Zaahier Adams at the MCG
“WE’RE not handling the pressures of international cricket well enough. If there is anything in the wicket — spin, swing, seam — at the moment we are not adapting well enough.” This was Australian captain Steve Smith’s brutal assessment after the Proteas humiliated the home side in Hobart last week.
So, after not being able to stand up to the red ball challenge, what chances do the Aussies have against a turning pink ball coming out of a chinaman bowler’s left hand if Tabraiz Shamsi makes his expected Test debut at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday?
"That's not up to me [if I debut]," Shamsi said of his possible selection at the MCG on Saturday. "I've just got to go and do my bit. If it comes I'll be happy. If it doesn't, the team is doing well so either way it's a win-win situation.
"But there is a theory about leg-spinners and batsmen not picking it. The guys say it's harder to pick the seam off the leg-spinners so maybe there is a difference but at the end of the day you have to put the ball in the right areas."
Shamsi certainly tried to put the pink ball in the “right areas” on Saturday evening in the Proteas’ final warm-up match against a Victoria XI at the MCG. With the match reduced to a one-innings affair, it was the 26-year-old’s last opportunity to show national convenor of selectors Linda Zondi sitting in the stands that he is worth a punt next Thursday.
Like with any leg-spinner, and even more so chinamen, Shamsi possesses that “X-factor” appeal in being able to be a strike bowler for his captain. He showed that part of his game on Saturday afternoon by claiming four Victorian scalps.
However, as “leggies” are also prone to do, Shamsi leaked 76 runs in just 12 overs. This follows on from conceding 0/87 off only 11 overs in Adelaide at the beginning of the tour.
“For me personally, I haven’t had much game-time out in the middle. That was the most important thing, I was pleased to get some overs under the belt. Overall it’s about fine-tuning things, we have been working hard behind the scenes and it was good to get a run out in the middle,” Shamsi explained.
Undoubtedly there is high risk attached to handing Shamsi a Test debut at the Adelaide Oval, especially after fellow left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj’s solid performances in the first two Tests. Maharaj, though, too struggled with the pink ball on Saturday with the Dolphins star finishing with figures of 1/40 from just six overs.
The Victoria batsmen certainly targeted the South African spinners with JP Duminy also conceding 36 in just 3.2 overs although the off-spinner picked up two wickets in that period, including the last Victorian wicket to fall, to dismiss the hosts for 258 in 45.2 overs.
Besides the difficulty of picking up the pink ball even though manufactures Kookaburra changed the colour of the seam from green-white to black to make it more visible on the advise of Smith after last year’s inaugural day-night Test, Shamsi has another major positive in his favour.
The Australian batsmen were all at sea when facing him during the Caribbean ODI Tri-Series again in Port Elizabeth during the home ODI whitewash.
"I'm really happy with the way I've gone personally against them. Hopefully it continues," Shamsi said.
The South African batsmen did not seem to have too much difficulty facing the pink ball, although out-of-form opener Stephen Cook will be at the mercy of the selectors this week after failing yet again last night.
Cook, whose highest score on tour thus far is 23, managed only 11 before being adjudged lbw. There were though solid workouts for Dean Elgar (40 retired), Hashim Amla (81 not out) and Temba Bavuma (33 not out) in the much-highlighted twilight period.
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