04 January,2018 07:01 PM IST | Cape Town | Anand Vasu
SA's Vernon Philander celebrates the wicket of England's Keaton Jennings during the Trent Bridge Test last July. PIC/Getty Images
If bowling in Test cricket is all about attacking the top of off stump, there are few better exponents of this in world cricket than Vernon Philander. He may not have the height of Morne Morkel, the pace of Kagiso Rabada or the all-round natural flair of Dale Steyn, but Big Vern, as he is called in these parts, is a master of holding the ball on one line and getting it to move this way and that, off the pitch.
Philander, who plays for the Cape Cobras and knows the Newlands pitch like the back of his hand, has always enjoyed bowling at his home ground, where locals like to believe he has the ball on a string. In seven Test matches at the venue, Philander has 38 wickets at the miserly average of 18.23. He has three five-wicket bags, including a stunning 5 for 7 against New Zealand, and was a whisker from returning perfect match figures with 9 for 99 against Pakistan.
New experience
The Indian team have never played Philander in Cape Town, and they are going to be put through their paces properly. "Look, I think, there's obviously, some grass on that wicket," said Philander yesterday. "No, I wouldn't say it's greener [than usual]. I have played all my life here. I've seen a lot of similar wickets and they haven't done much. Obviously there's a little bit of grass there but I don't think it's going to scare anyone."
That said, Philander is eagerly looking forward to giving India's batsmen a thorough examination on his home patch. "They have played most of their games at home so it'll be interesting to see how they go in South Africa. It's a total different ball game," said Philander. "We're going to have to wait and see once they pass the first Test match."
Watch the bounce
Evan Flynt, the groundsman at Newlands, has made every effort to ensure that the surface is hard enough to afford bounce. "Evan is talking about having a bit of pace on it but at the end of the day, Newlands is going to be Newlands, you got to take 20 wickets and obviously score the runs," Philander said.
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