Sri Lanka's steely prep for Proteas

Returning Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has revealed an unorthodox training method used by Sri Lanka in preparation for the bouncy wickets they expect to encounter on their tour of South Africa.

Mathews and vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal have both been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for their three-Test series against the Proteas after the pair missed their tour of Zimbabwe, with veteran spinner Rangana Herath taking the reins for their 2-0 series win against the 10th-ranked Test nation last month.

And to help adapt to their threat posed by the likes of South Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada, Mathews said his side had put granite on their training surfaces in a bid to replicate the unfamiliar lift not often found in pitches on the island-nation.

"The pace the boys are used to, it's just the the bounce and the conditions that we need to get used to," Mathews said.

"We used a lot of granite stuff (while training in Sri Lanka), especially the batters. When you use a piece of granite, the ball is coming on to you quicker.

“The granite is laid down on the pitch and you can throw the ball on it so that it comes on quicker.

"We've done everything possible to try and counterattack the South African fast bowlers and get used to their conditions.

“We have about 12 days before we play our first Test on Boxing Day. We'll try and use those days to the maximum so that we get things right."

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South Africa named uncapped batsman Theunis de Bruyn in a 13-man squad for the series, which gets underway in Port Elizabeth on Boxing Day, before Cape Town and Johannesburg host the two remaining Tests in the new year.

Faf du Plessis, who was confirmed as South Africa’s long-term captain on Monday after AB de Villiers stepped down at Test skipper, will lead the team.

It will be the first series between the two countries played in South Africa since 2011/12.

South Africa have won eight of 10 previous home Tests against Sri Lanka, with one defeat and one drawn match.

De Bruyn, 24, who has been picked as a back-up batsman, and all-rounder Wayne Parnell are the only members of the Proteas squad who did not play in the Commonwealth Bank Test series in Australia last month, where South Africa prevailed 2-1.

Missing from the squad that journeyed Down Under are fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, as well as batsman Rilee Rossouw, all because of injury, while left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and two back-up players, all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius and wicketkeeper Dane Vilas, were not picked.

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De Villiers was also not considered as he has not fully recovered from an elbow injury.

Parnell, who has not played in a Test match since the 2013/14 season, missed the Australian tour because of injury.

Sri Lanka, whose players arrived in South Africa on Sunday, will play their only warm-up game before the Tests when they play in a three-day match against a South African Invitation XI in Potchefstroom from Sunday to Tuesday.

South African squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Stephen Cook, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada

Sri Lanka squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, Vikum Sanjaya Bandara, Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera.

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