Durban, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
South Africa will delay a final decision on Kagiso Rabada’s availability for the opening Test against Australia, with batting coach Ashwell Prince indicating that the fast bowler will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness before Friday’s series opener.
Rabada has not played competitive cricket since the Indian Premier League in May and has been recovering from an aggravated hamstring injury that also kept him out of South Africa’s recent ODI series.
The pacer returned to action in a two-day intra-squad match on Sunday and Monday, completing his first substantial bowling workload in several months.
“He came through quite nicely and bowled really well,” Prince told reporters in Durban. “He’ll continue to be involved in training over the next few days leading up to the match.”
Rabada was initially named in South Africa’s extended 18-man squad and remains part of a 17-player group after Tony de Zorzi was withdrawn with a hamstring injury. The Proteas had planned to trim the squad to 15 but retained the larger group to maintain sufficient fast-bowling options, with seven pacers currently included.
Prince said the bowlers would benefit from remaining with the Test squad rather than playing domestic T20 cricket, as they could build their red-ball workloads during training and, if not selected, continue bowling in the nets during the Test.
The bigger concern over Rabada is his lack of sustained red-ball cricket. His last Test appearance came during South Africa’s tour of Pakistan nearly a year ago. He subsequently missed the series against India because of a rib injury and has not played first-class cricket since.
South Africa therefore want to ensure he can cope with the demands of Test cricket, particularly the workload required to bowl extended spells.
“Fair to say that he’s obviously not going to be at 100% straight away, but he is looking good,” Prince said. “He will train with the squad for the rest of the week, and we will leave a call to be made as late as possible.”
South Africa are also keeping their batting combination under wraps. Prince said the team had largely settled on its top six but did not disclose the final composition.
The No. 3 position remains a key selection issue, with Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder and David Bedingham among the options. Uncapped batter Marques Ackerman has also emerged as a contender following a strong domestic season.
Prince praised Ackerman’s performances and said he had done what was required to push for Test selection by consistently scoring runs. He added that the attacking batter had considerable experience and a desire to move the game forward.
The Australia series will mark South Africa’s return to home Test cricket since their World Test Championship triumph over Australia at Lord’s in June last year.
South Africa currently occupy second place in the 2025-27 World Test Championship standings and have 10 Tests remaining in the cycle — eight at home through January and two away against Sri Lanka.
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