‘There’s an aura’: South Africa urges KG to attack against Australia

South Africa will have fast bowler Kagiso Rabada back in their side for the second Test against Australia starting at St George’s Park on Sunday, captain Temba Bavuma has said.Rabada missed the first Test in Durban, where South Africa suffered a 214-run defeat, as he continued his recovery from a hamstring injury. He has been training with the team since then and is now ready to return.With rain forecast for the first two days, Bavuma and Australia captain Pat Cummins said they would wait until Sunday to finalize their playing XIs. However, Bavuma hinted that Rabada was about to step out, saying the pacer “couldn’t go”.The South African captain also highlighted Rabada’s record against Australia. The fast bowler took 58 wickets in 11 Tests against them at an average of 21.39. His tally includes nine wickets in South Africa’s 2025 World Test Championship final victory at Lord’s and 11 wickets in the corresponding match during the 2017/18 series as South Africa bounced back from losing the opening Test in Durban.“Cuckoos make a massive living out of it,” Bavuma said. “There is an aura and a lot of confidence in KG (Rabada) and that rubs off on other players.South Africa are also looking to make changes to their batting line-up after struggling with the bat in Durban. Bavuma hinted that Matthew Breetzke and uncapped batsman Marques Ackerman will both play as hosts looking to spend more time at the crease.

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Share an opinion“We fell behind in the first inning,” he said. “To concede that kind of lead on that kind of goal was pretty criminal.For Australia, Cummins said Matt Renshaw would continue at number five after scoring 190 and 82 in Durban to win the man of the match award.Renshaw usually opens the bat in Test cricket, but Cummins praised him for accepting a different role in the team.“He just said, yeah, no worries, whatever the team needs.Cummins also confirmed that Cameron Green was not yet ready to return after suffering an abdominal injury during the one-day series against South Africa last month. However, Josh Inglis was “close” to being available after recovering from a broken finger.