Keshav Maharaj bowled one of longest spells in Test cricket en route to recording an eight-wicket haul in the recently concluded first West Indies vs South Africa Test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
In West Indies’ first innings, Maharaj bowled 40 straight overs - 28 on day three and the rest on day four as the hosts were all out. Maharaj then opened the bowling in the second innings and sent down 13 overs.
It meant that the 34-year-old left-arm spinner went through extraordinary lengths to bowl 53 consecutive overs over two innings. In all, the South African bowled 66.2 overs in the match.
The record for the longest spell in Test cricket is held by India’s Narendra Hirwani, when he bowled 59 consecutive overs, including scheduled intervals, in a match against England at The Oval in 1990.
"My passion is spin bowling. I love it," Maharaj was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. "I can wake up at two o'clock in the morning and if you ask me to bowl, I'll bowl.
"That keeps me motivated. And also, the desire to want to do well for the team and take this team in a different direction, I'll bowl the whole day if I need to," Maharaj, who plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, added.
However, Maharaj’s heroics with the ball, with match figures of 8/164, could not help South Africa cross the line in the rain-affected first Test as the match ended in a draw. A Player of the Match award was the only solace.
"It's obviously disappointing not to get a result. We're always going to play cricket to ensure that we can give ourselves the best chance, even if that process dangles the carrot with the prospect of losing a game,” he said.
Maharaj bowled 15 maidens out of his total 40 overs in the first innings conceding just 76 runs for his four wickets. In the second innings, he bowled almost half of the Proteas’ overs (26.2 off 56.2) picking up 4/88 to keep his team in the game till the very end.
"I never want the captain to take the ball away from me in Test cricket so I'm always trying to bowl my best ball and trying to be a wily old character.
"Whatever format I play, I always keep my workloads as if I'm preparing for Test cricket. I bowl for long hours and it's something I pride myself in. I don't have many variations so I try to rely on consistency and being able to do it for long periods of time,” Maharaj concluded.
