Faf du Plessis wants a bowler friendly pitch in the second Test

Bangladesh was thumped in the first Test against the Proteas. They were put to the ground by 333 runs and barely gave South Africa a fight. This win does not come as a surprise as South Africa are better than most of the sides in the world. That said, Bangladesh is extremely poor on the road as their only success in any format of the game came against the lacklustre Sri Lankans.

Mushfiqur Rahim gathered reasons for the defeat. He seemed a bit harsh on his bowlers as Bangladesh were very poor in the first innings. Whereas the Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis was upset for a different reason altogether. The pitch in the first game was not what they expected and Faf wants that to change in the second Test.

Faf upset with the groundsman

He was extremely disconcerted with the pitch in Potchefstroom. Du Plessis wanted the pitch to work for the fast bowlers but it was nothing like that. He said that the wicket for the second Test should be bowler friendly and should have some grass on it.

“I was really disappointed with the conditions. They were not what we asked for. Hopefully, there will be a bit more grass on the pitch in Bloemfontein. I am expecting more bounce and carry,” the victorious captain told the reporters.

Morkel out for six weeks

Morne Morkel left the field after bagging two wickets on Sunday morning. He is out with a side strain and joins Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, and Chris Morris on the sidelines. That list is filled with talent, class, and experience and Faf will miss Morkel dearly in the second Test. Morkel is expected to be out for six weeks.

He seemed happy with Morkel’s performance and said that he has reached the level everybody expected him to reach. Faf said, “To lose another key member of our bowling attack is very disappointing. Standing behind Morne (in the slips) is fantastic. He’s bowling a touch fuller and he’s hitting the stumps. He’s reached that level as a bowler that everyone expected him to be.”