Skip to main content

South Africa Aim To Launch New Era In Test Series Against West Indies

South Africa's Test series against the West Indies, which starts at SuperSport Park on Tuesday, could hardly be more low-key but it has the potential to launch a new era for the country's Test team. New coach Shukri Conrad has already stamped his authority on the team, appointing Temba Bavuma as the new captain -- the first Black African to skipper the Test team -- and clearing out several players who were found wanting in losing series in England and Australia. The Test series has had minimal build-up in a South African season which has been dominated by Twenty20 cricket. 

There was the first SA20 franchise tournament, which was a crowd-pulling success, and the Women's T20 World Cup in which South Africa reached the final, hugely lifting the profile of women's cricket.

The two matches against the West Indies are the only two Tests scheduled for the South African summer after Cricket South Africa took a decision to prioritise the SA20.

The series is part of the World Test championship but South Africa are no longer in contention for a place in the final after being heavily beaten in Australia, which in turn was followed by India climbing up the standings in their home series against the Australians.

Unlike the white ball games, the series is not expected to pack the grounds in Centurion and Johannesburg. 

With the first Test starting on a Tuesday and the second on a Wednesday - and given the trend for matches to end in three or four days - there are no guarantees that there will be any significant action over the weekends.

Nor does the prospect of a series against the West Indies stir the blood as it did in the days of the teams led by Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. 

Since falling victim to the pace duo of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in 1992, in their first Test after 22 years of political isolation, South Africa have dominated against the players from the Caribbean.

South Africa have won 20 and lost only two of 29 Tests against West Indies since the capitulation at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The current tour of South Africa is the first by the West Indies since 2014/15.

Kraigg Brathwaite's tourists arrived after a series in Zimbabwe where the first Test was drawn and West Indies won the second by an innings, with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie returning match figures of 13 for 99.

Motie, 27, who was playing in his third Test match, is unlikely to find conditions helpful in either venue, even though South Africa's batting has been fragile in recent series.

Conrad signalled an intention to play aggressive cricket by selecting stroke-playing batsmen like Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton and new cap Tony de Zorzi, as well as giving the wicketkeeping gloves to the hard-hitting Heinrich Klaasen.

The West Indies opening pair of Brathwaite and Tagenerine Chanderpaul will have an important role to play against what is expected to be a pace battery, likely to include 22-year-old tearaway Gerald Coetzee.

Test squads:

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua da Silva (wkt), Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Akeem Jordan, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas

Tour fixtures:

February 28-March 4, First Test, Centurion

March 8-12, Second Test, Johannesburg

March 16, First ODI, East London

March 18, Second ODI, East London

March 21, Third ODI, Potchefstroom

March 25, First T20I, Centurion

March 26, Second T20I, Centurion

March 28, Third T20I, Johannesburg

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)



source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/south-africa-aim-to-launch-new-era-in-test-series-against-west-indies-3817271

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

156.7 Kmph Sensation Awaits India Debut, Bangladesh Start Life After Shakib

Pace sensation Mayank Yadav is expected to unleash his raw speed while the absence of India's T20 regulars will provide another opportunity to the fringe players in the three-match series against Bangladesh, beginning here Sunday. Having consistently generated speed in excess of 150kmph in his maiden IPL earlier this year, Mayank had drawn the attention of the cricketing world before a side strain ruled him out of the tournament. Usually, one has to prove fitness in domestic cricket to be considered for national selection but the 22-year-old has been fast-tracked into the side considering his special talent. The series against Bangladesh will be a test of his fitness and temperament. It is yet to be figured if he can display the same accuracy and control that he exhibited in the IPL. Besides Mayank, fellow Delhi pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy could also make their India debut over the course of the series. Nitish was picked for the Zimbabwe tour post the T...

PCB Not Happy With Pak Star Over Social Media Post On Babar Snub: Report

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not pleased that Fakhar Zaman questioned the selection panel's decision to sideline Babar Azam from the Test side. The panel dropped former captain Babar Azam when they announced the squad for the remaining two Tests against England in Multan and Rawalpindi. Zaman took to X to question the decision, inviting the ire of the PCB. "The top board officials are not pleased with the tweet sent out by Fakhar and relevant persons are having a word with him about it," a well-informed PCB source said. "It's concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn't bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. "If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on sa...

Gardner Shines Again As GG Register Six-Wicket Win Over UPW In WPL 2025

Skipper Ashleigh Gardner starred with both bat and ball, leading Gujarat Giants to a comprehensive six-wicket win over UP Warriorz in their Women's Premier League match in Vadodara on Sunday. Gardner (2/39) claimed two wickets and then scored a stylish 32-ball 52, her second consecutive fifty, as Gujarat registered their first win of the third edition of the tournament, following a loss in the opening game to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Opting to bowl, Gujarat produced a clinical effort with young spinner Priya Mishra returning impressive figures of 4-0-25-3. Skipper Gardner, Deandra Dottin (2/34), and Kashvee Gautam (1/15) also played key roles in restricting UPW to 143 for nine. Chasing 144 to win, the Giants were reduced to 22 for 2 with opener Beth Mooney and Dayalan Hemalata back in the pavilion after UPW introduced spin at both ends. However, Gardner produced an inspired knock, adding 55 runs off 42 balls with Laura Wolvaardt (22) to resurrect the innings. Gardner struck t...