Proteas need to get their spin on

No wonder Bell Pottinger did so well for so long in this country: the Proteas proved at Lord’s that South Africans are mesmerised by spin.

The fact that Moeen Ali took 10 of our wickets in two innings in the first Test is, with all due respect to him, not a reflection of his ability but of the Proteas’ woefully inadequate cricketing skills.

The 211-run thumping by England was bad enough, but we now head into a second Test without a front-line fast bowler, because KG Rabada has been banned for bad behaviour.

We have a star batsman in Hashim Amla, who has been missing in action for the entire England tour; a captain (Faf du Plessis) who has been away; a top order player floundering (JP Duminy) and a coach (Russel Domingo) who returned home because of a bereavement.

South African fans, fickle at the best of times, must now be considering setting up our own version of England’s “Barmy Army’, which was formed partly to laugh at how absurdly bad their team was playing some years ago.

But now is not the time to lose heart. A true fan remains loyal through thick and thin.

Let’s remember that if things look thin.