Proteas fans may need to write Australia loss off

It’s tempting to jump on the bandwagon and rubbish the Proteas after their loss within two days in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane.

But just consider this: Australia had to achieve a paltry 34 runs in their second innings to win the match…yet they lost four wickets in the process.

That made the defeat less stinging for the visitors, but it showed that if a batting side in peak form, which Australia is, could struggle that much, then serious questions must be asked about the state of the pitch.

Proteas captain Dean Elgar, whose team battled on an almost unpredictable surface, moaned that having to bat there deprived everyone of a fair contest.

TV commentators remarked that even the world’s best batters would have had difficulty on a track which saw 34 wickets fall in two days. World, South African and Australian cricket authorities will be investigating – as they should.

Elgar rightly pointed out that this sort of pitch preparation does not help showcase a format of the game which is already struggling against the shorter events.

So, perhaps we, as Proteas fans, should just write this one off as an aberration. But we won’t be so charitable next time…

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