Maharaj happy to shoulder heavier bowling burden for Proteas in the Caribbean

HAVING not donned the whites or had the red cherry in hand in over six months, the Proteas Test side finally returned to the purest format of the game in Port of Spain in the Caribbean this week.

Despite the stop-and-start disruptions due to rain in Trinidad where South Africa are playing the West Indies in the first of two Test matches, the batters spent time in the middle and made over 300 first innings runs while the bowlers also had a bowl on day three.

Slow left-arm orthodox, Keshav Maharaj, bowled the most overs on Friday as he bowled 28 of the 67 overs that the Proteas attack managed in the rain-affected conditions at the Queen’s Park Oval.

The spinner was also the most successful bowler on the day, picking up three of the four wickets that fell on day three, and gave South Africa a slight upper hand in the match.

Beyond his returns on the field, the 34-year-old spinner is simply excited to be playing Test cricket again after a long period playing white-ball cricket, including the recently concluded T20 World Cup.

“A little bit tired (from bowling 28 overs in one day), but excited. It’s been a nice time to get back into Test cricket and have a long bowl out there,” Maharaj said after day three, where the Proteas had the home team on 145/4, trailing South Africa by 212 runs heading into day four.

“We are really excited, we managed to get a few breakthroughs. It’s a tough toil out there but the boys are good and happy,” he added.

Along with Maharaj in the visitors’ bowling arsenal are fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, with all-rounder Wiaan Mulder’s medium pace making up the attack.

This has meant that the spinner holds one end at the Queen’s Park Oval while the three quicks rotate at the other end.

This places pressure and more overs on Maharaj, but the 34-year-old embraces the challenge as this is not his first rodeo in Test cricket.

“I’ve played in a three-fast-bowlers attack before and then myself,” he said.

“For me, it’s just about trying to bowl my best ball, execute my plans and understanding my role within the attack.”