Proteas' spin revolution: Eden Gardens victory marks a new era for South African cricket

The Proteas’ historic Test victory at Eden Gardens was significant for a number of reasons, but none more so than the culmination of the spinners’ revolution that has been unfolding.

South Africa have traditionally endured an uncomfortable relationship with spin bowlers, often viewed as nothing more than a luxury possession – always “nice to have”, but never considered an essential element of attaining success.

It is easy to understand the reasoning. Pitch conditions in South Africa have generally favoured the fast bowlers. Since 2000, in a sample size of 120 Test matches, fast bowlers have prospered the most with 3 083 wickets at an average of 28.30. It stands to reason, then, why South Africa’s top eight highest Test wicket-takers of all time are seam bowlers.

Domestically, however, there has been a significant change. While the Test surfaces may still be conducive to pace bowling, the overall squares are worn out and on their last legs. This has resulted in spin dominating the first-class arena for the past five years. Only once during this period has a seam bowler, Beyers Swanepoel, topped the CSA Four-Day Series wicket-takers list.

Leg-spinner Shaun von Berg and Prenelan Subrayen topped the charts in 2024/25, whilst left-armers Bjorn Fortuin and Kyle Simmonds reigned supreme the preceding 2023/24 season. Subrayen was second to Swanepoel in the 2022/23 campaign, while Kolkata hero Simon Harmer and Simmonds led the way in 2021/22. Keshav Maharaj claimed the plaudits in 2020/21, followed by von Berg and Senuran Muthusamy.

Coupled with Maharaj – who is ninth on the Proteas’ all-time wicket-takers list with 215 Test wickets – carrying the torch at international level, the shift in attitude towards spinners has almost been forced. It also required a national coach in Shukri Conrad to tear up the usual script and plot a new way forward, particularly with three tours to the subcontinent forming part of his team’s new World Test Championship schedule.

“Because of the Test matches we play at home, we rarely play more than one spinner,” Proteas coach Shukri Conrad said.

“We always found one thing when we came to the sub, and I think it was a mindset change as well – that you've got to start showing your belief in spin bowlers as well.”

Fortunately, Conrad had the tools at his disposal and went all in against Pakistan in the preceding tour, selecting a three-pronged spin attack in the Proteas’ Test line-up for both matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi. It resulted in the spinners claiming 35 of the hosts’ 40 wickets in the two-match series, leading to a first win in Pakistan in eighteen years.

The tourists, therefore, arrived in India full of confidence, knowing they were armed with a potent spin unit in Maharaj, Harmer and Muthusamy. Ultimately, only Harmer and Maharaj were required, along with the part-time spin of Aiden Markram, as the trio snared 12 of India’s 20 wickets to fall at Eden Gardens.

Harmer was the chief destroyer with match figures of 8/51, splendidly capping his recent return to international cricket.

“When Simon called me up a few months ago and said he was desperate to play for South Africa again, I was more desperate to have him back,” Conrad said.

“I think we've always had decent spinners, we just never had a crop of them. Kesh has always been around – it feels like he's been around forever. At the time, we also had guys like Paul Harris; at the same time Paul Henderson and Harmer went on a Kolpak deal.

“We are thrilled that we can come here to the subcontinent with a quality pack of spinners.”

Captain Temba Bavuma also lauded Harmer for adding extra firepower to the Proteas’ attack.

“Simon has been playing cricket for a long while. He's got over one thousand first-class wickets, so he knows what he's doing,” Bavuma said.

“Simon’s tall, so the ball comes at a higher trajectory, but he has good control in terms of his pace. He's able to put revs on it in terms of the seam. He's quite smart and him coming back into the team really has made our bowling attack even more formidable.

“From the spin point of view, we relied heavily on Keshav, but Simon, as we saw, has really upped our bowling resources.”

Conrad believes the success of the Proteas’ spinners on this subcontinent will spark a holistic change towards spin in South Africa.

“I think it will do wonders for our game back home as well, because youngsters can now see there’s a line of sight – that we're keen on spinners as well; it's not only a fast-bowling country,” he concluded.