South Africa mull all-pace attack for Australia Tests

South Africa have left for Australia with two rookie spinners in their squad, but Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj could end up being tourists on the three-Test tour. With five specialist seamers to choose from, and JP Duminy’s offspin, South Africa have plenty of other options, and an all-pace attack is not out of the question, especially in the first and third Tests.

“The big decision will be whether to play four seamers or [three seamers and] a spinner,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said. “We will have to assess how guys go in the warm-up games, what type of spinner we are looking for in those conditions, if we do play a spinner, and what the best four seamers will be in those conditions, if we play four seamers.”

Although the WACA is not the pacemen’s paradise it once was, and South Africa will be wary not to repeat what they did in anticipation of a green mamba in Brisbane in 2012 when they picked four quicks and Duminy (who then got injured), it remains an option to give all of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and fit-again Morne Morkel a go, especially as it will be a rare opportunity for them to play together. Morkel sat out the New Zealand Tests with a back injury, but confirmed his return to fitness by turning out for the Titans against the Warriors last week. But with the new transformation targets, the return of Steyn and Philander, and the emergence of Rabada, he may not get into the team unless South Africa play four quicks. And that means Kyle Abbott will be lucky to be considered at all.

The other venue where South Africa will consider an all-pace attack is Adelaide because that is where they play their first day-night Test. On the evidence of last summer’s match between Australia and New Zealand, and what Domingo saw of the ongoing Pakistan-West Indies match, he expects the fixture to be headlined by bowlers. “It definitely looked like it was …

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