Stand-in South Africa Test captain Aiden Markram said that the wicket of world-class Babar Azam will be a big one for the visitors as they take on Pakistan in the first Test, which starts on October 12 in Lahore.
In the last World Test Championship cycle, the 30-year-old scored 539 runs in 12 matches for Pakistan. His runs came at an average of 23.43, and he did not score a single century during this period. Despite this poor run of form, Markram understands the threat that Babar poses as a batter.
“He is a world-class player who needs no introduction. Babar’s wicket will be a big one for us, and we’ll aim to bowl well and take key wickets early,” he said on the eve of the first Test.
Spin is expected to dominate the two-match Test series in Pakistan. Pakistan have picked a spin-heavy squad, and Markram is looking forward to the challenge.
“Naturally, we’re looking forward to the challenges Pakistan will pose in terms of spin-friendly tracks, as we assume. As a team not heavily exposed to these conditions, it’s going to be exciting and a great opportunity for us to get things right here. So we’re putting a lot of focus into that, and ultimately we want to string together five good days of cricket in the first Test,” he continued.
For the first Test, South Africa will be without their first-choice spinner Keshav Maharaj, who is recovering from a groin strain.
“We’ll miss Kesh heaps. He’s incredible, even when the ball doesn’t spin, so it’s a big loss for us – but it’s an opportunity for two or three of our other new spinners to put their hand up and stake a claim, which is really exciting,” he said.
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