The travelling party includes Joe Root as captain, alongside Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.

Bethell makes his return to the national setup after missing competitive cricket since July 2026 due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, Patterson-White earns his first international selection after finishing as the most successful spinner in the County Championship during the 2026 season.

Shoaib Bashir has been omitted from the touring party to accommodate Patterson-White's inclusion. Ollie Pope, who featured in the Test squad for the series against Pakistan, also misses out on selection for the South African tour.

Dan Lawrence retains his place in the squad after making his return during the series against Pakistan, offering an additional batting option alongside his part-time bowling. The pace department is bolstered by the presence of Archer, Atkinson, Robinson, Cook and Baker.

England Men’s National Selector Marcus North said: We have selected a strong and balanced squad that is ready for the challenge of facing a South African team that are ICC Test World Champions and who returned to the top of the ICC Test rankings following their recent 2-1 series win over Australia.

He added: There are two changes to the squad that defeated Pakistan 3-0 at the end of the home summer with Liam Patterson-White earning his debut call-up while Jacob Bethell returns from a knee injury.

In the ICC World Test Championship standings, England currently occupy sixth place with a points percentage of 38.64. South Africa sit second in the table with a points percentage of 71.43 following their recent success against Australia.

England will travel to South Africa to commence the tour following the conclusion of their ongoing limited-overs tour of Australia. The Test series gets underway next month with the opening fixture scheduled at Johannesburg.

The first Test will be played from 17 to 21 December in Johannesburg, followed by the second Test starting on 26 December in Centurion. The tour concludes with the third and final Test beginning on 3 January in Cape Town.