There is a fine line between maximum preparation and ignorance, and Pakistan is trying to make sure it is on the right side. With less than 24 hours to go before the second Test, Pakistan are yet to name a final XI, keen to glean as much information as possible about what the Newlands surface will do. However, the later they leave it, the harder it is to make the case that the visitors have a team they will be comfortable with ahead of the game.
Captain Shan Masood admitted it was “difficult” to balance the team. “We would like to have one last look at the field,” he said. “It’s a bit different, there’s less pitch. South Africa have had the luxury of training earlier than us. We’d like to take our time and see who is the best possible XI.”
The Newlands surface is under scrutiny following what happened in the previous Test played here. In new fielder Braam Mong’s first Test, India beat South Africa in a match that lasted barely 100 overs. Fast bowlers dominated the game, with uneven bounce between bat and ball, with no spin; the land received an “unsatisfactory” rating.
As this is the same groundskeeper’s second Test, interest in the nature of this strip is high on both sides, with Temba Bavuma half-joking that he “wasn’t allowed to talk about the field “. Over the past few days, a significant amount of grass has been removed from the strip on which the test will take place, with heavy rollers passing over the surface several times.
Regardless, South Africa have named their team, with the addition of spinner Keshav Maharaj. But it is a little more complex for Pakistan. Masood highlighted that one of South Africa’s strengths was their bowling all-rounders and deep batting line-up, saying it came down to “Rabada at 10”, after his heroics in the fourth innings at Centurion .
If Pakistan have to play a specialist bowler, it will invariably come at the expense of a seam bowler. That leaves them with just three seamers, which Masood seemed reluctant to commit to.
“South Africa still has four seamers,” Masood said. “They have the luxury of having a lot of versatile players in the team. Mulder, Jansen, Bosch, so they can afford to make those decisions. For us it will be a little trickier. We still think the pace will have an important role to play in these conditions. There was a successful model for us. [Salman] Agha bowled very well in Australia and continues with us. We will have to see and probably make a decision in the evening.
“It’s encouraging to compete, but we have to be ruthless and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential there, and if we don’t cross the line, we’re not using our talent and our abilities.
Shan Masood wants his team to do more than just occupy dominant positions in matches
To complicate matters further, Aamer Jamal, who played the least important role among the Centurion quicks for Pakistan, is their only all-rounder, with Masood effectively confirming his place in the XI.
“Aamer ties the team together. He is a very important player in the Test team going forward. That No. 8 position where you can bat like a very decent batter and bowl like a real fast bowler. Unfortunately the situation of the match was such apart from his first stint at Centurion, he didn’t really try He was brought in at a time when we were just taking a gamble on having something different, maybe hitting the wicket and. force Rabada or Jansen to do something else. the reason behind this. But we hope he will play more on this surface.
This means that whatever path Pakistan chooses, there will be compromises in one way or another. But Masood said Pakistan were reassured by the way they had faced the “No. 1” team in Test cricket. But while Pakistan have let a number of dominant positions slip away in the last nine Tests, seven of which they lost, they understand that confidence in a team or a system can crumble if the results to support it are not forthcoming. obtained.
“You want to compete with the best and win against the best,” he said. “It’s encouraging to compete, but we have to be ruthless and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential there, and if we don’t cross the line, we’re not using our talent and our abilities. It only comes from a place of care, and yes, we all make mistakes and sometimes don’t cross that line, but I truly believe that this side has the ability, and people. have seen that there is much more of this this side than the previous ones suggest.
Moments after Pakistan finished their training, the pitch was, unconventionally, watered again under the scorching sun. After that, the grounds staff threw a white sheet over the gang and the two people surrounding them. The secrets of this Newlands pitch remain hidden overnight, although, even when they were revealed, few people – particularly in the Pakistani camp – really seemed to know what to expect.
