AUS vs SA: "Is That A Good Advertisement For Test Format?" - Dean Elgar Slams Gabba Pitch

Published - 18 Dec 2022, 06:10 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

Dean Elgar. (Image: Twitter)

There was a great exhibition of fast bowling in the 1st Test Match between Australia & South Africa. Australia won the Test Match by 6 wickets as they were set a target of 34 runs. Skipper Dean Elgar would be quite happy with the bowler’s performance and would be thinking that another 70-100 runs would have changed the result of the match.

There was steep bounce where scoring runs was not easy by any means. A total of 30 wickets were taken by the speedsters as the bowlers thrived on a green wicket. Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers where he took a 5-wicket haul in the 2nd innings and 2 wickets in the 1st innings.

Dean Elgar On Pitch

Dean Elgar was seen interacting with the media and was asked about the match.

“I did ask the umpires when KG [Rabada] got [Travis] Head out down leg, I said ‘how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe?’ And then [Anrich] Nortje was bowling those short ones that were flying over our heads.

“I know the game is dead and buried, it was never to try and change or put a halt to the game. That’s where the umpire’s discretion comes into play, not us as players. I am definitely not going to say it was safe or unsafe,” said Dean Elgar.

“You’ve got to ask yourself the question – is that a good advertisement for our format? Thirty four wickets in two days – a pretty one-sided affair, I would say. The nature of it, how it started to play with some seriously steep bounce with the old ball, you are kind of on a hiding to none as a batting unit. I don’t think it was a very good Test wicket, no,” he added.

Conundrum for Australia

Australia won’t be that much happy with their performance as top-order batters failed to make a mark. We should not forget that Travis Head single-handedly took the score to 218 runs in the 1st innings where he scored 92 runs in 96 balls.

Head Coach Andrew McDonald would be aware of the fact that South Africa would come out all guns blazing in the 2nd Test Match. The Proteas need to find a middle-order batter apart from Temba Bavuma who could stick to the crease and play long and effective innings.

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