Johannesburg: South Africa have reshaped their batting order for the home Test series against Bangladesh, recalling Tony de Zorzi and Zubayr Hamza and restoring fast bowler Anrich Nortje to a 15-man squad named by Cricket South Africa on November 2. David Bedingham has been dropped and wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne left out as the world No. 1 Test side begins its next World Test Championship assignment.
The two-match Dafabet Test series opens at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg from November 15 to 19, with the second Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion from November 23 to 27. The squad will assemble in Johannesburg on November 11.
De Zorzi’s return was the most expected of the three recalls. The left-hander missed the recent 2-1 series victory over Australia with a hamstring injury picked up in the final ODI against the Australians on September 30, and he trained with the squad in Cape Town during that series without playing. His recovery restores a top-order option South Africa lacked in the decider, and his inclusion comes directly at Bedingham’s expense.
Hamza’s recall is the more intriguing selection. The 31-year-old has not played a Test since February 2024 against New Zealand, but the selectors have turned to him as they continue to search for a settled solution at No. 3, the troublesome slot in an otherwise formidable batting line-up. With Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton established at the top and captain Temba Bavuma anchoring the middle order, Hamza’s experience gives the selectors a right-handed option in the area where they have rotated most.
On the bowling front, Nortje returns after being sidelined for two weeks with a groin injury that forced him off the field midway through his fourth over in the third Test against Australia. He joins Kagiso Rabada and Dane Paterson as the specialist quicks, with all-rounders Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder providing further seam options, and Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj the spin pair.
The omissions tell their own story. Bedingham, who featured against Australia, has been dropped, while Verreynne — who did not get a game in that series — has also been left out, leaving Rickelton as the wicketkeeping option in the squad. Gerald Coetzee is omitted too, and Lungi Ngidi was not considered as he continues his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.
South Africa arrive as the newly crowned world No. 1 Test team after their comeback against Australia, sealed by an innings victory in Gqeberha and a 176-run triumph in Cape Town. Bangladesh, beaten by West Indies in the first Test at Mirpur and needing to win the second Test in Sylhet to level that series, will be underdogs in Johannesburg, but the Wanderers has not always been kind to favourites — and a drawn or lost series would dent South Africa’s early WTC standing.
For readers following the series build-up, this squad announcement updates the site’s South Africa vs Bangladesh Tests guide (published October 30): the fixtures are unchanged, but the squad picture is now final. The first Test starts at 10:00 local time on November 15.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton.
