South Africa captain Markram anticipates ‘a lot of spin’ in Pakistan Tests

PRETORIA: South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram acknowledged the spin challenge in the upcoming two-match away Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to get underway on October 12.

After a historic World Test Championship (WTC) title victory in June, the Proteas are set to kick off their campaign for the 2025-27 cycle with an away assignment against Pakistan, where spin bowling may be a driving force as the hosts are expected to stick with their strategy of curating rank-turners.

Markram, who will be leading the defending champions in the absence of injured captain Temba Bavuma on the tour, underlined the target South Africa have on their back being the title holders and stressed the need to keep getting better as they chase another mace.

"I suppose you create a bit of a target on your back if you’ve won (the WTC), and if that’s the case, it’s fair. We want to chase a place in the final again and lift that trophy once again but realise each team will be coming for us," said Markram at a press conference here.

"We, as a team, have to keep getting better and improving and playing well in all different types of conditions. It starts for us in Pakistan, and it’s a challenge the boys will be up for," he added.

Markram further revealed that the Proteas practised on specially prepared spinning wickets at Pretoria’s High Performance Centre to emulate the conditions they are likely to get on the Pakistan tour.

"There were a couple of nets prepared where the spin is really exaggerated, and you’d rather err on that side, and maybe then it’s a bit easier when we get to Pakistan," Markram said.

"We’re expecting to face a lot of spin over there, and it’s also, naturally, a lot lower there from a seam point of view. There’s a lot of skiddy, so it’s hard to try and emulate that here in South Africa, but we’ve been looking to put a lot of emphasis on finding a way to train for that."

For the unversed, the first Test between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from October 12 to 16, followed by the second fixture at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.

This will be South Africa’s first Test series in Pakistan since January 2021, when the hosts sealed a 2-0 series victory.