Kagiso Rabada has not played any cricket since the Indian Premier League concluded in May, having sustained a hamstring injury during winter training that ruled him out of the subsequent ODI series against Australia. Despite being included in South Africa’s Test squad for the Australia matches, the fast bowler missed the opening Test at Kingsmead, Durban, which concluded on October 13, 2026.
Captain Temba Bavuma confirmed that Rabada’s absence from the first Test was handled from a precautionary standpoint, allowing the bowler additional recovery time before the second Test, scheduled to begin October 18, 2026, in Gqeberha.
“KG looks good. I think SuperSport (the South African broadcasters) kept showing him on the big screen bowling. He’s bubbly as ever within the changing room. And his non-selection was more from a precautionary point of view to give him the extra couple of days. So now he’s got the extra couple of days. We’ll see how he continues to improve. But KG is very good,” said Bavuma as quoted by Cricinfo.
Anrich Nortje replaced Rabada in the first Test, marking his return to Test cricket for the first time since March 2023. Nortje bowled 40 overs across both innings of the opening match, a workload that exceeded the contributions of fellow pace bowlers Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder.
“As soon as you go over 20 overs, those miles in the legs do impact you at some stage. It’s the first Test so most of our bowlers are fresh but whether you’ll see Anrich in the second Test, I’m not sure. Someone like him who bowls express pace, you don’t necessarily want him to be playing all the Test matches. I’m not on the selection panel or anything like that, I’m just saying what I’m thinking to be honest but miles in the legs does play a role,” said Mulder.
South Africa’s squad for the Australia series includes seven fast bowlers, Jansen, Mulder, Rabada, Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson. Other pace bowlers remain unavailable for the Australia Tests. Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Otteneil Baartman are recovering from hamstring injuries and are expected to feature in later fixtures during the South African summer. The Proteas aimed to recover from Australia’s dominant performance in the first Test when the series resumed in Gqeberha.
