"If you have a Test team that is strong and plays regularly, that has spin-offs for the other formats," he told reporters
Gabela, 35, said: "I had to be here and welcome the boys home. They have suffered so many heartbreaks during the past two decades. Now we are champions of the world."
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has been cleared to return to cricket following a reduced suspension for testing positive for a banned recreational substance.
If South Africa beat New Zealand to reach Sunday's decider, they will at least know by then if they will take on India in Dubai, or Australia in Lahore.
Cricket South Africa announced that 24-year-old Coetzee had recovered from a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the current SA20 franchise competition in South Africa.
Nortje was named in South Africa’s squad on Monday, but 48 hours on officials have said he will not recover in time from a back problem ahead of the Group B opener against Afghanistan on Feb. 21. England and Australia are also in the pool.
Only once before in their history have South Africa won more Tests in succession, when they claimed nine victories on the trot between 2002 and 2003.
Five Test wins in a row, made up of away victories over West Indies in Guyana in August, two in Bangladesh in October and two more over Sri Lanka, means South Africa top the table of Test results over the last two-year cycle and are within touching distance of a place in the final at Lord’s from June 11-15.
Victory allowed the Proteas to avenge a shock T20 loss to the same opponents last weekend.
South Africa name the uncapped duo of Andile Phehlukwayo and Aiden Markram for next week's first test against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom, with the latter to make his debut as an opener.
South Africa and India are believed to be close to an agreement on a schedule for a tour of South Africa in January and February.
Former South Africa players Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince have slam AB De Villers for his continued absence from Test cricket and insinuate that he is disrespecting his teammates.
Former South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs says that the team should hire an Australian who won’t tolerate a ‘buddy-buddy’ kind of attitude.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers insisted his side had done nothing wrong after they found themselves caught up in a fresh ball-tampering row on Saturday as they lost their one-day international series against England.
Former South Africa bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been charged with match fixing and has been suspended immediately after a lengthy investigation, Cricket South Africa said on Monday.
England Lions are set for a clash with Dale Steyn later this summer after his surprise inclusion in one of the South Africa A squads due to arrive in the coming weeks.
Former South Africa batsman Alviro Petersen has been banned from cricket for two years after admitting sitting in on meetings where plans were hatched to fix matches in the domestic Twenty20 competition.
South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has second thoughts about touring Bangladesh in July, but it is certainly not the case with his teammate Jean-Paul Duminy.
