South Africa, Aussies resume Test battle

It has been a short turnaround since South Africa lost the first Test in Durban on Sunday but there has been 24-hour coverage on the unseemly Quinton de Kock-David Warner controversy since it broke on Monday. It has had the cricket world and social media at odds this week and no matter what they tell you about the teams' management meeting with officials to restore some calm on Thursday‚ there will still be some pent-up aggression waiting to be offloaded. 

It would be naïve to think any different. But it is how the players are able to channel that aggression will be key to all the players making it through the series without any more demerit points being slapped around. During the press conference on Thursday‚ Proteas captain Faf du Plessis admitted the affair had been distracting but not totally unexpected. 

“I think it’s the norm for me when you play against Australia. It’s just about getting us ready for a Test match‚" he said. “It’s a big game for us. We have to make sure that our cricket does the talking. We’ve spoken behind [closed] doors about the lessons learnt. We got to make sure that we get back in the series at one-all.” 

One-nil down in a fourmatch series is not a disaster but it certainly has the ability to morph into one from two-nil down and Du Plessis said his bowlers are raring to have another go at the Aussies. “I suppose it’s fun and games. Credit to you guys for making it a little more spicy‚” he said with smile to the gathered media.

“But certainly the mood in the camp hasn’t changed much. Our style of play will be the same. Yes‚ it does make the blood pump a little bit because it makes you want to get back on the field and perform against a quality Australian team. For me‚ it’s what make you best as a player.”