{"id":5703,"date":"2025-05-14T11:48:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T09:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=5703"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:38:09","slug":"proteas-squad-announced-for-wtc-final-bavuma-to-captain-rabada-cleared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/proteas-squad-announced-for-wtc-final-bavuma-to-captain-rabada-cleared\/","title":{"rendered":"Proteas Squad Announced for WTC Final \u2013 Bavuma to Captain, Rabada Cleared"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cricket South Africa (CSA) has officially unveiled the 15-man Proteas squad that will represent the country in the highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The showdown is set to take place from 11 to 15 June at Lord\u2019s Cricket Ground in London, marking the first time South Africa has reached the final in three WTC cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bavuma-fit-to-captain-proteas-squad\"><strong>Bavuma Fit to Captain Proteas Squad <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The squad will be captained by Temba Bavuma, who has recovered from injury and is fit to lead. Bavuma played a crucial role during the league stage, where South Africa secured eight victories, one draw and three losses, finishing at the top of the table with a 69.44% points percentage \u2014 narrowly ahead of Australia\u2019s 67.54%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1001858862\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rabada-back-after-suspension\"><strong>Rabada Back After Suspension<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest talking points is the return of pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada. Cleared to play following a one-month suspension due to a doping violation, Rabada will be central to <a href=\"https:\/\/iol.co.za\/sport\/cricket\/2025-05-13-kagiso-rabada-included-in-proteas-squad-for-world-test-championship-final\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Africa<\/a>\u2019s bowling strategy in English conditions. Joining him in the pace department is Lungi Ngidi, who makes a welcome comeback to the Test setup after recovering from injury and last featuring in red-ball cricket in October 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-strong-and-balanced-bowling-unit\"><strong>Strong and Balanced Bowling Unit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Youngster Kwena Maphaka misses out, making way for a pace unit that also includes Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder. This trio provides both seam firepower and all-round depth. Dane Paterson also finds himself back in the mix, while spinners Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy have been selected to offer variety on what is expected to be a traditional Lord\u2019s pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1149955441\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conrad-confident-in-squad-depth\"><strong>Conrad Confident in Squad Depth<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad expressed confidence in the squad, praising the continuity and balance within the team. \u201cI want to congratulate each player selected \u2014 it\u2019s a special moment to be playing in the WTC final. Over the past 18 months, we&#8217;ve put in a great deal of effort to build a solid red-ball squad. Our success is built on consistent selection, and we\u2019ve stuck with the core group who\u2019ve taken us this far,\u201d Conrad said.<br>He also highlighted the importance of the conditions in England, stating, \u201cWe\u2019ve chosen a well-balanced squad tailored for what we expect at Lord\u2019s. I\u2019m especially happy to see Lungi back. His experience will be invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reliable-batting-core-in-place\"><strong>Reliable Batting Core in Place<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The batting unit features a blend of experience and youthful promise. Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and David Bedingham will form the top-order framework, while Kyle Verreynne has been named as the first-choice wicketkeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1110639211\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-full-proteas-squad-for-wtc-final-vs-australia\"><strong>Full Proteas Squad for WTC Final vs Australia<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Temba Bavuma (captain), <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>David Bedingham, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Corbin Bosch, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Tony de Zorzi, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Marco Jansen, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Keshav Maharaj, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Aiden Markram, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Wiaan Mulder, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Senuran Muthusamy, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Lungi Ngidi, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Dane Paterson, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Kagiso Rabada, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Ryan Rickelton, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Tristan Stubbs, <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Kyle Verreynne<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-build-up-plans-ahead-of-final\"><strong>Build-Up Plans Ahead of Final<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the final, the Proteas will hold a training camp in Arundel from 31 May and are scheduled to play a warm-up match against Zimbabwe from 3 to 6 June. They\u2019ll then move to London on 7 June to finalise preparations for the marquee clash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/kagiso-rabada-tests-positive-for-cocaine-what-happens-next\/\">Kagiso Rabada Tests Positive for Cocaine \u2013 What Happens Next?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cricket South Africa (CSA) has officially unveiled the 15-man Proteas squad that will represent the country in the highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The showdown is set to take place from 11 to 15 June at Lord\u2019s Cricket Ground in London, marking the first time South Africa has reached the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Cricket South Africa (CSA) has officially unveiled the 15-man Proteas squad that will represent the country in the highly anticipated ICC World Test...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[1429,1518,265,1517],"class_list":{"0":"post-5703","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-cricket","10":"tag-cricket-news","11":"tag-cricket-sa","12":"tag-proteas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5703"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5710,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions\/5710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}