South Africa begin a two-match World Test Championship series against Bangladesh at the Wanderers on Sunday, 15 November, with the second test at SuperSport Park in Centurion from 23 November.
The Proteas are heavy favourites after recovering from defeat in Durban to beat Australia 2-1, and Bangladesh have never beaten South Africa in a test.
India are the only other side they have yet to beat in the format.
Bangladesh arrive with mixed form. In August they beat Australia by nine wickets in Darwin, only their second test win in South Africa, England, New Zealand or Australia.
Since then they have lost to Australia inside two days, drawn with Afghanistan and lost a home series to West Indies.
Head coach Phil Simmons put it plainly: "Since Darwin, we haven't batted well."
West Indies won that series 1-0. In Mirpur, Bangladesh were bowled out for 142 in their second innings, with captain Roston Chase taking 5-36, and Brandon King's unbeaten 81 steered a chase of 170 to an eight-wicket win.
Shadman Islam had made 105 in the first innings.
In Sylhet, West Indies made 356, with Amir Jangoo scoring 133 and Hasan Mahmud taking 6-90.
Bangladesh slipped to 184- 7 before Towhid Hridoy's unbeaten 242, the highest test score by a Bangladesh batter, took them to 386.
A celebration worth remembering! Tawhid Hridoy celebrates his magnificent double century of 200 runs against West Indies. A special milestone and an unforgettable moment for Bangladesh cricket! https://t.co/cGOIvMjia2
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) November 7, 2026
Kavem Hodge's 142 allowed West Indies to declare at 398-6, but Hridoy added 82 and Mushfiqur Rahim 49 as Bangladesh reached 184-4 before bad light ended the match.
Hridoy's 324 runs made him the first Bangladesh batter to pass 300 in a test, and Mushfiqur became the first to reach 7 000 test runs.
Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican was Player of the Series with 16 wickets.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto accepted that "neither our batters nor our bowlers performed well".
BANGLADESH BATTER TO WATCH
Conditions in Gauteng will be very different.
Both venues are expected to offer pace and bounce rather than turn, which should suit Bangladesh's seamers more than their batters.
Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam have taken 45 wickets between them this year.
Hasan took 9-111 in Darwin and Shoriful 7-48 in Mackay. Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain complete a five-man pace group, with offspinner Nayeem Hasan left out.
Nahid Rana is still recovering from a side strain and will miss the tests.
Shadman's ankle injury means a reshaped top order.
Mohammad Naim returns four years after his only test, and the uncapped Mahfijul Islam has been called up after scoring 672 runs at 74.67 in the National Cricket League.
Former South Africa allrounder Dale Benkenstein, the Proteas' batting coach from 2017 to 2019, has joined the tour as batting specialist.
Hridoy is the batter to watch. He knows these conditions: he recently made an unbeaten 350 in an A match here, the highest first-class score by an overseas batter in South Africa.
Mushfiqur, Bangladesh's most-capped test player and their leading run-scorer, gives the middle order experience.
STRONG SA PACE ATTACK
South Africa have named 15 players. Tony de Zorzi is back after a hamstring injury, replacing David Bedingham, and Zubayr Hamza, who made three half-centuries for South Africa A over the past year, returns as an extra batter, with Kyle Verreynne left out.
Anrich Nortje has recovered from the groin injury he suffered in Gqeberha and joins Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson among the seam options.
Lungi Ngidi is still recovering from a hamstring problem.
South Africa's batting is still finding its feet, which gives Bangladesh's quicks an opening. But on pitches made for pace, the hosts can call on Rabada, Jansen and Nortje.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (capt), Marques Ackerman, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Mahfijul Islam
WHITE-BALL LEG DOUBLES AS WORLD CUP REHEARSAL
After the tests come three ODIs in East London (1 December), Gqeberha (4 December) and Cape Town (7 December), then three T20Is in Kimberley (10 December), Benoni (12 December) and Centurion (13 December).
For South Africa, the ODIs carry extra weight. CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki has said every ODI series is part of their preparation for hosting the 2027 World Cup.
The hosts' main fast bowlers, including Rabada and Jansen, will be rested for the white-ball matches.
Bangladesh have good memories of 50-over cricket here. In March 2022 they won an ODI series in South Africa for the first time, taking it 2-1 with a nine-wicket win in Centurion, where Taskin Ahmed took 5-35 and South Africa were bowled out for 154, their lowest total against Bangladesh.
Buffalo Park stages its first Proteas match in three years. Bangladesh's last ODI there, in 2017, ended in a 200-run defeat.
Litton Das captains Bangladesh in both white-ball formats.
Chief selector Habibul Bashar thinks fast bowler Nahid Rana is unlikely to be ready for the ODIs but expects him to be fit for the T20Is.
Benkenstein stays on as batting specialist for the white-ball leg.