Proteas hoping runs will be easier to find at Hagley Oval in first Test

Johannesburg - South Africa start their brief two-match Test series against New Zealand (midnight tonight) knowing they have the bowlers to win, but still unsure if the batters can provide substantial totals.

Rassie van der Dussen made a strong argument in support of his Proteas batting compadres. It’s a point that goes back a few years to the era of Ottis Gibson coaching South Africa, when pitches for Tests in this country were weighted in favour of the Proteas’ strengths – the fast bowlers.

With the exception of Kingsmead – where South Africa rarely play anyway – most of the main Test venues favour seam bowling. It was the case recently against India, and South Africa won again.

For the batters, it’s become a case of “Do what you can”. It’s meant that their egos, averages and often bodies have had to take a hit, but in the grander scheme of things, home soil has been protected.

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However, the absence of Test hundreds does, understandably, rankle.

“As a batter, your currency is runs, and in Test cricket, that currency is hundreds,” Van der Dussen said from Christchurch, where both matches against the Black Caps will be played.

In the 13 Tests the Proteas have played since Mark Boucher took over as head coach, just four batters have made hundreds, and two of those – Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock – no longer play Test cricket. The others are the openers, skipper Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram, the latter struggling in the series against India.

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That particular series featured more of those difficult South African