The Long Haul
Before the game gets under way, let’s have a look at the background to this game. Much of the data takes some believing.
This was England’s first test in South Africa since 1961.
This was South Africa’s first test in 23 years.
This was the 150th women’s test.
It was yet another 4-day game. Requests to switch all women’s tests to 5-day remain unheard.
DRS would not be available. The CSA explained: they were giving priority to the white-ball game. You can read this excuse two ways:
1 They join most cricket authorities in seeing the future of women’s cricket primarily in short-form cricket
2 They don’t posssess the finances to provide DRS. It’s an expensive addition.
Its absence would have a marked effect at the start of the game.
A cruel coincidence demonstrated the desperate state cricket has descended into; this match came on the same day as a player auction in India. 120 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer. This is not a slave market, but the prices paid and the players accepted and ignored made a mockery of events in Bloemfontein.
The boundaries were not set back. This runs counter to recent trend, and was to provide batters with plenty of chances to go the distance; the maltreatment of bowlers discounted.
How many people present were looking at a red ball for the first time in their life?
Heather Knight did the captain’s job, won the toss and chose to. bat. She and Laura Wolvaardt, announced the following XIs:
South Africa
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Anneke Bosch, Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinal Jafta (w-k), Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkuluieko Mlaba, Ayanda Hlubi
England
Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight (captain), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt- Hodge, Amy Jones (w-k), Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Ryana Macdonald-Gay, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell
Despite the rarity of tests, England gave debuts to only two players, Maia Bouchier and Ryana Macdonald-Gay.
RMG was the one big surprise. Sadly Kate Cross could not recover from her back problem quickly enough. For England’s future this was an ancouraging choice; one of the crop of highly promising youngsters was being given her chance. In a surprising move, Jon Lewis had called up Grace Potts to supplement the seam attack, but was to remain a spectator.
Given the rarity of tests, it meant it remained a lottery whether you, such a distinguished cricketer, would have the privilege of appearing in a test or not. With a leading nation like SA adopting its current policy, the days of plenty – many 5-day games played all over the world in series of at least three matches – have not arrived.
Now let’s sit back and enjoy the game before the doubtful weather, expected by the local experts, descends on us.
