COLOMBO - South African skipper Hashim Amla on Wednesday backed struggling leg-spinner Imran Tahir to come good, saying he had the qualities to be a match-winning bowler.
The 35-year-old Pakistan-born spinner took just one wicket off 45 overs in the first Test at Galle, raising doubts about his role as an attacking spinner in a side which has traditionally struggled to produce quality slow bowlers. While his one-day record is commendable, Tahir has failed to translate that success into Test cricket, having taken 37 wickets in 14 Tests at an average of 45.67. "Imran is a quality performer. I am not concerned about him at all. He has been exceptional in the shorter format of the game," said Amla ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka starting in Colombo on Thursday.
"Test cricket is a challenging place. He will come good, it will take a few good performances to get his confidence back. "He is a wonderful bowler. I'd say he is one the most highly skilled leg-spinners in the world." Such high praise from the captain is likely to boost Tahir's morale as he gears up for the second Test. A victory would hand South Africa their first series win on the island in 21 years. The Proteas won the first Test in Galle by 153 runs to go 1-0 up in the two-match rubber, giving Amla a win in his first Test as captain.
Amla said the side was not thinking too much about their winless record in series on the island. "What is more on our minds is to play good cricket for the next five days," he said. "Fortunately we've got the backing of a one-nil victory behind us. But the bigger picture is to play some solid cricket in (this) match. We come here with a clean slate, we have to forget what happened in the last Test."
Sri Lanka may hand a first Test cap to 21-year-old wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella as they bid to level the two-Test series against South Africa.
Dickwella was drafted into the squad for the match in Colombo starting on Thursday after fast bowler Shaminda Eranga was ruled out of the series with a hand injury. Eranga had eight stitches inserted to the webbing between his right thumb and index finger while fielding in the first Test at Galle which Sri Lanka lost by 153 runs.
Dickwella may replace out-of-form wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal. "Chandimal is available for selection but Dickwella also has a good chance of playing tomorrow," captain Angelo Mathews told a news conference on Wednesday. "We will take final decision after looking at the wicket."
Mathews said the loss in Galle was a wake-up call for his team who had been in a good run since December, winning the Asia Cup, the World T20 and their first test series in England. "If you look at the past six months we have played some good cricket but that is all history and in the past, we have got to move on take one game and series at a time," Mathews said.
"Every series is a challenge for us it is mentally and physically depressing, it can take a lot out of your body as well but that's the challenge as players we have got to face." The Singhalese SC track is normally excellent for batting. "It is usually a flat wicket, it does a little bit in the morning session and then turns out to be a batting paradise. I hope it will be different," said Mathews.
"But whatever the pitch we play on we've got find ways to beat South Africa. "They are a very balanced team in all three departments and we expect a massive challenge from them. "We have got to sharpen our game in every aspect to compete with them. It's all about mental preparation, we need to prepare for it and the toss won't make a massive difference," he added.