Zaahier Adams
The Proteas’ train to London for the World Test Championship final next year may be in express mode after their comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Durban, but coach Shukri Conrad has plenty to ponder this week in Gqeberha.
Much of his thinking will be focused on how he is going to assemble a bowling attack that is able to take a further 20 wickets to close out the 2-0 series victory, which will bring with it the invaluable 12 points that will take the Proteas ever so close to a place at Lord’s.
Both all-rounder Wiaan Mulder and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee have been ruled out for the remainder of the series, with Coetzee likely to miss the entire home international summer. Considering the Proteas’ have already had Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams ruled out through injury and Anrich Nortje continuing to be unavailable for red-ball cricket, this has left Conrad with precious few seam bowling options.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Mulder and Coetzee perform strikingly contrasting roles. Although Mulder took the new ball in Bangladesh alongside Kagiso Rabada, his primary job in South African conditions is to provide control and breathing space for the quicker men to rotate from the other end.
Coetzee, meanwhile, is a genuine strike bowler who the Proteas have utilised in sharp spells in order to maximise his wicket-taking ability. Only one first-class match has been played at St George’s Park thus far this season with the Warriors and North West playing out a captivating draw.
It was certainly a good surface provided by head curator Adrian Carter with the new ball in both first innings creating opportunities, before it flattened out over the last two days that allowed the batters to score more freely while offering the spinners good assistance.
Conrad will most likely revert to the dual left-arm spin option utilised in the recent Test win over Bangladesh in Chattogram, when Senuran Muthusamy joined premier spinner Keshav Maharaj in the attack. The duo enjoyed an excellent Test together with the duo claiming nine wickets in Bangladesh’s second innings to close out the 2-0 series win.
Muthusamy, in fact, made a significant all-round impact with the stylish left-hander stroking his maiden Test half-century in the first innings to go with his five wickets in the match.
With Mulder ruled out, it is likely that Muthusamy will slot into the No 7 batting position just ahead of first Test Player of the Match Marco Jansen. Coetzee’s replacement is, however, not as straightforward.
Dane Paterson is the extra seamer originally selected in the squad, but Conrad has now rung up his prodigy Kwena Maphaka for a possible maiden Test cap.
Paterson also played in the Chattogram Test, offering plenty of control upfront alongside Rabada, and even picked up a couple wickets in the first innings and was the sole seamer to collect a scalp in the second innings.
Maphaka, though, offers the Proteas plenty more pace than the 35-year-old Paterson and Conrad could be enticed to unleash the left-arm strike-bowler on the Sri Lankans, especially after the havoc Jansen created in the first innings at Kingsmead when he claimed 7/13 to rout the visitors for 42.
The teenager has been in encouraging form in the build-up to being called up, showing good pace in the recent encounter against the Warriors at the Wanderers where he pinned all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel against the helmet with a searing bouncer.