South Africa get the Maharaj boost as they seek turnaround

Is the toss still the key to winning a Test match in Pakistan? Pakistan did win the toss in Lahore and used it to establish a position of advantage that South Africa never seriously looked like reining in. But there was enough to suggest it might not have the decisive hold on a game as it did at times during Pakistan's last home season, with South Africa digging in for long periods with the bat against Pakistan's spinners, and outscoring Pakistan's third innings in their final reply.

For Pakistan, the win promises to set up a better World Test Championship cycle than the last one, and a win in the second Test in Rawalpindi would get one of their tougher series out of the way and give them a platform to push for a top-two spot in what is a favourable two-year draw.

Unusually for them, there has been stability and quiet around the composition of the side. Notably, the only point of selectorial discussion that emerged concerned the captaincy of the ODI team, all but ending Mohammad Rizwan's brief stint. But in terms of personnel, strategy or game plan, continuity appears to be the keyword as far as this series goes.

South Africa's stand-in captain Aiden Markram refused to put his side's loss in the first Test down to the toss, choosing instead to focus on controllables. They, in fact, looked solid in adverse circumstances, despite losing the toss and conceding a substantial first-innings lead. England crumbled in similar circumstances last year, but South Africa matched Pakistan toe-to-toe for the second half of the Test.

A similar effort in Rawalpindi could see them pose even sterner questions of Pakistan, especially if they get the opportunity to bat first. Keshav Maharaj's return changes the equation, too, with the visitors having their most crucial bowler in these conditions available. It potentially allows South Africa to sneak in another quick bowler, with Marco Jansen the likeliest option with his ability to extract bounce and add batting heft to the lower order.

South Africa knew what to expect coming into the series, and after the first Test, they will be much better equipped to deal with it. For Pakistan, Lahore was yet more vindication of their turn to these slower tracks; all they are looking for is more of the same.

Pakistan WLWLL (last five Tests, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWW

Pakistan won't win the toss every game, and Shan Masood has spoken of finding different ways of winning at home. Shaheen Shah Afridi offered a glimpse of how they might go about that, using his ability to reverse swing the ageing ball on a wearing surface. With Hasan Ali not quite up to speed yet, that responsibility is set to fall on Afridi once more. While success for Noman Ali and Sajid Khan is expected, whether Afridi's electric burst to seal the win in Lahore is repeatable will reveal if there are more dimensions to Pakistan's Test side than a crackling dusty surface.

The limelight will fall invariably on Keshav Maharaj, a step up from the spin options South Africa had at their disposal in Lahore. Maharaj was made for this sort of wicket with his ability to use drift as well as the arm ball, and take wickets both with the ones that turn and those that go straight. Combine his skills with the surface he has to work with, and South Africa may find themselves using the spinner on autopilot from one end.

Masood hinted strongly at satisfaction with the combination Pakistan went with in Lahore. While there is some pressure on Abdullah Shafique, an unchanged unit is the likeliest.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Shan Masood (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Agha, 8 Noman Ali, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Sajid Khan

South Africa have questions about both personnel and combination. They went with three specialist spinners while opting for Wiaan Mulder as the second seamer, but he ended up bowling just two overs all match. Maharaj will come in for sure, and Jansen could be an option on a Rawalpindi surface that has historically offered some bounce.

South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Dewald Brevis, 4 Tony de Zorzi, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Senuran Muthusamy, 10 Simon Harmer, 11 Kagiso Rabada

Rawalpindi is slightly cooler than Lahore, but Pakistan will attempt to prepare the same spin-friendly strip. There haven't been any of the extreme measures - the fans or wedding-style heaters and tents - that characterised the build-up to the deciding Test against England. It may end up a slightly more balanced strip, though the slower bowlers will remain the primary sources of wickets across the game.