An incident at Newlands, and a curious toss call
While the pressbox waited for further instructions, Australia made a call that Newlands history might have advised against
"An incident has been reported in the building. Please await further instructions..." The recorded message was played, over and over and over, through the speakers in the Newlands pressbox on Tuesday as Temba Bavuma and Pat Cummins walked to the middle to toss before the third and deciding Test.
The voice was still parroting its message when Bavuma and Cummins reached their positions. And when Bavuma tossed. And when Cummins called correctly. And when he said Australia would field first.
Nobody in the pressbox moved. We were, of course, awaiting further instructions. “An incident has been...” The disembodied squawk was cut off in its prime, generating a jaded cheer from the gathered reporters.
The air-conditioning hadn’t been turned on, and the “incident” was that the pre-match blather in the hermetically sealed space had raised the temperature too high for the system’s liking. Ah, the power of the press!
But the real incident had happened beyond the glass and concrete box that shuts the press off from the cricket in Cape Town. Not since Faf du Plessis inserted Pakistan in January 2019 had a captain who won the toss declined the chance to bat first in a Newlands Test.
Only once before had South Africa lost a Newlands Test after being sent in to bat. It was in the days before air-conditioning or even pressboxes. England told them to bat first and beat them by an innings and 33 runs in March 1896.
South Africa have twice won after being inserted; in January 2012 and 2017. Sri Lanka were their opponents both times.
Also only once have South Africa won the toss, fielded first and lost. That was slightly more recent - also against England, by 87 runs - in December 1927 and January 1928.
Four South Africa victories have started with them winning the toss and fielding first. The last time was that match against Pakistan in 2019.
We were reminded at St George’s Park last week that Test cricket is impervious to hot takes: some of us had wondered out loud how South Africa could possibly win after shambling to 97/5 after two days. They won by an innings and 31 runs.
So it’s probably too soon to say this. But maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t field first at Newlands. Unless, maybe, if you’re South Africa. Yet, Cummins did exactly that.
It may yet prove to be the right decision, but the early signs weren’t promising. Cummins himself was on the receiving end of the first of them - the match was 37 minutes old when Aiden Markram pulled him for six. Then Nathan Lyon started bowling as early as the 11th over. Only once, against England at the MCG in December 2013, was he brought on earlier. One over earlier. Marques Ackerman leapt down the pitch to launch Lyon’s 33rd offering for six over midwicket.
Markram and Ackerman shared South Africa’s first century opening stand in 42 Test innings. For a while there Ackerman looked like surpassing Barry Richards’ 94 not out against Australia at Kingsmead in February 1970 as the highest score by a South Africa player in the opening session of a Test. All of which happened in a dozen minutes more than an hour’s play.
At lunch, Markram - who survived when Travis Head dropped a sitter off Mitchell Starc in the fifth over before the interval - was 56. Ackerman was 82. South Africa were 140 without loss. The last seven overs of the session yielded 57 runs. Australia looked increasingly off-colour.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Remember that MCG match in which Lyon bowled the 10th over? Australia had also chosen to field first. They won by eight wickets. There will be many more incidents in the building before we reach the sharp end of this game.
