Newlands pitch reveals surprises for Pakistan's team selection

Finding the perfect balance between thorough preparation and being unprepared is crucial for Pakistan as they approach the second Test match. With only a day remaining before the game, the team is still undecided on their final playing XI as they seek to gather as much insight as possible on the conditions at Newlands. However, delaying the decision too long could result in a lack of cohesion within the team, making it challenging for them to feel confident going into the match. Finding the right timing is key for Pakistan as they aim to strike the perfect balance in their preparation.

The captain Shan Masood admitted balancing the team was "tricky". "We'd like to have one final look at the pitch," he said. "Looks a bit different, less grass cover. South Africa have had the luxury of having a training session earlier than us. We'd like to take our time and see what the best possible XI is."

The Newlands surface is under scrutiny following what happened in the previous Test played here. In the first Test for new groundsman Braam Mong, India beat South Africa in a game which lasted barely 100 overs. Fast bowlers dominated the game, with uneven bounce between bat and ball, with no spin bowled; the pitch was given an "unsatisfactory" rating.

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With this being the same groundsman's second Test, interest in the nature of this strip is high on both sides, with Temba Bavuma half-joking he was told he "wasn't allowed to talk about the pitch". Over the last couple of days, the strip that will see the Test played has had a significant amount of grass removed from it, with heavy rollers going over the surface multiple times.

Either way, South Africa have named their side, with spinner Keshav Maharaj coming in. But it's a bit more complex for Pakistan. Masood pointed out one of South Africa's strengths was their seam bowling allrounders and deep batting line-up, saying it went right down to "Rabada at 10", following his heroics in the fourth innings in Centurion.

If Pakistan are to play a specialist spinner, it will invariably come at the expense of a seam bowler. That leaves them with just three seamers, which Masood appeared reluctant to commit to.

"South Africa still have four seamers playing," Masood said. "They have the luxury of quite a lot of allrounders in the squad. Mulder, Jansen, Bosch, so they can afford to make those decisions. For us, it'll be slightly trickier. We still feel pace will have a large role to play in these conditions. There was a pattern that was successful for us where [Salman] Agha bowled really well in Australia and take that forward with us. We'll have to see and probably make a decision in the evening.

Further complicating matters, Aamer Jamal, who played the least significant role among the quicks in Centurion for Pakistan, is their only allrounder, with Masood effectively confirming his place in the XI.

"Aamer links the team together. He's a very important player in the Test team going forward. That No. 8 position where you can bat as a very decent batter and bowl like a proper fast bowler. Unfortunately, the situation of the match was such apart from his first spell at Centurion he didn't really get a go. He was brought on at a time where we just took a gamble to have something different, maybe hit the wicket and force Rabada or Jansen to do something else. That was the reason behind that. But we hope he'll bowl more on this surface."

It means whichever way Pakistan go, there will be compromises one way or another. But Masood said Pakistan had been taking heart from the way they competed against the side that are "No. 1" in Test cricket. But with Pakistan letting slip a number of dominant positions over the last nine Tests, seven of which Pakistan lost, he understands belief in a side or a system can fall apart if results to prop it up aren't forthcoming.

"You want to compete against the best, and win against the best," he said. "It's heartening to compete, but we have to be ruthless, and we have to cross that line somewhere. There's a lot of potential in that side, and if we're not crossing the line, we're not doing our talent and ability justice. That only comes from a place of care, and yes we all make mistakes and sometimes don't cross this line, but I really believe this side has the ability, and people have seen there is a lot more to this side than the results suggest."

Moments after Pakistan finished training, the pitch was, unconventionally, given another heavy dose of watering under a hot sun. After that, the groundstaff threw a white sheet over the strip, and the two surrounding it. The secrets of this Newlands pitch remain concealed overnight, although, even when it stood exposed, few - especially in the Pakistan camp - seemed to really know what to expect from it.