Key events
If there was a draw, it wouldn’t cost Australia much in WTC terms: less than one percent on the ratio count, compared to an Australian win. But it could cost South Africa a lot, more like five percent versus a South African win. Not to mention that Australia won the last series between these sides, so if there’s a washout here, South Africa can’t win the series or take the trophy, such as it is. It still doesn’t have much of an identity, although hopefully it doesn’t end up being named after two randomly plucked players.
Later, once South Africa finally get to bowl, which may be Day 3 at this stage, we’ll have the return of Rabada. He was the main character at this ground eight years ago.
All of this rain will give Nathan Lyon more time to think. The more time lost from the match, the more it suits the Australian approach of four fast bowlers, because the less they’ll need a spinner to carry any slow periods of play. But I’m curious about what he makes of the situation. Is he as angry as he was when left out for four quicks in Jamaica and Brisbane recently? On the third time in the last eight Tests that he’s been fit for, is there a level of acceptance? Does it cause despondency?
Interested in any reader thoughts about the role of spin in the modern game, given that England don’t bother picking a proper spinner most of the time either.
My sources at the ground confirm what everyone else’s sources at the ground say, which is that it is now absolutely pouring down. This is not what qualifies as breaking news.
This was the risk of Test cricket in October, we’re told by South Africans. More likely to have bad weather. In 2018, of course, this tour was played in March and even strayed into the first days of April. Seven of the last eight Australian visits started in February or March. But that can’t happen anymore, because that would displease the IPL, whose owners want Australian players, and would displease Australian players who want to earn the extra slice from the IPL.
Well, perhaps more importantly it would deny that same chance to South African players, who need that extra payday much more urgently given how little they comparatively earn from their home board, or more realistically it would see a Test series shorn of anyone who got picked up by the IPL.
Does the rain mean we’re doomed to have a draw? Not necessarily, given the speed at which Test cricket moves in this era. Even in Durban, which was an uncharacteristic grind of a match relative to many recently, they only played about 360 of a possible 450 overs. All the time lost to bad light didn’t matter, and it wasn’t a close-run thing to finish the game on day five. If wickets keep falling when we get some play, the rain may not matter. But that’s only if it clears up and stays away after this morning.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Hello all. Yes, we managed 12.2 overs yesteday, but somehow it was still quite an eventful 12.2 overs. Another chapter in the Scott Boland story, anyway. He’s a quiet testament to humility. Very odd that CA didn’t put him up to speak to media last night. They didn’t put anyone up, which is highly unusual.
The bad news for those wanting the next chapter of this tale is that it’s still raining in Gqeberha. So the planned early start won’t happen, nor will the normal start on time, nor will anything probably for the first couple of hours. The forecast is better later, and even yesterday we were anticipating losing the morning.
Geoff will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what happened on a soggy day one at St George’s Park:
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/oct/19/south-africa-v-australia-second-test-day-two-cricket-st-georges-park-gqeberha-live-updates
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