Kwena Maphaka had yet to be born the first time South Africa played a Test against Pakistan at Newlands, in January 2003. On Friday he will play in that fixture and become South Africa’s youngest debutant 18 years and 270 days.
Maphaka has played two ODIs and five T20Is, but only three first-class matches. He will make his Test debut 11 days before he finds out how he did in his final examinations at high school.
His selection presents an interesting management challenge for Temba Bavuma, who told a press conference, “You want to allow him to be as free as he can. You want to allow him to continue being the Kwena he is, to allow the exuberance of youth to come out. It’s a case of, ‘Kwena run in and bowl as quick as you can.’ It’s about making sure he stays who he is, and allowing him to spread his wings.
PLAYER UPDATE 🗞️
Proteas Men’s batter Tony de Zorzi has been ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan at WSB Newlands in Cape Town due to a left thigh strain.
He sustained the injury while fielding on day three of the first Test at SuperSport Park, and subsequent scans… pic.twitter.com/KiiMs2K0uk
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 2, 2025
“Considering we’ve got a series on the line, you don’t want to give an opportunity to a young guy when there is no consequence.”
Even so, Maphaka will be helped by the fact that the match is a different kind of dead rubber. The series remains alive after South Africa’s two-wicket win in Centurion on Sunday, but the home side’s win sealed their place in the WTC final at Lord’s in June. That said, Maphaka won’t want for motivation.
Neither will Wiaan Mulder, who will want to pick up where he left off after breaking his finger during the Kingsmead Test against Sri Lanka last month. His return is hard luck for Corbin Bosch, who has lost his place despite taking 4/63 and scoring 81 not out in the first innings on debut in Centurion.
But Bosch won’t feel as aggrieved as Dane Paterson, who has been left out despite taking 13 wickets in his last two Tests. He will make way for Maphaka.
The least questionable change was forced by Tony de Zorzi’s withdrawal with a thigh strain. That means Ryan Rickelton will be promoted to an opening berth.
Pakistan are apparently mulling an unchanged XI, which would be a mistake. It’s one thing going in with all pace guns blazing in Centurion, quite another doing so in Newlands’ more balanced conditions – the aberration of last year’s day-and-a-half Test against India notwithstanding.
Then again, Pakistan almost won in Centurion, where the visitors have prevailed only three times in 27 decided Tests.
“We want to enjoy those performances as wins,” Shan Masood said about his team’s near miss on the Highveld. “Yes, we talk about the process; controlling what we can control. We can’t control the result.
“So while it was heartening to see a lot of good performances, you want to end up on the right side. The best teams do it because they make a habit of it. South Africa are the No. 1 team because they’ve won six Tests on the trot. You want to not just compete against the best, you want to win against the best.”
