The Proteas on Wednesday announced two uncapped quick bowlers in their Test squad to take on Pakistan, in a two-match series starting in Centurion on Boxing Day.
Teenage sensation Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch were the new faces included in the squad. Maphaka was also part of the Test squad against Sri Lanka, but did not play in either match.
If South Africa win both Tests against Pakistan, they will secure their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s in June.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad said their sights were firmly set on making it to the WTC final.
Clear focus
“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,” said Conrad.
"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.”
Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj were both selected despite injury concerns.
“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,” said Conrad.
"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.
"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."
Squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), 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 and Kyle Verreynne (wk).