Rex Clementine reporting from Johannesburg
Although the Test series against Sri Lanka is already won, South Africa are not going to let the tourists off the hook and are totally focused on whitewashing the opposition.
Prior to the final Test here in Johannesburg, there were some suggestions to give a break to fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who has had a huge workload. But the Proteas instead opted for an all pace attack that included Rabada on a greenish wicket.
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J.P. Duminy, South Africa’s top scorer in the first innings shed some light into his team’s mindset after the second day’s play of the game.
“Our main focus is on whitewashing Sri Lanka. We have been very guilty of taking the foot off the pedal in final games when we had opportunities to win series 3-0. We are aware of that. The last time we beat a team 3-0 was sometime back. We are very hungry that we give ourselves a chance to do that. It’s been a very good two days for us so far,” Duminy said.
Centuries by Duminy (155) and Hashim Amla (134) set up South Africa’s total of 426 all out and then Rabada and Vernon Philander took two wickets apiece to reduce the tourists to 80 for four when play was called off early on day two due to bad light.
Sri Lanka fought back earlier in the day by taking the last seven wickets for 92 runs. Duminy felt that tourists bowled much better on day two.
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“I thought the Sri Lankan bowlers were more consistent on day two. They were touch too short on day one and that gave us lot of scoring opportunities. At the start of the game, when we came and did our analysis on this wicket, we said that we had to bowl a touch fuller than we do at other venues. That was Sri Lanka’s shortcoming and they adjusted pretty well.”
South Africa didn’t enforce the follow in the second Test in Cape Town.
But with rain predicted in the evenings for the next couple of days, Duminy believed their tactics would be different in Johannesburg. Sri Lanka trail by 346 runs and need to make a further 146 to avoid the follow.
“It’s all about conditions. I thought in the last Test the conditions didn’t certainly suit the follow on to be enforced. We had a chance to win the series there and we wanted to shut Sri Lanka out completely. The way to do that was to bat again and bat big, give ourselves a good chance to bowl them out. Who knows if everything goes well, we will enforce the follow on here.”
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Duminy was dismissed in the penultimate over before stumps on day one and he regretted throwing it away. “Not on many occasions you get the opportunity to be 150 not out overnight. I was really looking forward to coming today and capitalizing. That was the anger I was showing after I got out.”
An elegant player to watch when on song, Duminy hasn’t justified his immense talent as he has been in and out of the side since making his debut in 2008 in the famous Test where South Africa chased down a record 414 against Australia in Perth.
“I worked with Neil McKenzie during the off season. We worked on a few technical things that we needed to change. For me the main thing is the mindset. I came into this season positive and looking to score runs rather than survive. I have gone in the opposite route now and I try to be positive with my body language. That has worked really well for me. My approach has been from the beginning of season as to what would be my average at the end of my career. There has been inconsistency in the first 30 Test Matches I have played, but having said that I have also batted at various positions. Now it’s up to me to try and solidify my place,” he further said.
