New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder have been included in South Africa’s Test squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan, starting on December 26 in Centurion, despite being on varied stages of their respective injuries.
Maharaj sustained an acute groin strain on Tuesday during warm-ups ahead of the first ODI against Pakistan at Boland Park in Paarl. Cricket South Africa (CSA) said Maharaj will undergo a scan on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury.
Mulder’s inclusion comes as he completed the final phase of his recovery from a fractured right middle finger, which kept him out of the second Test against Sri Lanka. If Mulder is selected for the first Test, CSA said batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.
Seamer Corbin Bosch, 30, has earned his maiden call-up to the Test side. Bosch has been in fine form in first-class cricket, picking an overall tally of 72 wickets at an average of 36.75 and an economy rate of 3.24 across 34 matches.
He also averages over 40 with the bat, showcasing his all-round ability. Bosch recently featured in the SA Invitational XI side that defeated England Lions in Cape Town, where he took 1-21. Joining him in the squad is uncapped seamer Kwena Maphaka, who was part of the squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka.
“In terms of our own squad, we have added Corbin to the mix. His all-round ability with both bat and ball adds depth and his pace brings an extra bite to our attack, so we’re excited to see him make that step up to Test cricket.
“Dane Paterson really impressed us against Sri Lanka and we look forward to seeing him again. Overall, the pace attack is a really good one. We are keeping a close eye on Kesh (Keshav Maharaj) and hope his injury is not too serious,” said head coach Shukri Conrad.
After facing Pakistan at SuperSport Park in the Boxing Day Test, South Africa will face off against them in the New Year’s Test at Cape Town. South Africa just need one more win to guarantee their place in next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final, whose tally they are currently leading.
“We head into this series with a clear focus, with a spot in the World Test Championship Final being the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We’ve selected a squad which gives us the best chance to achieve that.
“It’s an exciting time for South African cricket, and we’re particularly looking forward to this battle against Pakistan. They always pose a strong threat with the talented fast bowlers they produce, and I expect it to be no different this time around.
“A lot of the batters stood up when they were needed against Sri Lanka, and this is another opportunity for all of them to showcase what they can do against a good Pakistan bowling attack,” added Conrad.
South Africa Test squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)
–IANS
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