South Africa choose uncapped Neil Brand to lead depleted Test squad in New Zealand

The unprecedented situation is the result of a clash between the series and the SA20, which Cricket South Africa have said since the outset would make their cross-format players unavailable for the tour

Nick Friend | 30/12/2023 at 12:48

Uncapped opener Neil Brand will captain a cobbled-together South Africa squad for their two-Test tour of New Zealand in February.

That meant that the side picked for the ongoing series against India, which the Proteas lead after dismantling Rohit Sharma's charges inside three days at Centurion, would look nothing like the team that will take to the field on February 4 at Mount Maunganui.

Regular captain Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Kyle Verreynne, new left-arm seamer Nandre Burger, allrounder Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj and Tristan Stubbs are all part of the squad for the current series but will be playing in their home franchise competition when the New Zealand series gets underway.

The Test side was dealt a further blow when their prospective opening pair for Bay Oval was torn apart: Tony de Zorzi has been signed at late notice by Durban Super Giants, while Dean Elgar has announced that the second India Test at Newlands will be the last of his international career.

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^{Aiden Markram is one of several Test regulars who will be missing from the New Zealand series (Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images)}

In their place, there are seven uncapped players in the makeshift squad, led by Brand, which will include none of South Africa's recognised, much-vaunted seam attack. Instead, Dane Paterson and Duanne Olivier are now back on the Test radar. Olivier, the most-capped player in the squad, played the most recent of his 15 Tests last April, while Paterson played twice against England in January 2020.

The presence of Keegan Petersen and David Bedingham will provide a semblance of continuity, with the pair forming the crux of the middle order against India, and they will be joined by Zubayr Hamza, who has been called up to replace the injured Bavuma for the upcoming Cape Town Test against India, which could see a series win over the two-time World Test Championship finalists if South Africa can avoid defeat.

The squad for the series, which is part of the World Test Championship cycle, also includes Dane Piedt, the 33-year-old off-spinner who, since his last of nine Test appearances in 2019, has played in the United States in both Minor League Cricket and Major League Cricket. He took 11 wickets in a match against West Indies A in November.

South Africa squad: Neil Brand (capt), David Bedingham, Ruan de Swardt, Clyde Fortuin, Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana, Duanne Olivier, Dane Paterson, Keegan Petersen, Dane Piedt, Raynard van Tonder, Shaun von Berg, Khaya Zondo