SA vs ENG | Rassie van der Dussen to debut in Boxing Day Test, confirms Faf du Plessis

After a long wait, domestic veteran and middle-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen will make his Test debut for the Proteas in the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Van der Dussen, who has a first-class average of 44.39, has been an exceptional performer in the Sunfoil Series, South Africa's premier four-day competition, and has, in many ways, forced his way into the side. With vice-captain Temba Bavuma out of the first Test with injury, the 30-year-old will occupy his position in the middle-order.

“He was a mature cricketer when he started for us in ODIs and is someone who knows his game very well. He came into international cricket looking very comfortable and over the last season and a half has been very fruitful and scored a lot of runs in white-ball cricket," Du Plessis was quoted as saying by News18.

"He is calm and composed with the bat. You can just see it sometimes when someone is suited for international cricket and that’s been the case with him. I think he will be very much at home," the 35-year-old added.

The Proteas skipper also revealed that the curators have been requested to prepare pitches that'll equally support both batting and bowling in the wake of the Proteas being accused of preparing pitches 'too seamer-friendly'.

“We have asked for good wickets for this Test series that offer both something to the bowler and batsmen," the South African skipper revealed.