The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
DEPENDING on which end of the cricket spectrum one currently stands on; the historic four-day Boxing Day Test match between Zimbabwe and South Africa either failed dismally to live up to expectations or delivered in spades and spades.
From the cricket purists’ point of view, the match-up between these two neighboring countries was both a resounding success and an abysmal failure. None of the questions that supposedly dominated the build-up were really answered. Is there room for the four-day game in world cricket?
Will it deliver and bring more fans to the stands?And where does this format leave the five-day, one-day and T20 game? While the match itself was supposed to be the start of an experiment – that will end 2019 – someone appears to have forgotten to tell the two teams involved!
From the build-up, the two nations had other things on their mind. For the Proteas, the biggest story leading up to the match revolved around the much anticipated returns of South Africa’s two favourite cricket sons – Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers.
De Villiers had not played a Test match since January 2016 with his absence being attributed to a combination of an injury lay-off and a self-imposed sabbatical. Steyn had also missed a lot of cricket after breaking a bone on his shoulder in Australia last year.
With a series against India the next port of call, it was of grave importance that the two got some game time and remove whatever cob webs they may still have lingering. De Villiers was withdrawn from the South African Invitation XI – which beat Zimbabwe by five wickets prior to the Test, but went on to lead the team and score a half-century on his official return.
Obviously, he would have loved to play a bigger role and bat again, but Aiden Markram’s inspired century, a commanding 309 for nine (declared) first innings total and Zimbabwe’s monumental collapse denied the hosts another chance to watch their beloved hero bat again.
They will have to wait until January 5 when the Proteas begin their series against India. Steyn finished the match SA Invitational match wicketless, and failed to make the team in the Boxing Test leaving Cricket South Africa selectors with a lot to ponder about before India arrive. As for Zimbabwe; with games way too few and far in-between, the Chevrons were just happy to be there.
Now that the game done and dusted, nothing much appears to have changed since the Proteas’ posted that innings and 120-run victory over a hapless Zimbabwe side.
Zimbabwe, rather the format itself, were the biggest story coming out of the match, as the game registered as one of the shortest completed Tests in the last 50 years. With a result produced in only 907 balls Zimbabwe now has more pressing issues to address rather than the debacle around four-day game.
The gulf between Zimbabwe and other Test nations has never been this apparent as the South Africans required only 436 balls to dismiss their oppositions twice. Zimbabwe Cricket would be better suited to put all their eggs in one basket and concentrate on the shorter versions.
The team not only struggled with the pink ball but with their shot selection and did not even bat under lights; something that can be attributed to the weak developmental structures rather than anything else.It’s an old argument but one that still holds water as the country is failing to produce complete cricketers, especially considering the fact the team continues to struggle with the basics.
Alas, all is not lost.
There is an argument to be made for the four-day game and South Africa’s stand-in captain best put it in perspective.
“The batters were a little bit more positive,” AB is quoted as saying after the win. There were talks of declaring earlier than normal. It encourages more positive cricket. I still enjoy five-day [Tests] as well but there is an excitement in this format. We all enjoyed it and I think the spectators will enjoy it as well.”
There is still room for the four-game with the shortened duration forcing teams, captains and coaches to be more aggressive and positive minded; something the five-day format has been accused of lacking as the games tend to meander a lot.
That change in approach will also likely bring more fans to the stands, with the day-night approach playing into the hands of the fans rather than anybody else. Maybe another crack at the format, between two better matched-up sides and the game lasting more than two days will give a clearer answer or at the very least some form of indication to the future of the format.
