South Africa vs England 2019-20: Rassie van der Dussen to make Test debut in Boxing Day game

South African batsman Rassie van der Dussen will make his Test debut when the Proteas lock horns with England in the first Test of the four-match series starting on Boxing Day.

Van der Dussen has been in impressive form of late, starring in South Africa's World Cup campaign and also notching up some big scores in the 2019–20 CSA 4-Day Franchise Series.

The 30-year-old will bat at No. 5, in place of Temba Bavuma, who picked up a hip injury and has been subsequently ruled out of the game.

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South African skipper Faf du Plessis confirmed that Van der Dussen will be rewarded for his stellar recent form with a maiden Test cap in the Boxing Day Test and also expressed his confidence in the abilities of the top-order batsman.

“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.

"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."

Van der Dussen has featured in 18 ODIs and 9 T20Is for South Africa till date, notching up nine half-centuries across formats.

He boasts a stellar first-class record as well, averaging close to 45 with 16 centuries to his name.

The first Test will begin tomorrow at Centurion following which the action will shift to Newlands for the second game starting January 3rd.