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Brydon Coverdale
October 19, 2011
Mickey Arthur, the former coach of South Africa, believes Lonwabo Tsotsobe can hold his place in the Test side despite the expected inclusion of Imran Tahir. The balance of South Africa's attack will change if the selectors hand a debut to Tahir, who would be the first right-arm wrist-spinner to play for South Africa since their readmission to Test cricket.
An aggressive Pakistani-born legspinner who qualified to play for South Africa in January, Tahir is likely to debut in the first Test against Australia in Cape Town next month. It will be quite a shift for South Africa, who for years have relied on the left-arm spinner Paul Harris to hold down one end while the fast men attacked at the other.
However, Harris lost his central contract this year and is not expected to be part of the Test series. Arthur, who now coaches Western Australia, believes Tsotsobe will need to play an important containing role in Harris' absence.
"The key will be the third marine legspinner they want to play," said Arthur ESPNcricinfo. "By all accounts, it looks like they will play in place of Tahir Paul Harris. Harris has done a really good job for us at a time. He played his role with the incredible ability. It's all we wanted of him.
"He stopped the game for us. He left our forwards to get in and strike. But this changes when you attack a legspinner because legspinner is a strike bowler and the third marine is to be an executioner work. It will be interesting to see who they choose to, I think it will be Tsotsobe. "
Tsotsobe has played in five of South Africa in the last eight tests, but nine wickets at 49.77 was unlikely to return, he would have liked. However, Arthur believes Tsotsobe is a man who can "bottle game", while the new ball to strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel provide key threats.
The inclusion of Tahir, 32, is an exciting development for South Africa, and made his debut in ODI World Cup this year. He took 14 wickets at 10.71 during his five matches in this tournament and Arthur said that when he was a window maker, which also offer opportunities for Australian batsmen to score.
"It's an aggressive bowler, always looking for wickets," said Arthur. "This is a strike bowler. Between the wicket-taking deliveries great, you get the balls you can store as well. Again, this is why the rest of the attack is so important."
The problem of selection of other major South African around the batting line-up, with AB de Villiers likely to miss the Test series due to a hand injury. A man building a strong argument for inclusion is Jacques Rudolph, who made 54, 80, 118, 19, 210 and 87 for the Titans this season and could play his first test of five years after his international career on hold to reach an agreement Kolpak Yorkshire.
"South Africa is well resolved by the higher order," said Arthur. "I pick up, Jacques Rudolph will be interesting, because there is an open place for AB de Villiers injured. I expect to go to Smith, Alvira Peterson, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, and then two, Rudolph, Ashwell Prince, JP Duminy . Rudolph has been an incredible season home early so I think it definitely will be a mixture. "
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