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Champions! The Proteas Men! Durban attendance! Big moments! Pre-game banter about sandpaper! Next match at my favourite cricket ground in the world! So much to discuss!
Test cricket is sold to us as a five-day game, but anyone who’s watched enough of it knows how quickly it can turn. One innings. One bowler’s spell. One batter who refuses to get out.
The first Test against Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead was exactly that. Australia were 124 for six, South Africa were on top, the ball was moving, and Durban was doing its thing. Then Matt Renshaw played the innings of his career.
His 190 off 397 balls was his first Test hundred in almost a decade and his highest Test score. Along the way, he shared a 134-run ninth-wicket stand with Nathan Lyon, Australia’s highest for that wicket against South Africa.
From “we’ve got them” to “we’re chasing the game”. That’s Test cricket for you.
Australia went on to take a 106-run first-innings lead before declaring in their second innings to set us 421. We couldn’t find the resistance we needed on the final day and were bowled out for 206. Josh Hazlewood finished with career-best Test figures of six for 49, and Australia won by 214 runs.
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My favourite SA performers from this one
A defeat like that doesn’t leave you with a long list, but a few performances stood out for me.
Aiden Markram
Our top scorer in the match, with 75 off 237 balls in the second innings. When things were falling apart on the final day, he was still there fighting. That took patience, and plenty of it.
Wiaan Mulder
The pick of our first-innings bowlers with four for 68. He helped put Australia under pressure before their lower order frustrated us, then dug in alongside Markram on the final morning. There was fight there.
Anrich Nortje
Back in Test whites for the first time since March 2023, and straight back among the wickets. After more than three years away from the format, that comeback deserves a mention. He’s an Eastern Cape boy, though. They make us different in that part of the world!
Some hard lessons
Skipper Temba Bavuma wasn’t looking for excuses afterwards. He acknowledged that “you can never really prepare for Test cricket without playing Test cricket”, but also pointed to mental mistakes.
This was South Africa’s first Test since the series in India last November. That’s a long gap, but Bavuma wasn’t prepared to blame it for the defeat. Fair enough. When you have Australia 124 for six, you have to make it count.
About that Durban crowd
The empty seats at Kingsmead drew plenty of criticism on social media. A Friday morning start won’t work for everyone, but the crowds over the course of the match still left Durban with questions to answer.
Look, I get it. I think Test cricket is the best format there is, the purest form of the game. It demands so much from the players. But I also understand that some people want to arrive, watch for a few hours and leave knowing who won. We can’t force anyone to love the longer format.
For those of us in Durban who do, though, those empty seats are worrying. I want more Test cricket here. I also worry about how we make that case if we’re not turning up.
Pre-match highlight
My favourite moment of the build-up wasn’t even on the field. It was Pick n Pay Hypermarket’s social media joke about removing sandpaper from its shelves until 31 October.
If you know, you know.
Next up is my home turf
The second Test starts on Sunday, 18 October, at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. My hometown. My favourite stadium on Earth.
I grew up watching cricket there, going back to Kepler Wessels captaining the Eastern Province side. There’s nothing quite like that ground with the brass band going all day.
I’m confident the Proteas will bounce back, and I’m backing my PE people to turn up for them. Aah, how I wish I could be there.
There’s one change to the squad for the second Test, with Matthew Breetzke replacing Tristan Stubbs. Ryan Rickelton will also take over the wicketkeeping duties.
Proteas men, let’s go! I love you, 5-nils.
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