Ongama Gcwabe
THE international summer is getting closer and Temba Bavuma’s Test team will be in action once again as they tour Bangladesh for two Tests next month before hosting Pakistan for another two matches in early December.
While South Africa recently beat the West Indies in their backyard, their next two opponents have also been active in Test match cricket. Bangladesh, one of the most underrated Test teams in the world, have just won their first-ever Test series over Pakistan and achieved this historic feat away from home.
Their quicks have been an integral part of their recent success while the experienced head of Mushfiqur Rahim has held the batting unit together with some big centuries during their series win in Rawalpindi.
Their spin attack, led by Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan, is also a force to be reckoned with, more so in the spin-friendly subcontinent conditions. As things stand, South Africa will tour Bangladesh next month meaning that they will be exposed to Bangladesh’s spin twins.
However, given that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was moved from Bangladesh to the UAE due to political reasons, next month’s Test series might also take the same route, thus setting the Proteas batters off the hook.
Nevertheless, the Proteas’ young Test batting unit will be put to the ultimate test when they face the skilful Bangladesh bowling unit.
On the other hand, Pakistan have been on a downward spiral for some time.
There hasn’t been any consistency in the leadership personnel, both at the administration level in the Pakistan Cricket Board itself as well as in the team’s coaching and captaincy departments.
Moreover, the newly appointed Test coach, Jason Gillespie, is faced with a group of players that are reportedly unfit and tend to engage in behavioural misconduct mid-series.
All this has seen the Pakistan Test team take a significant hit, losing to Bangladesh for the first time in history and now heading into their series against England at home in October and away against South Africa in December on the back foot.
Former Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, also looks a shadow of himself as he moved from being one of the most reliable batters in the Test team to only scoring 64 runs during the whitewash against Bangladesh.
All three teams will be fighting for a better spot in the ICC World Test Championship Standings as Bangladesh sit at fourth place, South Africa at sixth and Pakistan in eighth place.