In almost every report of the recently concluded series between South Africa and Australia it has been lamented that there were only two Test matches.
Dale Steyn leads the South African celebrations as Ricky Ponting trudges off. Shame there weren't many in the crowd to see it.
The miniseries between the two cricketing heavyweights concluded as it started; with good, hard, tense cricket played out between two sides that never quite had a handle on things. The only time either side was on top was when South Africa cruised home in the fourth innings of the first Test.
It was, truly, a gripping rollercoaster of a series. It left everyone wanting more. In fact, long before the series started, everyone just knew two Tests wouldn’t suffice – everyone wanted more
But that’s a massive positive, surely? That everyone wants more can only be good for Test cricket.
Rather than the emotion of, ‘for f**k’s sake, when will this ever end?’ experienced during the recent (pointless) India Vs England ODI series, we’ve been left yearning for more.
Hopefully such yearning will result in more bums on more seats during future Test match series. For all the on field drama in South Africa, it was played out in largely empty stadia in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
For there to be more Test cricket, there needs to be more demand. Perhaps this two Test series will be something of a catalyst in achieving that end.
By Miles Reucroft
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The crowds in at the Wanderers over the weekend were pretty good (considering it was forecast to rain on Sunday). The Cape Town test didnt reach the weekend!
One must realize that people have to work during the week. Hell, If only I could go to all 5 days! I had to take a sick day to go on Thursday:)
Good point Ori, but the Wanderers was never close to being sold out at the weekend, and that was after a terrific 1st Test. The crowd was sparce on the 5th day, too, with the match beautifully poised.
I accpet that the majority of a Test match takes place during the working week, and I would dearly love to be able to attend all five days of a game, but cannot for this reason. Yet the fifth day of England Vs India at Lord’s this year was too popular – they were turning people away at 8am! If there is enough interest people will book time off work to spend a day at the cricket. The small attendances are a result of little demand.
The SA-Aus series was a brilliant advert for Test Cricket. It was a pity the grounds weren’t near capacity, but the matches definitely caused a stir within SA. The papers and public were enthralled, and it was great to see such a massive excitement over Test cricket again.
~ Rory