Proteas require patience, says paceman
NORTJE: BEING PATIENT AND BUILDING PRESSURE THE KEY TO UNLOCK PAKISTAN Rawalpindi will provide a different challenge for both teams as fast bowlers tend to dominate there.
Patience and building pressure are the key lessons South Africa’s bowlers have taken out of their loss in the first Test against Pakistan, paceman Anrich Nortje said yesterday as the Proteas prepared for the second Test starting in Rawalpindi tomorrow.
The Proteas fast bowlers certainly had their moments in the first Test, reducing Pakistan to 27/4 in their first innings, and it took an outstanding century by Fawad Alam for the home side to turn the tide.
South Africa were probing, without much luck, on the second morning before erring tactically with the second new ball late in the day and then lacking intensity and accuracy on the third morning.
“We learnt quite a lot from the first Test. Patience was very key and in stages we bowled really well, but at other times we were a bit off the mark, myself included.
Kagiso Rabada bowled really well throughout and his economy rate [2.59 & 2.63] showed that,” Nortje said yesterday.
However, Rawalpindi will provide a different challenge for both teams as fast bowlers tend to dominate.
“We mustn’t go searching for wickets, instead we need to be trying to build a lot of pressure. There were a couple of short periods where we lost it a bit as an attack, but hopefully we can still take some momentum into the second Test.”
Impatience was also one of the ills of the Proteas batsmen – who treated their innings as rentals rather than trying to take permanent occupancy of the crease, and
Nortje said the tourists will be better for their chastening experience in Karachi.
New-look Pakistan will look to end a 17-year wait for a series win against South Africa and leapfrog the Proteas in the rankings with a win in Rawalpindi.
South Africa have long struggled in the subcontinent, with Karachi their eighth defeat in a row in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
But Proteas captain Quinton de Kock won’t hear of it.
“I know that our record in the subcontinent is not the greatest,” he said.
“We have won a couple of series and I have part of some, but now we want to find a way to alter that,” added e Kock.