Late call to be made on Rabada’s availability for Australia Tests

Proteas seamer, Kagiso Rabada, has been included in Shukri Conrad’s preliminary Test squad for the three-Test series against Australia, which gets underway in Durban on 9 October.

Rabada is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during winter training, with his availability for the first Test set to be assessed following an intra-squad match next week.

“We will give it [the final decision on Rabada] as much time as humanly possible, but we also don’t want to take a call based on desperation,” Conrad said.

“Based on how the three-day match plays out, a day or two after that, I reckon we will make a call,” he added

Fellow seamers, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman and Kwena Maphaka, who are also recovering from hamstring injuries, were not considered for selection.

Instead, Anrich Nortje, who is no longer centrally contracted to Cricket South Africa (CSA), is in line to play his first Test since March 2023 after being included in an expanded squad featuring seven fast bowlers.

“Anrich is as pedantic and professional as they come. He has got spreadsheets that detail all of the work that he has done. I’m very comfortable that he has done all the necessary work,” Conrad said.

“We’ve just got to look at the intensity that it’s done in. We’ve got to look at whether a Test match is the best introduction back to the international fold.”

2026/27 HOME SEASON FIXTURE ANNNOUNCEMENT 🚨

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has today revealed the Proteas Men’s international fixtures for the 2026/27 home season, with Test cricket and One-Internationals (ODIs) headlining a busy summer against Australia, Bangladesh and England.… pic.twitter.com/jgFkQMHTVq

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Written by: Ntsako Mukhari