South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje appeals for a wicket.ICC

Nortje returns as South Africa name squad for Bangladesh Tests

Updated on:

02 Nov 2026, 12:55 pm

Anrich Nortje returns to the South Africa squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh after being sidelined from the last Test of the recent series victory over Australia due to a groin injury.

The squad was announced on Monday, which also sees the return of batters Tony de Zorzi and Zubayr Hamza. De Zorzi had missed the Australia assignment due to a hamstring injury.

South Africa are currently at the No.2 spot in the ICC World Test Championship Standings with a point percentage of 71.43, whereas Bangladesh are at the fifth place with a point percentage of 47.62.

Nortje joins the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Dane Paterson, Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch to boost South Africa's pace bowling resources.

Pacer Lungi Ngidi was not considered for selection as he continues his rehabilitation.

Squad Announcement 🚨 The South Africa Men’s selection panel has today named a 15-player squad to face Bangladesh in the two-match Dafabet Test series later this month. The first Dafabet Test will take place at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg from 15 - 19 November, followed by the second Dafabet Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion from 23 - 27 November. Tony de Zorzi returns after recovering from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the Test series against Australia, while batter Zubayr Hamza has also been included in the squad. On the bowling front, Anrich Nortje returns to the squad after being sidelined for two weeks with a groin injury. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was not considered for selection as he continues his rehabilitation. #Unbreakable #SAvBAN
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) November 2, 2026

The last time these two sides met on South African soil, the Proteas secured a 2-0 series win.

Head coach Shukri Conrad sought to carry forward the winning momentum that has seen the side get to the No.1 rank in the ICC Men's Test Team Rankings.

"Coming off a hard fought series against Australia, our focus will be on carrying that momentum into the Bangladesh series, which is our next big assignment of the summer.

"Traditionally, surfaces on the Highveld favours pace and bounce, although we have seen the Wanderers offer some assistance to spin in recent times. So with that in mind, there will be greater focus on our seam-bowling options.

"We know the threat Bangladesh pose and we expect their quicks to be very effective in Highveld conditions. In terms of our batting options, it’s good to welcome Tony back following his recovery from injury, while Zubayr’s inclusion gives us further depth to our top order.

"The build-up to the first Test will give us the opportunity to assess our options and settle on the best combination for the conditions."

Series Schedule:

First Test: 15-19 November, Johannesburg

Second Test: 23-27 November, Centurion

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton.

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Bangladesh tour of South Africa 2026