THE Proteas Test side put on their whites for the first time since the New Year’s Test when they got their four-day warm-up match against a West Indies Championship XI side under way at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Wednesday.
Despite it being a tour match, which means all 16 players are likely to get a chance to play, coach Shukri Conrad showed his hand when he announced an XI with seven batters, one spinner and three quicks.
With the coach having long revealed his preferred top five batters, the burning question was whether Ryan Rickelton would play in place of Kyle Verreynne, but seeing the XI that was announced, it seems Conrad is considering playing both batters, thereby lengthening the batting order.
Without any surprises, Keshav Maharaj got the nod ahead of fellow spinner Dane Piedt in the announced XI, despite Piedt later having a bowl on day one of the warm-up game. There were no surpises on the fast-bowling front as Conrad announced Nandre Burger and Kagiso Rabada as his frontline seamers.
However, what was interesting was that Conrad opted for Dane Paterson in his XI ahead of the more experienced Lungi Ngidi.
Could this be the side that will take the field in the first Test at Port of Spain on August 7?
With captain Temba Bavuma opting to bowl first, Rabada quickly made inroads into the Windies Championship XI batting unit as the 29-year-old went into the second day with figures of 3-47 in nine overs.
Migael Pretorius, Paterson and Piedt also got into the wickets column, taking a wicket apiece to leave the home side with a day one score of 245-6. It was a bit alarming, though, seeing the Proteas bowling attack leaking so many runs on day one.
Rabada, uncharacteristically, conceded five runs per over on the opening day, a return that could boil down to the fact that he hasn’t bowled with a red cherry since the Newlands Test in January.
Despite the warm-up not being classified as a first-class match, the Proteas will be looking to make full use of the opportunity to be out on the field in preparation for what is a crucial series in the context of the World Test Championship table.
Remember, the Proteas are placed seventh, having drawn the India series 1-1 before losing 2-0 against New Zealand last summer. Only the top two teams in the WTC table will compete in the final next year and the Proteas need a series win to better their chances.
Moreover, the Windies Championship XI is boosted by the inclusion of Kemar Roach. This means that the young Proteas batting unit will be tested by a world-class performer.
Day three of the warm-up match starts today at 4pm SA time.