Last Updated on 6 minutes ago by Charbel Coorey
South Africa has made one change to their squad for the second Test against Australia at St. George’s Park with Matthew Breetzke coming in for Tristan Stubbs.
Breetzke’s Test record is limited to three innings with a top score of 13, but his recent white ball form against Australia has strengthened his case for a return to the playing XI.
Matthew Breetzke gets a chance after a good ODI performance
Breetzke was one of the key performers in South Africa’s win over Australia in the first ODI in Durban last month. He scored 112 off 106 balls and was instrumental in South Africa’s 67-run win. His effort has now won him another opportunity at the Test setup.
The change also has a personal connection for both Breetzke and Stubbs. The two players grew up in the Eastern Cape and went to Gray High School in Gqeberha. Both players have also been familiar with St George’s Park from their early days playing cricket.
Breetzke and Stubbs have played on the same field for South Africa before. They shared a 147-run stand off 126 deliveries against England at Lord’s last September. The pair’s partnership was crucial to South Africa’s five-run win.
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Stubbs now makes way after a rough trot with the bat. The only times he has passed fifty in his last 16 completed innings were when he made 76 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in October last year and 94 against India in Guwahati a month later. Both innings came in important South African victories.
His performance in the first Test against Australia was poor too. Stubbs had made 32 in the first innings and only one in the second. Both times he was sent packing by Pat Cummins. He was caught at deep fine leg in the first innings while attempting a pull shot against Cummins, who finished with four wickets for 42 runs. He was then caught behind playing a loose drive in the second innings.
Also, Ryan Rickelton is set to take the wicket-keeping gloves. This likely means he will drop down the order and replace Kyle Verreynne.
South Africa will aim to respond when the match begins on Sunday after Australia secured a comfortable 214-run victory in the opening Test at Kingsmead on Tuesday.
Updated South Africa squad for the 2nd Test match: Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortjé, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne
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