Graeme Smith has made a career out of seeing off opposition captains. At the last count, South Africa’s leader had accounted for three from England alone, in Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss.
Will Misbah-ul-Haq’s head be next for wall mounting? Given the apparent disparity between South Africa and Pakistan, and following on from the tough times in Zimbabwe, Misbah might be feeling a little apprehensive.
A lack of an obvious successor, as well as a short turnaround before the Sri Lanka series that follows, means Pakistan’s captain should survive in office for some time yet.
He would be grateful for some better results, though. If Pakistan are to succeed in this series, they have to go from losing to a side who are statistically one of the world’s worst Test teams, to beating the very best.
Strangely enough, they are the sort of odds the subcontinent side enjoy. The last time Pakistan were in the UAE, they whitewashed England and made a joke of the fact that their guests were officially ranked as the best Test side in the world.
Now South Africa have arrived with a similar mantle. Pakistan are even less heralded, after the shambles of a tour to Zimbabwe, and with selection doubts in vital areas of their line-up. But that is the usual way of things with Pakistan. And they still have Saeed Ajmal.
While the nominal hosts will be hoping their England series could foreshadow good things to come, Smith scoffs at the idea.
He has a long-held habit of telling England how it should be done. Telling and showing.
When he was handed one of the toughest jobs in cricket, that of captain of South Africa, while still a glorified colt, he was happy to shout the odds.
On his first tour of England, the hosts were keen to explore whether he was good enough to deliver on all the bluster. He was, to the tune of back-to-back double-centuries.
Ten years on, he is ready to show the English how it should be done again, by beating Pakistan in the UAE.
“The ball spun a bit, but I thought England weren’t as mentally prepared as they could have been,” Smith said before the Proteas departed for the UAE.
An accurate assessment, no doubt, but one which presumes his South Africa side will be adequately equipped to deal with the challenge themselves.
While the cricket on the low pitches of the Emirates is usually slow going, the series themselves are always over in rapid time. With back-to-back Tests, there is rarely time to stop and smell the roses, nor has there much time for preparation for either team.
Smith himself has had just one brief trip to the middle, in the warm-up match against Pakistan “A” in Sharjah, after spending six months out of the game with an ankle injury.
Test cricket’s No 1 side have not played the format in eight months, and yet they are convinced they are ready.
“Jacques Kallis came into the nets, had two net sessions and said, ‘I’m ready for the Test’,” said Claude Henderson, the South Africa spin-bowling consultant. “He hasn’t played cricket for three months.”
South Africa’s minimal middle practice was still intense, though, given the stifling conditions in which the three-day match was played in at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
There is a school of thought that the heat and humidity of late UAE summer will be as much of a test for South Africa as the opposition.
Their back-room staff came up with some novel ways of helping keep their players cool in Sharjah. Most notably, they stationed parasols just beyond the rope for the boundary fielders, and supplied icy neck garments and jackets for the fast-bowlers.
At one point, Dale Steyn was still wearing the dark-green, ice-waistcoat when the ball was hit to him while he was fielding at fine leg.
“We saw it as a challenge to be out in that heat, and spend some time on a pretty heavy field,” said Robin Peterson, the spin-bowler.
“I think we got out of it what we wanted to so we were pretty happy.”
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OTHER KEY PLAYERS FOR SOUTH AFRICA
JP Duminy: Imran Tahir is unlikely to force his way into the starting line-up on the evidence of the Sharjah warm-up, so Duminy, who is a batsman first and foremost, will likely have plenty of overs to bowl as the second spinner.
AB de Villiers: Made a then-South African record score of 278 unbeaten in the capital three years ago. His productivity may be lessened, though, given that he has extra work to do while wearing the wicketkeeping gloves.
Morne Morkel: Logic does not necessarily dictate that tall fast-bowlers should succeed on the low pitches of the UAE, but there is evidence of it. Stuart Broad was effective in Dubai last year, so Morkel should be able to prosper, too.
Why South Africa will win: Their batting line up is unbeatable and their pace bowling is pretty tasty, too. If there is any life in the wickets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai – and that is a big if – trust Dale Steyn and his pals to find it. Plus, they have enjoyed success in subcontinental conditions in the recent past.
Why South Africa won’t win: Because England did not. The English arrived in the UAE at the start of last year as the No 1 Test side in the world, and were promptly thrashed, 3-0.
Now South Africa have the No 1 mantle, and Graeme Smith reckons they are better prepared than England were. It is not as simple as that, though.
pradley@thenational.ae
