The Proteas won their day 4 match against Pakistan, with Harmer making waves. Image: Daily Maverick.
(The Post News) – The World Test Championship (WTC) holders will kick off their defence with a challenging spin battle in Pakistan. South Africa’s Proteas begin their WTC campaign on Sunday with the first of two Test matches against Pakistan in Lahore. The squad includes three spinners Simon Harmer, Senuran Muthusamy, and Prenelan Subrayen, all are expected to exploit the turning conditions.
Proteas stand -in Captain Aiden Markram said the chosen men, there are all bring something different into the squad. “When you look at Simon and Subs (Subrayen), both off-spinners, they offer completely different challenges, which is great for team balance,” he said.
Muthusamy fills in as the left-arm spinner in place of Keshav Maharaj, who was sidelined for the first Test due to a groin injury. Maharaj is currently featuring for the Dolphins in domestic cricket as he works to prove his fitness ahead of the second Test.
The Proteas anticipate a stern spin test throughout the series, which concludes in Rawalpindi, about five hours north of Lahore. “You don’t want spinners with the same style,” Markram added. “Sen showed his value in Bangladesh, where he did an excellent job on turning pitches. Each of our spinners brings different speeds and variations side spin, overspin and that affects how the ball behaves off the surface. They will be crucial for us if conditions play out as expected.”
Without a warm-up match in Pakistan, Proteas have been preparing on specially designed turning pitches at their High-Performance Centre to mimic the local conditions. “When you play at home, you can prepare the pitch to suit you that’s just part of the game,” Markram said.
After an 11-year break from hosting Test cricket between 2008 and 2019, Pakistan’s early pitches on the sport’s return were heavily spin-friendly. They later shifted to flatter, faster tracks, but last year the country again focused on producing turning wickets, even using fans and heaters to dry and rough up the surfaces to aid spin.
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