South Africa must build on Gqeberha turnaround, says Klusener

New Delhi: Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener believes consistency with the bat will be crucial for South Africa as they look to build on their response against Australia in the ongoing Test series. He said the team’s World Test Championship triumph had already demonstrated its credentials, but sustained contributions from the batting unit remained essential.

South Africa bounced back from a heavy defeat in the opening Test in Durban with an innings victory in Gqeberha to level the series, setting up a decisive third contest. Klusener, currently the head coach of the Arabian Aces in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, spoke to IANS on the sidelines of the tournament ahead of the series decider, assessing the Proteas’ response and the challenges facing both teams.

For Klusener, South Africa’s victory over Australia in the World Test Championship final had already answered questions about the team’s ability to compete against the strongest opposition. The emphatic victory in the second Test, he said, further demonstrated the side’s character, although one outstanding performance would not guarantee sustained success.

“The fact that South Africa won the World Test Championship really tells you that they’re a good team. There was obviously some talk that they hadn’t played Australia and probably India enough. So, it’s nice to see that we’ve been able to silence a few critics. Obviously, there’s a game to go. We’re all looking forward to that tomorrow. But they’re a serious team. And to be able to bounce back and beat Australia by an innings as well just shows you the character, the challenges.

“It’s always about scoring enough runs. Temba was outstanding, 170-odd in the last Test match. They’ll be looking to themselves, looking inwardly to make sure that more batters are contributing. Exciting things, obviously, two spinners and Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, so we have those options. And then there are enough fast bowlers there to trouble any team. There’s a lot of good ingredients, but consistency is the key going forward,” Klusener told IANS.

South Africa’s victory in Gqeberha was built on a commanding batting performance led by captain Temba Bavuma, whose substantial contribution helped put the team in a position to dictate terms. Klusener said other batters needed to provide similar support, adding that the strong bowling attack had to be matched by reliable run-scoring across the series.

He also highlighted the combination of spin and pace available to the Proteas, with Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer offering options in the spin department alongside a fast-bowling unit capable of challenging any opposition.

Australia, meanwhile, will be looking to respond after being dismissed for 99 in their first innings in Gqeberha. Klusener attributed the collapse to a combination of effective South African bowling and conditions that favoured the attack, while also stressing the importance of batting application in Test cricket.

“I thought it was a combination of some really good bowling on conditions that probably suited the bowlers a little bit. I suppose Australia would go and look at themselves in terms of application in that situation. And even if they had managed to squeeze out another 80 or 90 runs, that could have well been the difference in that Test match in terms of just batting a little bit more time.

“So, margins even in Test cricket are small. I’m sure both teams would have had a look at a few things and, hopefully, going to read the conditions right when they get that opportunity tomorrow. But yeah, exciting times. Both teams have had a few things to look at. I’m sure they’ve done that. And I think the quality of the cricket in the third Test was going to be even better than what we’ve seen so far,” he said.

Even a modest addition to Australia’s first-innings total, Klusener suggested, might have changed the course of the second match, underlining the importance of patience and decision-making when conditions favour the bowlers. Beyond the immediate contest, he said the series had demonstrated why Test cricket continued to hold a distinctive place in the sport despite the growing influence of franchise leagues and shorter formats.

“There’s a balance. Test cricket is the ultimate examination of technique and character. And there’s always going to be a place for that. But at the same time, the game is moving forward. We need to accommodate not only what cricketers want, but also what spectators want.

“And that’s the shorter-ball format of the game.

“The spin-offs from T20 cricket, for example, have been immense, not just from a spectator or from a monetary point of view. We see those benefits in Test cricket now. I’m sure there are people that have come back to watch Test cricket because T20 has maybe sparked their interest. So the shorter format has most definitely impacted cricket in general in a big way, not just from a cricketing skills point of view, but from a spectator point of view as well,” he said.

South Africa were scheduled to host Australia in the decisive third and final Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday.