THE WAITING GAME
MAHARAJ: I FULLY RESPECT THE SELECTION DECISIONS
In his favour is that Kingsmead doesn’t help pace and swing.
South Africa’s firstchoice spinner Keshav Maharaj yesterday alluded to a chat he had with team management about the way forward for him after a Pakistan series in which he played only one game and bowled just 14 overs, but it seems he is not a definite starter for the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting at his home ground in Durban tomorrow.
Kingsmead has been one of the more spin-friendly venues in South Africa in recent years, but with Sri Lankan batsmen at home against the turning ball and the weather predicted to be overcast and wet, Maharaj may be facing another gloomy five days on the sidelines.
“After the Pakistan series, I did have a chat with Ottis Gibson (coach) and Doc Moosajee (manager) to plot the way forward and how many games I need, and fortunately I did get a long spell under my belt after that for the Dolphins. I’ve also been working very hard in the nets, so I hope I’m ready for the Test. I’ve had to make adjustments quickly.
“But I understand the team dynamics and how for certain teams you want to go about your business. It’s a bit frustrating to be left out when you feel on top of your game, but that’s how cricket goes and I fully respect the selection decisions and I’m just happy to be part of this environment and winning series. It’s nice to be coming off that high against Pakistan,” Maharaj said in Durban yesterday.
But the 29-year-old with 90 wickets in just 23 Tests said South Africa would be going into the series against Sri Lanka with the same strategies that worked so well against fellow subcontinental visitors Pakistan, meaning Maharaj might well be relegated to the bench once again.
“The way we played against Pakistan is how we want to portray our cricket, we want to make this country our fortress and touring teams must feel on the back foot from the start. We want to try and dominate them, like they did to us in their conditions. We’ll have the same mindset in how we approach the Tests, how we go about our game, as against Pakistan.
“Sri Lankan batsmen are very aggressive against spin but Kingsmead is not a swing and fast-bowling venue anymore, the pitch has slowed down significantly. Patience is the key here and we’re just focusing on what we have to do, focusing on doing the basics well, one ball at a time, just putting the ball in the right place with energy behind it,” Maharaj said.