Times are changing on the South African test team. Seven uncapped players were included in their starting squad to play against Sri Lanka. And even if all the newcomers don’t debut on this series – the unfortunate Keegan Petersen in particular – they won’t be far from their first caps when Project Restart gets going properly, roughly six years after it should have started.
South Africa has referred to itself as in transition since around 2014 when Graeme Smith retired. He is now the director of cricket, so things have moved on considerably, although the rhetoric around rebuilding has not. Temporary Test captain Quinton de Kock said he wants “the younger guys to learn fast” this summer so South Africa can start to find a structure to carry them forward, even when De Kock is no longer leading them. Here are the names and faces to watch out for as South Africa begins its test summer.
Glenton Stuurman
Glenton Stuurman, the rookie most likely to appear, is 28, so he shouldn’t be considered a youngster. Rather, he’s someone whose seasons in the domestic game have finally been recognized. He was the third wicket taker for the South Western Districts (a team based in the city of Oudtshoorn best known for its ostrich farms) in the summer of 2016-17 with most of his tour on flat, dry surfaces; and topped the tournament’s wicket takers list in 2018-19. By then, the franchises had taken their heads out of the sand and Stuurman was signed to the Warriors, in Port Elizabeth, where conditions are slightly, but not much more, favorable for sailors.
Through the move, Stuurman improved his conditioning, picked up a meter of pace and became a regular for the franchise, taking 18 first-class wickets for them in six games last season and seven in two games this summer. His ability to hit the new ball and move the ball out of the seam has promoted him as a replacement for Vernon Philander, who retired in January. With Beuran Hendricks out of the series, Stuurman has the perfect opportunity to take on the role of the third closer.
Migael Pretorius
The same season that Stuurman went through, Pretorius did too. He was the best bowler in the three-day competition with 42 casualties at 17.78. He was playing for the Northerners, having gone through Waterkloof High, the same institution as Pieter and Janneman Malan and Hardus Viljoen, but was unable to break through the Titans team despite signs of good pace and overall skill. Instead, Pretorius moved to the Lions, where he was given a chance, but only this summer, in the Knights, under coach Allan Donald, did he achieve a sustained career.
He ranks third in the top-class bowling statistics with 20 wickets at 20.65, earning him a late call to the national team, five days after the 15-man pool was announced. Apparently Pretorius was chosen as a cover, but if South Africa chooses to go full throttle, it can be found in the XI. It will help his cause that he has marked two half centuries at the franchise level and could make a case for playing as a lower-order all-rounder.
Lutho sipamla
Not a completely new face, Sipamla has played 10 white ball matches for South Africa, but won his first call-up for the test team when three additional players were added late last week. Sipamla has only played one first-class match this season, so the selectors may be relying on last summer’s form, where he was the best sewing bowler in the first-class competition with 24 wickets at 24.62.
At 22, Sipamla may be a player South Africa will keep for the future, especially after the torrid time he endured in the only T20 he played against England, so we may not see him against Sri Lanka. That said, with the second Test being played at his new home, the Wanderers, he may still find his way to the team.
Kyle verreynne
Even though de Kock confirmed that he will keep wicket in test cricket, Kyle Verreynne’s numbers make a strong case for him to include him as a specialized hitter. He has averaged more than 50 in four of the past five seasons, and his aggressive playing style adds mid-order momentum. In his three ODIs against Australia last summer, Verreynne’s two fifties were a show of confidence, a trait that South African hitters, especially their test hitters, have lacked.
It will help that some of Verreynne’s recent races have arrived at one of the test locations this summer. It marked two half-centuries for Cobras against the Lions at the Wanderers in early November, to add to the 65 he did there in 2018. Those are the only three first-class games he has played at the Plaza de Toros. He has also appeared twice on Centurion, scoring 47 and 42.
Keegan Petersen
It only took him a decade, but South Africa finally found another “KP”, and this one also plays his cricket at Kingsmead. Originally from Paarl, Keegan Petersen moved to the Knights, where he made a huge impression in the 2018-19 season by topping the race charts, and has since found a home with the Dolphins. He is currently eighth in this season’s competition and is averaging over 50 for the third summer in a row.
Everything indicates that Petersen is at the forefront of the queue of hitters trying to make the team, so it is very unfortunate that he was not able to enter the squad bubble before the series. Last summer, Petersen was a non-player member of the test team and was mentored by Jacques Kallis, who was working as a hitting consultant for South Africa (and since then KP has made his way to do the same job for England) and thus , was considered the next in line. You may have hoped to get your first shot ahead of Verreynne, either at No. 3, his usual position, or in the middle order.
Sarel erwee
Being in the opening reserve hitter position is always tough, especially since these are places that don’t change often, and that’s up to Sarel Erwee. Selectors coordinator Victor Mpitsang told ESPNcricinfo that Erwee is considered an endorsement of Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar and that he hasn’t usurped Markram in the first place, which is understandable considering Markram’s form and the fact that he can be the next captain. It’s still tough for Erwee, who ranks fourth on the scorers list this season and has a dozen years of experience as a professional cricketer.
Erwee is a clean forward on the ball and made headlines for his cue ball hits, which could see him fanned out of position to do some damage on the order. If that’s the case, I’d compete with Verreynne for a spot.
Raynard van Tonder
It was impossible to ignore the top run scorer in the four-day competition, who also topped the list last summer, so Raynard van Tonder was added to the team, alongside Sipamla and Dwaine Pretorius as a late inclusion. At 22 years old and brimming with talent, he is the type of player who should quickly break into international cricket, but where to put him may be the problem. Like Petersen, he is a player in the top three and could only be found there if both van der Dussen and du Plessis beat lower in the order. The same argument that applies to the other hitters mentioned here, who could hit lower, could also apply to van Tonder.
What seems certain is that he will play for South Africa, and perhaps even present himself as a future leader. He was captain of the U19 team at the 2018 World Cup.
Wiaan mulder
Strictly speaking, Mulder shouldn’t be on this list because he already played a test, and it was against Sri Lanka, but he’s included because he’s coming back after a long injury suspension that caused him to miss every match last summer. international Mulder was identified in the Ottis Gibson era as the all-rounder that South Africa has been looking for since Jacques Kallis, and he may have a chance to show whether that’s the case in this series.
Mulder has had a decent career for the Lions in first-class cricket this summer, with a hundred and a half centuries and averages of 43.83 and has thrown 82 overs with returns of 6 for 267. If Mulder can be ranked number 7, with Dwaine Competing for that spot too, Pretorius may allow Quinton de Kock to hit higher (and hopefully have more time in the fold) and gives South Africa the luxury of being able to include an additional bowler. Finding the right balance has long been a problem for South Africa, and while Mulder is a lot to expect, it could turn out to be a big part of the solution.
Firdose Moonda is a correspondent for ESPNcricinfo in South Africa
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