SHARJAH: The top-ranked Test side South Africa spent a busy Sunday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium as they began their preparations for the three-day match fixture against Pakistan ‘A’ which precedes the series against Pakistan.
The Proteas are slated to play two Tests, five One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 games against Pakistan during their trip to the United Arab Emirates.
The squad captained by Test leader Graeme Smith opted for an afternoon session to get acclimatised to the heat. Though their practice was scheduled from 2:00pm, they arrived early to warm up and underwent a long practice.
Smith, who has been out of competitive cricket since May due to an ankle injury, is fit and raring to go.
Star bowler Dale Steyn, who could not give his best in the Champions Trophy and also missed the Sri Lanka tour because of groin, neck and ankle problems, is fit and has arrived here, as have other star players like Hashim Amla and one-day captain A.B. de Villiers.
J.P. Duminy, who spent six months recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, is all set for a comeback to Test cricket. His last Test match was against Australia in November 2012, though he played in the one-day matches against Sri Lanka in July this year.
Faf du Plessis, captain of South African Twenty20 team and hailed as one of the finest strokemakers in the game, also trained hard under the watchful eye of head coach Russell Domingo.
Before arriving in Dubai, Smith told reporters in Johannesburg that he felt as though he was going on his debut tour as it is his first since ankle surgery five and half months ago.
"Three months on crutches was hard and it hasn't always gone smoothly,” he said.
Right now I feel like I am going on my first tour in a way, just with lots of experience. I am nervous, I have not played cricket for a long time and I will need to maximise preparation with just one warm-up match before the first Test.
“I need to make the most of the next few days before the first Test in Abu Dhabi commencing from Oct 14.”
Smith is aware of the threat that Pakistan can pose through their spinners and had closely watched the Pakistan-England series here in January last year. Pakistan dominated that series and won 3-0.
We expect the wickets to spin, we expect the worst in that regard, and [Saeed] Ajmal and how we handle him could be the key to the tour.
Meanwhile, Pakistan ‘A’ led by Umar Amin trained during the morning session. The team includes Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Faisal Iqbal, Asad Shafiq and Aizaz Cheema.
No comments:
Post a Comment