by 
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma on Tuesday called for an all-round attack for the first Test against Pakistan which begins on Thursday at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
This two-match series is crucial for South Africa, who will qualify for next year’s World Test Championship final if they win any of the matches.
“We support our seamers at Centurion,” Bavuma said in his pre-match press conference.
Fast bowler Corbin Bosch will make his debut in a team missing several top bowlers due to injury. He plays for the Titans provincial team whose home ground is in Centurion.
Bosch, 30, is the son of the late Tertius Bosch, who played in South Africa’s first post-lockdown Test, against the West Indies in Barbados in 1992.
“He will play in the venue where he made his name at the provincial level,” Bavuma said. “He adds that extra element of pace. He’s a big, strong guy who hits hard on deck and he also offers a role with the bat.”
Bosch bowled at over 140 km/h (87 mph) when he made his one-day international debut against Pakistan in Johannesburg on Sunday and hit 40 without outs as a lower-order batsman.
Bavuma said his players were aware of the importance of being on the verge of reaching the world championship final.
“We know what is at stake. There is confidence and belief because of the good cricket we have been playing recently. Nothing has happened by accident.”
South Africa’s progress in the Test championship final came despite Cricket South Africa’s deliberate downgrading of Test cricket to accommodate a high-profile Twenty20 franchise series.
South Africa’s 12-Test schedule – all split into two-match series – is the lowest alongside Bangladesh in the league cycle. England have played 22 matches, while Australia and India will have played 19 each by the end of their matches.
The points average system propelled South Africa to the top of the table, although they almost lost a series in New Zealand when coach Shukri Conrad was prevented from selecting contracted players in the SA20 league.
South Africa did not play Australia or England and their only series against one of the ‘big three’ Test nations was a tie against India.
Pakistan have won just two out of 15 Tests in South Africa but will enter the series on the back of a convincing 3-0 one-day win. Seven players from the Pakistan team and eight from the South African Test team took part in the one-day matches.
Teams:
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 (since): 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.
str-pb
