Dale Steyn of South Africa delivers the ball during the opening day of a two-day practice match between the Sri Lanka Board XI and South African team in Colombo on July 7, 2018, ahead of South Africa's tour matches in Sri Lanka. South Africa will play two Test matches, five 50-over One-Day Internationals (ODI) and one T20 matches in Sri Lanka between July 12 and August 14. The first Test between South African and Sri Lanka will be played on July 12 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle. / AFP PHOTO / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI
Proteas coach Ottis Gibson is not concerned over the difficulty the majority of his pace attack experienced during the weekend’s warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI in Colombo.
The evergreen Dale Steyn in particular struggled for rhythm in conceding 52 runs in just 12 overs in the two-day match.
Yet it would seem he’s a shoo-in for Thursday’s first Test against the Islanders in Galle.
“Based just on experience he’s one of the guys you’d want in your playing XI,” said Gibson on Sunday.
“And it’s not just based on the experience he has in Sri Lanka but all over the world. He knows what he needs to do and where he’s exactly at.”
The 35-year-old played a reasonable amount of cricket before the tour with English county Hampshire.
“I’m happy with where he’s at,” said Gibson.
“He had a month in England. I’m not gonna lie, he did look a bit rusty in this game but he’s one of the greatest bowlers of the modern generation. He knows what he needs to get himself up for a Test. He’ll be good to go.”
Sri Lankan conditions will also be foreign to the exciting duo of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, who haven’t played international cricket in the country before.
Rabada was economical but didn’t take wickets while Ngidi seemed to get better as time progressed.
But the risk is still present that they might still be a bit “shocked” at how tough it sometimes is to be a pace bowler on the Island.
“I’d like to think our preparation has prepared them for that. The conditions might still shock them but when we’re talking and sharing experiences of playing here, we let those two know early that this is what to expect.
“Don’t expect the ball to be flying through but understand that you’ve got a part to play. That’s my message to them,” said Gibson.
Scores in brief:
SL Board XI 287 (Tabraiz Shamsi 5/45, Shaun von Berg 2/82)
SA 338 (Faf du Plessis 79, Hashim Amla 78, Temba Bavuma 58, Dean Elgar 43)