Former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs has proposed a series of changes to the Proteas line-up ahead of the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha, including the return of Kagiso Rabada and repositioning Ryan Rickelton in the batting order as wicketkeeper.
South Africa’s World Test Championship-winning captain, Temba Bavuma, experienced his first defeat in 13 Tests as the team failed to chase a target of 421 runs in Durban. Matt Renshaw’s resilient innings exhausted the Proteas’ bowlers, while the batting struggled against the Australian pace battery of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The absence of Rabada, sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained after the Indian Premier League, was notably felt.
On social media platform X, Gibbs recommended replacing spinner Simon Harmer with pace bowler Rabada to form a pace trio alongside Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, supported by all-rounder Wiaan Mulder and spinner Keshav Maharaj. He also suggested that Rickelton, who recorded single-digit scores in Durban, be moved down the batting order and take on wicketkeeping duties. Furthermore, Gibbs called for wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne to be dropped in favour of uncapped middle-order batter Marques Ackerman.
Gibbs posted: “Kg comes in harmer, so 3 quicks plus mulder and Maharaj. Ackerman in for Verreynner and ricks shifts down and keeps. No dramas.”
Verreynne has struggled in Test cricket, failing to score a half-century in eight matches since his century against Pakistan in Cape Town in January last year, accumulating 220 runs in 13 innings at an average of 20. Ackerman has an impressive first-class record with 5,986 runs in 85 matches at an average of 48.66, including 16 centuries and 31 fifties, with a highest score of 256.
Rickelton has also not surpassed fifty since scoring 71 against Pakistan in Lahore in October last year. His innings of 259 at Cape Town and 71 in Lahore remain his only half-centuries as an opener across 12 Tests.
During the first Test chase, Aiden Markram was the lone notable contributor with 75 runs as South Africa were bowled out for 206. Josh Hazlewood took six wickets to dismantle the batting line-up. Australia elected to bat first and posted 390 runs powered by Renshaw’s marathon 190 from 397 balls. South Africa scored 284 in their second innings, with Harmer unbeaten on 35 and Maharaj on 34, leaving the deficit at just over 100 runs.
Australia declared their second innings at 314/6, with Renshaw top-scoring again with 82 runs from 99 balls, Nic Maddison contributing 48 from 33 balls and captain Pat Cummins unbeaten on 32 from 12 balls, including four sixes, setting South Africa a target of 421 to chase in the World Test Championship.