Proteas to be without biggest weapon

South Africa’s speedsters will be without one of their biggest weapons for the second Commonwealth Bank Test in Hobart, according to Blundstone Arena head curator Marcus Pamplin.

The Proteas pacemen used reverse swing to great effect in Perth in their 177-run thrashing of Australia, in particular rising star Kagiso Rabada who claimed 5-92 in the fourth innings and produced an early candidate for ‘ball of the summer’ with a blistering inswinger to castle Usman Khawaja.

The abrasive centre square at the WACA Ground, of which six of the 10 pitches had been used in the previous month, was the main catalyst for ball to reverse swing at a venue where Australia captain Steve Smith said he’d never seen it before.

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Unlike the WACA Ground, Blundstone Arena has barely seen any elite cricket this summer, and its lush outfield and cool climate has Pamplin believing the ball will swing only traditionally during the second Test that starts on Saturday.

"I don’t reckon there will be any reverse swing," Pamplin told reporters on Friday.

"I reckon it will just be conventional swing and if there’s a bit of cloud around it could swing around a little bit.

"When the sun comes out, eventually, it should be good for batting too."

Tasmania allrounder James Faulkner, who has played 24 first-class matches at Blundstone Arena in his career for the Tigers, agrees with Pamplin.

"I wouldn’t expect the ball to reverse much here because the wickets around the square and the outfield would be quite soft," Faulkner told cricket.com.au on Thursday.

"This (Test) will be the first game on it, so I wouldn’t think it would reverse."

South Africa opening batsman Dean Elgar underlined what an advantage reverse swing bowling is yesterday, and how his side’s bowlers are adept at controlling the mysterious art.

"For a bowler to be able to bowl with a reversing ball is a massive skill," Elgar said.

"We’re fortunate that most, if not all, of our bowlers can bowl with the reversing ball, which works in our favour quite nicely.

"As it worked out in Perth the ball reversed in both innings when we were bowling and it proved to be a massive asset for us."

While revere swing is unlikely, so is the threat of sharp turn on the green surface.

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Only 14 out of 168 wickets fell to spin in first-class competition in Hobart last summer, and Pamplin predicts that ratio to remain the same in the Test match.

"If there’s seam there should be a bit of spin early on," Pamplin said.

"I don’t think it’s going to break up enough to allow the spinners to get any purchase on this pitch at all."

Heavy rain is forecast for Saturday’s first day but Pamplin is confident the game will start on time before showers hit, with weather projections significantly better for the final four days.