Proteas to adapt to St George’s, says Bavuma

Adopting a more direct approach with the ball will be key to victory, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma said, as his side prepare to face Sri Lanka in the crucial second Test in Gqeberha on Thursday.

Speaking at the captain’s media conference at St George’s Park on Wednesday, Bavuma said it was not an easy ground to play on and identified areas his side will need to be efficient in executing.

“We will judge on day one, have a look at conditions, adapt and play accordingly,” Bavuma said.

“The difference here [at St George's Park] is you want to bring the stumps into play, so guys have spoken about bowling straighter lines [compared to those in Durban].

“Whether we are bowling or batting first tomorrow [on Thursday] is something for us to consider, it probably won’t be as quick as we are accustomed to, so the adjustments will happen after day one,” he said.

Bavuma made his debut at the famous Nelson Mandela Bay landmark in 2014 and has played five Test matches at the venue since, scoring only one half-century across the eight innings in that period.

Asked what made Test cricket such a challenging assignment in Gqeberha, Bavuma said it was a surface that was not more favourable to one facet of the game than the other.

“It is one of the better wickets in the country, where there is something in it for the batters and bowlers with the new ball, and when the ball gets soft, the spinners also come into play later on in the game. 

“It really makes for a proper Test of your skills because games don’t often end in two, two and a half days, so you have to be in it for the long haul,” he said. 

The combatant right-hander leads a team that shows two changes from the side that claimed a commanding 233-run victory over the same opponents in the first Test in Durban last week.

Batter Ryan Rickelton and seamer Dane Paterson have been drafted to replace Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee, who sustained injuries during the first encounter.

The duo were the only new faces in an otherwise unchanged XI named by red ball coach Shukri Conrad.

Going with a seven-four split in favour of the batters, Bavuma was happy with the group’s composition, saying they did not want to make any unforced changes to what had been working for them. 

“We were happy with the resources we have from a seam bowling point of view, so that is why we went with three front-line seamers, with Kesh [Maharaj] coming in as the seam option while Aiden [Markram] can also do a job there. 

“Looking at the way the team is made up, we always wanted to try to get as many runs as we can on the board, so [Ryan] Rickelton coming in as the extra batter gives us that opportunity, and encourages us to keep playing in the manner we have been speaking about,” Bavuma said.

Proteas starting XI: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson