Mystery pitch could decide the ‘shootout’
We’ll have to adjust as soon as possible and get used to conditions – Philander
WITH 16 wins in 21 Tests at the venue, South Africa has always regarded Centurion as a fortress. Even a recent defeat here to Australia has not diminished its status in the players’ eyes. Since that loss to Australia in 2014 – only the second time the Proteas have been beaten here in 21 years of the ground hosting Test cricket – they’ve re-established the aura of the place by thumping the West Indies and then England.
Yet they return to Centurion with a sense of apprehension and not only because the second Test with New Zealand is, as the Black Caps are describing it – a “one-off shootout”. There is a fair degree of mystery about the ground over the next few days. No one, not the players – even the home-grown ones – nor the groundsman knows quite what to expect from a pitch that has never played host to a Test match at this time of year.
Thankfully, unlike Durban, no rain has been forecast and in the event of precipitation the officials here are confident that they’ll get play underway quickly, unlike Kingsmead last week.
Still there’s a mystery about what will be on offer. “We’ll have to adjust as soon as possible and try and get used to conditions as quickly as possible. We’ll have to tap into the locals for a bit of knowledge. It will more than likely be a little slower than usual,” said Vernon Philander.
Temperatures aren’t what they usually are in the cricket season, so no one’s even sure if the pitch will break up, have as much bounce as normal or even spin. While there seems t o be apprehension in the South African camp, New Zealand are taking it as it comes.
“The challenge is different here (than in Durban),” said New Zealand’s left-arm swing bowler Trent Boult. “Up here there’s lots of blue sky, so there probably won’t be as much help through the air. So maybe we will look for more off the deck.”
The touring team’s mindset is one of excitement and on more than one occasion yesterday Boult referenced the match as being a “once-off shoot out.” “That’s exciting, if we can put our plans together and play as we can, we can walk away with a Test win,” he said.
That kind of mentality runs through this New Zealand side. “With how Brendon (McCullum) led us in the last wee while, his innovation, his quirky fielding positions, his mindset of always wanting to attack and take wickets has rubbed off on a lot of us,” Boult, pictured below, remarked.
“Kane (Williamson) is a very aggressive captain, we don’t look at ourselves as being frontrunners for a new style, but it’s a style that’s worked for us in the last while.”
By contrast South Africa is still battling to devise a style in the post Graeme Smith era. They haven’t been helped by a change in captaincy from Hashim Amla to AB de Villiers and then an injury to the latter, which means he’s not playing again until next month. In addition the major injuries that have befallen key players, most notably Philander and Dale Steyn in the last 12 months has seen the side struggle. From No 1 in the world, the Proteas are now ranked seventh in Test cricket.
“When you slip down the rankings you want to find out why,” said Philander. “South Africa’s had a lot of new faces, and I put it down (slipping down rankings) to having three seamers in Cape Town, three seamers in Johannesburg (against England) who were pretty new to the game. Dale and I bring some experience to the fold and I’d like to see us slip back into that and lead the attack.” They certainly did that very well at Kingsmead in the 12 overs they bowled at New Zealand. So much so even Boult found himself a keen observer. “Dale Steyn is one of my favourites, any chance to play against him is very exciting. I could sit there and almost watch every ball he bowls,” he said.
That short stint from Philander and Steyn, was enough of an indication for the South African camp that whatever momentum could be taken out of a Test that lasted only 100 overs, rests with them.