Durban pitch will favour South Africa’s bowling line-up: Ford

Cape Town: Former Proteas coach Graham Ford believes the pitch at Kingsmead in Durban will favour South Africa``s bowling line-up in the second Test against Sri Lanka, starting on Monday.

Ford expects a bit of grass to be left on the surface but not as much as it used to be there back in the nineties. “Wilson (Ngubese, the groundsman) has already rolled the pitch hard and it is very firm. Therefore, there will be a lot more bounce and the ball will skid through quickly,” Ford told the Beeld newspaper. Ford believes that’s just what South Africa would want, Sport24 reports. “You specifically want more pace than sideways movement from the pitch, because in the latter case the Sri Lankan bowlers could also be dangerous. They don’t really have quick bowlers, but rather guys that could cause damage with movement off the seam. “The Sri Lankans don’t like it when the ball flies through at head-height,” said Ford. Ford said the fact that less grass on the surface is expected could also aid South African fast bowler, Morne Morkel. ANI