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South Africa have announced their squads for the upcoming tour of Pakistan, with Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out due to a calf strain. The 35-year-old, who sustained the injury during the recent white-ball series in England, is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. In his absence, Aiden Markram will lead the Test side.
The big news is the return of Quinton de Kock, who has reversed his retirement from one-day internationals. The wicketkeeper-batter, who last played for South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in June 2024, has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads for the Pakistan tour.
The Test squad sees a recall for off-spinner Simon Harmer, who last featured in March 2023. He will provide experience alongside fellow spinners Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen, while first-choice Keshav Maharaj is only available from the second Test due to a groin injury. South Africa are preparing for spin-friendly conditions, with head coach Shukri Conrad stressing the importance of squad depth.
On the white-ball side, South Africa have chosen to rest their all-format players, except Corbin Bosch and Dewald Brevis. David Miller has been named T20I captain, while Matthew Breetzke will lead the ODI team. Before heading to Pakistan, the Proteas will also play a T20I in Namibia to mark the opening of a new stadium in Windhoek, with Donovan Ferreira captaining a youthful side.
Explaining the changes, Conrad said: “Temba’s calf strain will unfortunately keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks, but the focus is on giving him the best chance to be fully ready for the India tour in November. At the same time, the majority of the Test squad have experience of playing in the subcontinent and understand the demands that come with it, so I’m confident they will embrace the challenge.”
South Africa will play two Tests, three T20Is and three ODIs in Pakistan, followed by a long tour of India, which forms a key part of their build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
South Africa squads for Pakistan tour:
Test squad: Aiden Markram (captain), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj (second Test only), Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne
ODI squad: Matthew Breetzke (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile
T20I squad: David Miller (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane, Lizaad Williams
