Maketa ready for the great challenge
• It doesn’t get any bigger than playing Australia in Australia in December, says Proteas coach
Proteas interim head coach Malibongwe Maketa has no illusions about the Herculean task his squad faces in their three-Test series away to Australia in December.
Maketa, who replaced Mark Boucher in the hot seat, said it would be a great challenge and one the squad were excited about getting stuck into.
The 16-man touring party, which departs on December 1, includes a new face in Knights fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who earns his maiden call-up.
In what appears to be a straight swap, Theunis de Bruyn, who has 12 Test caps to his name and last featured for the national side in 2019, returns, with Aiden Markram missing out after some indifferent red-ball form in recent months. Rassie van der Dussen has recovered from the finger injury which cut short his tour of England and ruled him out of SA’s T20 World Cup campaign and also makes a return.
Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj was given the all-clear after he picked up a low-grade groin strain at the World Cup and is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Ryan Rickelton misses out due to an ankle injury and is replaced by Kyle Verreynne, while Keegan Petersen, who sustained a severe hamstring injury in the final of the CSA T20 Challenge, also misses out.
“It doesn’t get any more exciting than that,” Maketa said on Monday. “It is something we as a squad are really looking forward to.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than Australia, in Australia, in December. It is exciting for us to play in these cities as we have not been there in a while and in the past few Tests there we have done pretty well.
“So it is important with this new group that we go out there and showcase our skills under that pressure,” said Maketa.
The former Warriors coach said he had engaged with the players, particularly those who recently returned from the World Cup, to ensure they were ready to shift gears to the game’s longest format.
“The hurt of the World Cup is going to be there.
“We have given them time to go and process that, and now this [series] is the next big thing they need to focus on.
“The plan has been laid out for them, to make sure they are ready for the first Test on December 17.
“They also spent some time with their families to clear their heads.”
Maketa mentioned the importance of protecting his band of fast bowlers.
“I have no doubt that the group of fast bowlers we have now could serve Cricket SA for the next five years, so it is important to look after them.
“They are no doubt our ticket to dominating world cricket, so it will be important for us to find all the resources available to fully support them.
“We are not sitting back and thinking that this is it. We are looking at players outside that group to actually allow us to give them a break when need be.”