With seven fast-bowling options in South Africa’s squad, here’s a look at their certainties, contenders and outsiders for the second Test against India
Firdose Moonda in Centurion12-Jan-20182:36
How should India tackle the South Africa quicks?
South Africa’s captain and coach are in agreement that the more quicks they can include in the XI, the merrier for them this home summer. Plus, they have several to choose from despite losing Dale Steyn to injury for the rest of the series against India. The hosts have seven seamers in their squad, including four frontline quicks and two allrounders. Here’s how they stack up ahead of the Centurion Test.The certaintiesKagiso RabadaAfter picking up five wickets at Newlands, Rabada rose to No. 1 on the bowling rankings and will lead South Africa’s attack for years to come. If he doesn’t get the new nut – which happens in the current XI – Rabada keeps pressure on an opposition line-up, bowls long spells and is only 22 years old. Faf du Plessis has only praise for his young gun, and has developed a habit of kissing Rabada on the forehead when celebrating his success.”He is an incredible athlete, I think that’s his strongest attribute. He’s just such a strong bowler. He can bowl the whole day, he doesn’t get tired. He’s very fit, which is a great thing for a captain, because you know you can always throw the ball to him,” du Plessis said. “I still believe his best is still to come. He is learning a lot as a bowler. With his body being so strong and the mind that he has on his shoulders, always looking to improve, the best is yet to come.”Vernon PhilanderPhilander has gone from being the fastest bowler to 100 wickets in over a century – two years after making his debut in 2011 – to someone who had his commitment to the national cause questioned a few months ago when he was ill and injured during a tour to England. He came back strongly at Newlands, with a best of 6 for 42 and his preference to bowl longer spells at greater intensity is the talking point of this phase of his career.Du Plessis revealed he had a chat with Philander about his improved fitness and hopes he will stay at this level throughout the summer. “The conversation was, ‘Well done, the stuff you have been doing over the off-season is paying off. You’re looking good,’ du Plessis revealed. “At the end of the day it’s about trying to get the best out of players. Vernon is in a good place where he is fitter. The most pleasing thing for me was to see that he was wanting the ball all the time. He wasn’t tired after four overs, he was ready to go. If we can have Vernon like that, it makes our bowling even more dangerous. I’m really pleased with the way he stepped up.”Morne MorkelMorkel flew under the radar at Newlands but the genuine fear he can strike in batsmen is worth much more than the wickets he collects. Now that Morkel has embraced the need to bowl a slightly fuller length, he is the complete package and though he is often forgotten – he was not mentioned at all in du Plessis’ pre-match press conference – he is crucial to South Africa’s continued success.The contendersChris MorrisA career of only four Tests has been blighted by inconsistency and injury but Morris started to look more like the real deal. He bowled at good pace and produced one searing spell at Trent Bridge but du Plessis has indicated he will only play as a fourth seamer, because he still has to polish his game.”Right now I look at Morry as a fourth seamer replacement. If you pick four seamers, he can be in amongst them. Consistency-wise he has got a bit of work to do to be a third seamer,” du Plessis said. “If you pick three seamers, he will consistently have to be on the money. Dale, Morne, Vernon and KG are a step above in that regard. But if we play four seamers he is someone who gets talked about because he has pace and X-factor, and obviously he bats as well.”Given that South Africa are highly likely to play four seamers in Centurion, Morris is a strong candidate to be included in the starting XI on his home ground.Getty ImagesLungi NgidiAt 21, Ngidi is definitely one for the future but his recent form has also made him one for the present. He recovered from a back injury in July to find form across formats. Physically, he is stronger and faster and has matured under the mentorship of Mark Boucher at the Titans set-up. He was included in the Test squad when Steyn was injured, even though du Plessis had never seen him bowl before.The captain and coach kept a close eye on Ngidi during practice, increasing speculation that he may be handed a debut, but du Plessis’ conservative pre-match comments suggest that Ngidi may have to wait a little longer for his turn in Tests.”I’ve got an eye on the future, in terms of that there is a lot of Test cricket coming up. As I have said very often, the success of our Test team is highly dependent on the fast bowlers we have in our armoury. That’s why Lungi has been brought into the squad – we want to get a closer look at him and what he can do,” du Plessis said. “I believe there is a lot of talent there. He bowls a heavy ball and I am excited to have him in the group. I think there is a bright future ahead for him so I want to start that journey off with him.”The outsidersAndile PhehlukwayoPhehlukwayo made his debut against Bangladesh but with speeds in the 130s, it is difficult to see how South Africa may use him if they want out and out pace over the summer. He was included in the squad from the outset but was never thought to be in serious contention for a place at Newlands and remained in Cape Town to play a domestic one-day game on the day after the scheduled end of the first Test, on Wednesday. For now, it seems Phehlulwayo’s opportunities may lie more in limited-overs unless he either picks up a few yards or focuses more on his batting.Duanne OlivierAdded to the squad after Steyn’s injury, Olivier is technically the next in line, having debuted last summer against Sri Lanka. He has played five Tests across three different series but has not made as much of an impact as he would have liked and appears to have lost ground to Morris and Ngidi. Olivier has not been mentioned at all in the lead-up to the Centurion Test and it would be a surprise if he played. That said, he is only 25 and with three of South Africa’s frontline crop (Steyn, Philander and Morkel) over 30, he may find more opportunity in years to come, provided he remains consistent with the ball.