COACH Shukri Conrad’s young Proteas Test squad headed to Bangladesh with a number of unanswered questions hanging over the group.
But in their seven-wicket victory in the first Test in Mirpur yesterday, the inexperienced team replied with a statement of note.
Cricket writer Ongama Gcwabe highlights three of those answers...
Bowling Depth
With quicks Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee going through the last phase of their rehabilitation breaks, and with Nandré Burger ruled out of the series due to injury, the fast-bowling stocks looked rather thin for a Test tour that is as physically taxing as a Bangladesh challenge.
Premier paceman Kagiso Rabada is only human and would need to be rested from time to time in the match, and despite the availability of Lungi Ngidi and Dane Paterson, the attack still looked thin from a seam-bowling front.
This made Wiaan Mulder an even more important member of the attack, and the 26-year-old carried his weight in Mirpur this week.
His three wickets with the new ball in the first innings proved that he is not only capable of holding an end, but is also a wicket-taking option for South Africa.
This was a big statement from Mulder and the Proteas as he also proved that there is sufficient bowling depth in the side.
Batting Depth
As the all-rounder on tour, Mulder also had a point to prove himself with bat in hand, and he did so in his 119-run eighth-wicket partnership alongside centurion Kyle Verreynne in the opening two days of the match.
The right-handed batter went on to score a maiden Test half-century, an innings that removed any doubts that were there heading into the series as he showed skill and determination on a tough wicket to bat on and in the searing heat in Mirpur.
His batting performance also showed that South Africa have the batting depth needed in the sub-continent, specifically for a team with a number of inexperienced top seven batters such as the current Proteas order.
With Mulder’s performance in mind, the batting line-up looks even stronger now heading into the second Test, given that captain Temba Bavuma is likely to feature in Chattogram next week.
X-Factor Players
As much as this Test side have a proven x-factor player in Rabada, it is a fact that the seamer has gone through a dry period in his career, where he just wasn’t at his best.
From May 2019 to February 2021, Rabada did not register a single five-wicket haul, and during that period, South Africa toured India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, all countries where conditions are similar to the kind the side are faced with in Bangladesh.
With the three-for in the first innings and the six-for in the second innings, Rabada proved that he still possesses his X-factor qualities.
From a batting point of view, Verreynne’s century showed that the Proteas have another key figure in the batting department as well.