South Africa Playing XI for 1st Test against Sri Lanka announced; Temba Bavuma returns

The South Africa national cricket team announced their playing XI for the first Test of the upcoming series against the Sri Lanka national cricket team. Skipper Temba Bavuma returned to the team after missing the recent Test series against Bangladesh, where Aiden Markram led South Africa.

The two-match Test series is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. South Africa will be aiming to secure a spot in the WTC final for the first time. They are currently in fifth place in the standings, while Sri Lanka is in third place with a better PCT.

South Africa Announce Playing XI for the First Test Against Sri Lanka

Pacers Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee have been included in the playing XI. The fast bowlers last played a Test match for South Africa in January against India. Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, and Dane Paterson, who were part of the Proteas' playing XI in the last Test, have been dropped.

South Africa have named their XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban 🇿🇦 #SAvSL pic.twitter.com/JbK0wwcjM4

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 26, 2024

South Africa XI for the 1st Test vs Sri Lanka: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wicketkeeper), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada

It’s Great To Have Temba Bavuma Back Leading The Side - Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad

While announcing the squad, Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad expressed his delight at Temba Bavuma's return to the team. He said his leadership and skills are invaluable to the team. Conrad also thanked Aiden Markram for his successful captaincy during the Bangladesh series in Bavuma's absence.

"We are excited to be back on home soil after being on the road for some time. It’s always a great feeling to play in front of our supporters and deliver our best cricket at home."

"It’s great to have Temba back leading the side after his recovery. His leadership and skill are invaluable to the team. I’d also like to thank Aiden for stepping up and captaining the side so successfully during the Bangladesh series," Conrad said.

South Africa to Face Sri Lanka in Two-Test Series Starting November 27

The first Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka will take place from November 27 (Friday) to December 1 (Wednesday) at Kingsmead in Durban. Temba Bavuma's side will conclude the upcoming home series with the second Test match from December 5-9 at St George’s Park in Gqeberha.

It’s worth mentioning that the two international cricket teams last played each other in red-ball cricket in 2020, where South Africa won the series 2-0. Notably, Sri Lanka is the only Asian team to have won a Test series against South Africa in South Africa. They defeated the Proteas by a margin of 2-0 in 2019.

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