“It’s definitely going to turn,” said Proteas Head Coach, Mark Boucher, on the eve of the first Test match between South Africa and Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi, stating categorically that the South Africans will play “definitely more than one spinner,” writes Aditya Mehta.
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“We came here thinking reverse swing will play a big role,” admitted Boucher. Upon the Proteas’ arrival in Karachi, they found the weather was cooler than expected and the outfield was green and moist, casting doubt over how much reverse swing will be on offer for the seamers. Boucher is expecting “proper subcontinent conditions,” but he believes the “wickets won’t be as severe as India.”
Over the last couple of months, the Proteas have been working towards implementing an “aggressive but smart” philosophy in their brand of cricket. In this series, Boucher has been talking about “mixing patience and (an) aggressive mindset.”
In the Test series against Sri Lanka, the Proteas were scoring at 3.5-4 runs an over. Emphasizing the importance of patience while playing in the subcontinent, Boucher is expecting scoring rates to be below 3 runs an over.
Boucher hinted at the right selection being critical to winning in the subcontinent.
“It’s a bit of a South African mindset that we revert back to our seaming options,” he explained. “You’ve got to make a couple of brave calls. It’s a two-match series, we can’t go one-down and then have regrets that we should have played the extra spinner.”
Elaborating on the role Keshav Maharaj might play on spinning wickets, Boucher said, “Kesh is hungry. He didn’t bowl a lot against Sri Lanka for various reasons. The wickets were more conducive to pace bowling. We’ve worked on a couple of technical things.”
Cognizant of the value of big first-innings runs, Boucher highlighted: “We’ve talked about putting on partnerships and how many hundreds we’ll have in this series. If you can get a good first innings score, you’re in control.”
Wary of the ‘unpredictable’ label Pakistan teams have carried with them over the years, Boucher said: “There’s always an element of surprise. If they’re up for a game, they’re at their best.”
Boucher knows Pakistan has a talented group of players, along with a lot of knowledge in their management, with Misbah ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, and Younus Khan part of their coaching staff.
Finally, Boucher paid rich tribute to Proteas skipper, Quinton de Kock, who will be playing his 50th Test match tomorrow.
“Quinny’s a special cricketer. The type of guy who the opposition hopes doesn’t rock up and get into form. With Quinny, there’s possibly another hundred Tests for him.”
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