Johannesburg — So, Shukri Conrad went and did it.
In the days after the first Test between the Proteas and the West Indies, building up to the second salvo at the Wanderers, there had been plenty of gossip that playing two spin bowlers was indeed a valid option up on the highveld.
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“The Bullring” had not seen anything like it since the Springboks became the Proteas in 1992.
In fact, the Boks last ventured down the dual-spinner path back at the Wanderers when Harry Bromfield and Atholl McKinnon were paired up in the fourth Test of the 1965 series against England.
So, when Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer – both recalled at the expense of the lone spinning all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy from Centurion – line up for the national anthems this morning, it will be first time in 58 years that a South African Test side will feature two specialist spinners at the ground.
“We are faced with a unique set of circumstances. We don’t play a lot of Test cricket. That has been well documented, so I have to find novel ways of finding out a little bit more about these guys,” Conrad told the media when announcing his starting XI on the eve of the Test on Tuesday.
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“History will suggest that over the last year, spinners do come into the game here. The game doesn’t have to end on day three. Test matches are meant to go day five.
“If it goes to day four and day five, I do think our spinners will come into it in a big way.
“Hopefully we can get enough runs to bring our spinners into the game. It looks like an abrasive surface. The decision to play two spinners here, I’d like to believe, is a well thought-out one.”
The twin-spin selection is part of a four-man overhaul from the Centurion starting XI that beat the West Indies by 87 runs last week.
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Conrad was not overly enamoured with his first victory as Proteas Test coach, though, stating in his customary candour that “we got away with a good result, but truth be told, we weren’t particularly good”.
To help the side improve, particularly on the batting front – which Conrad conceded may require some patience to get them up to speed with the brand required to consistently challenge for a place in the World Test Championship final – he has also recalled Lions duo Ryan Rickleton and Wiaan Mulder at their home ground for Keegan Petersen and the rested Marco Jansen.
Rickelton’s last national team appearance was in the final England Test at The Oval in London, before being ruled out of the Australian tour with an ankle injury.
He has since blazed away on the domestic circuit with 365 runs in three innings at an average of 121.66. Conrad conceded such red-hot form can simply not be ignored.
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“Ryan deserves his crack … Everybody knows he has been churning it out. He will be a big part of the side (going forward). He will be one of those guys who through performances domestically, knowing his character, who is someone we will start building the Test side around,” Conrad said.
“We went with Keegan in the first Test simply because he was the incumbent, and again, him being left out is not on the back of non-scoring performances.
“I still feel Keegan has a big role to play in the middle-order rather than at the top of the order. I think his best position might be No 5 going forward, in terms of the way he plays.
“But again, this Test batting unit is still a work in progress. But hopefully by design, and not stumbling on something, we will get the right mix.”
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TEAMS FOR SECOND TEST AT THE WANDERERS
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt), Ryan Rickelton, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee.
West Indies: Kraigg Braithwaite, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze/Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Joshua da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel/Gudakesh Motie.