Kyle Verreynne says the Proteas batsmen will approach Pakistan’s spin attack differently.

South Africa will begin the defence of their World Test Championship title in Lahore on Sunday, facing conditions expected to heavily favour Pakistan’s spinners.

While there’s added pressure on the Proteas as reigning champions, Verreynne believes their batting unit is ready for the challenge.

“I think the most important thing for us is to try not to change too much. You don’t want to fix something that isn’t broken and we’re in a good place at the moment,” he said. “Yes, there’s more pressure and expectation, but we’ll focus on what’s made us successful over the last 18 to 24 months.”

The wicketkeeper-batsman says sweeping will be a key part of his personal strategy, but the team’s plan allows each player to stick to their strengths.

“When it comes to me, I like sweeps. I’ve had a lot of success with them in the past on the subcontinent. That’s obviously going to be a strategy,” Verreynne explained.

“There are a lot of guys who don’t sweep – I don’t think you’re going to see a whole batting group suddenly start playing those kinds of shots. We’ve got eight or nine guys who’ll approach it in eight or nine different ways.”

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The Proteas drew confidence from their previous tour to Bangladesh, where they successfully adapted to similar conditions. Verreynne, who scored a century on that tour, believes that experience will serve them well.

“It’s a similar type of series in many ways. There’s a lot we can take from that Bangladesh series, also in terms of our preparation,” he said. “It puts me at ease because I know what to do in those conditions. If I can do the same thing I did in Bangladesh, hopefully I’ll be successful – and that applies to the team as well.”

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Although the Proteas didn’t play a warm-up match in Pakistan, they prepared for spin in a training camp in Pretoria designed to mimic subcontinent surfaces.

“You always want to play as much cricket as possible before a series, but if the schedule doesn’t allow it, then you can’t really do that.

“I think the camp we had was excellent. We had a training session here yesterday and the guys probably look better than they’ve ever looked. I think we’re really well prepared.”

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