IN a previous life, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus had a favourite catchphrase whereby his team had to “earn the right to go wide”.
In a literal sense, it meant that the forwards had to do the hard yards before the ball could be spun out to the backs in a bid to score tries.
Oh, how the Erasmus of 2024 must now cringe listening to his younger self’s conservative and insecure ways.
But be that as it may, that was virtually the same description Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma used to describe his team’s approach to the second and final Test against the West Indies starting in Guyana today (4pm SA time).
After playing to a draw last week in Trinidad and Tobago – the first occurrence in 28 Test matches globally – the Proteas are now faced with the almighty task of having to win seven Tests on the bounce if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship final.
Bavuma, though, does not want to focus on the end result before his team actually do the graft.
“It is important, but I guess it’s important like every other game,” Bavuma told the media yesterday.
“If I look at our game when we came to the Caribbean, it was to win the series. So, to do so, we have to win the next game.
“We can’t control the weather, but what we can control is how well we play, and how we rock up. That’s what we will try to do again.
“We will have a look at the wicket. We will try and select the team that speaks to that. But that’s all we can control and focus on.”
Lone specialist spinner Keshav Maharaj delivered 66.2 overs out of a possible 148.1 in Port of Spain last week, and the conditions are expected to be even lower and slower in Guyana.
Bavuma therefore hinted that off-spinner Dane Piedt and left-arm seamer Nandré Burger would be two possible changes to the playing XI at the Georgetown Cricket Club.
“A guy like Dane Piedt definitely comes into the picture. And then from a seam bowling point of view, Nandré, being a left-arm option, he obviously could help a guy like Dane Piedt,” Bavuma said.
“From my side, it’s just to get a better idea of the conditions, to be honest. We haven’t had an opportunity to train at the ground yet, so I can’t really speak about the conditions.
“That will be finalised soon rather than later, but yes, there will be a strong consideration in playing the second spinner.”
Training Underway 👊
Our Proteas have been training hard ahead of the 2nd and final Test Match against the West Indies this Thursday.
Guyana awaits! 🇬🇾#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#SAvWI pic.twitter.com/2sf8lm3gsz
Piedt’s recall to the Test line-up would mark yet another chapter in a remarkable comeback for the pugnacious off-spinner.
The 34-year-old was recalled from the international wilderness almost 12 months ago. The former Western Province captain had relocated to the United States, where he was playing Minor League Cricket on matting wickets.
But after a discussion with Test coach Shukri Conrad, Piedt returned to South Africa, and after a short while, he was back playing Test cricket for the Proteas on the tour of New Zealand earlier this year.
While that selection may have been forced due to the unavailability of a host of players due to SA20 commitments, Piedt showed that he had lost none of the ability as he claimed a five-wicket haul against the Black Caps in Hamilton.
The prospect of Piedt and Maharaj bowling in tandem will certainly provide Bavuma with greater striking power, especially after Maharaj easily caused the Windies’ batters the most problems in Trinidad.
The left-arm off-spinner bagged match figures of 8/164 in Port of Spain.
No Proteas batter managed to score a century in the first Test, despite Bavuma and opener Tony de Zorzi registering half-centuries in the first innings, and Tristan Stubbs following suit in the second.
Equally, there were a host of Proteas batters that managed starts, but none were able to convert into anything substantial.
Bavuma wants his batters to take greater responsibility in the second Test, especially as they will most likely have to sacrifice a batter to accommodate the extra spinner.
“For me, it’s more about the batters that got in without going on to get anything big. There were also a couple of soft dismissals that we had in the first innings. It’s about putting a higher price on your wicket,” he said.
Likely Proteas Team
Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Nandré Burger.