“If you knuckle down, you can score,” said Proteas opening batsman, Dean Elgar, at the end of the first day of the first Test between South Africa and Pakistan in Karachi, which saw South Africa being bowled out for 220 and Pakistan currently batting at 33/4.
Elgar opined the wicket was nice to bat on, although he was aware that the first hour was going to be challenging. Elgar and Aiden Markram attempted to accelerate the scoring rate against the Pakistani seamers before the spinners would slow things down.
With wickets then falling at regular intervals, the Proteas finished at 220, which Elgar believes is “still an under-par score on this pitch.” However, with Pakistan at 33/4, and premier batsman, Babar Azam, back in the pavilion, Elgar is confident the Proteas “had the better day even though it was low-scoring.”
ALSO READ: RABADA SPARKS FIGHTBACK AS SA AIM TO DEFEND 220 | 1ST TEST PAKISTAN VS SOUTH AFRICA
Elgar attributed South Africa’s batting troubles on the first day of the Test match to the inability to balance defense and accelerating the run rate. He emphasized, “You’ve got to earn your right in Test cricket.” “Sometimes you’ve just got to trust your defensive game,” Elgar continued.
Heaping praise on the Proteas bowlers for bringing the team back into the game, Elgar credited Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje for the intensity they brought to their bowling performance. “Very thankful they’re four wickets down.”
He also believes the Proteas spinners will have a role to play on this pitch. “The pitch will become tougher to score on. We have good spinners to exploit on this pitch,” explained Elgar.
Elgar believes the first hour of Day 2 could be central to the result of this Test match. “We know the importance of that first hour. If we can emulate what we did with the ball, we will build pressure,” Elgar said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner, Nauman Ali, who picked three wickets on debut, including Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock, said the pitch played exactly the way it has through the domestic season.
The bowlers were successful because they bowled to plan. Although Pakistan is struggling at 33/4, Ali is optimistic that the batsmen can score heavily if they get set.
