SA vs AUS 2nd Test predicted XI: South Africa drop Tristan Stubbs as Australia look to build on Durban win
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SA vs AUS 2nd Test predicted XI: South Africa drop Tristan Stubbs as Australia look to build on Durban win originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- South Africa dropped Tristan Stubbs after scores of 32 and 1, recalling Matthew Breetzke.
- Ryan Rickelton takes the gloves, leaving Verreynne unlikely to play but still in the squad.
- Kagiso Rabada is expected to return as South Africa try to level the series.
SA vs AUS 2nd Test predicted playing 11: Tristan Stubbs dropped, Rabada returns, key team news
South Africa have dropped Tristan Stubbs for the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha, and the hosts will now try to answer their 214-run defeat in Durban while Australia aim to build on that win.
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Stubbs was the only player to miss out from the squad that lost the first Test, having made 32 and 1 in Durban. The decision is a harsh one, as his previous Test innings, in India 11 months ago, produced a score of 94.
Matthew Breetzke has been brought into the squad in his place, and the other 16 names are the same as those who played in Durban.
Breetzke has played only two Tests, against Bangladesh in October 2024 and Zimbabwe in July 2025, and he has just 14 runs to show for them.
His first-class average is 37.03, but he last played a first-class game in February, and he missed this season’s domestic matches because he was with South Africa’s limited-overs squads in Namibia and then against Australia. His case was helped by a century in the first ODI in Durban, and the management hope that form will carry over into Tests.
Head coach Shukri Conrad was asked about the selection and pointed to the batter’s recent form.
“Matt has been part of the squad before,” Conrad said. “The fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gave him an inside lane and more importantly, it’s the attitude and the character Matt brings and has.”
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Ryan Rickelton to keep wicket as Kyle Verreynne faces the axe
Breetzke’s arrival will almost certainly change the batting line-up, and Conrad confirmed that Ryan Rickelton will take the wicketkeeping gloves.
That leaves Kyle Verreynne, who hasn’t made a Test fifty in his last 13 innings, unlikely to be picked, although he remains with the squad. The other keeper, Sinethamba Qeshile, hurt his hamstring in a domestic T20 game for the Titans against the Tuskers on Tuesday.
The remaining question is where Rickelton will bat. South Africa must decide whether he moves down the order, which would require a new opening partner for Aiden Markram, or whether he keeps both jobs. Conrad described the dilemma while talking to reporters.
“With Ricks taking the gloves, there are decisions to be made over whether he does move down the order or whether he can continue to open the batting, which he has done before,” Conrad said.
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Tony de Zorzi’s hamstring injury leaves South Africa short at the top
Tony de Zorzi was Markram’s most regular opening partner in the previous World Test Championship cycle (2023-25), but he could not be considered because he is still recovering from a hamstring injury.
That could mean Breetzke is asked to open, or the role could go to the uncapped Marques Ackerman, who normally bats in the middle order. Conrad refused to give details, though he did suggest the group was in a positive frame of mind after the loss.
“There’s a few things to consider before we look at the final XI but we are hell of excited,” Conrad said. “But we have had the opportunity to lick our wounds and turn this ship in the right direction.”
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South Africa predicted XI vs Australia for 2nd Test at Gqeberha
- Aiden Markram
- Matthew Breetzke
- Temba Bavuma (c)
- David Bedingham
- Ryan Rickelton (wk)
- Wiaan Mulder
- Marco Jansen
- Keshav Maharaj
- Kagiso Rabada
- Anrich Nortje
- Gerald Coetzee
Australia predicted XI for 2nd Test at Gqeberha
Australia have little reason to tinker after a 214-run win. This prediction keeps the same team as the first Test, although Josh Inglis has returned to the nets after his finger fracture and Cameron Green is still uncertain, so the combination could change.
- Travis Head
- Nic Maddinson
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith
- Matthew Renshaw
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Beau Webster
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Josh Hazlewood
South Africa’s changes address the symptoms, not the problem
Dropping Stubbs after one poor Test feels like a reaction rather than a plan, and it sits oddly with a selection that was willing to back him for much of last year.
His scores of 32 and 1 were not good, yet he was hardly alone in struggling in Durban, and a 214-run defeat points to wider flaws in the middle order. However, the selectors clearly feel the batting needs a jolt, and Breetzke’s recent form gives them a reasonable case.
The bigger risk lies in the details. Breetzke has just 14 runs from two Tests, he hasn’t played first-class cricket since February, and he may be asked to open without a specialist partner for Markram settled.
Moving Rickelton to the gloves also shifts the balance of the side, and it’s not yet clear who is meant to anchor the innings at number three or four.
On the positive side, Rabada’s return should help the bowlers hold Australia’s batters, and Conrad’s talk of turning the ship around suggests the dressing room remains calm.
Australia will fancy their chances of going 2-0 up, though a bruised home side is rarely an easy opponent. If Breetzke settles early, this selection may look sharper than it does today.
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