Marques Ackerman, Tiaan van Vuuren, Jordan Hermann and Nqobani Mokoena all did exactly what is asked of players in the frame for Proteas consideration, playing pivotal roles in a pair of inspired series wins for South Africa A against their England counterparts.
The South Africans won both four-day matches against the Lions on the tour in the UK and triumphed in the three-match one-day series, winning the first two games thanks to outstanding bowling. Mokoena, who earned national recognition in the SA20, took 4/40 in the second one-day match, helping to bowl out the English for 198.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius with an unbeaten 112 and Rubin Hermann, who was 83 not out off 69 balls, shared a partnership of 201 to claim a 10-wicket win for the South Africans.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad, who was in England to watch the series, would have been impressed by what he saw.
Mokoena, Gerald Coetzee, Kwena Maphaka, Ottniel Baartman and Bjorn Fortuin performed well with the ball and earned at least raised eyebrows from the selectors, who will start piecing together the final options for next year’s World Cup.
Though Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi have probably cemented their spots for that tournament, squad places are still available and every opportunity, including ones for SA A, will help build a case ahead of a busy home season.
The Proteas play eight Tests, including high profile three-match series against Australia and England, but there are also nine ODIs, which will provide the basis for World Cup selection.
Hermann and Pretorius did their chances no harm with their partnership. Both have been part of the Proteas’ limited-overs squads recently and though their paths to selection have been been blocked by names like De Kock, Rickelton and Markram, their performances in England will certainly help keep those star players on their toes.
Meanwhile, Ackerman — who captained the team — gave his chances of Proteas selection a huge boost with a magnificent 173 in the first four-day match. That it came out of a total of 331 after his team had crashed to 54/5 in the 13th over of the first innings highlights not just Ackerman’s resolve but the ability to build partnerships, sharing two 50-run stands with Sinethemba Qeshile and Prenalen Subrayen and then a 103-run partnership with Dane Paterson.
In the second match, a low-scoring affair in which England A were twice dismissed for less than 200, Hermann’s 103 in a first-innings total of 278 was as impressive as Ackerman’s efforts.
Van Vuuren claimed match figures of 11/105 in that second match, helping to deepen the fast-bowling stocks and showing that his growth at the Knights last season was no fluke.
The Proteas’ Test batting has been superb in the past two years, despite not having one player stand out. Ackerman’s performance in the UK will add to the options available for what is a Test-heavy 2026/27 season.
TimesLIVE
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