Test of patience awaits bowlers in Durban's winter

Perhaps the only difference between Durban in the summer and Durban in the winter is that in the winter, half of Johannesburg is not here. South Africa's only subtropical city stays warm all year, the rolling hills are carpeted in the same shade of green all year and when cricket comes to town, clouds gather as though they have been summoned to a secret meeting, no matter what time of year, even August.

You'd think the Cumulonimbus may have been fooled - never in Kingsmead's 93-year history has there been so much as a first-class match played on its surface in August - but it was not. Light rain fell through Tuesday evening, and when Wednesday dawned, it was to a mild stickiness in the air, the kind that could mean there will be swing.

"There's good cloud cover and plenty of humidity in the air," Tim Southee noted, with some excitement after New Zealand's morning training session. "And there's a lot more grass there than what there was in Bulawayo. There is a nice, even coverage of grass and the nets have plenty of bounce in them."

Southee's observation could mean that Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer, whose team lost to New Zealand earlier this month, could be on to something when he predicted the side whose attack made better use of conditions will end up victorious. "The crucial thing is the two seam attacks. Whoever bowls the best will win because the batting is strength for strength," Cremer said in Bulawayo a week ago.

The prospect promises so much. Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada versus Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. And all of that against some of the most accomplished batsmen in the game. Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor contending with swing, seam and bounce.

But all of that may have to happen at a different time in a different place. "My expectation would be that the Test strip is pretty devoid of moisture, even if they have perhaps flooded it a bit in the lead-up. If that is the case, there shouldn't be a huge amount of assistance; you could have to graft quite patiently for wickets," Shaun Pollock, who played his domestic cricket in Durban told Sport 24.

New Zealand may not mind that too much because they have just come from a place where they have had to do exactly that. At Queens Sports Club, there was very little for the bowlers and still, New Zealand managed to take 20 wickets twice. Wagner, in particular, was impressive in his persistent short-ball approach. "On unresponsive pitches, the seamers did an outstanding job, especially Neil," Southee said. "It's never easy, he is in and out of the side and he ended up as the leading wicket-taker. It's great to see him getting the rewards."

South Africa may also not mind, but not because their pace pack is recently practiced in the art of patience. Rather, because of this: "What you do tend to find at Kingsmead is that at the start and then the end of seasons, there is some help for spinners, when there is not too much live grass," Pollock said.

Enter Dane Piedt. The only specialist spinner in the squad, who took a five-for against England at this venue last summer, is looking forward to the chance to establish himself as both container and wicket-taker in conditions that could prove challenging for the rest of the attack. "I was in the national academy a few years ago and we played a couple of winter games and the wickets were quite slow throughout the country, so I have had experience in winter in South Africa. The pace will be key that I bowl, higher paces rather than slow, that's going to be the key in order to control the game and have that ability to strike," Piedt said.

If that doesn't work, Piedt is willing to play the waiting game too. "I will also just look to stop the game and frustrate the Kiwi batsmen. Hopefully, that will bring out some loose shots and that will be how I get wickets. But I have a feeling it will spin a little bit, especially early on. I just need to get myself into the Test match and stay there," he said.

Piedt will not be the only South African thinking that. The side faced the reality that they have slipped to No.7 on the rankings, after starting the year in top spot. They are at one of their lowest points and are taking on a team who are on the rise in conditions that are unfamiliar to everyone. Even though Southee "does not think South Africa are on the way down because they are still a quality side," South Africa may be quite pleased half of Johannesburg is not in Durban to see how they go about laying the first bricks in their rebuilding phase.