Veteran South African spinner Keshav Maharaj said that spin bowling remains his passion and added that he is ready to bowl an entire day if need be. The veteran left-arm spinner also shared that he concentrates most on Test cricket out of all the formats as well. He was superb on a docile Trinidad wicket in the opening Test against the West Indies that eventually resulted in a draw as well. Maharaj, however, bowled a 28-over spell in the first innings and sent down 40 overall, claiming figures of 40-15-76-4. He also had figures of 26.1-2-88-4 in the second innings, but the Proteas didn’t have enough time to force a win as well.
Speaking from Trinidad, Maharaj stated as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, “My passion is spin bowling. I love it. I can wake up at two o’clock in the morning and if you ask me to bowl, I’ll bowl. That keeps me motivated. And also, the desire to want to do well for the team and take this team into a different direction, I’ll bowl the whole day if I need to.”Whatever format I play, I always keep my workloads as if I’m preparing for Test cricket. The only thing that changes is your lengths and sometimes your lines a little bit, but from a longevity point of view, I still bowl my long hours, regardless of whether it’s T20 or fifty-over cricket.”
Having played his first Test in November 2016 against Australia, Keshav Maharaj has become South Africa’s No.1 spinner in the format as well. With 166 scalps, he is only five away from becoming the Proteas’ leading wicket-taker among spinners in the longer format as well. The Durban-born cricketer also added that it was disappointing not to get a result in Trinidad and further suggested that they would try their best for the same in Guyana as well.
“It’s obviously disappointing not to get a result. We’re always going to play cricket to ensure that we can give ourselves the best chance, even if that process dangles the carrot with the prospect of losing a game. Draws don’t count for much. We obviously know there’s a World Test Championship at stake, but we’re focusing on each and every game,” he again said via ESPN Cricinfo.
