Proteas choose home comforts to prepare for Bangladesh

14 October 2024 - 17:45
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Aiden Markram will captain the Proteas in the first Test against Bangladesh next Monday.
Aiden Markram will captain the Proteas in the first Test against Bangladesh next Monday.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi

South Africa’s decision to forgo any warm-up game in Bangladesh is a calculated decision by the management, who believe there is more value gained from holding a three-day training camp in Tshwane than playing a local Invitation XI in Dhaka. 

The Proteas arrive in the Bangladesh capital on Wednesday evening, with the decision to hold practice sessions at home rather than a warm-up game a risky one given South Africa haven’t played a Test in the subcontinent for three years. 

In addition, Temba Bavuma is the only batter who played the last time the Proteas toured Bangladesh in 2015 and he is missing the first Test — at least — of this year’s tour. Besides wanting to give players such as Aiden Markram, who will fill in for Bavuma as skipper, extra time at home after a couple of one-day series in the UAE, Shukri Conrad felt preparation would be better if done locally.

“The main reason is if you play a warm-up game, you will never get given the same kind of conditions for that match as you would face in the Test match,” said the Proteas Test coach.

“We’ve been able to prepare different types of surfaces, where seam bowling gets assistance, and we’ve raked up a couple of wickets to work on our spin play and spin bowling.”

Markram concurred. “I feel the camp is enough, especially the way we have operated the past few days,” he said.

“We have tried to make it spin a lot, we’ve been on our feet all of [Sunday], hitting lots of balls, doing lots of fitness work and lots of bowling. We will have a few days there to get a feel for conditions.”

The Proteas face Bangladesh in the first of two Tests in Dhaka from next Monday, with players and management expecting a trial by spin but also prepared for a possible assault from Bangladesh's seamers in what could be cooler conditions. 

“Wickets could be slightly more seamer-friendly, but in Dhaka they favour spin and they probably want to send Shakib [al-Hasan] off on a high, so I don’t think they will prepare spicy wickets,” said Conrad. 

The great Bangladeshi all-rounder has announced the series will be his last and Conrad expects the excitement for the Tests to be elevated as a result. 

The Proteas management soaked up plenty of information on Bangladesh from its former head coach Russell Domingo, who now works for the Lions domestically. In addition, Ashwell Prince, who was batting coach for seven months during Domingo’s tenure, will play a similar role with the Proteas for the tour. 

“We know they are a good side in their own conditions. They back themselves, they are aggressive in their approach, but they also have the ability to panic and fall down,” said Conrad. 

“They are an emotional bunch and if you can get stuck in among them with the ball or you get a big partnership going, they can start moaning among each other.

“We have to stay in the challenge, never take a step back and know that once you get on top of them they can fall down.” 

South Africa have won 12 of the 14 Tests they've played against Bangladesh, but this generation is different to groups South Africa faced in the 2000s and early 2010s. 

Bangladesh have also had more regular Test cricket lately compared with South Africa, having won a two-match series in Pakistan in August and then lost two matches in India last month. 

“We came up against a battle-hardened West Indies side in their conditions, after they’d come off a three-match series against England,” said Conrad. South Africa won that series 1-0. 

“I’d like to play more, we know it will be tough on and off the field, but for the sake of how this team will be defined, I want us exposed to teams who are in form in their own conditions. It will be a real test of character for each individual and the team.”


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