Breetzke has played two Tests for South Africa, in Bangladesh in October 2024 and Zimbabwe in July 2025, with 14 runs to his name, and has a first-class average of 37.03. He last played a first-class match in February, and missed this season’s domestic games as he was with South Africa’s limited-overs squads in Namibia and then against Australia. He scored a century in the first ODI in Durban, and South Africa’s management are hopeful his form will cross formats. “Matt has been part of the squad before,” Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s head coach, said. “The fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gave him an inside lane and more importantly, it’s the attitude and the character Matt brings and has.”
The inclusion of Breetzke will almost certainly see a change to the batting line-up, with Conrad also confirming that
Ryan Rickelton will take the keeping gloves. That means
Kyle Verreynne, who has not scored a Test fifty in his last 13 innings, is unlikely to make the starting XI though he remains with the squad. South Africa still need to decide whether Rickelton will move down the order, which means they will then need to find an opener to partner Aiden Markram, or continue at the top along with his keeping role. “With Ricks taking the gloves, there are decisions to be made over whether he does move down the order or whether he can continue to open the batting, which he has done before,” Conrad said.
Tony de Zorzi, South Africa’s most regular opening partner to Markram in the previous World Test Championship cycle (2023-25), could not be considered for selection for this squad as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. That may mean Breetzke is used to open the batting, or the job is given to uncapped batter
Marques Ackerman, who generally plays in the middle order. “There’s a few things to consider before we look at the final XI but we are hell of excited,” Conrad said. “But we have had the opportunity to lick our wounds and turn this ship in the right direction.”
The rest of the 17-player squad remains the same as the one that did duty in Durban, with
Kagiso Rabada, who sat out of that Test as he recovers from a hamstring niggle, expected to be fit to play. Rabada is one of seven quicks in the squad, who will all remain together as their bowling loads are monitored. That means South Africa can also choose from Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Dane Paterson and Corbin Bosch, and Conrad indicated the weather could play a role in their final selection. Heavy rain is forecast for the first day of the match, on Sunday, which could take time out of the game.
South Africa have also retained three spinners in Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, but it is likely only one will play. Both Maharaj and Harmer featured in Durban.
South Africa squad for second Test vs Australia
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.
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