The Proteas headed into the first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban with captain Temba Bavuma confidently naming the starting line-up a day before a ball was bowled in anger.
It was a team with great balance as the two all-rounders gave the team a lot of bowling and batting depth. With Marco van Staden back and Wiaan Mulder, who is in the form of his life with both bat and ball, it looked like a combination that South African fans have dreamt about.
But Mulder ended up with a fractured finger after being struck on the glove. He didn't really have to play a big part in the Test match with the ball, as it was the Van Staden show. But now the Proteas are going into the second Test in Durban having to mix and match their team to replace a two-for-one player such as Mulder.
Mulder and speedster Gerald Coetzee will miss the second Test in Gqeberha following injury. Added to that, the conditions in the Bay, traditionally spin friendly, could see a major re-shuffle in the team.
"Do we replace Wiaan Mulder the bowler? Or Wiaan Mulder the batsman," is the question Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha says they are grappling with.
Young left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka was added to the Proteas squad for the Test, while left-arm spinner and batsman Senuran Muthusamy also landed at the David Stuurman Airport this week.
It seems like it could be a toss up between the two when it comes to replacing Mulder, with the conditions probably being the deciding factor.
Muthusamy recently had strong game against Bangladesh, scoring a half-century and taking 4/45 to help bowl them out in the second innings. He also calls St George's Park home these days after moving to the Warriors in the off-season.
"The pitch will be assessed leading up to the game. The weather looks good for the game and sometimes (playing a second spinner) depends on the wind factor. The option of a second spinner is definitely there to be discussed over the next couple of days," Botha told the media on Tuesday.
Maphaka, on the other hand, could be making his debut if the Proteas decide to go with four seamers.
Maphaka impressed in his T20 International debut for the Proteas earlier this year in the West Indies. After doing his matric finals, he will definitely be itching to get on the park for the national team again.
"Kwena is an unbelievable talent. He has got the pace for a young guy and he has got the mental make-up, which is one of his strengths ... you can see it when you speak to him or work with him," Botha said.
"He has got a self-belief in his ability, he can bowl in the 140s for young guy, and that is exceptional. You got to give him the freedom to be himself and just let go, because he has the pace to put batters under pressure."
But while Muthusamy and Maphaka will fight it out for the place in the team, seam bowler Dane Paterson will more than likely play as a direct replacement for Coetzee.
Paterson also featured in the previous Test against Bangladesh, and showed good form in a recent First-Class match for Western Province against the Warriors. He even chipped in with a few runs with the bat.
Paterson doesn't have the pace of Coetzee, but he is wicket-to-wicket bowler, who can nip and shape the ball both ways. He is also a guy that can get reverse swing when the ball does get older.
"Generally St George's Park is a good cricket wicket, you can get runs on it. A Dane Paterson ... his style of bowling would suit that surface. Bowling that perfect length consistently and with good discipline, that can definitely come into play," Botha said.
"Our DNA is our pace, and we have to discuss that, whether it comes into it. From a spin bowling point of view, traditionally spin bowlers do come into it, even in the first innings depending on the moisture in the pitch."
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