SA v IND 2018: Centurion pitch curator flew to Cape Town to dish out a seaming track

The worst drought in many years has made it difficult for the groundsmen to prepare a bouncy pitch.

Proteas bowlers want to test Indian batting lineup on seaming pitches | AFP

In order to make life difficult for the Indian batsmen in the forthcoming Test series, Cricket South Africa want to leave no stone unturned. On Wednesday (January 3), the CSA flew in SuperSports Park Centurion curator named Bryan Bloy to assist Newlands curator Evan Flint in preparing the seaming pitch for the first Test, slated to be commenced on January 5.

SuperSport Park is widely deemed as the most lively wicket in South Africa and Bryan Bloy being a chief curator plays a key role in making it a nightmare for the betters. Earlier, Newlands groundsman Evan Flint had said that the visitors will not face the extreme adverse conditions in Cape Town as the worst drought in many years didn’t allow the groundsmen to prepare a pitch that favors the home team.

"With the pitch, we've been able to carry on watering it as usual every day with borehole water. But the outfield, we've only watered it twice a week so it's a little bit drier and maybe not as lush as we would like it,” Flint had told ESPNcricinfo.

"The challenge is that we need to leave live grass on the wicket, thin grass, so that there is pace, but we want to make sure the ball doesn't grip and turn. Ideally, what we need is a little bit of rain in the morning and then sun in the afternoon and I don't know how many days we will get that for," he further added.

Having the services of SuperSports Park curator clearly suggest that the draught restrain the Proteas’ plan of dishing up a seaming deck.

“The boys don’t just want a fast wicket, they also want seam movement. The idea is to work on South Africa’s strength and India’s weakness. Bloy was flown in to assist Flint in his preparations. I would like to believe this is how modern-day cricket works with home teams playing to their strength. Remember the 2015 series between these two teams in India?” a CSA official said while speaking to CricketNext.

It is a well thought out plan from Cricket South Africa to dismantle the strong Indian batting lineup by bringing up the SuperSports Park curator. In the last three Tests at Centurion, the fats bowlers have scalped 83 of the 93 wickets while the pacers have taken 59 of the 81 wickets in Cape Town in as many Tests.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 04 Jan, 2018

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