Philander wants attacking Proteas
"I'd like to see our guys stepping up against the spinners."
Proteas all-rounder, Vernon Philander, says his side will have to strike early and box-smart in order to be effective in expected spin-friendly conditions.
The Proteas will face Sri Lanka once again in a two-match test series starting in Galle on Wednesday, and the hot and humid conditions are expected to provide swing to the occasion.
“The more damage you can do with the new ball the better,” Philander said after training.
“You want batsmen five, six and seven batting against a newish nut. In these conditions you want to be striking with the new ball, our lines upfront need to get the batsmen to play.
” I wouldn’t really say that lengths change, its more the line of attack,” he said of bowling in the sub-continent.
“You need to sit on that off-stump line, and make sure you get the lbw into the game, the wider ball becomes the knick-off. Hopefully we can adjust really quickly and assess conditions accordingly.
“Spin is always a factor when you come to the sub-continent, that’s why they prepare wickets to suit their bowlers. He (Rangana Herath) is going to be a big threat, but our batsmen played him quite well in the last one-dayer in Hambantota, so hopefully we can continue to do so.
“I’d like to see our guys stepping up against the spinners and playing them to the best of their abilities.”
