Johannesburg - Sarel Erwee’s was a Test debut he’d rather forget, but like his teammates who featured in that thrashing last week he is desperate to move on and implement the lessons learned from that experience for the next match starting on Friday.
Erwee made 10 and nought in his first Test, with the skills of Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee proving too good for him at Hagley Oval last week. It was the same for his teammates in what turned into South Africa’s second worst Test defeat by an innings. However rather than pore over that outcome too much, everyone’s attention is on righting the wrongs the Proteas committed when the second Test rolls around.
“I don’t think many have a debut like that where the result doesn’t go the way you would like it. Conditions-wise, it was the most testing I will get to face. It was an incredible experience either way to be tested like that, just obviously disappointing not to get the result.”
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It has placed Erwee, in a unique position personally, although one in which the team has previously found itself - behind in the series, with many wondering if South Africa can improve sufficiently, to at least challenge New Zealand more than they did in the first match, and even, ultimately, beat them.
“We’re in a position where you know your back is against the wall and the only way to get through it is to fight, put your foot forward and throw the first punch. It’s not ideal that we started slow, but you will see a different energy and a different side this coming Test,” said Erwee.
Although the second Test will be played on a different surface, the conditions at Hagley Oval are still expected to be largely the same. “It seems like similar conditions. We’ve prepped really well in the last couple of days, putting ourselves under pressure in the conditions and situations we will face in the next Test,” the 32 year old explained.
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The toss won’t be a big factor. It shouldn’t have been last week, but South Africa’s substandard play made that the case. “We face tough conditions back home, it is case of adapting. The toss is not much of a difference, it’s about the team that adapts quicker.”
“What we don’t want to do is overthink it too much, but we want to make right the mistakes we made (in the first Test) as a team and as individuals,’ Erwee added.
The second Test starts at midnight on Thursday.
SQUADS
New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Will Young, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Hamish Rutherford, Tom Blundell, Colin de Gradhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner, Cam Fletcher, Rachin Ravindra
South Africa: Dean Elgar (capt), Temba Bavuma, Sarel Erwee, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.
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