Kagiso Rabada's availability for South Africa's first Test against Australia — scheduled to begin on Friday in Durban — will be determined as late as possible, with batting coach Ashwell Prince confirming the Proteas are giving the fast bowler every chance to prove his fitness before the series opener.

Rabada's fitness concern and recent workload

Rabada has been sidelined since the Indian Premier League in May, recovering from an aggravated hamstring injury that also ruled him out of South Africa's recent ODI series. He returned to competitive bowling in a two-day intra-squad match on Sunday and Monday, completing his first significant workload in several months.

'He came through quite nicely and bowled really well,' Prince told reporters in Durban. 'He'll continue to be involved in training over the next few days leading up to the match.'

The deeper concern: red-ball match readiness

Beyond the hamstring, the more pressing question is Rabada's lack of sustained red-ball cricket. His last Test appearance came on South Africa's tour of Pakistan almost a year ago. He subsequently missed the series against India due to a rib injury and has not played first-class cricket since. South Africa want certainty that he can handle the demands of long bowling spells across a five-day contest.

'Fair to say that he's obviously not going to be at 100% straight away, but he is looking good,' Prince said. 'He will train with the squad for the rest of the week, and we will leave a call to be made as late as possible.'

Squad composition and fast-bowling depth

Rabada was named in South Africa's extended 18-man squad and is now part of a 17-player group after Tony de Zorzi was withdrawn with a hamstring problem of his own. The Proteas had initially planned to trim the squad to 15 but retained the larger pool specifically to preserve fast-bowling options — seven quicks are currently available within the group.

'From the bowler's point of view, domestically there's T20 cricket going on at the moment so we feel that they'll be better served here, where they will bowl more red balls in training,' Prince explained. He added that bowlers not selected in the Test lineup could continue bowling in the nets to build their workloads.

Batting combination and No. 3 intrigue

South Africa's batting order is also taking shape, though Prince declined to reveal the final combination. The top six is largely settled, but the No. 3 position remains open, with Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, and David Bedingham among the options. Uncapped batter Marques Ackerman has also emerged as a contender following a strong domestic season.

'I've always been a fan of his. And to his credit, he's done what any player who wants to play Test cricket needs to do: bang the door down by weight of runs,' Prince said of Ackerman. 'He's an attacking player... He's played very well, he's got a lot of experience and there's an appetite, not just for him but for a lot of players within our domestic structures to want to be involved in the Test squad.'

Series context: WTC standings and home return

The Australia series marks South Africa's return to home Test cricket since their World Test Championship triumph over Australia at Lord's in June last year. The Proteas currently sit second in the 2025–27 WTC standings with 10 Tests remaining in the cycle — eight at home through January and two away against Sri Lanka. How Rabada fares in training over the next 48 hours could prove decisive in shaping South Africa's pace attack for one of their most anticipated home series in recent years.