Proteas include Breetzke, Muthusamy in squad for Bangladesh Tests

The South African Test team have been given the green light to tour to Bangladesh in October.

Temba Bavuma will lead a side that includes three frontline spinners in Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy, who’s been recalled to the Proteas for the first time since March last year.

Muthusamy has previously played in three Tests. He has taken 247 first-class wickets and amassed nearly 5,000 runs at an average of 30.41.

There is also place in the 15-man squad for bowling veteran Dane Paterson and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder.

The only uncapped player in the squad is Warriors batter Matthew Breetzke, who was part of the recent Test tour of the West Indies, but did not play. He’s scored 3,255 runs first class runs at an average of 37.84.

‘Tough place to tour’

The two Tests will be played in Dhaka from October 21-25 and Chattogram from October 29 to November 2.

Cricket South Africa said in a statement on Monday a security assessment was recently conducted in Bangladesh by CSA’s Operations Manager, Team Security Manager, Safety and Security Consultant, and a representative of the South African Cricketers’ Association.

Commenting on the squad Proteas red ball coach Shukri Conrad said: “I want to firstly thank both boards, Cricket South Africa and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, for ensuring the series goes ahead.

“Bangladesh is always a tough place to tour. They’ve become a formidable side at home and we have to be prepared for the challenge that awaits us. We have therefore chosen a squad for the conditions we are expecting to greet us when we get there.

“We have three frontline spinners and all of them have the ability to step up at any time they are needed. This is a great chance for someone like Senuran, who has potential to make a mark with both bat and ball. We are really looking forward to seeing what he can offer.

“Overall, we trust the depth and versatility in our squad to meet this challenge head-on.”

Proteas Test squad

Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne