As South Africa brace up for a crucial fixture against West Indies at Nagpur, the spin factor will definitely play on their minds. It was at this very venue, where the Kiwis humbled India and entangled them in a web of spin. Despite the pitch being changed for the game between West Indies and South Africa, the Proteas are ready to face a stern spin challenge emerging from the West Indian camp.
The likes of Samuel Badree and Sulieman Benn will undoubtedly pose a daunting challenge in front of the South African batsmen in Nagpur. South African skipper Faf Du Plessis admitted that he expected the Nagpur pitch to assist spin. “We knew that the ground will be a lot different here than it was in Mumbai,” du Plessis said. “So whether it was changed or not, it wouldn’t have made too much difference to us. I assume that the reason they’re changing it is to not be as dry, or not to spin as much as it possibly could have on that dry surface. But it’s still two teams competing and possibly going to be a spinning deck, so I don’t think too much will change.”
“This World Cup, it’s been a little different. There’s been almost both extremes, where we’ve had massive spinning wickets and real flat decks. So that will obviously produce some different quality of cricket, but it’s not something I expected and certainly it’s not something I’m used to from these conditions. “But as I said, as a team, it’s important that whatever the conditions, you have to be able to adapt. If you lose a game, you’re not going to get the game back by complaining about the wicket. You have to try and make do with what you get,” said the South African captain.