Last Updated on 10 minutes ago by Charbel Coorey
Day one of the Newlands Test was well attended, with a strong crowd of 11,028 fans entering the gates to witness a gripping contest between South Africa and Australia according to Cricinfo’s live commentary.
Much of the talk throughout the series, particularly in Durban, has been centred around the low crowds. The timing of this series (out of peak season in October) with only a handful of days on weekends has seen some criticism pointed towards Cricket South Africa (CSA) regarding the scheduling.
However, the crowd at picturesque Newlands was a sight to behold given the match started on a Tuesday. Two office workers were even engrossed in the action before they quickly got back to work when they appeared on the big screen.
Crowd of 11,028 witnesses engrossing day of Test cricket between South Africa and Australia at Newlands
The Newlands crowd got their money worth on an action-packed day. Sent in to bat, South Africa raced to 140/0 by lunch on what looked to be a fantastic batting pitch. Australia then fought back in the second session, taking four wickets including the set openers Marques Ackerman (95) and Aiden Markram (78). Temba Bavuma, star of the Gqeberha Test, was out for nought.
Australia took the final six wickets to fall in the final session despite a strong partnership between Ryan Rickelton (42) and Marco Jansen (52). Mitchell Starc took four wickets in six balls in a remarkable burst with the second new ball to dismiss South Africa for 329.
Another strong crowd is expected for day two of the Test. The match could rest on Australia’s first innings as the dry Newlands pitch is expected to aid spin later in the match.
