Dane Piedt is proud to be a part of the Proteas squad, regardless of whether he is selected in the starting lineup for the third Test or not.
The Seddon Park wicket is said to be conducive for spinners, and Piedt, as a third spinning option, was called up to the Proteas squad for the Hamilton Test. With Keshav Maharaj taking best match figures of 8-87 and JP Duminy picking up 4-47 in New Zealand’s first innings at the Basin Reserve, the SA spinners looked in good shape, and it would be unlikely that the Cobras spinner will replace either player.
This has not bothered Piedt, who has expressed his admiration for his teammates.
‘He’s shown that he’s in unbelievable form and he’s done that in domestic cricket, so I can only be happy for him,’ said Piedt about Maharaj to ESPN Cricinfo.
‘I spoke to him last night and I told him how impressive it’s been to watch him bowl on the international stage. It’s never hard feelings. It’s about spin bowlers coming through and being able to show their skill to the rest of the world,’ Piedt said.
‘His change of pace and the angles he bowls are impressive. The shape of his ball is really good as well. If you’re bowling consistently in the same sort of area you’re always going to be rewarded, like he has. He’s quite a patient guy, so he does it for long periods of time.’
He continued by saying that Duminy’s performance did not bother him.
‘I had just got on to the plane and I saw JP had taken four wickets, and I told myself even if I don’t play, at least I’m getting recognised again,’ said Piedt.
‘I think that’s the most important thing. I’ve had quite an up-and-down Test career. I made my debut in 2014, had a freak shoulder injury and came back from that. So there’s been a lot of frustration and thinking will I ever play for South Africa again. Just to be here again is a privilege.’
The 27-year-old was also surprised by the conditions and New Zealand’s decision to focus on spinners instead of trusting their seamers, using the Black Caps’ tour of South Africa in August last year to back up his thoughts.
‘I think they have shot themselves in the foot. They didn’t back their seamers to do the job, and I thought their seamers bowled pretty well in South Africa. They bowled us out for 263 in Durban on quite a sporting deck,’ Piedt said.
‘I didn’t expect that New Zealand would play two spinners in the first Test and when they left Tim Southee out, I was also surprised. Just the fact that two series before that, Bangladesh and Pakistan were here and they played on surfaces that were quite sporting for the seamers. I expected it to be the same, but obviously with the type of seam attack we have they thought they would be under pressure.’
Photo: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images
