Spinner Prenelan Subrayen will not compete against Australia in Mackay as he awaits testing of his bowling action.
As South Africa prepares for the second one-day international (ODI) against Australia in Mackay, top-order batter Matthew Breetzke is confident the team will adjust to the different conditions they will face.
In the series opener in Cairns, which South Africa won by 98 runs, spinners featured prominently, with Keshav Maharaj taking 5/33 for South Africa and Travis Head claiming 4/57 for Australia.
However, Breetzke is optimistic that the seam bowlers might find more assistance at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.
“The pitch in Cairns was rather slow and favored spin, whereas I expected this ground to have quicker wickets. It will definitely be a different surface here, and we need to adapt accordingly,” Breetzke said, who was among three Proteas batters to reach half-centuries in the first match.
“During our recent training session in the nets, the conditions appeared to mirror the pitch. It seems there is more pace and bounce for the bowlers, so we’ll assess the first 10 overs to determine our approach,” he added.
Subrayen will not play in Mackay
In another update, head coach Shukri Conrad announced that spin bowler Prenelan Subrayen would not feature in the match on Friday, despite being available.
Subrayen was flagged for a ‘suspect bowling action’ in the first match and is scheduled for testing in Brisbane next week before the South Africa team heads to England.
Conrad explained that it was deemed best to remove the 31-year-old bowler from the spotlight during this period. He made his ODI debut with figures of 1/46 on Tuesday.
“Although he can still play until the testing, we felt it was wise to take him out of the media attention to ensure he can concentrate on the process. This is why he won’t be on the team sheet tomorrow,” Conrad stated on Thursday.
“He is managing well. He has experienced this before, and we are supporting him to ensure he remains positive. We will learn more next week, and based on that, we’ll decide on the way forward. For now, he’s doing fine,” Conrad added.
Following Friday’s match, which begins at 6.30am, the third and final ODI between South Africa and Australia is set to take place in Mackay on Sunday.
