Five days of Test fun in the sun
Battle royal in Proteas-Black Caps one-match Centurion shoot-out
AHUNDRED or so members of the South African National Defence Force stood around the boundary at SuperSport Park yesterday. First they faced the middle, towards a pitch Proteas captain Faf du Plessis admitted he was a little unsure of.
An order was barked, they spun on their heels, an aboutturn to face the other way, towards where the Northerns Cricket Union hope the crowds will pack in today for the first Test match to be played here during the month of August, against New Zealand.
They practised saluting as a brass band played the national anthems. An air force private had her saluting technique corrected by a fussy superior, her hand lifted a little higher and the angle shifted.
Then they marched off, to return today when SuperSport Park will celebrate the Defence Force. Spectators have been asked to wear camouflage to pay tribute.
There will be tanks and armoured personnel carriers on the east side of the ground, camo in the stands, a ring of soldiers around the field, paratroopers floating down and a guard of honour made up by the local defence force cricket team.
All set up for a game that has become a one-match shootout after the nonsense of a ruined field in Durban. Will it be war? Probably. A battle royal at the very least.
The good news is that the outfield is dry. In fact, Du Plessis, who lives in Cape Town but still plays for the Titans, said he had never seen his home ground in such fine shape. It is pristine, green and cut to perfection. The wicket? Well, that’s another matter.
“The wicket looks a touch on the soft side and a little moist,” said Du Plessis when asked about whether they would make changes to the starting line-up that never really got to start in Durban. The Titans players in the team had been talking about the condition of the field they call the “home of cricket”.
“The outfield is looking amazing, the best I have ever seen it. It is normally brown and dead at this time of year. The pitch, though, looks on the slow side. The sun plays a different role here and we are expecting five days of sun.”
Five days of sun and uninterrupted play is the thing of dreams for the Northerns Cricket Union, and perhaps why this August date is perfect for SuperSport Park.
Elise Lombard, the late chief executive of Northerns who died from a heart attack four years ago this month, used to joke that she had the SA weather service on speed dial.
You can see the rain coming from a distance at SuperSport Park as it sweeps in from Joburg, over the highway and the elevated Gautrain line.
The rain has caused heartache here. It gave Hansie Cronjé reason to be tempted to engineer a match 16 years ago.
But SuperSport Park has been good for the SA Test team. They have won 16 of the 21 Test matches hosted at the ground, drawing three and losing just two.
Du Plessis spoke at length yesterday about how Test cricket remained the ultimate for the players, how there was nothing better than sitting down at the end of the day with your “bowlers’ toes bleeding” from pounding in across that perfect outfield towards a somewhat soft and a little moist wicket.
He wants more Tests. He is desperate for five days of sun. Test cricket on the Highveld in August? Who would have thought? It might just catch on.