Tristan Stubbs made 32 and 1 in Durban, and South Africa have dropped him for the Gqeberha Test
Matthew Breetzke comes into the 17-man squad on the back of an ODI hundred, and Ryan Rickelton takes the gloves for the second Test against Australia.
Oct 15, 2026
South Africa have made one change to their squad after losing the first Test in Durban by 214 runs. Tristan Stubbs is out, after scores of 32 and 1 at Kingsmead, and Matthew Breetzke comes in for the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, which starts on Sunday.
The bigger shift is behind the stumps. Head coach Shukri Conrad has confirmed that Ryan Rickelton will keep wicket, which almost certainly leaves Kyle Verreynne out of the XI. Verreynne stays in the 17-man squad, but he has gone 13 Test innings without a fifty.
Breetzke’s ODI form gets him in
Breetzke has played only two Tests, in Bangladesh in October 2024 and in Zimbabwe in 2025, and made 14 runs across them. His first-class average of 37.03 is solid rather than eye-catching. What changed the selectors’ minds was white-ball form: he made 112 in the first ODI against Australia at Kingsmead last month, and South Africa won that game by 67 runs.
“The fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gave him an inside lane,” Conrad said, and he also pointed to “the attitude and the character Matt brings.”
Stubbs will feel hard done by. His last Test innings before this home summer was 94 against India in Guwahati in November 2025, and two innings later he is out of the squad.
Who opens with Markram?
Rickelton opened with Aiden Markram in Durban, and taking the gloves raises the question of whether he stays there. Conrad said that call has not been made yet.
If he drops down, South Africa need a new partner for Markram. Tony de Zorzi, Markram’s most regular opening partner in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle, was not available for selection because of a hamstring injury. That leaves two options: Breetzke opens, or uncapped Marques Ackerman, usually a middle-order batter, gets the job.
Rabada should be back
Kagiso Rabada missed the first Test while recovering from a hamstring niggle and is expected to be fit for Gqeberha. He is one of seven fast bowlers in the squad, alongside Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Dane Paterson and Corbin Bosch.
Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy are the three spinners. Maharaj and Harmer both played in Durban, and Gqeberha may only have room for one of them.
One down, two to play
Australia lead the three-match series 1-0. South Africa were bowled out for 206 on the final day in Durban, with Josh Hazlewood taking a career-best 6 for 49. Temba Bavuma lost a Test as captain for the first time there. Another defeat in Gqeberha would cost South Africa the series with a match to spare.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), 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.