South Africa have made seven changes to their XI for the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting in Bulawayo on June 28.
South Africa will play for the first time since winning the 2025 World Test Championship at Lord's – their first ICC title in 27 years. The visitors will be without captain Temba Bavuma, who has been ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury sustained during the final. In his absence, Keshav Maharaj will take the Test captaincy for the first time, having previously led South Africa in seven ODIs and five T20Is.
Dewald Brevis, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Codi Yusuf to make Test debuts
South Africa's Test squad, featuring five uncapped players, signals their willingness to experiment with combinations in the two-match series. Three of them – Dewald Brevis, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Codi Yusuf – will make their debuts on Saturday (June 28).
Since emerging as the breakout star of the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, the 22-year-old Brevis has played two T20Is for South Africa. He enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 season across formats – no one hit more than his 25 sixes in that year's SA20 – while maintaining remarkable domestic averages: 47.8 in first-class and 66.3 in List A cricket, paving the way for his Test debut. His recent performances for Chennai Super Kings (IPL) and Hampshire (T20 Blast) further solidified his credentials.
The 19-year-old Lhuan-dré Pretorius is a rising star in South African domestic cricket. He became only the third South African to begin his first-class career with back-to-back centuries and currently averages 60.62 after seven matches. His stellar SA20 season for Paarl Royals – 397 runs at 166.81 strike rate (avg. 33.08), including a top score of 97 – proved his white-ball credentials. What makes him unique is his distinctive wristwork with the bat.
🚨 TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 27, 2025
Captain Keshav Maharaj has confirmed the Starting XI for our Proteas Men ahead of tomorrow’s 1st Test against Zimbabwe 🏏🇿🇦.
A team ready to leave their mark in Bulawayo with flair and firepower 💪🔥.#WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/hvCSd0xkS0
Codi Yusuf, meanwhile, is a fast-bowling all-rounder who has been a regular in South Africa’s domestic cricket for quite some time. He was part of the Lions’ squad, which shared the CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 trophy with the Titans. He took 23 wickets at 22.39, the joint-most for his side.
Apart from these three debutants, South Africa made four more changes to their XI. Tony de Zorzi and Matthew Breetzke will open the innings in place of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton, while Corbin Bosch replaces Marco Jansen, with Kwena Maphaka joining as the other frontline fast bowler.
South Africa playing XI for first Zimbabwe Test
- Tony de Zorzi
- Matthew Breetzke
- Wiaan Mulder
- David Bedingham
- Lhuan-dre Pretorius
- Dewald Brevis
- Kyle Verreynne (wk)
- Corbin Bosch
- Keshav Maharaj (c)
- Codi Yusuf
- Kwena Maphaka
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