South Africa's leading fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, has been excluded from the squad for the home Test series against Australia after sustaining a third-degree tear of his right hamstring.
Rabada, who is 31 years old, is expected to be sidelined for up to two months following the injury, which disrupted his winter training program. Allan Donald, former South African fast bowler and Rabada's 'Lions' home team bowling coach, confirmed that medical assessment has completely ruled him out of participation in this major series. Initially, there was hope that he could participate in their four-day internal match against Boland, scheduled for September 10th.
Allan Donald stated on Sunday that 'he will be absent from all Australian Tests.' South Africa will host Australia in a three-match Test series starting in Durban on October 9th, with subsequent matches taking place in Gqeberha and Cape Town on October 18th and 27th, respectively. A three-match ODI series will precede these tests, commencing at Kingsmead in Durban on September 24th.
However, Rabada's absence creates a significant gap in South Africa's attack. The right over-specialist has taken 340 wickets in 73 Test matches and played a key role in South Africa's victory over Australia in the 2025 Test World Cup final at Lord's, where he delivered figures of 9-110.
Rabada boasts outstanding statistics against Australians, having claimed 58 wickets in 11 matches with an average of 21.39. The Proteas team is also monitoring the recovery of fast bowler Nandre Burger, who is currently recovering from a stress fracture in his back. Despite the growing list of injured players, the depth of the Proteas' bowling attack may help the team.
Bowler Gerald Coetzee recently performed well, taking 4-60 for South Africa A against Bangladesh A, while Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch are being considered for selection into the main squad. Currently, the team ranks second in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) table, behind leaders Australia.