Questions surround Klaasen ahead of next test

A TALL redhead walked from the boundary to the middle of Seddon Park with determination and focus at the start of South Africa’s training session yesterday and‚ inevitably‚ turned heads. Who was that? Not many could answer the question, but there was a clue in the pair of wicket-keeping gloves under the redhead’s elbow.

Ah. Heinrich Klaasen. Of course. Few members of South Africa’s squad have flown as far under the radar as standby stumper Klaasen.

Two of those who have, Chris Morris and Duanne Olivier, have been sent home early.

That privilege is not often shown reserve wicketkeepers‚ and Quinton de Kock’s absence from the first part of South Africa’s practice explained why.

De Kock took a blow on his right index finger during the second test in Wellington‚ where South Africa won by eight wickets in three days on Saturday.

While his squad mates warmed up with a game of football on the outfield‚ De Kock was having his finger scanned.

If the problem is anything more serious than bruising then Klaasen‚ the Titans’ keeper who has scored a century and four half-centuries among the 635 runs he has made in the franchise first-class competition this season‚ could make his test debut on Saturday.

If that happens‚ he could have his work cut out‚ considering the colour of the pitch being prepared for the match.

“It’s a cucumber‚” was how one journalist described it, which figured in a country utterly without snakes. In South Africa, we would call a pitch like the one being readied for Saturday a green mamba.

Of course‚ by then much of the bright green grass will have been shorn off, but the surface still struck a stark contrast with the barren‚ brown strips on the rest of the table.

“Everyone was saying it’s going to be a dust bowl‚” Russell Domingo said.

“It doesn’t look like a dust bowl at the moment. It looks a good wicket, a stock standard wicket.”

Seddon Park is unusual in that half its table has been laid with clay from Waikari‚ which produces slower pitches that tend to offer turn‚ and the other half with Patumahoe clay‚ which helps the seamers.

Saturday’s surface has been selected from the Waikari section.

“It’s New Zealand’s home venue, they can decide to play on whichever wicket they want‚” Domingo said.

“It’s not something that stresses us too much.”

In the wake of South Africa taking New Zealand’s last five wickets for 16 runs in Wellington, where Keshav Maharaj took 6/40 on a green‚ seaming pitch, Domingo would have been forgiven for saying he could not be bothered if the third test was to be played on the moon.

Turning pitch? Bring it: Maharaj and Dane Piedt, with JP Duminy and Dean Elgar in the wings, can get the job done.

Faster‚ bouncier pitch? Bring it: neither Morne Morkel‚ Vernon Philander‚ Kagiso Rabada nor Wayne Parnell would complain.