Proteas captain Faf du Plessis confirmed on Tuesday that Rassie van der Dussen will bat in the No 5 position for the first Test against England.

It is almost go-time. The Proteas will take on England in the Boxing Day Test and it will be the first challenge for a Proteas side heading into their new regime.

The first improvement that fans would love to see, is a drastic difference in their batting performances.

The appointment of Mark Boucher as head coach and Jacques Kallis as batting consultant has created a sense of hope amongst fans that our batting will be at the level of Proteas teams of the past.

One bold move by selectors and the Proteas brains trust was the selection of Rassie van der Dussen who fans were calling out for.

Faf du Plessis confirmed his selection for the opening Test.

“I can give you 12 players. Looking at the option of bringing in an all-rounder into that No 7 position. Then Rassie van der Dussen at No 5,” said Du Plessis at the captain’s press conference on Tuesday.

“Then we still deciding who our extra bowler will be. We still looking at the conditions when we get here the morning of the Test.

“Obviously not practising tomorrow, in a normal environment we would make that decision tomorrow, but we will name 12 tonight.”

Van der Dussen was almost 30 when he made his international debut in the green and gold.

He was given the responsibility of replacing AB de Villiers in the No 4 spot and his consistent performances saw him selected in the World Cup squad.

Du Plessis explained what he admires about Van Der Dussen’s journey.

“Similarly to one day cricket when he first played for the Proteas in green and gold, at that stage he was a very mature cricketer and someone that knew his game very well and came into international cricket looking very comfortable,” continued Du Plessis.

“The last season and a half for him have been very fruitful – he’s scored a lot of runs with the white-ball, and we have been looking at him for a while trying to see how we can fit him in.

“The calmness and composure he has shown, you can just see it when guys are suited mentally for international cricket and that’s been the case with Rassie.

“So for me, it’s an easy decision to bring him into the team. I think he’ll be very much at home.”

The first Test will be played at Centurion on 26 December 2019.

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