South Africa went to the West Indies in 2021 due to injury, but he believes that playing the conditions well will be key to back up their 2-0 success.
“It’s quite tough, especially for the batters, playing in those conditions against the Duke ball,” Bavuma said at a pre-departure media conference in Johannesburg yesterday.
“Quite a lot was on offer for the seam bowlers, but we were able to get the right performance on our side.
“The West Indies outfit is formidable in their own conditions, and I think they probably know that their strength lies within their seamers.
“We will have to be on our game with the bat when it comes to the challenge of how we face their seamers – albeit we have a lot of new faces in the team.”
The Proteas will play a total of just five Test matches for the rest of the year, with the first of two games against the West Indies starting on August 7 at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
Even though the team rankings are only calculated by percentage, it is the lack of consistency in the number of matches played that continues to be a concern for South Africa and the teams outside the big three (India, Australia and England), who get to play more matches than all the other nations in the WTC cycle.
Red-ball head coach Shukri Conrad has today named a 16-player squad for the two-match Test series against West Indies, which starts on 07 August in Trinidad and Tobago.
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 8, 2024
Dafabet Warriors batter Matthew Breetzke has received his maiden Test call-up after impressing in last… pic.twitter.com/kBlTnDkugp
“It is a challenge, but it’s a challenge that is not only unique to us but probably something all the small teams, or the teams outside the big three face. It feels like we are starting again and again as a team,” Bavuma said.
“We had a camp last week, but not all the guys were there available.
“But it was good to hear the guys remind each other of the philosophy of how we want to play, our blueprint to winning.
“When we meet up with everyone in the USA (on the way to the Caribbean), those couple of days will be important to align ourselves again to speak about our values and culture.”
The tour will also be a good opportunity for new faces to leave a mark and secure their places in the team.
Migael Pretorius has been called up to replace Gerald Coetzee, who has been ruled out due to a side strain suffered while playing in the Major League Cricket tournament in the US.
“I am excited to see what Matthew Breetzke will bring to the table ... he is one for the future,” Bavuma said.
“I’m excited for Migael Pretorius as well. He was part of us at the Lions, and from that time he has grown as a player and he has been rewarded for the good he has done.”
Proteas Test Squad
Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandré Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne, Migael Pretorius.