Spin and reverse swing again loom as the biggest factors in the second Test between Australia and South Africa starting tomorrow in Port Elizabeth.
Leading into this four-Test battle there was a sense the pitches may well be juicy after the Proteas served up two green monsters in their recent series against India.
Instead the surface for the first Test at Durban was unusually dry and abrasive, offering great assistance to the spinners and allowing both teams to gain reverse swing from quite early on in each innings.
By comparison, it won’t come as a surprise if the Port Elizabeth pitch is parched and spin-friendly as this is its natural state. Port Elizabeth has long been the best Test venue for spinners in South Africa, and has also fostered many remarkable displays of reverse swing bowling.
One such spell was delivered by Proteas champion Dale Steyn the last time these two teams met in Port Elizabeth four years ago. Australia were 3-153 in their second innings when Steyn gutted their innings, dismissing Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and Brad Haddin in a matter of overs.
Steyn had the ball reversing in both directions, leaving the Australian batsmen flummoxed and leading South Africa to a thumping 231-run win. Spin also played a major role in that Test.
Australia’s tweakers took eight wickets, with Nathan Lyon snaring six wickets amid a massive workload of 63 overs and part-timers Steve Smith and Michael Clarke each making one breakthrough.
Meanwhile, in the most recent Test at Port Elizabeth three months ago, SA spinner Keshav Maharaj ran amok with 5-59 in the second innings as the Proteas thumped Zimbabwe.
The left armer troubled all of the Australian batsmen on a favourable surface at Durban en route to nine wickets for the match.
He again looks likely to be a central figure in the second Test if the pitch plays true to form. Crucially, Maharaj shapes as the bowler most capable of working over Smith, the world’s number 1 Test batsman. After years of opponents searching for a chink in Smith’s armour the first Test left no doubt it is left arm spin which challenges him the most.
The Australian skipper was caught behind while trying to cut Maharaj in the first innings at Durban, and then trapped LBW by part-time left-armer Dean Elgar in the second dig. Not long before being dismissed by Elgar Smith had escaped a perilously close LBW shout against Maharaj.
If reverse swing becomes a significant factor then the Proteas will look to pace prodigy Kagiso Rabada to make the most of this movement. Rabada is SA’s go-to reverse swing bowler in the same way that Australia love to throw a weathered ball to Starc.
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The Aussie left armer matched Maharaj’s wicket-haul at Durban and was particularly brutal against the SA tail.
In the first innings Starc sliced through the Proteas’ lower-order with a spell of 3-2, and in the second dig Starc finished off the Proteas with a three-wicket maiden.
Starc looks like being the danger man for the Proteas across this whole series, as my Roar colleague Glenn Mitchell detailed this week.
Nathan Lyon was always going to be a key player at Port Elizabeth given its history of aiding spinners. But the Australian off-spinner will need to rebound from a disappointing second innings at Durban, where he went wicketless in 32 overs.
As that innings progressed, Lyon fell into the old habit of rushing through his overs, and duly lost the tantalising loop that has made him one of the world’s leading Test cricketers over the past year.
Australia will be hoping Lyon can relax and regain that teasing flight. It is he and Starc who seem as though they will be most suited to the Port Elizabeth conditions.
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
Try not to be so obvious then ?
Don Freo
Guest
Mike, did you notice how Vernon Philander was completely outbowled by Mitch Marsh in the second innings?
Don Freo
Guest
Is that because their current attack can't bowl out the Saffas twice? Do you reckon the Saffas need a wrist spinner too...or just Australia? Why?
Don Freo
Guest
Australia wins it either way. SA don't have the attack to roll Australia twice. Morkel and Philander are ineffective on a wicket more than a day and a bit old.
Don Freo
Guest
There wouldn't have been much distraction for them. Lots of distraction for cricket writers and social media but the cricketers would just be business as usual.
Don Freo
Guest
I can't say I was amazed when Cummins got through Faf's defence. I expected it.
Don Freo
Guest
Happy for Smith to get out to spinners if he keeps averaging 62. Spinners won't win many games like that.
Fergus
Roar Rookie
Because he got comprehensibly outbowled by Maharaj. i'm not saying Lyons last year wasn't brilliant but he had alot of good/average years preceding that one. When you take that as well as Maharaj's superior first class record in to account it's a bit tough to say Australia has a clear edge in the spin department.
Fergus
Roar Rookie
I agree, his form in the early shield games showed how good in tough conditions he is, as well as his knocks in Hobart, Adelaide and NZ. But he has to be in England to perform in England and if he keeps up his current away form, wouldn't be surprised to see him dropped at some point.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Called Shane?
The Bush
Roar Guru
Because his amazing tour of India weren’t quality wickets? Must be why Warnie was such a success there. You’d do well to remember that.
Stephen
Guest
Khawaja is our best batsman after warner and smith and is our best player of pace and swing bowling, if anything he will be key batsman for us in winning the ashes in England, alot will depend on him and Smith/Warner if we are any chance there as our bowlers can't do it on their own.
Fergus
Roar Rookie
Quality and quantity are different things, you would do well to remember that.
Fergus
Roar Rookie
If you treat Khawaja's home form and away form as entirely different things it's really not that unreasonable a supposition to make. The reality is the last time khawaja made a score of note away from home was in 2016, 2 years ago and he currently averages 25 away. So considering the ashes are away and immediately preceded by a tour of the UAE and Khawaja played 1 of six games on the subcontinent despite being in good home form, it isn't unreasonable to suggest he might miss the cut.
Flemo
Guest
This is what some of you always do, when you can’t argue facts resort to calling different people the same person. It’s frustrating but I guess your bias towards Khawaja will remain. But my point remains, Khawaja made a career high score just last game and some people here including the writer are predicting that he will not play the 2019 ashes and that he will be 33 next year which is just false, Khawaja is not rebel Wilson. And as for unfair treatment people lot quoting his performance in India but he has played 0 tests in India and when we did go last year and he was in career best form he was kept out for Shaun Marsh who averaged 19. I am a fan of marsh now as he has been brilliant but at the time not playing Khawaja was pure discrimination because he was in career best form. And then what are the chances that both in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh he gets dropped after one test for the only game where there is a flat wicket, the common element in all this was that hohns was selector on duty and to sum up Khawaja’s treatment in the sub continent has been shameful as you don’t treat one of your best batsman like this
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Yeah people forgot really quickly about poor old Joe Burns. Burns was man of the match with 170 and 65 in a great win away from home in NZ and then was dumped just two Tests later.
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
Australia are batting with a patience and application that's been missing for quite a few years and I think their current test ranking doesn't really reflect that. Preparing to have to eat my hat here but I reckon we'll win this test as comfortably as the first (fingers crossed) ?
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
Don't forget Ross, Rosso and Rossie ?
Matt H
Roar Guru
Are Flemo and Stephen the same person? They always manage to find an anti Khawaja bias to jump on. And Stephen playing the race card again. Really? He's not the only batsman in Australian history to be dropped you know. Ponting, Hayden, Steve Waugh (twice), other Waugh, Damien Martyn (for 6 years for one poor stroke), Langer, etc. And Khawaja is not the only batsman to be perceived as having a particular weakness. Doug Walters and his weakness in England springs to mind. Michael Bevan and a perceived weakness against short pitched bowing. And Khawaja's failures were treated much more leniently than Joe Burns' for example. So there is NO ULTERIOR MOTIVE. It's just about cricket.
The Bush
Roar Guru
He looks a great fine, but Lyon got's 300 plus wickets and took the most wickets in the world last year. To not say we don't have an advantage in the spin department would be wrong.