It’s been a turbulent time of late for South African cricket off the field, and the changes have been rung on it, too.

Six uncapped players are in the squad for the first two Tests against England. If you think it’s a fresh injection of youth, you’re wrong. Five of the six are 30, with 29-year-old Beuran Hendricks the youngest of the lot.

Toil at domestic level has been rewarded. “The high number of uncapped players coming into the squad is a reflection of our policy to acknowledge players who do well at franchise level and have put their hands up for selection,” said selector Linda Zondi.

Here are the six uncapped players who could be in line for a Test debut against England.

Rassie van der Dussen

In a bleak 2019 World Cup campaign, Rassie van der Dussen’s batting sparked a bit of optimism for South Africa. The hulking right-hander’s 311 runs came at an average of 62.20, and he ended the tournament with an impressive 95 against Australia, putting aside some early trouble against Nathan Lyon’s off-spin to take South Africa to a match-winning total.

His current ODI average stands at a momentous 73.77, but that’s not the only reason he’s been handed the call. His most recent red-ball outing included a return of 154 not out against the Dolphins, and he averages a healthy 44.39 in first-class cricket. 

Dwaine Pretorius

Decent medium pace and he’ll do a job with the bat – Dwaine Pretorius can be filed under ‘handy all-rounder’.

His 29 ODI wickets have come at a more than respectable average of 28.03, while his 77 not out in a T20I against Sri Lanka in March – at No.3 – was off just 42 balls.

The red ball doesn’t cause too much bother either. On his County Championship debut for Northamptonshire earlier this year, Pretorius hit a 156-ball 111 against Worcestershire.

Rudi Second

Rudi Second was picked for the tour of India before injury got in the way, so it’s fair to say this is a second coming of sorts. I’ll show myself out.

More seriously, the wicketkeeper-batsman has been a model of consistency in domestic cricket and done his bit for South Africa A, too: he hit 235 runs across three innings against India A in 2018.