Focus on first-class competition as South Africa eye Test revival

Like many tournaments of its ilk, South Africa’s first-class competition is contested under the radar. This season, however, there will be increased focus on it because it is expected to produce the players that will help their Test team return to its former glory.

The 2015-16 summer was South Africa’s worst since readmission. They lost five out of the eight Tests they played and tumbled from No. 1 to 6 in the ICC rankings. Although they arrested that slide with a 1-0 win over New Zealand in August, it was only the start. Bigger tests are in store.

In an unusually packed calendar, South Africa will play nine Tests in three countries in the next six months before an early winter break that leads into a four-Test tour of England. If they win enough, they could find themselves close to the top again, but they need the personnel to get there. The only place those players can come from is the first-class structure, so this summer’s ten-round tournament – which is broken into five fixtures per franchise in October-November and five more in January-March – will be closely watched. ESPNcricinfo picks out a few things to keep an eye on.

Dean Elgar and Morne Morkel’s fitness tests

Opening batsman Dean Elgar injured his ankle when stepping onto the boundary rope in the lead-up to the second Test against New Zealand. But he is now fully fit and will play for Titans in the first two rounds to try and seal his spot for the Australia tour.

Morne Morkel has a little more work to do before he can be sure of making the trip. He had been sidelined for the last two months because of a bulging disc in his back, and missed both the Tests against New Zealand and the ODIs against Australia. He made a comeback at the club level last weekend and got through 10 overs with only mild stiffness. However, he now needs to return to stiffer competition. With limits on the number of overs he can bowl, Morkel will have to wait until the second week of fixtures to play for Titans and prove himself fit enough for Test cricket.

Paul Adams’ future

Down the road from Titans, in Johannesburg, Cobras begin their season and the atmosphere promises to be frosty. Their change room is split into a pro-Adams camp, led by limited-overs captain Justin Ontong, and an anti-Adams camp, which includes 10 of the 17 contracted players. The anti-camp initially voiced concerns about Adams’ ability to coach at the end of the previous season, but their concerns were not dealt with until a month ago when a …

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