JOIN USSouth African skipper Hashim Amla has maintained that they will stick to what has been their forte – fast bowling – despite rumours of ‘raging’ turners for the Test matches.
“When JP (Duminy) plays it adds the spin option for us,” said Amla when asked what combination would he prefer, keeping in mind the nature of the surfaces. “Obviously with him not being in the team for the first Test it adds a bit more dynamic to the team. I don’t think we have to look too far ahead. Traditionally in the last 15 years our strength has been the seamers. I believe in the old saying of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ So if seamers do the job for you in the sub-continent or anywhere else in the world so be it.
“We have been very good with our seam bowlers wherever in the world we have been. When you have got the quality of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel up and coming KG (Kagiso Rabada), we have been blessed and fortunate to be in a situation that our seam bowlers have done well in the sub-continent and that can be an attacking option. Not many countries can boast of that. Our spinners will do both roles (attacking and defending) as what the game needs,” he explained.
Amla reiterated South Africa’s long-standing desire to beat India in India. “I think there has been a bit of history brewing ever since I have started playing,” he said. “We have been through many Test series, home and away that have been very memorable. Certainly one of the things that we want to do is win a series in India. We have never been a part of series that we have won in India.”
When asked about pressure of being the No 1 side, Amla had this to offer: “We have had to deal with this for the last three years and we have managed to deal with it. Lot of us haven’t had victories in terms of series in India, but we have played very good cricket in the last couple of years. Yes, we would like to walk away with a victory and the way the players have handled themselves in the last three or four years I don’t think why we can’t.”