JOHANNESBURG: South Africa named two uncapped fast bowlers in a 16-man squad for a two-match Test series against Pakistan starting in Centurion on December 26.
With an entire battery of fast bowlers unavailable, left-armer Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch were added to the team that beat Sri Lanka in Gqeberha this month.
Maphaka is an 18-year-old prodigy who has already been capped at Twenty20 international level while Bosch, the 30-year-old son of former Test fast bowler Tertius, has yet to play for the senior national team.
South Africa included all-rounder Wiaan Mulder and left-arm spin bowler Keshav Maharaj in the squad, but both selections are subject to fitness.
Mulder suffered a broken right middle finger in the first Test against Sri Lanka while Maharaj suffered what Cricket South Africa described as “an acute groin strain” while warming up for the first one-day international against Pakistan in Paarl on Tuesday.
Maharaj was due to have a scan on Wednesday to assess the severity of the injury.
Bosch, who has a first-class batting average above 40, could come into contention if Muller is unfit, while Senuran Muthusamy, also a left-armer, is the only other spin bowler in the squad if Maharaj is ruled out.
South Africa will be assured of a place in next year’s World Test Championship final if they win at least one Test against Pakistan — but their bowling resources have been seriously depleted.
Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee and Lizaad Williams have all been sidelined. It will be a blow if Maharaj, South Africa’s premier spin bowler, cannot play.
“We head into this series with a clear focus, with a spot in the World Test Championship final being the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” South African coach Shukri Conrad said in a CSA statement.
Squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne (wkt).
Fixtures:
December 26-30, Centurion
January 3-7, Cape Town

DUBAI: The undercard for the Professional Fighters League’s inaugural Road to Dubai Champions Series event on Jan. 25 has been released and features Saudi Arabia’s Mostafa Nada as well as UAE duo Hadi Al-Hussaini and Youssef Al-Housani.

The main event at Coca-Cola Arena will pit undefeated Bellator Lightweight World Champion Usman Nurmagomedov against rising Irish contender Paul Hughes.

The undercard will now also feature Dubai-based Uzbek fighter, the undefeated Mirafzal “Mirko” Akhtamov (7-0-1), who has an impressive six finishes in his career. He will take on England’s knockout specialist, Mike “Lefty” Thompson (7-2), whose five of his seven victories came by way of KO/TKO.

Nada (9-3), riding a five-fight win streak, will face the British Pakistani PFL debutant Haider “Darth” Khan (8-1), who has won his last four bouts.

Al-Housani (4-1) will face off against Egypt’s undefeated Assem Ghanem (4-0), while Dubai’s 971 Academy product John Mitchell (9-2), a five-time Irish MMA champion, will enter the SmartCage against PFL MENA’s Algerian competitor Souhil Tairi (7-5-1).

Another Dubai-based fighter, Yakub Sulimanov (7-0) will put his unblemished record on the line against Jordan’s experienced Jarrah “Jordanian Lion” Al-Selawe (20-7).

The second Emirati fighter, Al-Hussaini (5-1-1), will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing his undefeated record in his PFL debut this past July, as he fights in front of a home crowd against former RSF champion Ruel “Bagsik” Panales (5-2).

The marquee preliminary bout of the night will see Tarek Suleiman (13-8) square off against Ahmed “Lee” Samy (11-4).

The Champions Series event is the inaugural Road to Dubai showing following the signing of a groundbreaking multi-year partnership between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Sports Council and the Professional Fighters League.

Headlining the event will be the returning “Pride of Dagestan,” undefeated Bellator Lightweight World Champion Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0). He will look to defend his title against Ireland’s Paul “Big News” Hughes (13-1) who is coming off the biggest victory of his MMA career at PFL “Battle of the Giants” in Riyadh, where he defeated AJ McKee.

The first-of-its-kind partnership will see MMA world champions and the sport’s biggest stars from the PFL compete in title fights as Dubai becomes a new marquee destination for the best of MMA. All other Champions Series events will now be co-branded as Road to Dubai, as each show culminates to the finale set in the new fight capital. As part of the PFL’s commitment to developing the sport of MMA in Dubai, rising Emirati fighters will now have an opportunity to become future PFL Champions.

Road to Dubai Champions Series Main Card:

Lightweight World Title Bout: Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0) vs. Paul Hughes (13-1)

Featherweight Main Card Bout: Khasan Magomedsharipov (10-0) vs. Nathan Kelly (11-2)

Featherweight Main Card Bout: Ibragim Ibragimov (8-0) vs. Kenny Mokhonoana (5-1)

Bantamweight Main Card Bout: Renat Khavalov (8-0) vs. Cleiver Fernandes (9-1)

Road to Dubai Champions Series Preliminary Card:

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Tarek Suleiman (13-8) vs. Ahmed Samy (11-4)

Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Hadi Omar Al-Hussaini (5-1-1) vs. Ruel Pañales (5-2)

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Yakub Sulimanov (7-0) vs. Jarrah Al-Selawe (20-7)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: John Mitchell (9-2) vs. Souhil Tairi (7-5-1)

Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Youssef Al-Housani (4-1) vs. Assem Ghanem (4-0)

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Mostafa Nada (9-3) vs. Haider Khan (8-1)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mirafzal Akhtamov (7-0-1) vs. Mike Thompson (7-2)