SA vs PAK: Marco Jansen calls for ‘disciplined’ batting as South Africa on verge of WTC final qualification

South Africa are 121 runs away from qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) finale. The Temba Bavuma-led side bundled Pakistan to 237 runs in the second innings of Centurion Test but unfortunately, lost three wickets for 27 runs to end Day 4. However, they are still favourites to get the job done and the pressure is on Bavuma and Aiden Markram to take the team through.

Marco Jansen, who picked up six wickets in the second innings, understands the challenge but believes that the team can get in through with disciplined batting. After Day 4, Jansen noted that Pakistan bowled well to end the day's proceedings but expected that when the ball gets older, it will be easier to bat and South Africa can take advantage of that. He expects a different kind of challenge on the final day as the all-rounder analysed that the ball might keep low and move sideways, which can trouble them in the middle.

“The three wickets they got were three good balls, so it's not like we threw our wickets away. But as long as they get us out with good balls, there's only so much you can do as a batter. My mental point of view is to be as disciplined as possible for as long as possible. We know that with the new ball, it moves quite sharply here - especially in the second innings of the game. Once the ball gets older, it gets a lot easier to bat, and it's a nice scoring ground,” Jansen was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

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“From my perspective, if the ball shoots up, just get your hands out of the way, and then if the ball keeps a bit low, just stay nice and tight in terms of your bat next to your pad. Those two are the difficult ones to keep out. The balls that move sideways, we're used to that, so I think those are going to be the challenges for tomorrow,” he added.

South Africa continue to be top contenders for WTC final berth

Meanwhile, if South Africa fail to win the ongoing Test in Centurion, they will have another shot to qualify for the WTC final. However, the Proteas would want to wrap things up early and qualify for the summit clash with a win on Day 5.