Top 3 Spells By Keshav Maharaj in Test Cricket
Maharaj made his Test debut in Australia. (AP)
South Africa's consistent spinner, Keshav Maharaj, stands out as one of the rare finger-spinners preserving the diminishing art across all three cricket formats. Despite the prevailing trend favoring leg-spinners, especially in white-ball cricket, Maharaj, an orthodox left-arm bowler, has managed to establish himself as a reliable performer since entering the Test side in 2016. He has succeeded in keeping things tight for his country, whether at home or away.
Since making his debut, Maharaj has become an indispensable part of the Test team. In his first year in Test cricket, Maharaj played three Tests, but he could only secure eight wickets at an average of 34. In his second year, Maharaj showed why he received constant backing from the team management by taking 48 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 23, with a personal best of 6/40. The year 2017 remains the best for Maharaj in Test cricket. Then came 2018, another fantastic year for Maharaj, where he bagged 34 wickets at an average of 33 in nine Tests, with a personal best of 9/129. In the same year, he achieved his first and only ten-wicket haul of his career.
2019 was a tough year. Despite playing mostly in subcontinent conditions, Maharaj couldn’t make his first India tour count as he performed poorly on that tour, securing only 12 wickets in five matches. The year 2020 was affected by COVID-19, and during that time, he took only eight wickets, aided by a five-fer in three Tests. In 2021 and 2022, he ended with 19 and 25 wickets, respectively. His best bowling average is against Bangladesh (14.50), while the worst bowling average is against India (94.75).
A consistent bowler in Tests for the Proteas, Maharaj has been their spin bowling backbone. Here at OneCricket we look at his top 3 spells in Test cricket.
9/129 vs Sri Lanka (2018)
Maharaj recorded his best bowling figures in Sri Lanka. (AP)
In the second Test against Sri Lanka at the SSC Stadium in Colombo, South Africa, after winning the toss, opted to bat first. Keshav Maharaj's exceptional performance with the ball, claiming 9 for 129 in 41.1 overs, limited the hosts to under 350.
Despite a solid opening partnership of 116 runs between Danushka Gunathilaka (57) and Dimuth Karunaratne (53), Maharaj's quick dismissals brought South Africa back into the Test. His guile accounted for key figures in the Lankan middle order, including Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, and Angelo Mathews. Maharaj's brilliance reduced Sri Lanka to 264 for 9 before a late resistance from Akila Dananjaya (43*) and Rangana Herath (35) pushed the hosts to 338.
While Maharaj wasn't as effective in the second innings, securing three wickets in 40 overs and conceding 154 runs, he concluded the match with an impressive 12 wickets. Despite Theunis de Bruyn's valiant 101, South Africa was all out for 290 in pursuit of the challenging target of 490.
7/32 vs Bangladesh (2022)
Maharaj was the star with the ball vs Bangladesh. (AP)
Maharaj showed his class once again, securing his first seven-wicket haul of the series as South Africa clinched a commanding 332-run victory against Bangladesh in the second and final Test.
Despite going wicket-less in the first innings, Maharaj made a stunning comeback, delivering exceptional figures of 7/32 in the second innings to dismantle the Bangladeshi batting lineup. The resistance from Bangladesh crumbled within an hour on day four, with Maharaj weaving a masterful spell. The visitors were dismissed for a mere 80 runs in their second innings, sealing South Africa's series victory with a 2-0 triumph.
These figures rank as Maharaj's second-best performance in Test cricket. In the first Test, where Bangladesh chased a target of 274, Maharaj's brilliance led to their collapse as they were bowled out for just 53 runs, securing a 220-run win for South Africa.
6/40 vs New Zealand (2017)
This was Maharaj's second five-wicket haul vs NZ. (X.com)
Maharaj used his variations in pace and flight to perplex the batting lineup of New Zealand at the Basin Reserve. The first victim after tea was opener Jeet Raval, who, despite surviving three chances after reaching 50, was eventually stumped on 80 by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Following a 65-run partnership with Jeet Raval, BJ Watling became Maharaj's next victim, making the second-highest score of 29 before being dismissed, securing the spinner's sixth wicket. The Proteas added 10 runs to their overnight score of 349 for nine, with Morne Morkel being bowled by Jeetan Patel for 40. It was Maharaj, who tilted the game in South Africa's favor by claiming the wickets of first innings centurion Henry Nicholls and James Neesham in a single over, leaving the hosts at 90/5 before tea.
While Raval and Watling had provided New Zealand with a glimmer of hope to see out the third day and build on their slender lead, Maharaj instigated a collapse in the final session. This collapse saw the last five wickets falling for just 16 runs. Maharaj's stellar bowling efforts restricted New Zealand to a lead of only 80 runs. In pursuit of a target of 81, South Africa confidently secured victory by eight wickets.
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
