Selection policy hindering stability

Matthew Breetzke has been granted his wish and Marques Ackerman will finally be rewarded for his run of good form, but what do their inclusions say about the direction the Proteas Test team is taking?

In addition to the axing of Kyle Verreynne from the squad named on Thursday morning for the second Test starting at St George’s Park on Sunday, with Ryan Rickleton taking the gloves, it is another radical step for a batting unit that was already getting accustomed to a new occupant at No 3 last week.

David Bedingham made 49 and 46 having come to the crease early in both innings at Kingsmead and did enough to warrant staying in that spot for the remainder of the series. The Proteas need as much stability as they can muster, because the batting line-up has undergone several changes in 22 Tests Shukri Conrad has overseen as coach in the last 45 months.

If the 2024 tour to New Zealand — where Conrad was forced to choose a virtual C-team because of the SA20 — is ignored, there have been five different players who have batted at No 3. Aiden Markram could have his fourth different opening partner if Rickelton moves down the order because of the wicket-keeping duties, while the No 5 and 6 spots have also been a revolving door of batters or all-rounders.

In the 17-player squad named for the Gqeberha Test, Markram and Temba Bavuma are the only two batters with 50 or more caps.

“We’ve been heavily reliant on Temba and Aiden, and then lower order runs,” Conrad said after Kingsmead, where Australia exposed the fragility of the Proteas’ batting unit.

Bavuma made three and one in the series opener, twice falling to off-spin, and both of those dismissals he acknowledged were “soft”.

Conrad explained the poor batting performances in Durban had been coming. He used the 2024 Boxing Day Test against Pakistan — where Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada produced a heroic ninth-wicket partnership to sneak South Africa across the line — and the first innings batting in the World Test Championship final, where the Proteas were rolled for 138, as examples of the wider problems the side has faced during his tenure.

A horses-for-courses selection approach isn’t a long-term strategy, but given the amount of Test cricket South Africa play, Conrad has had to be pragmatic. “I think very often, because of the few matches we play, we base a lot [of selection] on tactically what we feel is required and backed up with the necessary personnel,” said Conrad.

Rabada’s absence in Durban saw South Africa employ a two-spinner strategy, which then affected the composition of the seam-bowling unit, which also had an effect on the batting, hence the selection of Wiaan Mulder.

Rabada’s return at St George’s Park should create a firmer structure, but even then South Africa need to be better with the bat.

Breetzke and Ackerman are both confident and in form, elements Tristan Stubbs, axed from the squad for the Test in his home town, is missing.

We’ve been heavily reliant on Temba and Aiden, and then lower order runs.

—  Shukri Conrad

“The fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gives him an inside lane. More importantly the attitude and character Matt brings and has will go a long way,” Conrad said.

Breetzke averages 58.7 in ODIs and has cemented his spot in the World Cup squad, but he is desperate to prove he is a Test batter too. He was dismissed first ball on debut against Bangladesh in 2024 and scored 13 and 1 — while opening the batting — in his only other Test appearance against Zimbabwe last year.

Ackerman scored hundreds for SA A in the West Indies last year and England this year and recently made a double 100 against Bangladesh A, which he followed with a century for the KZN Dolphins in the First Class Series.

Conrad and Bavuma will hope he can transfer that form to the Test team, so they can create a semblance of consistency in a busy summer where there is so much at stake.