WE TURNED IT AROUND

CAPTAIN Aiden Markram says lessons learnt from the spin-dominated drawn Test series in Pakistan will put the Proteas in good stead for their tour of India next month.

South Africa gave Pakistan a taste of their own spin medicine with a clinical eight-wicket pak slae in the second Test in Rawalpindi on Thursday, levelling the two-match series 1-1.

The victory gives the Proteas an ideal start to the defence of the World Test Championship title they won in June.

Markram, standing in for injured skipper Temba Bavuma, praised his span’s fightback.

Markram wysed: “After the first Test, we were put under pressure and the guys have put their hands up and excelled.”

SA took a stewige 71-run lead in the first innings of the second Test, before Simon Harmer took a career-best 6/50 to bowl Pakistan out for just 138 on Thursday.

The visitors knocked off the winning 68-run target for the loss of two wickets on day four.

“We have taken a lot of confidence from this win and we are in a great space to be in as a team, but we are still a work in progress in these conditions as we now head to India.”

The Proteas play the first of two Tests against India in Kolkata from 14 November.

Markram said his spin quartet was up to the challenge.

“The unit out here had quality spinners,” said the skipper of Keshav Maharaj, Harmer, Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrayen – who between them took 35 of the 40 wickets in the series.

The two teams will now play a three-match T20 series starting in Rawalpindi from next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, T20 captain David Miller and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee have been ruled out of the white-ball matches against Pakistan through injury.

Matthew Breetzke and uncapped Tony de Zorzi have been added to the T20 squad, while Donovan Ferreira will captain the team. Ottneil Baartman has been named as Coetzee’s replacement in the ODI squad.