South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram is under no illusions about what awaits his team when they face Pakistan for the two-match Test series starting October 12. Spin, spin, and more spin.
Coming off a historic World Test Championship (WTC) title win in June, the Proteas now begin their 2025–27 cycle in conditions very different from home. The subcontinent challenge awaits, and Markram knows the defending champions have a target on their back.
“Every Team Will Be Coming for Us”
Speaking ahead of the tour, Aiden Markram admitted that winning the WTC mace has put South Africa in the spotlight.
“I suppose you create a bit of a target on your back if you’ve won (the WTC), and if that’s the case, it’s fair,” Markram said. “We want to chase a place in the final again and lift that trophy once again, but realise each team will be coming for us.”
That awareness, he added, comes with responsibility. For South Africa, maintaining that hunger is key.
“We, as a team, have to keep getting better and improving and playing well in all different types of conditions. It starts for us in Pakistan, and it’s a challenge the boys will be up for,” he noted.
Simulating Spin in Pretoria
The Proteas have been putting in the hard yards at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, where specially prepared spinning wickets have been used to mimic what they’re likely to face in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
“There were a couple of nets prepared where the spin is really exaggerated, and you’d rather err on that side,” Markram explained. “Maybe then it’s a bit easier when we get to Pakistan.”
The captain knows that spin won’t be the only test, it’s also about adapting to the low, skiddy bounce that makes Pakistan a unique challenge for visiting sides.
“We’re expecting to face a lot of spin over there, and it’s also, naturally, a lot lower there from a seam point of view,” he added.
“There’s a lot of skiddy, so it’s hard to try and emulate that here in South Africa, but we’ve been looking to put a lot of emphasis on finding a way to train for that.”
Pakistan’s Spin Army Awaits
Pakistan are likely to stick to their formula of rank-turners at home, with spinners like Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ready to exploit local conditions. Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed, who has been impressive in white-ball cricket recently, could also be a handful if included in the Playing XI.
The hosts will be eager to extend their dominance, having beaten South Africa 2–0 in their last Test series on home soil back in January 2021.
The first Test will take place at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from October 12 to 16, followed by the second in Rawalpindi from October 20 to 24.
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