OPINION: There’s just nothing better than Test cricket

I will never forget, in the early stages of my career, when I first walked into the Wanderers press box with no clue what I was doing.

Our cricket correspondent who I replaced – Trevor Stevens, who is now our chief editor – had told me I should take his regular seat. Second row on the right. So I did.

When I sat down, everyone knew I worked for The Citizen because that’s where I sat.

“Are you the new Trevor?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Welcome to the Wanderers.”

I sat down and began to understand the intricacies, structures and traditions of Test cricket. I learned the rules.

Every journalist is given a tie. I didn’t wear any of them – I’m a hooligan, so I don’t roll like that – but my late grandfather who was a first-class cricketer in his youth, loved them. After some time, he had a full collection.

Most importantly, I learned not to clap. You can applaud a good shot or a good ball, if you must, but you really shouldn’t. In the press box, nobody picks sides.

I also broke the rules, often missing the first ball on a day’s play, which is sacrilege.

As I said, I’m a hooligan, but Test cricket is proper, and the unwritten rules should be respected.

Epitome of competitive sport

However, with so much focus on limited overs cricket (where the traditions and unwritten rules fall by the wayside), South African fans have been deprived of the legitimate game.It’s been a long time – nearly two years – since the Proteas played a Test series on home soil, and the ongoing campaign between SA and Australia has reminded us how much value there is in the five-day format.

Limited overs games are exciting, and they bring new fans to the sport, but there is nothing better than a quality Test series.

Granted, there have been some issues. The light, as always, was a problem in Durban, and the rain caused havoc in Gqeberha.

Nonetheless, both games produced results, with Australia dominating at Kingsmead and South Africa hitting back hard at St George’s Park.

And the third Test in Cape Town has been a cracker, with the sort of ebbing and flowing that every spectator wants to see.

It’s not supposed to be easy, or straight forward. Test cricket is difficult. You fight, you lose your footing, you hit back, you dig deep.

So it’s been a real pleasure to watch the back-and-forth fight between the world’s top two teams, and it’s brought back memories for me from that first day at the Wanderers.

You simply can’t beat Test cricket. It’s the epitome of competitive sport, and you’ve gotta love it.