By Dave Durbach
Korea Times Correnpondent
PRETORIA ― In these days of instant gratification, there's something to be said about a sport in which a single game can drag on long enough that one can go away for the weekend and continue watching upon returning. Watching cricket live requires a huge amount of patience, but it offers rewards that few other sports can - for example, the opportunity to be fully justified in sitting still for five consecutive days, doing little but drinking beer from 10 in the morning, all for the sake of national pride.
The game of test cricket - the full, most revered form of the game - has come under fire in recent years owing to the popularity of the shorter 50-over (which started in the 1970s) and 20-over (a relatively recent invention) forms of the game. South Africa has just completed its first test match since March, and though the game ended in a draw, it was an exciting affair by cricketing standards, and will be remembered for years to come.
For those who haven't yet learned to savor the joys of cricket, in the interest of good journalism, I decided to pay the game the attention it deserved.
The game started on Wednesday. I enjoyed the first day's play from the comfort of the couch. At the end of play, South Africa was well poised on 262 for the loss of 4 wickets, kingpin Jacques Kallis well-poised on 112 not out.
Intent on seeing England embarrassed by the home team, I made my way to Pretoria the following day, with my ostensible task being to pick up my visa at the Korean embassy. Having accomplished this task, and seeing as how I'd driven all the way from Johannesburg to Pretoria (a full 30 minutes), reason suggested it was wise for me to spend the rest of the day watching cricket and drinking beer at Centurion. I took my seat around 11am, meeting an American friend who had made his way up from Lesotho for the game. Play had been going on for an hour already. The sun was beating down, driving spectators into the rapidly disappearing shade. South Africa batted for most of the day, edging along slowly to reach 418 all out.
Not only was it SA's first test of the summer, it was also the 100th test match for Makhaya Ntini, a landmark for the Proteas' most popular cricketer, who opened the bowling late that day. Sponsors rose to the occasion by offering a free beer to everyone at the stadium when Makhaya took his first wicket. With his fourth ball of the innings, he drew an edge from England opener Alastair Cook, but AB de Villiers put it down at third slip. As the players trundled off the field, I trundled off to my car, disappointed.
Makhaya finally got his wicket on the morning of the third day, but alas, I wasn't there to savor the moment. The SA bowlers performed admirably, cutting the England lineup down to 242/8 before Graeme Swann (85) and James Anderson (29) put on a record 9th wicket stand. By the time SA's bowlers were able to finish off the tail, England had reached 356 all out, having reduced the deficit to 62 runs.
On the fourth day, the action started heating up considerably. It was still anybody's game. The crowd grew more vocal in their support of the home team, more scathing of the visitors. Batting in their second innings, SA lost early wickets before Hashim Amla (100), de Villiars (64) and Mark Boucher (63) piled on the runs. SA declared their second innings on 301/7, giving England the improbable target of 363 runs in just over 90 overs to win, a tall order on a pitch showing signs of wear and tear. They lost their captain Andrew Strauss that evening. The Proteas are back on top.
I returned on Sunday for the final day's play. Two wickets fell early on in the day to add to the one overnight. An SA victory appears to be in the bag. But England's two best batsmen, Kevin Pieterson (81) and Jonathan Trott (69) ― ironically both naturalized South Africans ― steadied the ship, batting for the next four hours to see their team through to the tea break. They appeared to have saved the match and earned a hard-fought draw for the visitors. The crowd began trickling out, jaded and sun burnt.
But late in the day, fast bowler Friedel de Wet, making his debut for SA, had other ideas, ripping through the England middle order with the new ball. The tide shifted again in favor of the home team. The England batsmen managed to hang on by the skin of the teeth, with no.11 Graham Onions seeing off a final over from Ntini to prevent the SA attack from claiming the tenth and final wicket. In doing so, England claimed a draw in a nail-biting finish.
The match bodes well for the upcoming three tests. Both captains were upbeat. For those in the crowd, despite the overdose of sun, beer and boredom, the thrilling final day somehow justified the time invested. Herein lies the magic of test cricket ― the patience, the constant seesawing, the moments of individual brilliance, the team effort. Fans of the 5-day version feel vindicated ― even a draw can provide excitement. Test match cricket is alive and well, and here to stay.
As the song goes ― "I don't like cricket, I love it!"
Those of you still reading may be interested to learn that South Korea is an official member of the International Cricket Council. It has been so since 2001, the year the ICC stepped up efforts to expand the game globally, with East Asia identified as a key area ripe for development, being in the proximity of two cricketing powerhouses, India and Australia. The domestic league in Korea is made up of ten teams, most featuring expat players from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand, though the number of Korean players is apparently growing every year. Unfortunately for the purists, the abbreviated Twenty20 (3 hours instead of 5 days) is the format of choice. For more info on cricket in Korea, visit the Korea Cricket Association at www.cricket.or.kr.