Ken Borland

Some people wondered how incumbent Test spinner Keshav Maharaj would react once former Kolpak star Simon Harmer became available again for the Proteas, and it is undeniable that choosing both of them has been a tremendous success which has brought the best out of the left-arm spinner.

Maharaj and Harmer played in the same Proteas XI for the first time against Bangladesh and they ended up claiming 29 of the 40 wickets to fall as South Africa won both Tests by convincing margins.

For his part, Player of the Series Maharaj, who took 16 wickets and scored 108 runs, is certainly a Harmer fan.

“It’s always nice having a spinner at the other end and Simon is a world-class performer,” Maharaj said. “He has shown how much he has grown on the county circuit.

“He has also shown why he belongs in international cricket, not just because of his bowling but because of how he is a team man and especially his lower-order runs in both Tests.

“Under pressure having returned to Test cricket, he showed why he’s world-class and I am really happy for him. I know there will be a time when he gets a lot more rewards,” Maharaj said.

In the absence of Kagiso Rabada, Maharaj was very much the leader of the Proteas attack and he said his success was basically down to him repeating the same things he does at domestic level.

“I’m just happy that it was a really good Test season, we crossed the line although the conditions were difficult and did not suit us. Credit to the team for responding well in all disciplines,” Maharaj said.

“After not taking wickets in the first innings in Durban, Dean Elgar and Mark Boucher had a chat with me and said I was doing the right things and my time will come.

“I just tried to repeat my processes from what I’ve done in domestic cricket, with a few minor tweaks here and there for international cricket. I just tried to replicate what I had done before.

“As a team as well, it’s been about keep doing the right things in terms of culture and skill. Dean has done really well in his first season as captain, he’s a fighter and a character, which is what we needed,” Maharaj said.

The withdrawal of batsman Zubayr Hamza from both the Proteas ODI and Test squads playing against Bangladesh was explained on Wednesday when the 26-year-old was revealed to have failed an ICC anti-doping test.

Hamza tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic which can be used to get rid of performance-enhancing drugs. But while any use of prohibited substances is an icky look for a sportsman, Hamza, according to informed sources, is hopeful that he will be able to avoid getting it in the neck from the ICC by proving his ingestion of the substance was inadvertent.

New guidelines issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency last year have also downgraded the severity of diuretics and if their concentration in the body is less than 20ng/ml then no sanction is necessary.

According to Cricket South Africa’s statement released on Wednesday, Hamza has been able to say exactly how the substance entered his body and has accepted a voluntary suspension until he is able to prove the source of his positive test and his inadvertent use of Furosemide, which is also widely used to increase water loss from the body.

The worst-case scenario for prohibited use of Furosemide is a two-year ban, but Hamza’s representatives are believed to be hopeful that his punishment will be nowhere near as severe.

It is, however, another kick in the shins for one of the country’s most promising batsmen, who has only just returned to the national squad after a slump in form.

Proteas captain Dean Elgar is set to make an emotional plea to his IPL-bound team-mates to show their loyalty to South Africa and delay their departure to India so they can be available for both Tests against Bangladesh starting on March 31.

South Africa are currently fourth in the World Test Championship and two Tests at home against Bangladesh would normally be considered a prime opportunity to make further advances up the standings.

But the IPL starts on March 26 and the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen all have lucrative deals with Indian franchises. Elgar made it clear on Friday that he really wants them to be available for the Bangladesh Tests at Kingsmead and St George’s Park.

“The IPL is a headache and this morning CSA said the players need to give an indication whether they want to play for South Africa or go to the IPL,” Elgar said. “It’s a tough one to put in the players’ hands.

“So this will be the test of where their loyalty lies. I will be phoning them and reminding them that they got to the IPL because of their performances for the Proteas. I will be asking them not to forget where they came from.

“I wish I knew more about who will be available and who will not because most of my bowlers could potentially not be there for the Bangladesh Tests.

“Conditions are probably going to be more suited to the opposition on the coast and we’re not going to have our A side when I would like everyone at our disposal. It’s a tough one for me,” Elgar said.

Although the Proteas seem to have discovered their Test cricket mojo over the last nine months, Elgar stressed that Bangladesh cannot be underestimated, or else there could be a repeat of Sri Lanka’s notorious breakthrough triumph at the same venues in 2018/19.

About the only positive for the Proteas would be the chance the IPL players’ absence would provide for talents like Ryan Rickelton or Glenton Stuurman to get exposure at Test level.

“We need our best side because we can by no means be disrespectful to Bangladesh,” Elgar said. “On their day they can really give us a headache, as seen recently in their win in New Zealand.

“The talent pool and ability is there for them. I don’t want our players to miss out on the IPL, but I hope playing for the country is bigger for them. They all play a massive role in the team.

“We already play so little Test cricket so we can’t not have our best players available when we do play. I’m in for an interesting few days, no doubt,” Elgar said.

The Northerns Titans and the Central Gauteng Lions clash at SuperSport Park from Friday in what could be the decisive fixture in deciding this season’s winners of the 4-Day Domestic Series, with both teams looking to field players who have just returned from the Proteas tour of New Zealand.

The Lions, runaway leaders of the four-day competition for most of the season, go into the final round under severe pressure from not just the Titans but also the Eastern Province Warriors.

There is just a 0.48-point gap between the Lions at the top of the log and the Warriors, who travel to Bloemfontein to play the Free State Knights. Northerns are in third place just 6.30 points behind the Lions, so if they beat their Gauteng neighbours and the Warriors are held to a draw by the Knights, then the Titans could claim the four-day crown.

Pivotal to Northerns’ hopes is whether ace off-spinner Simon Harmer, who was in the Proteas squad in New Zealand but did not play, is able to get on the field on Friday. The competition’s leading wicket-taker, with 35 in six matches, is apparently keen to play despite only landing back in South Africa on Thursday afternoon.

With pacemen Dayaan Galiem, Junior Dala and Okuhle Cele all out injured, Harmer would provide some much-needed bite to the attack. In fact, with Tabraiz Shamsi technically available and always keen to show he is not just a white-ball bowler, could the Titans try and surprise the Lions with a spinners’ pitch?

The Lions have lost the most players to the Proteas and have been trying to get permission from CSA to field the likes of Ryan Rickelton and Duanne Olivier, their most successful batsman and bowler respectively. Without them, they have slim pickings to choose from.

Rumours that the Warriors have signed leg-spinner Imran Tahir for the last round of matches are apparently incorrect, but EP coach Robin Peterson will be keeping an anxious eye on the weather. Sources in Bloemfontein say the outlook is for lots of rain, but Peterson said “your guess is as good as mine” when asked about it.

Scenarios

(courtesy official CSA statistician Andrew Samson)

If Lions beat Titans and Warriors don’t win, Lions will finish 1st.

If Titans beat Lions and Warriors don’t win, Titans will finish 1st.

If Lions beat Titans and Warriors win, the team between them with most bonus points will finish 1st.

If Titans beat Lions and Warriors win, the team between them with most bonus points will finish 1st.

If the Lions v Titans match is drawn and Warriors win then Warriors will finish 1st.

Bonus points needed

Assuming that all teams have the same bowling bonus points and results are as above, then in the first 100

overs of their first innings:

Warriors will need to make 25 more runs than Lions to finish above them.

Titans will need to make 292 more runs than Warriors to finish above them.

Titans will need to make 316 more runs than Lions to finish above them.

For every 1 point difference in bowling points between any of these side the run requirements will be adjusted by 50, e.g.