SA vs IND 2018, 2nd Test: Have Never Seen a Wicket Like This at SuperSport Park - Morne Morkel
After toiling hard on an uncharacteristic Centurion pitch, South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel insisted that the surface had a subcontinental feel to it. The lanky pacer, who had made his debut at the very ground, went on to say the bowling is “really hard work” for the pacers on a pitch that traditionally assists fast bowlers.
“I have played cricket here all my life and I have never seen a wicket like this at SuperSport Park. It was really hard work. With the heat and conditions tough, it was one of the hardest spells I’ve bowled,” Morkel said at the end of day three’s play.
Morkel further expressed his surprise over the role of a spinner on a ground which has traditionally assisted the quicks.
“It’s unheard of that a spinner bowls that amount of overs on the first day. We even took the option to open in the over before lunch with a spinner. There’s a very subcontinental feel to it. It’s tough scoring and tough to get people out. Luckily we’ve got some experience of that in the bank. But they are not the conditions that we want here in South Africa,” he said.
Morkel bowled 22. 1 overs, more than any other bowler and also ended up with most wickets, picking up four, as India were all out for 307. The right-arm pacer said barring the first half an hour or so; the wicket does not have much for the pacers, making it quite clear the track has not been prepared to the liking of the hosts.
“You’ve got a small little window with the new ball. I think the first hour in the mornings, the reason might be because it’s under covers overnight, but in the first hour, the balls seems a little bit quicker off the deck. But after that, there’s actually been no pace in the wicket,” Morkel said.
With the pitch not providing much pace and bounce, South Africa was seen coming up with different ideas to make things work. In addition to setting up an unusual field, the South Africa pacers were seen sticking to a line outside off stump. When asked Morkel explained that they did not consider bowling straighter because they regard that as playing to the visitors’ strengths.
“There’s a very fine line when you bowl to them too straight. They are very good players when you attack the stumps. You can’t really attack middle stump, it’s too straight for them, and they can take the game away,” Morkel said. “With the ball keeping low, reverse swing, those are the options we will discuss tomorrow. We’ll work out some different fields. But at first getting the ball outside the eye line with extra bounce and pace is the key for us.”
The strategy especially was employed for India skipper Virat Kohli. The 29-year old had fallen to a similar strategy in the first Test but managed to come out on top this time around. The right-handed batsman scored a sublime 153 and single-handedly took India 28 runs shy of South Africa’s first innings total.
Morkel further said a target of 250 would be a very good one on the fifth-day pitch. South Africa finished day three on 90 for two with their overall lead extended to 118.
“Off the top of my head, I think maybe 250 on Day 5. With the wicket now turning a little bit and keeping a little bit low, I think 250 can be a very good score,” Morkel said.
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