GQEBERHA: South African head coach Shukri Conrad axed batsman Tristan Stubbs and wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne on Thursday when he announced his squad for the second Test against Australia starting on Sunday.
Stubbs was dropped from the squad altogether while Verreynne remains as back-up wicket-keeper for the Test in Gqeberha.
Conrad signalled a major shake-up of the batting order, saying Ryan Rickelton would keep wicket, which could mean he is shifted down the order after two failures as an opener in the 214-run defeat in the first Test in Durban.
South Africa seem set to make at least three changes as it is likely fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will return after missing the Durban Test as he continued rehabilitation following a hamstring injury.
Conrad expressed frustration with the batting after the Durban defeat, saying South Africa relied too much on “lower-order runs”, with Aiden Markram and captain Temba Bavuma the only top-order batsmen contributing consistently.
Matthew Breetzke was added to the squad after scoring heavily in One-day Internationals.
“Matt [Breetzke] has been part of the squad before, and the fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gave him an inside lane and also, more importantly, the attitude and the character Matt brings, and has, will go a long way,” Conrad said.
“With Ricks [Rickelton] taking the gloves, there are obviously decisions to be made over whether he does move down the order or whether he can continue to open the batting and take the gloves, which he has done before.”
Meanwhile, Australian coach Andrew McDonald said that the selectors are open-minded about the tourists’ batting order and could make further changes for the second Test against South Africa depending on the pitch.
Selectors surprised by picking Nic Maddinson to open the batting with Travis Head in the series-opener, the former’s first Test in nearly 10 years, while having opener Matt Renshaw bat at number five.
The gambit proved effective as Renshaw scored a match-winning 190 and a second-innings 82 at Kingsmead, while Maddinson chipped in a quickfire 48 in the second innings to help Australia thrash the hosts.
McDonald, who sits on the selection panel with George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, said they were not set on defined roles for the batters.
“Every time that we plan out an opponent [and] surface, we’re really open-minded to what our batting order can look like,” he told reporters.
“I suppose the external sort of view on that is that you know you need specific orders at certain times, and this person’s an opener, this person’s a middle-order player.”
McDonald said all-rounder Cameron Green had yet to prove his fitness to return for the second Test after missing Durban with an abdominal strain.
Wicket-keeper/batter Josh Inglis, another potential middle-order option, was more advanced in his recovery from a broken finger.
“Josh had a couple of hits during this Test match out the back of the nets during lunchtime, that’s gone well,” said McDonald.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne.
Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2026
