Grass on Kingsmead Test strip makes for happy Elgar ahead of first Bangladesh Test

Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar has hoped for a fair-weather surface at Kingsmead for the Bangladesh series and seeing grass on the pitch made him happy.

Latter-day Kingsmead has gained a reputation of being spin-friendly, as compared to being a pace haven since post-isolation.

Elgar has experienced Kingsmead in all its spinning ingloriousness when playing for the Titans in the 2020/21 Four-Day Franchise Series final against the Dolphins, where 24 of the game's 30 wickets fell to spin.

In SA's last Test outing at Kingsmead, where they lost to Australia in 2018, it was Mitchell Starc's reverse swing that did the trick.

Elgar though commended KwaZulu-Natal cricket for preparing a pitch that is set to last five days as Kingsmead gears to host the first Test between SA and Bangladesh from Thursday onwards.

"We want more grass on the wicket and I think the preparation has been good," Elgar said.

"I'm not too familiar with what they've done, but it looks like some grass has grown here. I think it helps if you put water on the pitch.

"That tends to make grass grow, but there is a little bit of grass cover and I hope they can create a bit more pace and bounce.

"Hopefully, it's a wicket that'll last five days, but the nature of Kingsmead has been the lower and lower variant with more for spinners.

"It does seem they've put a lot of effort into this wicket."

The Test will be Bangladesh's second at a coastal venue in South Africa. They played their very first one at Buffalo Park in East London in 2002, but in subsequent outings, they've been limited to the Highveld.

The Asian sides have been kept to the Highveld and Cape Town because of their success against the Proteas in Durban.

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