South Africa announce squad for Test series against Zimbabwe

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South Africa have announced their squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Zimbabwe, starting later this month in Bulawayo. The squad includes five uncapped players, with 19-year-old batting prodigy Lhuan-dre Pretorius headlining the group after a stunning start to his domestic red-ball career.

Joining Pretorius in line for a possible debut are Dewald Brevis, Lesego Senokwane, Codi Yusuf, and Prenelan Subrayen. The series will not be part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, as Zimbabwe are not included in the current 2025–27 edition. Instead, the matches will serve as a platform for South Africa to test new talent and build squad depth ahead of future WTC fixtures.

Several senior players — including Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada — have been rested, as head coach Shukri Conrad focuses on development. Veteran fast bowler Dane Paterson has also been left out and is reportedly considering retirement after the recent Lord’s Test.

Pretorius has impressed early in his first-class career, scoring three centuries in just five matches and averaging 65.57. One of his hundreds came in the red-ball domestic final, further cementing his place in the national conversation.

Brevis, who was in the squad during last year’s tour of Bangladesh but did not play, has earned his selection through consistent domestic performances. He scored 573 runs in 12 innings at an average of 47.75, including two centuries and two fifties. Known for his exploits in the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup, Brevis has shown promising growth in red-ball cricket.

“Dewald deserves a lot of credit for how he has progressed over the past 12 months,” Conrad said. 

"He's shown real growth and maturity in the longer format, and it's encouraging to see him evolving into a more complete cricketer," he added.

Senokwane, Subrayen, and Yusuf were also rewarded for strong domestic seasons. Senokwane was among the top run-scorers, Subrayen — a spin-bowling all-rounder — took the second-most wickets, while Yusuf finished joint-fifth in the wicket-takers list.

“This tour is the perfect opportunity to expose them to the demands of Test cricket,” Conrad added. 

"It's also our first tour to Zimbabwe since 2014, so we're really looking forward to heading over there later this month," Conrad added.

Middle-order batter Zubayr Hamza is in line for a comeback, having last played Test cricket in 2024. However, South Africa will be without three key pacers — Gerald Coetzee (groin), Nandre Burger (stress fracture), and Lizaad Williams (knee surgery).

Young pacer Kwena Maphaka, who made his debut earlier this year against Pakistan, will lead the pace attack alongside Lungi Ngidi. Josh Coetzee and Nandre Burger are being carefully managed as part of long-term fitness plans.

“Nandre has been cleared to play T20s. We’ll reintroduce him gradually, starting with the shortest format, before Nandre has been given the all-clear by the medical team to play T20s. The plan is to ease him back into the game, starting with the shortest format, and then slowly work him up to the longer formats," Conrad said. 

"We'll be keeping a close eye on how he handles the workload as he builds toward playing Test cricket again," he added. 

"With Gerald, it's part of a bigger plan to help him better handle the physical demands of red-ball cricket. The idea is to give him the best chance to avoid a recurrence of the injuries that have kept him out of Test cricket since the tour against Sri Lanka. His recent performances in T20s have been really encouraging, but the focus is on his long-term growth and ensuring he stays fit across all formats. Lizaad is progressing well and is currently in the final phase of his rehabilitation from his knee surgery," he further added. 

Anrich Nortje is again absent from the squad. The fast bowler turned down a central contract earlier and has not played international cricket since the 2024 T20 World Cup final. He featured in only two IPL matches this year after struggling with several injuries, including a broken toe.

South Africa squad for Zimbabwe Test series:

Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf.