South Africa seek calm amid the rumbling

There will be beach parties, street parties and house parties, at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens there will be live music, and by the time the clock strikes 12 the annual fireworks display at the Waterfront will blast Cape Town into 2016. And somehow, South Africa have to find a way to sit in silence amid all that sound.

"It's important for our team to stay a really tight unit and try and keep the noise out," Russell Domingo, South Africa's coach, said after their Boxing Day Test defeat. "There will be a lot said, a lot written about and a lot of comments on Twitter and Facebook, and to try keep the noise out and keep in mind what this team is capable of is going to be the important thing for us."

New Year's Eve celebrations aside, South Africa are dealing with a lot of distractions ahead of the second Test. Chief among them is the selection dilemma which has grown now that a third member of pace pack, Kyle Abbott, has experienced tightness in his hamstring.

In-form Hardus Viljoen has been called up as cover but his 20 wickets in two matches still puts him last in a three-man queue led by Kagiso Rabada, who should replace Dale Steyn if his shoulder stays injured, and Chris Morris, who seems to have been picked on the basis that he can bat more than that he can bowl. If either Morris or Viljoen is capped, South Africa will field their most inexperienced bowling line-up in years, which Morne Morkel will lead.

That is not necessarily a bad thing, especially as stubbornness to send senior players from the batting department back to domestic cricket is costing South Africa more. In 20 innings between them in 2015, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy average 16.75 and 14.00 respectively but are being retained on reputation.

"When you have got players the calibre of Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, with proven records, performances under pressure and big hundreds when it counts, you know they are one or two innings away from a big score and you've got to keep believing in that," Domingo said. "Whether it's for five or 10 innings, I can't tell you that. You've just got to believe that they are going to make a score at some stage."

Amla is not faring much better, with a 2015 average of 22.81 and the extra pressure of captaincy. Having been reluctant to lead before - he even stood down as ODI vice-captain in 2011 - his current lack of form has only fuelled speculation he may want to step aside again but he maintains he won't. "I definitely want to continue. I've enjoyed every minute of captaining," Amla said. "It's just been disappointing not to get the runs. But in the middle of a Test series like this, I am getting more and more hungry to get runs on the board."

His cause is not being helped by controversial comments from former captain Graeme Smith, who remains close to many players in the side and does not seem to be offering Amla much support. In one analysis, Smith said the team "needs leadership to be strong and to make good decisions for the team", in another he sensed "a few rumblings in the South African camp at the moment".

Domingo darted in to shield Amla from scrutiny over what Smith said but it was not overly convincing. "Smithy is entitled to his opinion," Domingo said. "From what I am aware, it seems a pretty happy camp. They are not happy with the performances but they are all supporting and backing each other and supporting the captain 100%. The issues or the gripes that [Smith] is perceiving - I'm not too sure where they are coming from."

They are coming from the rumours of AB de Villiers' early retirement, which even Smith has hinted at, despite de Villiers saying he just wants to manage his workload. On the BBC's Test Match Special, Smith said "his interview wasn't that convincing" and, since he remains very friendly with de Villiers, he would know.

The selectors have already taken a step to ease de Villiers' concerns by including Quinton de Kock in the squad for the second Test. They have not confirmed that de Kock will play, or if he will keep, but it seems a poorly kept secret that he will and that South Africa believe it will be the solution to all their batting woes. It will not.

Although de Kock is in form, he is one man in form. De Villiers has already showed South Africa they need more than that, even more than two. De Kock cannot ease the concerns over the top two, he cannot help Amla or du Plessis or Duminy find form, and he cannot single-handedly stop the noise. For that, South Africa need to ring the New Year in by putting on a better performance at Newlands. Then, given the high percentage of English supporters expected at the ground, it will be quiet.