Overview:
The Proteas tried to replicate expected spin conditions back home when they practiced on underprepared wickets at the High Performance Center in Pretoria during a two-day training camp.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — World champion South Africa faces a stern spin challenge in Pakistan without two of its key players when both teams kickstart their next World Test Championship campaigns on Sunday.
Proteas regular captain Temba Bavuma will miss the two-test series because of a strained calf. Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is only available for the second test because of a groin injury.
“We’re going to miss Temba a lot, of course, he’s our leader,” South Africa captain Aiden Markram said.
“We don’t need to give him any introductions. He’s a batter firstly for us that has been doing incredibly well … and then naturally the leadership as well. It is a big miss for us, but the other boys are pulling together and trying to get us off to a good start.”
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Bavuma led the Proteas to the WTC title at Lord’s in a five-wicket victory over Australia in the final.
Maharaj’s absence from the first test is “a big loss,” Markram said.
Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy got a nod from Markram for the first test after the spinner took four wickets against Zimbabwe in a test match in July, when South Africa rested all its key red-ball players.
The 36-year-old Simon Harmer, who hasn’t played a test match since March 2023, is the other specialist spin option for South Africa.
Pakistan, which finished last in the previous WTC cycle, won three of its last four home test matches on spin wickets made with the help of industrial-sized fans, heaters and wind breakers. The home team didn’t use any of those while preparing the wicket for the first test at Gaddafi Stadium, but spinners are still expected to play a factor on a grassless 22-yard strip.
The Proteas tried to replicate expected spin conditions back home when they practiced on underprepared wickets at the High Performance Center in Pretoria during a two-day training camp.
“As a team that’s not exposed to those (spin) conditions, it’s exciting for us and a great opportunity for us to get things right in these conditions,” Markram said.