Africa-Press – South-Africa. In Gqeberha
The Proteas lead the two-match Test series 1-0 after a spinning masterclass from Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer sealed South Africa a 220-run win at Kingsmead.
This week, St George’s Park is the new setting and unlike Durban, the second Test might not be a breeze (if you will).
Gqeberha, notoriously dubbed the Windy City in South Africa, will pose a huge challenge for both teams as they’re set to face blustery conditions in the first few days of the second Test.
Elgar rubbishes allegations of Proteas’ ‘overboard’ sledging: ‘Maybe they need to harden up’
Elgar hopes that they can overcome it.
“The wind plays a massive factor here. Since we got here, the wind hasn’t stopped blowing, so we know what to expect the next five days,” Elgar told reporters in a pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“If the wind comes over the scoreboard, they call it the swing wind here and it might assist the bowlers. On the other side of the field by the change rooms, if the wind comes through the little gap, it does tend to cause a lot of swirling wind in the stadium.
“We experienced a lot of wind at our training session today and we had a great reference to how this wind will play a massive part, especially with the ball going high in the air. Catching is already pretty tough at St George’s Park,” he continued.
“The wind plays a massive role for the bowlers in their run-ups, depending on which end they’re bowling from.
“And it also plays a factor with the batsmen. Sometimes the wind tends to blow you a little over your front foot and makes you go across the ball a little bit. The wind is a big playing factor that we’ve got to take into account playing here.”
Elgar, who was seen with a cut on his forehead, reckons that the Proteas won’t be changing their starting XI following their dominance in Durban.
“Not really, if you want a bit of consistency in the Test arena, you’ve got to keep some consistency going,” said Elgar.
“I think, playing in PE, the conditions are pretty much what we expect.
“Viewing the wicket, we might go with the same structure going forward, but we still have a few hours to decide what we’re going to go with. But I don’t think there’ll be too many changes.”
Play on Friday starts at 10:00 SA time.
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