Tony de Zorzi returns as South Africa name squad for Bangladesh Test


The 15-man South African squad for the upcoming series at home against Bangladesh includes Tony de Zorzi, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury during the recent Test series against Australia. Anrich Nortje has been declared fit to play in the two-match Test series that starts later this month. He only played one Test against Australia before getting hurt in the groin. South Africa named an 18-man squad for the Australia series but have trimmed it down to 15, leaving five players from the victorious squad. Gerald Coetzee, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Senuran Muthusamy, and Kyle Verreynne have all been left out. Pacer Lungi Ngidi is still undergoing treatment, so he was not considered for selection. Zubayr Hamza has also been recalled by South Africa because three batters were injured. The 31-year-old, who has appeared in eight Test matches thus far in his career, last appeared in a match against New Zealand in February 2024. The squad will assemble in Johannesburg on November 11 with the series set to kick off four days later at the same venue. The second and final Test will be played from November 23 in Centurion. "Traditionally, surfaces on the Highveld favor pace and bounce," Head Coach Shukri Conrad stated. "However, we have seen the Wanderers offer some assistance to spin in recent times." "So with that in mind, our seam-bowling options will get more attention. We are aware of Bangladesh's threat and anticipate that their quicks will be extremely effective in Highveld conditions. It's good to have Tony back after he recovered from his injury in terms of our batting options, and Zubayr's inclusion adds depth to our top order." Squad: Temba Bavuma, Marques Ackerman, Aiden Markram, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton, Matthew Breetzke, Simon Harmer, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza