South Africa has made a significant adjustment to its 17-man squad ahead of the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park, which begins this Sunday. Following a 214-run defeat in the opening match at Kingsmead, coach Shukri Conrad has opted to swap Tristan Stubbs for Matthew Breetzke. The remainder of the squad remains unchanged from the group that featured in the first Test loss. Which helped South Africa win by five runs, Breetzke hammered Will Jacks for a drive so straight and so violent that Stubbs had to acrobat himself out of the ball’s path, in the course of that performance.
Stubbs’ exclusion follows a difficult stretch of form. In his last 16 completed innings, the batter managed just two scores of 50 or more—76 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi last October and 94 against India in Guwahati the following month. His recent performances at Kingsmead saw him score only 32 and 1, falling to Pat Cummins on both occasions after playing loose shots. He was caught at deep fine leg pulling Pat Cummins – part of a slide of 4/42 – and caught behind off the same bowler.
Conversely, Breetzke enters the squad looking to translate his white-ball success to the Test arena. While his previous three Test innings have yielded a top score of just 13, he was instrumental in South Africa’s 67-run victory over Australia in the first ODI in Durban last month, where he struck a 106-ball 112.
The change carries personal weight, as both players are products of Grey High School in Gqeberha. St George’s Park serves as a home ground for both men, marking a poignant transition given their history as teammates, including a 147-run partnership for South Africa against England in an ODI at Lord’s last September. Sharing a stand of 147 off 126, they played together for Grey and batted together for South Africa against England in an ODI at Lord’s in September last year. Both of those performances were crucial in what became important victories for South Africa. St George’s Park, South Africa’s oldest Test ground, is a cathedral of cricket for them; a place that has been central to their professional and personal lives for about as long as they can remember. Cricket can be a cruel business sometimes.
Addressing the selection, coach Shukri Conrad acknowledged that Stubbs “unfortunately misses out” but emphasized that Breetzke’s current ODI form gave him an “inside lane” for selection. Additionally, wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne appears set to drop out of the playing XI after failing to reach 50 in his last 11 completed Test innings. Ryan Rickelton is expected to take the gloves, despite not hitting a half-century in his previous eight completed innings.
Conrad noted that the team is still deliberating whether Rickelton will drop down the order or continue as an opener while keeping wicket. “With Ricks taking the gloves there will be decisions to be made whether he moves down the order, or whether he can continue to open the batting and take the gloves. He’s done that before,” the coach said.
The final composition of the XI remains under review as the team assesses the fitness of Kagiso Rabada, who has been managing a hamstring issue. The management is also evaluating whether spinners Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer will retain their spots at St George’s Park, a venue noted for being more spin-friendly than other South African grounds. Regarding potential further changes, including the status of Marques Ackerman, Conrad stated, “There’re a few things to look at before we get to the XI. We’ve had the opportunity to lick our wounds. Now we need to make sure we turn this ship in the right direction.”
