Debasis Sen, Johannesburg: In a bid to register its first series whitewash against India at home, hosts South Africa is mulling an all-pace attack at Wanderers for the third and final test match of the series. The wicket at the bullring looks to support the fast bowlers with plenty of grass left on the wicket. Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Lungi Ngidi will make up the bowling line up for the Proteas.
Meanwhile, the hosts are troubled with injury concerns. A cruelly-timed hand injury to Temba Bavuma, who seemed a good bet for a recall, has narrowed the Proteas’ batting options for the third and final Test against India at the Wanderers from Wednesday.
The right-hander has been diagnosed with a fracture – one that may only side-line him for three weeks, but enough to rule him out of consideration for the Bullring and also more than half of the six-match one-day international series that follows.
The setback is inconvenient both to player and country; there has been understandable speculation that South Africa, already series victors, might wish to revert to seven batsmen – and a four-man attack made up entirely of quickies – for the closing Test against the Indians in anticipated damp and seam-friendly conditions.
Theunis de Bruyn is likely to get a call up for the injured Bavuma, if the hosts decide, for example, not to field specialist spinner Keshav Maharaj.
De Bruyn, the 25-year-old from the Knights, has played three previous Tests for the Proteas, and although he sports only 72 runs from his six innings, they were tough fixtures at Hamilton (as makeshift opener), Lord’s and Old Trafford respectively.
Apart from the Bavuma snag to their options, the Proteas must also await the outcome of a fitness test on Tuesday to in-form opener Aiden Markram, who has been nursing a quadricep niggle.