Anrich Nortje has been called up in South Africa's 18-member preliminary Test squad for the first Test against Australia at Kingsmead on 9 October. The 30-year-old fast bowler will be playing red-ball cricket for the first time in more than three years if he makes the final squad.

The players are due to assemble in Durban on 1 October after Monday's announcement. The first Test match is scheduled to be held at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban from 9 to 13 October. Nortje's last appearance in a Test match was in February this year, when he played against the West Indies in Shukri Conrad's first series as South Africa's red-ball coach.

Anrich Nortje returns as South Africa assess Test combinations

Nortje has 70 wickets from 19 Test appearances in a career that has so far been played. However, since his last appearance in a first-class match in February 2023, the fast bowler has focused on playing T20 cricket and given up the longer form.

Conrad said that South Africa would make use of a two-day intra-squad match and scenario-based training to gauge the players' performance.

“We'll have a few training days, a two-day intra-squad match and scenario-based training, which will allow us to assess the group and conditions before settling on our final 15,” Conrad was quoted as saying by TimesLIVE.

“Having a larger bowling group gives us the flexibility to cover all bases. We have different options across the squad and the next week will allow us to determine which combinations are best suited to the conditions,” he added.

South Africa's premier bowler Kagiso Rabada's fitness is also a concern to the management. They are hoping that he will be fit enough to play in the opening Test.

The two-day intra-squad match is expected to give a better assessment of Rabada's match readiness before the final squad is announced.

“We also want to give Kagiso every chance he has of being available for selection for the first Test, and the two-day game will give us a clearer picture of where he is in terms of his match readiness,” said Conrad.

Marques Ackerman has received his maiden Test call at the age of 30 after a brilliant spell in first-class cricket. He has scored more than 1,000 runs in his last 10 matches as a South Africa A player, with an average of 82.92.

Ackerman's spectacular run includes four centuries and a career-best 256 against Bangladesh A in August.

Gerald Coetzee has also made a return to the international setup after being discharged from injury. Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was in the first ODI against Australia, which was played last week. He last played Test cricket in November 2024.

Dane Paterson adds further strength to South Africa's seam-bowling department as they prepare to host the opening Test of the series.

South Africa's 18-player preliminary Test squad

Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne.