CUBA STREET in Wellington’s city centre is infamous for its Saturday night revelry. It is almost a certainty that, after a festive Proteas “fines meeting” at the Basin Reserve, Keshav Maharaj would have made his way to one of its many cheerful establishments.
South Africa’s left-arm spinner is a teetotaller but that would not have curbed the celebrations for they were thoroughly deserved. Only Black Cap legend Dan Vettori (7/130) now has better figures by a spin bowler at New Zealand’s most storied Test venue than Maharaj’s brilliant 6/40 achieved on Saturday.
Not a great turner of the ball Maharaj stuck to a simplistic gameplan on a surface that was not offering much either. It was all about economical accuracy into an icy wind that could easily have blown away his slight figure.
In such soul-searching conditions any assistance is required. Maharaj received it from his bigger and stronger fast bowling mates charging in with the wind at their backs from the other end.
“The seamers helped me out a lot, they made it difficult to score,” Maharaj admitted after his Man-of-the-Match performance. “Vernon and Morne upfront with the new ball were the best that we know them to be. I just put the ball in the right area and managed to get a few scalps here and there.
“Being a spinner of minimal variation I have to rely on consistency,” he added. “I had to try and stay as consistent as possible to help the captain. My job in the team is to hold up an end so that the seamers can strike in seam-friendly conditions. That is how I went about my business and luckily it paid off.”
South Africa’s seam attack was certainly impressive. Morne Morkel has been sensational upon his return from injury and fully deserved his three-wicket haul claimed in a rip-snorting opening burst.
Vernon Philander will bowl a lot worse without being rewarded, while Kagiso Rabada (1/38) turned up the speed gun with deliveries screaming through at close to 150km/h.
However, they may once again have to take a backseat to the new star of the Proteas attack with the final Test at Seddon Park next week expected to be played on a “Bunsen Burner”. South Africa have called for reinforcements with Cape Cobras off-spinner Dane Piedt en-route to Hamilton, but they might not need Piedt’s services now due to Maharaj and JP Duminy’s heroics here in Wellington. Duminy too claimed career-best figures of 4/47 in New Zealand’s first innings.
But instead of getting excited with the prospect of adding to his 13 wickets that he’s already bagged in this series, Maharaj is sticking to the formula that has brought him success on tour thus far.
“To be honest, if it’s a wicket that is turning or not I just want to land the ball in my areas,” Maharaj said. “Whatever happens from there I can’t control. It will be nice to play on a turner, but whatever is prepared I just want to bowl.
“It’s a patience game. It’s a true test of character,” he said of what he has learnt in his six Tests for South Africa. “Hendo (Claude Henderson, spin bowling coach) has chatted to me a lot, he has played a lot of cricket and has a lot of experience. All he said to me was to be prepared to ‘scrap’. That is all I’ve been doing and I intend to do it for a long time to come.”