‘Unsafe?’ South African captain questions umpires about Gabba pitch

South African captain Dean Elgar asked the umpires if the Gabba pitch was unsafe as the first Test finished inside two days with 34 wickets falling.

Australia struggled to 4-35 searching for the 34 runs needed for victory against the hostile South African attack, with David Warner falling for three to go with his first-innings golden duck. The third Test in Sydney during January shapes as his last hurrah in Test cricket.

Mitchell Starc (2-26) became just the seventh Australian to claim 300 Test wickets on another day of carnage, with captain Pat Cummins claiming 5-42 as South Africa struggled to 99 in their second innings thanks to a last-wicket partnership of 30 between top scorer Khaya Zondo (36 not out) and last man Lungi Ngidi (9).

It was just the second two-day Test ever played in Australia. The first was against a fledgling West Indian side in Melbourne in 1931, when spinner Bert Ironmonger claimed 11 wickets.

Elgar said he approached the umpires when Travis Head was caught down the leg side to a rising delivery for a first-ball duck after his first innings 92, which won him the player of the match award.

“I said ‘how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe’,” Elgar revealed after the match, claiming he did not receive an answer. He pointed out that challenging paceman Anrich Nortje was bowling short balls that were flying over the wicketkeeper’s head to the boundary. There were 19 extras, 15 wides and four byes, in Australia’s total of 4/35.

Pat Cummins celebrates one of his five second-innings scalps on the green Gabba pitch.Credit: AP

Australian captain Pat Cummins, who claimed 5-42 in South Africa’s second innings, described the pitch as ‘tricky’ but denied it was unsafe, saying: “no way, that was fine.”

Elgar also claimed the match was a bad advertisement for Test cricket.

“I am obviously a purist of this format and we want to see the game go to four or five days,” he said. “And the way, the nature of it [the pitch], 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.

“If you think about it, only two or maybe three batters, applied themselves half-decently and scored runs. I don’t think it was a very good Test wicket.”

Cummins admitted a two-day Test “isn’t ideal” but offered a bowler’s perspective.

“Obviously, there was a lot of sideways movement, and today a little bit of up and down bounce as well,” He said. “Personally I kind of don’t mind if the groundsmen err on the greener side occasionally because I’ve played a lot of Test matches where they’re on the flatter side. So, I think it was the same for both teams.”

Former greats Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer were unhappy with the pitch.

“I haven’t seen one as green,” Ponting said on Channel Seven. “Matthew Hayden played here more than me, and he hasn’t seen one as green and Justin Langer said he hasn’t seen one as green ... there was excessive seam movement.”

An appreciative crowd of 18,206 made the attendance for the two days 47,512, more than all five days of the first Test against the West Indies in Perth. Ticket holders for days three and four will receive a refund.

It was the third time this year that South Africa have lost within two days of playing time, highlighting their weak batting line-up. Three players in their top seven average under 30 and Elgar has scored 13 of the team’s 16 centuries.

The victory has given Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and an even firmer grip on a place in the World Test Championship, to be held at The Oval in June ahead of The Ashes.

Resuming at 5-145, Australia were bowled out for 218, a lead of 66, and looked for a time as though they could win by an innings, reducing South Africa to 6-48.

The match offered glimpses of Australia’s Boxing Day Test victory last year when England were bowled out for 68 to lose by an innings at lunch on the third day. Next week’s MCG pitch is unlikely to have as much grass as the 2021 version.

Cummins won the toss and bowled on Saturday, the first time an Australian captain has sent the opposition in at the Gabba since Steve Waugh in 2000. Australia won that Test too.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.