South Africa will face plenty of spin bowling when they defend their World Test Championship title in Pakistan this week. Acting captain Aiden Markram believes his team is prepared for the challenge. The series has attracted attention from cricket fans, analysts, and bookmakers who work with best betting affiliate programs to offer their match predictions. The squad last played together at the WTC final in June. Some players then competed in Zimbabwe, others in the county championship. “Teams can prepare their home pitches as they want,” Markram said. “If conditions are extreme like when England played here, batting will be tough. We’ll accept what we get. I’m not worried.”
Lessons from Pakistan’s victory over England
Markram talked about “the English series” from last year when Pakistan played England at home. Pakistan lost the first Test by 74 runs, then won the next two matches on pitches that turned sharply. They used industrial fans, heaters, and windbreakers to dry out the surfaces. These matches were in Multan and Rawalpindi. South Africa will play in Lahore and Rawalpindi, where spin bowlers got 29 out of 31 wickets against England – that’s 93.5% of all dismissals.
Pitches in South Africa don’t spin as much, but the team worked hard to recreate these conditions at the High Performance Centre. “We prepared three practice pitches that spin a lot, and two of them turn extremely,” Markram explained. “The third one still spins but batting is somewhat easier on it. We also kept one normal pitch. We tried to make it as flat as possible so the ball keeps low. This is difficult to do on the Highveld, but we did everything we could. We’re trying to prepare for every situation.”
South Africa’s spin arsenal
South Africa have put together a spin-focused squad featuring left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy alongside offspinners Simon Harmer and Prenelan Subrayen. “Each brings something unique. Take our two off-spinners, Simon and Subs – facing them on turning tracks presents completely different problems. That variety is valuable,” Markram observed. “You don’t want bowlers who are too similar. These guys vary in pace and the type of spin they generate – some use side spin, others overspin – and each reacts uniquely on different surfaces. They’ll be crucial if conditions match our expectations.”
Keshav Maharaj, South Africa’s first-choice spinner, won’t arrive until the second Test, giving the team four specialist spin choices. However, they’ll be without regular Test captain Temba Bavuma, who’s out with a calf injury. Though Markram has experience deputizing for Bavuma, including during last year’s Bangladesh tour, replacing Bavuma’s batting contribution presents a bigger challenge.
Bavuma topped South Africa’s run charts in the previous WTC cycle with 1,135 runs at an average of 40.5, bringing steadiness and know-how to the No.4 position. The team needs to find that elsewhere. Dewald Brevis is one option. He debuted in Zimbabwe and plays with an aggressive style in all formats.
“He’s certainly in the mix, particularly given his ability against spin,” Markram explained. “If pitches are really challenging, he has the skills to shift momentum quickly with his style of play. He’ll definitely be discussed.”
Other options are also on the table. South Africa have brought back several players who might cover for Bavuma’s absence:
- Zubayr Hamza, who recently represented the A team against New Zealand A and made a second-innings century (112 off 187 balls) in the opening match
- Tony de Zorzi, a WTC squad member who proved himself on the subcontinent with 177 runs against Bangladesh last year
- Dewald Brevis, whose attacking approach and spin-playing ability could be useful in difficult conditions
“Tony performed excellently in Bangladesh, scoring heavily in tough circumstances. So Dewald isn’t automatically the direct replacement, but he’ll certainly be part of the discussion,” – Markram concluded.
