Klaasen gets his gloves ready

A tall redhead walked to the middle of Seddon Park with determination and focus at the start of South Africa's training session here yesterday and, inevitably, turned heads.

Who was that?

Not many could answer the question definitively, but there was a clue in the pair of wicketkeeping gloves clutched under his elbow.

Ah, Heinrich Klaasen. Of course.

Few members of South Africa's squad have flown as far under the radar as standby stumper Klaasen.

Two of those who have - Chris Morris and Duanne Olivier - have been sent home early.

That privilege isn't often shown reserve wicketkeepers, and Quinton de Kock's absence from the first part of South Africa's practice explained why.

De Kock took a blow on his right index finger in the second Test in Wellington, where South Africa won by eight wickets on Saturday.

While his squad mates warmed up with a game of football on the outfield, De Kock was having his finger scanned.

If the problem is anything more serious than bruising then Klaasen, the Titans' keeper who has scored a century and four half-centuries among the 635 runs he has made in 14 innings in the franchise first-class competition this season, could make his debut on Saturday.

And, if that happens, he could have his work cut out, considering the colour of the pitch being prepared for the match.

"It's a cucumber," was how one resident journalist described it.

Which figured in a country without snakes: in South Africa we would call a pitch like the one being prepared a green mamba.

Of course, by Saturday much of the bright green grass will have been shorn off.

"Everyone was saying it's going to be a dust bowl," Russell Domingo said. "It doesn't look like a dust bowl at the moment."

Seddon Park is unusual in that half its table has been laid with clay from Waikari, which produces pitches that tend to offer turn, and the other half with Patumahoe clay, which helps the seamers.

Saturday's surface has been selected from the Waikari section.

"It's not something that stresses us too much," Domingo said.

"I think reverse swing is going to come into the game."

Three of South Africa's batsmen won't like the sound of that.

Stephen Cook, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy have a top score of 39 between them, with opener Cook having scraped together 17 runs in four innings.

"Cookie hits more balls than anyone in the world," Domingo said.

But the lacklustre performance of half the top six had been noted.

"All batting units, particularly at international level, will always have one player that's struggling for form," Domingo said.

"But some guys are in good form. Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, and Faf du Plessis are all in good touch. That's helping the cause."