South Africa pick five uncapped players for Zimbabwe Tests
Test captain Temba Bavuma leads the 16-player group that has five uncapped players.
The two-match Test series will take place at Queen Sports Club, Bulawayo, from 28 June to 10 July. The series will be South Africa's first outing after the World Test Championship Final 2025.
Bavuma will continue as captain, which sees several Test team regulars like Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs rested.
In their place, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Codi Yusuf, Dewald Brevis and Prenelan Subrayen find a place. All the players are yet to make their Test debut, while this is a maiden call-up for Pretorius, Senokwane and Yusuf.
Lhuan-dré Pretorius is the rising teen sensation of South African cricket. He had a breakout season in the CSA 4-Day Series, scoring three centuries and finishing with an impressive average of 72.66.
Joining him as another exciting prospect is Lesego Senokwane, who also amassed 559 runs in the first-class competition, including three hundreds. Both players recently made their South Africa 'A ' debuts in the series against West Indies A, signaling their rapid rise through the ranks.
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Codi Yusuf is an exciting pace prospect, who picked 23 wickets in the 4-Day Series, at an average of 22.39.
Subrayen and Brevis are uncapped at the Test level but have travelled with the side before. Subrayen was on full fire against West Indies 'A' in a recent first-class fixture, picking up a five-wicket haul and scoring 64 runs in an innings win for South Africa 'A'. Brevis has impressed ever since having made his mark at the U19 level, and was the second-highest run-getter in the domestic first-class level this past season.
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South Africa Test Squad against Zimbabwe
Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne and Codi Yusuf.
South Africa are currently playing a warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe in Arundel, England as they prepare for the Ultimate Test against Australia, starting 11 June.
Fixtures
28 June-02 July, First Test, Bulawayo
06-10 July, Second Test, Bulawayo