David Bedingham sends message to Proteas selectors with twin hundreds at Newlands

With the Proteas' three-match Test series against Australia set to get underway next month, Bedingham made a strong statement with scores of 129 and 114 while playing for the Cobras against the Dolphins.

Bedingham was part of the Proteas side that won the World Test Championship (WTC) final against the Aussies at Lord's in June 2025, but lost his place for the tours to Pakistan and India at the end of last year.

The 32-year-old has since gone on to have a strong season with Durham in the English County Championship, scoring more than 1000 runs in 16 innings at an average of more than 73, that included five centuries.

With a busy South African international summer ahead with Australia, Bangladesh and England visiting, Bedingham has started the SA domestic campaign with the Cobras in fine form while also going past 10 000 first-class runs in his career.

Another interesting development from the opening two rounds of South Africa's first-class season is that Bedingham has batted at number 3 for the Cobras - compared to his usual 4 or 5 - which could have been a directive from Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad ahead of the Australia series.

The Proteas Test team have not yet had a settled batter in the crucial number 3 position, with Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder occupying the post with varied success since Conrad has become Test mentor.

Bedingham certainly fits the criteria that Conrad is looking for, with a strong aggressive approach, with his first-innings 129 at Newlands coming off 167 balls and his 114 taking 125 deliveries second time around.

Conrad would want Bedingham to kick on and bring his outstanding first-class average of more than 51, including 32 hundreds, into the Test arena where he currently averages 31 with one century in 15 appearances for the Proteas.

Another player making a strong case to be in the Test squad is the uncapped Marques Ackerman, who struck 107 from just 88 balls and 60 off 62 deliveries while captaining the Dolphins in the same game at Newlands.

Ackerman is already in the frame of the Proteas selectors as the 30-year-old is captain of the South Africa A side for who he has had a strong winter against Bangladesh A, scoring a career-best 256 in Pretoria last month.