Corbin Bosch to make Test debut as Proteas opt for all-pace attack

South African captain Temba Bavuma on Tuesday announced an all-pace attack for the first Test against Pakistan starting at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday.

The two-match series is crucial for South Africa, who will qualify for next year’s World Test Championship final if they win one of the matches.

“We back our seamers at Centurion,” Bavuma said at his pre-match press conference.

Bosch called up

Fast bowler Corbin Bosch will make his debut for a team missing several leading pace bowlers because of injury. He plays for the Titans domestic team whose home ground is at Centurion.

Bosch, 30, is the son of the late Tertius Bosch, who played in South Africa’s first post-isolation Test, against the West Indies in Barbados in 1992.

He bowled at more than 140kmh (87mph) when he made his one-day international debut against Pakistan in Johannesburg on Sunday and hit 40 not out as a lower-order batter.

“He will be playing at the venue where he has made a name for himself in the provincial set-up,” said Bavuma.

“And he adds that element of extra pace because he’s a big, strong guy who hits the deck hard and he offers a role with the bat as well.”

Pakistan have only won two out of 15 Tests in South Africa but will go into the series on the back of a convincing 3-0 one-day series win. Seven of the Pakistan squad and eight of the South African Test team players were involved in the one-day games.

Teams, first Test

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson

Pakistan (from): Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha