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South Africa have named their squad for the upcoming Test series in India with the big news being the return of skipper Temba Bavuma.
The diminutive batsman has been a key player for South Africa in recent seasons and as both the captain and as their highest ranked batsman he will undoubtedly walk back into the starting eleven.
But with South Africa heading to India on the back of a fantastic Test win against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, the big question is who is likely to be dropped to make room for Temba?
There were 16 players in the squad for the second Test against Pakistan and two of those players, Prenalen Subrayen and David Bedingham have been omitted for the Indian games.
That’s not hugely surprising given that neither played in Rawalpindi – in the case of Bedingham, he didn’t feature at all in Pakistan.
Zubayr Hamza, who was in the squad for Pakistan holds onto his place, although it seems highly unlikely that he will see game time in either Kolkata or Guwahati.
Perhaps Rickelton
Aside from Bavuma, realistically there are probably only two players in the Proteas top order who can consider their places safe. Those are the openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram.
Markram, who deputized as skipper for Bavuma in Pakistan didn’t have the best tour to Pakistan, scoring 97 runs across two Tests at an average of 24.25. But he has plenty of goodwill to fall back on given his heroic batting in the final of the World Test Championship in June.
Rickelton was South Africa’s second highest scorer, and he finished the two Tests with an average of 51.66. He is a good player of spin, and his performances are on an upward curve. It is very hard to imagine that he won’t play.
Ironically Rickelton is probably only in the side due to his double-ton at the start of the year which he scored when drafted in as an injury replacement for Tony de Zorzi.
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Maybe de Zorzi
With De Zorzi out Rickelton made the spot at the top of the order his own and hasn’t really looked back. It took the injury to Bavuma for De Zorzi to find his way back into the mix and he duly ended as South Africa’s top performer in Pakistan.
De Zorzi was the top scorer in the series overall and the only batsman from either side to register a century. He finished the series with 175 runs at an average of 58.33.
Not only that, he also showed once again that he is a truly exceptional fielder under the helmet in those uncomfortable bat-pad positions. It would seem like extremely rough justice if he were to lose his place after the exceptional work he did in Pakistan.
That means if he bats three and Bavuma comes in at four, who of Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreyne and Wiaan Mulder sits out? Somebody has to make way for Bavuma.
Or Stubbs…
Stubbs has been in poor Test cricket form in recent times, but he will have gained lots of confidence from his effort in the first innings in Rawalpindi.
Stubbs showed genuine application in scoring 76 runs, and while his efforts were eventually overshadowed by the heroics of Kagiso Rabada and Senuran Muthusamy, his knock was a timely return to form and a reminder of the quality he possesses.
Brevis is very much at the start of his career, and it promises to be a very exciting one. He has flair and charisma, and he is currently playing with plenty of confidence. He made two ducks in the series, but he also smashed a double-quick 54.
He can change the momentum of a game in a handful of overs. But is he a luxury that South Africa cannot afford at present or is he a must have? As it stands Brevis has played four Tests and scored two 50s for an average of 23.00.
If the Proteas are going to drop a batter, then the only other option to sit out is wicketkeeper Verreynne. The Western Province man has been very solid behind the stumps, but he averaged just 10 with the bat in Pakistan.
Rickelton is a competent keeper and a regular with the gloves in white-ball cricket. He could potentially be tasked with the dual role of opening and keeping.
The other option of course is to go in with one fewer bowler. Or to change the balance of the attack to allow for the return of Wiaan Mulder. In Pakistan the Proteas played three spinners.
Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer bagged 17 of the 20 wickets that fell across the two innings of the second Test. Rabada took a couple and there was a run out.
Muthusamy to make way?
While Muthusamy (who was named player of the series), only bowled a limited number of overs in the second Test, he nevertheless starred with the bat. His undefeated 89 is what effectively won the game for South Africa, while his first Test bowling return of 11 for 174 was also exceptional.
The wickets in India are expected to be similarly spin friendly to the ones in Pakistan. It means three spinners and two quicks look set to be the balance again. The big bonus is that Muthusamy has shown what he can do with the bat.
There may have been some doubters ahead of the Pakistan series when he was listed as a batting allrounder, but he has shown himself to be extremely competent as a batsman.
Ironically, Muthusamy now has the highest Test batting average of any of the current Proteas crew with an average of 46.50.
It seems tough on Mulder that a handful of months since he scored a near world record Test score that he is out in the cold, but it looks set to stay that way. It seems unlikely too that Verreynne will miss out.
That would be a big call. So, expect the Proteas to line up in Kolkata with no Dewald Brevis in the starting XI – but it will be a tough call to make.
Read next: Revealed – 6 of the biggest exclusions from England’s Ashes squad
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