Maharaj not fazed by Durban weather or pitch

Keshav Maharaj’s attention was briefly on Jeddah on Monday where shortly before the Proteas training session in Durban, he was up for bidding at the Indian Premier League’s “mega auction”.

Unfortunately for the Proteas left-arm spinner, he wasn’t purchased by anyone (yet), allowing his attention to switch back quickly to the Test series with Sri Lanka that starts at his home ground on Wednesday. 

Initial weather forecasts are not encouraging, with rain expected for the opening — not unusual for Kingsmead when there is cricket on the go — but it will have drawn the interest of the South Africans. With wins in all four of their remaining matches in the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, they will secure their spot in the Lord’s final of the tournament in June 2025. 

The forecasts are a reminder that for all the planning they are putting in for the two Tests against Sri Lanka — who are also well positioned on the WTC points table — some circumstances are beyond their control.

The overhead conditions also put a spotlight on what will be beneath the players feet at Kingsmead, where a livelier deck than what has become the norm at the venue in the last decade is anticipated.

Earlier this season a four-day match between the Dolphins and Western Province, saw 25 of the 40 wickets fall to spinners. The most recent time Maharaj played a Test at his home ground, two years ago, he and Simon Harmer shared 14 of the 20 Bangladeshi wickets between them.

“I’m not too focused on that. I know it will spin at some stage,” said Maharaj. “I’m just looking forward to playing at Kingsmead. I love playing here.”

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad has been in contact with Evan Flint, the former Newlands groundsman, who is working as an adviser with the KZN union to help prepare the pitch and said last week they were expecting a surface with slightly more pace and bounce. However it would spin in the latter stages, which both teams hope the weather doesn’t prevent them from reaching. 

“We are focusing on the tasks we have to do. Whatever the weather is on the day, we will adjust accordingly,” Maharaj said. 

Though Tests have been in short supply for the Proteas in 2024, Maharaj has still had an excellent year in the red ball format taking 26 wickets in five matches. He also passed Hugh Tayfield to become SA’s most successful spinner.

Maharaj shared the view expressed last week by skipper Temba Bavuma that any memories of Sri Lanka’s successful visit in 2019 had long since been forgotten. The Sri Lankans won both Tests in that series, becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series in SA. That will boost the self-confidence of a side who is now third on the WTC table — ahead of the Proteas who sit fifth. 

SA, Bangladesh and famously New Zealand have all won series away from home this year, and one-off wins by Sri Lanka in England and India in Australia will have been noted by the Proteas, though Maharaj said it wasn’t a major point of focus for them.

“There have been a lot of away series victories. It’s the beauty of the WTC that teams are fighting for a spot in the final of that tournament, because it’s a huge achievement,” he said.

“We know what we have to do as a unit, so we’re not too focused on that. We’ve done well in series away from home and now it’s about making sure that home is a fortress. There are a lot of guys who have played a lot of cricket at these venues domestically, so we’ll be focused on that.”