Maketa will use tour match to solve Proteas selection puzzles

“It will work in our favour in that we want to give all the batsmen a chance to bat and can monitor our bowlers having gone hard for the first three days we have been here.

“It is an important match for us. Some of our guys are coming off good performances at home, but getting here and being exposed to the wickets will be crucial for us,” Maketa told a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

Fast bowling debutant Gerald Coetzee had settled in well.

“He has impressed a lot of the guys in the squad who may not have seen much of him, so we are excited about what he brings.

“I am always grateful to see a young player coming into the squad who is willing to learn and try different things. Having spoken to him, he also seems excited and looking forward to the opportunity he has been given.”

Maketa is confident the players who were part of the underperforming World Cup T20 squad had laid to rest those demons.

“Since we arrived here, our focus has been on how we will go about winning the series and the players who were here during the World Cup have contributed in many ways in terms of conditions, albeit T20 conditions.

“Test cricket brings with it different pressures, so I think the mental switch has definitely happened and earlier than we expected in terms of the energies we have received from them.”

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