Ken Borland

Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada knows it is not going to be easy in their two-Test series in Pakistan but that’s why he loves Test cricket.

“Judging by the practice square we’ve been bowling on, the ball is going to keep low and there’s not much lateral movement, especially when the ball gets older. We suspect reverse-swing is going to play a big role and the ball does not bounce much so we have to bowl much straighter lines. We expect Pakistan to come out fighting and they have some good players, so it’s not going to be easy and we definitely have to earn the right to win.

“But that’s why Tests are my favourite format, it challenges you in every way in different conditions. I love white-ball cricket too, but their pitches are all kinda the same. But in Test cricket the pitches and the weather can change and how it all unfolds – you can be chasing the game or on top or everything can be even – is a thrill, the way it builds up to a climax. It’s extremely rewarding to win a Test after all the hard work you’ve put in,” Rabada said in Karachi on Wednesday.

South Africa’s highest-ranked Test bowler (6^th) has not played a Test in almost exactly a year, since the Proteas slumped to a dismal innings defeat against England in the third Test on January 20, 2020, in Port Elizabeth. Rabada, who missed the last Test of that series due to another suspension for overly aggressive wicket celebrations, said he is confident he will be able to access his most competitive inner fires when the first Test against Pakistan starts on Tuesday and he is grateful for the best fitness advice from the Proteas medical staff. He missed the recent series against Sri Lanka due to a groin strain.

“It’s great to be back and in full flow and to have that spirit of competitiveness again in a hard Test match will be awesome. The body feels good and I just have to manage it over time and not let the same things happen over and over. But I’m getting a lot of assistance from the fitness trainers and I won’t be thinking about whether I’m going to get injured or not while in the game.

“It’s going to be competitive out there and that naturally gets me going, we will be playing to win. It’s going to be very challenging mentally because you have to raise the intensity. So you’re not just physically blown at the end of the day, but mentally too. You can’t just stay in one gear and I think the competitiveness out there will speak for itself. I’m really excited and can’t wait to play,” Rabada said.

Omphile Ramela, the former president of the players’ union who was last month removed as a director of the Cricket South Africa Interim Board, has lodged an application in the High Court challenging his removal based on the alleged rude conduct of the board and an accusation that they have erred in terms of procedure.

The board resolved on December 15 to remove Ramela for being “derelict in performing his functions as a director” and engaging in “destructive practices”, related to his alleged refusal to accept majority decisions and subsequent leaks of board discussions to the media. Ramela was given the opportunity to put his case before the board, but failed to attend the meeting.

Ramela then announced on Tuesday evening on social media that he will challenge his dismissal in court.

“I have lodged an application against CSA with the High Court. While the application deals with my removal, the premise of this application speaks to the conduct of this board as far [sic] the principle of law and order is concerned. … Given that my concerns speak to the principle of its conduct in matters of law and procedure, the court is the best place that can ventilate this matter and see it to its logical conclusion.

“The directors of this board serve in leadership structures of society. If its conduct is questionable in law and procedure then we as a country and the game of cricket have a much bigger problem. My major concern is the game. I could have easily walked away from this, but I think I’ve got a responsibility as someone who’s been in the game to stand for the truth,” Ramela posted on Twitter.

Ramela went on to say that he will demonstrate at the High Court that the CSA interim board have not acted with the interests of the game at heart, especially in terms of transformation.

“The decisions I’m contesting speaks to the motive of this conduct. This board has not done anything to advance the game and enhance transformation on and off the field of play. Instead it has done the total opposite to a point of regressing any transformation gains and governance. This then begs the question, whose interest are they serving?

“Hopefully this court process will help pierce that veil and reveal the source of our problems in cricket. The game has served me as a player and it has created opportunities for me. So if there is a case I can make that the interests of the game are not being protected at the moment I will put that out there. I believe that this application to the High Court will demonstrate that,” Ramela said.

The interim board issued a statement on Wednesday saying Ramela’s application is without substance and they will oppose it in court.

Proteas captain Quinton de Kock said on Monday that all his team’s security concerns about being in Pakistan have been allayed, but given their location on the sub-continent, they are still anxious about whether they will be playing on pitches that will massively favour spin.

The South African team had their first practice session in Karachi on Monday and De Kock said they are happy with the logistical arrangements on the Proteas’ first visit to Pakistan since 2007. Due to security concerns following terrorist attacks, South Africa played two series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates after that tour.

“Security was a big part of our concerns, but when we saw the extent and amount of security, we got a lot more comfortable. It looks like every corner is checked, all the bases are covered and we feel really safe. With security being less of a worry, we are able to focus more and more on the cricket. It’s something to be seen – the security measures they have taken and we’re not worried at all about that any more.

“It also helps that we didn’t need to do two weeks’ quarantine, but we play so much cricket these days that that is almost out of the picture. It’s been a big help that the Pakistan Cricket Board have let us come out and prepare early, our hotel is across the road from where we practise. Otherwise we’re only allowed in our rooms and the team room,” De Kock said from Karachi on Monday.

The pre-tour talk about conditions in Pakistan was that they would be good batting surfaces and more pace-friendly than in the rest of the sub-continent, given the home side’s strong fast bowling resources. But the omission of pacemen Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah, and inclusion of six spinners, in Pakistan’s squad has the Proteas wondering.

“We don’t really know the conditions because no-one has played here before, barring one or two of our coaches. But we understand we are on the sub-continent and spin and reverse-swing will play a big part, so we’ll cover those bases in our preparation. The biggest thing is that we are dealing with the unknown, we don’t know what will happen.

“I’m sure the spinners will be a threat, that’s why they’ve chosen a couple of extra ones, which says a lot about where they want to go and how they’re going to prepare the pitches. Obviously it’s going to be a challenge. We’ve played on Asian pitches in the past and they’ve targeted us by preparing dustbowls and making it an uneven contest. But we have scored runs when conditions are decent,” De Kock said.

Pakistan are coming off a 2-0 series loss in New Zealand, their selectors punishing the players for not making the grade by overhauling the squad in dramatic fashion. But De Kock said Pakistan will be a totally different proposition at home.

“That result won’t count for anything, it’s difficult to bat in New Zealand and they will probably put up a much better fight in their own conditions. Babar Azam is back, and he’s one of their main players that didn’t play at all over there. It’s going to be a good challenge for us, very different because Pakistan are a very competitive team in their own conditions,“ De Kock said.

National coach Mark Boucher confirmed on Thursday that he has his sights set on getting Jacques Kallis back into the Proteas fold but in the short-term he is looking forward to his batsmen capitalising in Pakistan on the confidence boost the series win over Sri Lanka has given them.

Kallis has just started a controversial stint with England as their batting consultant in Sri Lanka. But South Africa’s most prolific run-scorer was almost forced into the position by the negative reaction he, Boucher and director of cricket Graeme Smith received when he was appointed Proteas batting consultant in late 2019 and by a subsequent Cricket South Africa decision that White consultants were no longer allowed.

That ruling has subsequently been put on ice by the interim board that is now running cricket.

“Losing Jacques to England is a bitter pill to swallow. He was working with our guys on an individual basis, someone like Temba Bavuma would Skype him and spoke very highly of his work. But then we were getting messages that we could no longer use him, so it was a massive loss. Jacques was a very good cricketer, he can add a lot of knowledge, so why wouldn’t you want him in the set-up?

“But I picked up from the media that Judith February [interim board director] said we were allowed White consultants again so the rules have changed a bit and I would certainly like to get him back in some sort of role, maybe even against Australia after the Pakistan tour. A lot of players have spoken highly of the knowledge he imparted in a short space of time.

“So Jacques is on my radar, but we need to treat it with care because he has a lot of other opportunities around the world. I know he would love to work with South African cricket again, but we must make sure we don’t mess him around,” Boucher said on Thursday.

The Proteas depart for their two-Test series in Pakistan on Friday and Boucher said it has historically been a good place for batting, something which a rebuilding South African batting line-up will welcome.

“They’ll take a bit of confidence from the Sri Lanka series where most of the batsmen had some good time in the middle. Historically the pitches in Pakistan have been pretty flat and Mickey Arthur [the previous Pakistan coach] said they were pretty good for batting. But you score in different areas over there and a lot of adjusting needs to be done, especially against reverse-swing, which a lot of our guys haven’t seen before.

“Pakistan have a very good bowling line-up, but the message to our batsmen is that if you apply yourself and spend a long time at the crease, then there are a lot of runs to be had. We are well aware of the technical adjustments that are needed over there and it’s not like India or Sri Lanka. It will be very foreign, but we expect nice and flat pitches, good cricket wickets,” Boucher said.

Pace bowlers are likely to play a much bigger role than elsewhere on the subcontinent and Boucher said he was pleased to have a bowling coach like Charl Langeveldt who has such a sound knowledge of reverse-swing.

“The pitches in Pakistan don’t turn a lot and they are more conducive to fast bowling. We expect them to go with pace and reverse-swing because it’s very flat. So there’s certainly a need for us to look at reverse as well. But you need to be able to get the ball to reverse first and in these times of Covid you have to be very careful with the ball, but there are always legal ways to scuff up one side.

“A lot of our bowlers have not had to deal with reverse-swing before and the guys sometimes can’t control the ball if they’re not used to it, so they need to adapt. Kagiso Rabada uses reverse really well, so he can pass on the right lines and lengths and fortunately Langers was a master of reverse so I’m very comfortable we’ll get it right,” Boucher said.