“We got away with a good result at Centurion. But if the truth be told we weren’t particularly good.” – Shukri Conrad
Telford Vice / Johannesburg
WHEN Shukri Conrad and Temba Bavuma talk, things happen. After they had a long chat in Bloemfontein in January, during the ODI series against England, Bavuma scored a century for South Africa for the first time in 34 innings and more than a year across the formats. And there they were again in the Wanderers nets on Tuesday, seated side by side and having a natter.
Bavuma made history against West Indies in Centurion last week. The wrong kind of history: he spent only three deliveries in front of the stumps and scored no runs across both innings. No player has had such an insignificant impact in his first Test as captain. South Africa won by 87 runs inside three days, but could their supporters look forward to a bigger contribution from the captain in the second Test at the Wanderers, which starts on Wednesday?
Conrad, a veteran coach but in his first Test series in charge of South Africa, dismissed the notion as if it were an abject long hop: “Would the same question have been asked if it was someone else? Players get pairs. I’d hate to think it’s because it’s Temba, and because of the spotlight that’s been on him over the last couple of months.”
Since the start of his career in December 2014, Bavuma has faced more balls and scored more runs than anyone except Dean Elgar among South Africa’s active players. But he is a frequent target for abuse, much of it racist. It doesn’t help that Bavuma presided over his team’s meltdown at the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November.
So even though enquiries over Bavuma’s batting were relevant and justified, there was perhaps little wonder why they seemed to touch a nerve. “In his first Test as captain he gets two good nuts; maybe one tactical mistake in terms of where he lined up to a certain bowler,” Conrad said. “It’s no deep conversation. Batters get pairs. They’ve got to move on. They’ve got to deal with it. It doesn’t make him special or otherwise. There’s been no special conversation around that.”
Whoever says what to whom, how Bavuma goes will be a keenly watched subplot in the wider drama as West Indies go in search of what would be only their second win in 17 Tests in South Africa. Victory would seal their first drawn series in the country after four defeats.
An unusual looking pitch, for the Wanderers, adds to the intrigue. Bare patches at the Golf Course End have prompted the home side to pick Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer at a ground where all-seam attacks are not uncommon. South Africa haven’t bothered with a specialist slow bowler in four of their last six Tests at this emphatically South African ground. They did pick a spinner in the most recent of them, against India in January last year. But Maharaj bowled a solitary over in each innings and R Ashwin sent down 10 and 11.4. Seam accounted for 91.22% of the deliveries bowled in the match.
So it’s pertinent that spin success has been more prominent at the Wanderers this season, although it might not seem so considering the slow poisoners took only 33 of the 190 wickets that have fallen in the seven first-class matches played here since October 2021. But among them were innings figures of 6/69 by Bjorn Fortuin and Harmer’s match haul of 14/151. Spinners either took or shared the new ball four times in the 22 innings those matches comprised. In March 2021, Maharaj claimed 13/176 at the Wanderers.
Thus a different scenario is set to unfold in this Wanderers Test compared to the last, especially as the major separating factor between the teams will likely be which of a brittle pair of batting line-ups holds up better under pressure.
Despite their win in Centurion, the South Africans did not dominate. Despite their loss, the West Indians were not outplayed. That bodes well for the coming contest.
When: March 8 to 12, 2023; 10am Local Time (1.30pm IST)
Where: The Wanderers, Johannesburg
What to expect: A thunderous, sometimes difficult pitch and a lightning quick, small outfield. But, this time, also for bare patches on the pitch that should assist spinners. Look out, too, for thunder and lightning from above, especially in the afternoons.
Team news:
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj have come in. Keegan Petersen, Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortjé are out; the latter because of a minor groin issue.
Confirmed XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt), Ryan Rickelton, Heinrich Klaasen, Wiaan Mulder, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada
West Indies: The XI at Centurion gave a decent enough account of themselves to be retained, but given the likely conditions the visitors are mulling picking left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie. If they do, Shannon Gabriel could sit out.
Possible XI: Kraigg Brathwaite, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Gudakesh Motie
What they said:
“Yes, we got away with a good result at Centurion. But if the truth be told we weren’t particularly good. The West Indies were good and the pitch was tough, but that doesn’t then mean we just roll over, as we did the other day and have done in the past.” — Shukri Conrad on South Africa’s demolition for 116 in 28 overs in their second innings.
“It goes to show that, with a little more application, especially from the batters, myself included, we could do well in these conditions. It gave the belief that we could do it.” — Kraigg Brathwaite preaches what he hopes his team will practice at the Wanderers, based on their performance in Centurion.
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