The stakes are incredibly high in the quest to secure a place in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next year. The Proteas currently sit in fifth place on the WTC table hovering just below Sri Lanka who occupy third position.
Zaahier Adams
The Proteas are gearing up for a crucial two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which Test coach Shukri Conrad has described as “almost like a knockout quarter-final.”
The stakes are incredibly high in the quest to secure a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next year. The Proteas currently sit in fifth place on the WTC table, with a percentage of 54.17, hovering just below Sri Lanka, who occupy third position with a percentage of 55.56.
A victory in both matches – which will be hosted in Durban and Gqeberha – could set the Proteas on a direct path to the WTC final.
Following this series, they will face Pakistan in two additional Tests over the festive season, meaning the current encounter holds significant weight for their championship ambitions.
Red-ball head coach Shukri Conrad has today announced a 14-player squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which gets underway in Durban later this month.
Captain Temba Bavuma will lead the side after being cleared for selection following a fitness test on… pic.twitter.com/MuUhVjqb4q
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) November 19, 2024
After the disappointing performances of the Proteas white-ball teams over the past couple of months, Conrad is excited that the premier format of the game is ready to take centre stage again. “It’s an exciting time for the Test side,” Conrad said on Tuesday. “It’s almost like a knockout quarter-final with us and Sri Lanka. That table is going to be quite a topsy-turvy one over the next couple of months.”
“We all understand the magnitude of it. We also understand that we’ve got to play really good cricket in order for us to achieve the goal.
“I think we’re going to run into a very confident Sri Lanka side. But we certainly know that if we play anything close to our ability, that we’ll be right there when it matters.”
For a series of such magnitude, Conrad is certainly pleased that regular captain Temba Bavuma passed a stringent fitness test on Monday to return to the helm of the red-ball team.
It’s been a frustrating period for Bavuma, with the skipper playing just four out of the ten Tests under Conrad’s mentorship.
He missed the recent series win over Bangladesh and also one of the Tests in the West Indies due to injury. Although Bavuma has not played a red-ball game all summer, Conrad believes the skipper will fit in seamlessly.
“He’s probably going in cold on the back of not having played any matches but we’re certainly going to be simulating match situations during our short camp we’re going to have in Pretoria,” Conrad said.
Equally, Conrad stated that the Test side remains “Temba’s team” and that the Proteas’ most consistent batter over the past three years is champing at the bit to get down to work again.
After the success of the spinners in Bangladesh, Conrad has also gone for a horses-for-courses approach for the home series, as he is set to unleash two fresh and fit pacemen in Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee against the Sri Lankans.
Proteas Test squad vs Sri Lanka: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne
