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Mohammed Siraj’s Cape Town spell – heralding a new beginning
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Mohammed Siraj’s Cape Town spell – heralding a new beginning

Darpan Jain
Last updated: January 3, 2024
6 min read
Mohammed Siraj’s Cape Town spell – heralding a new beginning

Mohammed Siraj’s first wicket gave an indication of what to expect for the rest of the day. It was fuller than back of a length, just outside off-stump, a tempting line forcing the batter to play. Aiden Markram played the line, but the late movement away from him took the outside edge and flew to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who completed a low catch.

The Newlands can be ruthless for batters on some days, as history suggests. It’s among the stiffest venues to bat when the ball is new, and the proceedings have just begun. However, the New Year saw a massive change, for the ball misbehaved thoroughly, unlike the previous patterns, when the tracks settled down after the initial burst here.

For the pacers, the conditions were as favourable as possible when South Africa came to bat in the first innings. For a change, South Africa were also short on luck this time. They were punished more often for false shots, resulting in wickets more often than they did in the previous Test or tours, for that matter.

Mohammed Siraj stood out despite all the drama unfolding in Newlands, which saw 23 wickets falling in a day. Not for his marathon spell that saw him run through the African lineup in a flash. We have seen that before, albeit in a different format.

It was Siraj’s consistency that was probably more impressive. While he possesses those skillsets to be a successful Test bowler, Siraj has always lacked consistency – to set up the batters by bowling immaculate areas. He would bowl unplayable deliveries at regular intervals and rely on those magic deliveries rather than hitting a length consistently and in the right direction.

In the first Test, Siraj bowled two unplayable deliveries and plenty of loose balls on either side of the wickets. When Jasprit Bumrah craved more support, Siraj kept spraying it all around. He himself admitted it.

“My mindset was to give a strong performance for the team and correct the shortcomings from the last Test. I realised what mistakes I had made and got it right today, and got the success. My strength is to land the ball in the right areas for a long period of time, but I wasn’t able to do that in the last game,” said Siraj following an action-packed first day.

He got almost every one of them right in this innings. Dean Elgar tried to guide it towards the off-side, but the late movement again did the trick. The line was also close enough not to allow him to work on the off-side and take the inside edge to crash the stumps.

Siraj had a plan for all the batters. He put a leg slip and bowled one down the leg-side to Tony de Zorzi, mainly targeting his body, to take an edge straight to KL Rahul. Similarly, Siraj dismissed as many as six batters, not with his infamous magic deliveries, but with his relentless lines and lengths.

Also Read: WATCH: Virat Kohli asks the dressing room to bow down after Dean Elgar’s final Test innings

David Bedingham and Marco Jansen were all culprits of his immaculacy. The excessive bounce worked in his favour, for Siraj hit the top of the willow often. Late shape, precise unpredictable bounce, and pinpoint consistency unerringly unleashed the ‘Miyan Magic’ at the picturesque Newlands as Siraj registered his career-best figures.

Not once did he miss his mark, and Siraj looked to be getting a wicket on almost every delivery. He created at least a couple of chances every over. It’s impossible to be as threatening consistently if you rely on magic deliveries.

It was a mature Siraj on show in Newlands, confirmed by the fact that he didn’t get carried away by the favourable conditions despite bowling nine overs on the trot. Numerous times in the past, Siraj has been guilty of overtrying things when the conditions demanded consistency. The Centurion Test was one of many instances.

Even during those nightmare spells against Sri Lanka, Siraj tried too much for instant success. It worked on a few occasions but failed plenty of times. He was process-driven rather than over-ambitious, eventually resulting in fruitful rewards this time.

“On such pitches when there is so much swing and the pitch is misbehaving, bowlers tend to be greedy and try too many things,” said Siraj. “I think it’s important to stick to a plan and hit a certain area. If you try too much, you will put yourself and the team under pressure. On this pitch, it’s crucial to have bowling partnerships as sometimes, runs can be leaked while trying to get wickets.”

His inconsistency was the most significant reason why Siraj couldn’t be a leader of the pack in Test cricket. Mohammed Siraj needed to fill in big shoes when Mohammed Shami was out due to an injury. Unfortunately, he couldn’t in the first Test, and his loose bowling meant Jasprit Bumrah was the lone reliable option for India.

While the six-wicket haul will grab the limelight, Mohammed Siraj’s improved game awareness and maturity would please the team management more. When he smells blood, Siraj is unstoppable. Hopefully, he also follows it with his bowling plans and sticks to accuracy now that he knows what’s best for him.

It was the best he has ever bowled in international cricket with any parameter. The New Year has brought a new version of Mohammed Siraj, the best among the ones unleashed till now.

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