Jansen rested as South Africa name 16-player squad for West Indies Test series

Cape Town, July 8: South Africa red-ball head coach Shukri Conrad announced a 16-player squad for the two-match Test series against West Indies.

The Test series will begin on August 7 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dafabet Warriors batter Matthew Breetzke earned his maiden call Test call-up. He has made his way into the squad after impressing in last season’s domestic four-day competition.

He racked up 322 runs at an average of 46. His impressive tally included a top score of 188. Breetzke was also part of the South African A side that toured Sri Lanka in 2023.

With Dean Elgar’s retirement leaving a hole in the batting set-up, he could provide back-up to the unit that features Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs.

David Bedingham, Dane Paterson and Dane Piedt are the only players to feature in the squad that toured New Zealand earlier this year.

Paterson has been included to provide experience in the absence of Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen. Piedt will serve as the second spinner alongside Keshav Maharaj.

Wicketkeeper batter Ryan Rickelton is making his return to the red-ball setup for the first time since South Africa hosted the West Indies in March last year.

With the two-match Test series set to be a part of the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship, Conrad emphasized the importance of the tour.

“We are looking forward to returning to Test cricket after a busy period of limited-overs cricket over the past few months. This tour is extremely important for us as we aim to improve our standing in the ICC World Test Championship. We have therefore selected our strongest possible squad and look forward to strong performances in the Caribbean,” Conrad said as quoted from a statement from Cricket South Africa.

He went on to address the inclusion of Breetzke and stated that his excellent form wa the reason for his selection.

“We have one new face in the squad, Matthew Breetzke, who is selected on the back of an excellent past season,” he said.

While talking about the exclusion of Jansen he added, “The decision to rest Marco Jansen was taken to allow for a conditioning period aimed at ensuring optimal physical and mental well-being given the season-long workloads. Half of our squad will be part of a camp to be held in Durban next week.”