As South Africa prepares to take on Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday, it remains to be seen if the Proteas think tank will have the courage to drop Rassie van der Dussen.
The experienced top order batter has been lean on the runs in Test cricket over the past few innings and his position is going to be scrutinised during team selection discussions, with Theunis de Bruyn waiting in the wings.
During the first of three Test matches in Brisbane last week that ended in less than two days and a six wicket defeat for South Africa, almost the entire Proteas batting line-up misfired, with Van der Dussen receiving the most criticism from fans.
South Africa has been struggling with batting over the past year or so, failing to reach 200 in their last six completed Test innings, scoring only two centuries in this period.
Against the Aussies last week, SA scored 251 runs, with the familiar batting collapse rearing its ugly head as they buckled under pressure from Australian quicks Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Cameron Green.
The Australians have a selection poser of their own: If fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is fit for the match, he is likely to replace Boland, who will be desperate to play in front of his home crowd at the MCG.
We really need to focus on the ball, have all your soul and might there, while giving it your best shot
The only notable contributors to the scoreboard for South Africa in the first Test were Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne, whose combined scores over two innings were 67 and 64, respectively.
Openers Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee also did not cover themselves in glory with the bat but their positions are not under threat as they have been consistent over a period of time.
The selectors, led by Victor Mpitsang and interim coach Malibongwe Maketa, are likely to keep middle order batter Khaya Zondo, who was out for a duck in the first innings but recovered to score a solid 36 in the second innings.
This situation leaves Van der Dussen as possibly the only batter in the middle order whose position is not guaranteed and might be replaced by De Bruyn on his return to international cricket.
For this tour of Australia, the selectors boldly dropped opener Aiden Markram, who has been struggling with form over the past few months.
Reflecting on their disappointing performance at the Gabba, Zondo said individually and as a team, they have learnt valuable lessons and will be looking to improve at the MCG where South Africa last played in 2008.
On that occasion in December, the Proteas recorded a nine-wicket victory over the Aussies, which secured their first Test series on Australian soil under Graeme Smith.
“Test cricket is played between the stumps; guys are testing your technique, making you play with a straight blade and the pitches have been very tricky. For me, it was a matter of defending my stumps, because that is where all the wickets happen. There was too much in the pitch for bowlers to pitch it short,” said Zondo.
“If they put the ball up to the bat, trying to hit your pad or nick you off, there was a lot happening there, it was a matter of watching the ball closely and if there is any movement off the pitch, you were ahead of it.
“There are a lot of guys (in the squad) who are new to Test cricket, so there are new tricks. It is a different intensity and something the guys are still trying to get used to. So we really need to focus on the ball — have all your soul and might there — while giving it your best shot.”
After the debacle of the Gabba, part of the focus in the build-up to the match is the pitch and the curators are under increasing pressure to produce a wicket that boasts good competition between bat and ball.
Weather forecasts indicate that Melbourne will be baking from Christmas Day with temperatures in excess of 30°C for the first three days but Melbourne Cricket Club boss Stuart Fox has been quoted in local media as saying the pitch was “looking really good”.
One of the intriguing storylines for this Test match is the elephant in the room in the form of top order batter David Warner, who is approaching his 100th Test despite poor form.
The vastly experienced Warner boasts a net return of 52 runs from three completed innings and he has not made a Test century since January 2020, putting his place in the team in serious danger.
To pile more woe on Warner and return to winning ways, South Africa will look to the fast bowling foursome of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen, who will be assisted by spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.