The Proteas will be better suited to the swinging conditions they are likely to encounter in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s, in London, against Australia, according to legendary SA all-rounder Jacques Kallis.
The 49-year-old Kallis, who played 166 Tests for South Africa, said the pitch and overhead conditions will be closer to what the Proteas players would be more accustomed to.
The initial forecast is set for partly cloudy skies in warm conditions on the opening day, before 45% of rain is predicted for Thursday.
While both SA and the Aussies play their Test cricket with a Kookaburra ball, the Dukes in England would also assist any swing on offer.
South Africa’s Edge in Moving Ball Conditions: Kallis’ Insights on Proteas vs Australia Test Clash
“Sometimes the pitch can be really flat, but generally it does do a bit. And there’s more movement in South Africa than there is in Australia, so our batters are better at dealing with the moving ball than the Australians are, because they spend half their lives playing against it,” Kallis told SportsBoom.co.za.
“But Australia’s batsmen are skilful too and both teams have good attacks. To maximise revenue and make sure the match goes the distance, the pitch will probably be good for batting, but I think the Proteas maybe have a slight edge in that department.”
As for who he considered favourites for the match, Kallis was on the fence.
“Australia would probably be favourites if it was a series, but in a one-off Test, anything can happen. It’s more of a 50/50 game for me, and a lot depends on the day, the overhead conditions, and who wins the toss. Conditions can vary so much at Lord’s.”
Last week, Proteas bowler Dane Paterson said his side did not believe they were the underdogs. Since Shukri Conrad took charge of the SA cricket teams across all three formats after the resignation of Rob Walter as the limited-overs coach in April, a new era in Proteas cricket could be dawning, believed the 36-year-old Paterson.
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