South Africa drop Rabada for Durban Test as Nortje earns recall; Cummins urges Australia to grind it out
Rabada omitted as South Africa name their XI
South Africa will begin the first Test against Australia at Kingsmead, Durban, on Friday without their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has not recovered from a right hamstring injury sustained last month. Captain Temba Bavuma confirmed the XI on Thursday, revealing that Rabada's name was not among the 11.
"It wasn't an easy decision. We went the conservative route to give him a couple of extra days to get as close as he can be to 100% fitness," Bavuma said of Rabada's omission.
In Rabada's absence, Anrich Nortje earns a recall for his first red-ball appearance in more than three-and-a-half years. The 32-year-old, who did not bowl more than eight overs in any of the 104 matches he played during his white-ball exile, is expected to be counted on for far more than that in Durban. His prominent moustache has earned him the nickname "Snortjé" among fans — snor being the Afrikaans word for moustache.
South Africa's confirmed XI reads: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje. The inclusion of both spinners Harmer and Maharaj reflects how much Kingsmead, traditionally a seamers' venue, has changed over the years.
Australia delay their selection call
Australia have yet to name their playing XI, with Pat Cummins revealing that selectors wanted another look at the Kingsmead surface before finalising the combination. A possible XI includes Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood.
Cameron Green, who already had a shoulder problem, is out with an abdominal injury suffered while batting in the third ODI in Potchefstroom on September 30. That could mean a hike up the order for Beau Webster. Josh Inglis' broken finger, sustained in the first ODI at Kingsmead on September 24, eases the pressure on Alex Carey, who has not reached 50 in six completed innings.
Cummins: time to embrace the grind
Cummins urged his side to prepare for a different kind of Test challenge — one where patience, discipline and the ability to grind out sessions matters more than spectacular moments. Australia's recent Tests have been fast-paced: their last Test against Bangladesh in August finished inside two days, and two of the five Ashes Tests against England last summer also ended within two days.
"For the batsmen and for the bowling group as well, getting into that grind is important. We haven't played too many of those kinds of Test matches in the last few years, particularly in Australia," Cummins said. "They've been quite fast-paced. A lot of our success has come off big moments, be it a Travis Head century or Starcy (fast bowler Mitchell Starc) running through the top order."
"I think we've got to get a little bit better, and we can get a bit better getting into the grind. It might not be the glamorous stuff, but it's that grinding out of sessions, not these whirlwind innings at times. Whatever tempo gets thrown at us or what the game needs, we must make sure we match that," he added.
Rather than replacing the missing players like-for-like, Cummins suggested Australia are weighing how different combinations best suit Durban's conditions. "So that's a couple of changes that we've got to match up. What are the conditions going to throw at us? We've got a full squad. Everyone brings something a little bit different and it's just trying to work out what we think the best combinations are," he said.
Changed rivals, familiar stakes
The series carries weight beyond pride: a place in another World Test Championship final, the decider where these two sides last met — South Africa winning the WTC final by five wickets at Lord's in June 2025. How the cultures of both nations have improved since the tumultuous 2018 Sandpapergate series inevitably surfaced at Cummins' press conference.
"It was pretty full on. After that pretty much every Test team in the world felt like they had to make some adjustments. This is a different group in how we approach playing," Cummins said of the 2018 saga.
Usman Khawaja's autobiography, due to be published on November 3, is expected to include previously unaired details from that sorry episode. The match is forecast to be warm and sunny with a chance of rain on Saturday, on a slowish pitch that will take turn as the contest wears on.