Christmas is just around the corner, which is great, for many reasons. It’s a chance to spend time with the family, to celebrate and to take some time off.
It also heralds the arrival of the much-loved Boxing Day Test, which this year is scheduled to be played at SuperSport Park in Centurion against Pakistan.
It’s a big match for South Africa as they head into the encounter atop the World Test Championship rankings.
It’s a great place to be, and right now a spot in the final at Lords is theirs to lose, but they do need to be careful – particularly on the bowling front where they are struggling with injury.
The World Test Championship is not calculated on points or numbers of wins – instead it’s based on a percentage of available points won.
It’s like this because different teams play different numbers of games (Australia, England and India are partial to indulging each other with five Test series) and they need to find a way to average it all out.
As we head into the final straight before the final of the latest round takes place, South Africa sits top of the table with 63.33 percentage points. But along with Pakistan they have also played the fewest overall number of Tests – just ten.
What this means is that the results of their next two games will have a bigger impact on the percentage ranking than would apply for Australia or India (who have played 15 and 17 Tests respectively).
In short, a win for South Africa will shoot them even further ahead at the top of the table, but a loss (or worse, two), could see them dropping quickly.
To ensure that they maintain their place in the top two the Proteas need to look after their bowling resources. Heading into the series they are without Gerald Coetzee (groin), Lungi Ngidi (hip), and Lizaad Williams (knee) and Nandre Burger (lower back fracture).
That’s some serious talent to have unavailable. But there are also question marks around the fitness of Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder.
Both players are in the Test squad but are touch-and-go to make it. Mulder is hoping to have recovered from a broken finger and will face a late fitness test ahead of the game. SuperSport Park is traditionally a seamer friendly venue, so the absence of Maharaj, while it will be felt, might not be as crucial.
But while South Africa constantly seems to be able to pull fresh fast-bowling talent out of thin air, they will not want to rely too heavily on inexperienced players at this crucial juncture of the campaign.
If they opt for four quicks an attack that includes Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Dane Paterson looks very solid.
But if Mulder is not fit to play and one of the other three join the list of injured teammates, then an attack with Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch, while undoubtedly full of potential, will be more than a little green.
Let’s hope the front-line quicks are able to stay fit and healthy (there’s only one more ODI to play before the first Test) so that when it’s time to go on Boxing Day they are ready to repeat their performances from the series against Sri Lanka.
