Weather conditions in Gqeberha will determine Proteas XI for second Test against Aussies
· Citizen
The Proteas will decide on the makeup of their playing XI on Sunday morning, once they have a better idea of the weather conditions in Gqeberha, said captain Temba Bavuma on Saturday.
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The South Africans go into the second Test against Australia on the back of a big first Test defeat in Durban earlier this week.
Rabada return
The good news is fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been cleared to play. He missed the first Test due to a hamstring niggle.
“We don’t have a final XI,” said Bavuma on Saturday.
“We’re not too sure. We have a clear understanding of what we want, but we’ll first let nature do its thing.
“There are considerations … will we go again with two spinners, or the extra batter or extra allrounder? We can go either way, we’ll have a competitive XI.”
Regarding the availability of Rabada, the team’s premier fast bowler, Bavuma said: “KG’s available for selection, and that brings a big smile to me. He’d be a big addition on the field, he’s raring to go.
“He leads the attack, and the other bowlers feed off him. He also brings confidence to the unit, so it’s always a benefit to have him around.”
Improvement needed in all areas
Bavuma said the team had had discussions about all the departments of their game following the 214-run whipping they took in the first Test.
“Batting-wise we fell short in the first innings in Durban,” said Bavuma. “The second innings was better … but we’d conceded a big lead.
“Bowling-wise … we backed three seamers and two spinners and they got the better of us. The wicket didn’t deteriorate as quickly as we wanted. But I can’t falter our bowlers, they put in a great effort.
“At the end, the difference was [Matt] Renshaw’s 190 first innings score … we’ve had conversations and just need to be better.”
Batting options
It’s expected that Marques Ackerman will open the innings with Aiden Markram, while Matthew Breetzke could also come into the side.
“Marques likes to fight fire with fire, while Matthew’s a confident player after his ODI scores,” said Bavuma. “He’s also had success against Australia. These two guys certainly boost our batting.”
Ryan Rickelton, who will take over the wicket-keeping duties, may yet still open the batting. Bavuma though said there were discussions being had of his moving down the order.
Play on Sunday starts at 10, weather permitting.