South Africa captain Dean Elgar expressed his disapproval of The Gabba pitch, with the first Test between Australia and the Proteas lasting just 144.2 overs across just two days of play.
The first of three Tests at The Gabba concluded just on its second day on Sunday, happened to be the second shortest Test Down Under, with the hosts registering a six-wicket win in an incredibly low-scoring affair.
Fifteen wickets fell on the opening day, with South Africa being bundled out for 152, while 19 came on the second. With the pitch offering excessive bounce to speedsters throughout, the South Africa captain Elgar wondered if the surface was ideal for Test cricket.
“You’ve got to ask yourself – is that a good advertisement for our format? Thirty-four wickets in two days; a pretty one-sided affair, I would say. We want to see the game go to four or five days,”
he said after the match.
“The nature of how it started to play, with some seriously steep bounce with the old ball, you’re on a hiding to nothing as a batting unit. Only three batsmen applied themselves half decently and scored runs. I don’t think that was a very good Test wicket.”
Elgar revealed that he had approached the on-field umpires during the closing stages of Australia’s run-chase of 34, when the conditions seemed far from ideal. However, there was no response as such given that the game was nearing its end.
“When ‘KG’ (Rabada) got (Travis) Head out down leg (on Sunday), I said, ‘How long does it go on for before it potentially is unsafe?’ Then (Anrich) Nortje was bowling those short ones that were flying over our heads.
“I know the game was dead and buried. It was never to change or put a halt to the game, but that was where the umpires’ discretion comes into play; not us as players.”
The second Test will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26.
