Should the third South Africa vs India Test match be called off? [Update Post #67]

[Bilal7]

At the end of day three of the ongoing test match, South Africa are chasing 241 runs for victory on what is looking like an increasingly dangerous cricket pitch. The umpires and match referee will take a decision on how to proceed before the scheduled start of play tomorrow but until then, what do you think should happen? Should play continue as normal? Should the game be called off? Should the pitch be repaired and play resumed thereafter?

Some things to keep in mind:

1) The umpires took the players off, the South African team had nothing to do with that decision.
2) The umpires are the sole party responsible for judging whether playing conditions are safe or not. So even if both captains agree to play tomorrow and the umpires are unconvinced, the game will be called off.
3) One painful memory we should all keep in mind is that of Phillip Hughes sad death which showed us how dangerous this sport can be.
4) South Africa have already won the series 2:0 but if they sweep the series, they will close the distance between them and #1 ranked India to a hair's width on the ICC rankings table. On the other hand, India winning this match will give them some breathing room and allow them to cling onto the 'number one' tag

@Mods, can we get a poll here to judge where the forum stands on this issue?

 

[dhonixi]

Bro, how about you calling Ganguly all names before, now you just change your opinion. And umpire didn't take decision by themselves. They ask players, and Sa players agree to walk off

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

This thread could have been opened and the question asked when:

South African bowlers were coming round the wicket and bowling bouncers in the second innings at Indian tailenders who handled them well enough.

And NOT

When a South African opening bat did not display sufficient technique to get out of the way of a ball that took off a short length and was the result of the bowler's skill.

 

[Madplayer]

Bro, how about you calling Ganguly all names before, now you just change your opinion. And umpire didn't take decision by themselves. They ask players, and Sa players agree to walk off

ANY Player in the world would have walked off in such conditions if asked. Even Indian players.

The only ones who would want to keep playing are the ones who are clearly winning, like only 30 odd runs required with many wickets in hand.

 

[Proactive_]

Give SA batsmen battle armor and get this Test match over with. Otherwise BCCI would throw another hissy fit and the next series to SA would be 1 ODI and 2 T20s.

 

[Syed1]

This happened two balls before the match got called off:

"Bumrah to Elgar, no run, starts with a bang! Nothing much you can do as a batsman about such deliveries. Just forget it and move on. This pitched around leg stump and seamed square with extra bounce, all in unison. The result is that Elgar gets thudded on the thigh. He has a smile to show, nice to see"

 

[Arham_PakFan]

No,play should be continued tomorrow.

 

[Rightarmfast]

Hahaha! Funny how Shami was hitting sixes and fours and in a span of 10 minutes, the pitch became a spitting cobra

And even funnier to see our pakistani brothers trying their hardest to justify saffers! Double standards anyone?

 

[Madplayer]

On topic

1) the match should have been called off when Indians were batting.

2) the ball on the basis of which they stopped play was a normal short ball and its unfair or incompetent to stop play because of that.

3) Match should continue till the time balls start bouncing dangerously from good length area. If it happens regularly , it should be called off.

 

[Bewal Express]

No, the Indians have faced the music, the saffers must do the same. Ind should not be denied a well deserved victory. If they were going to call it off, then it should have been done after both 1st innings were completed.

 

[Buffet]

Nope, pitch looked fine when Morkel was bowing round the wicket to Indian tail few overs back. Situation should be assessed tomorrow before calling it off.

 

[dhonixi]

[MENTION=131678]Madplayer[/MENTION] And that refers to cowardice. You prepared a pitch to whitewash indians, you bowl all day short to indian tailenders but when it your turns to take it you walk off. It's not like there is bad light, or rain(before) . Elgar played bad shot on short pitch bowl. I know that match will not called off, they used tactics to start fresh tomorrow.

 

[Madplayer]

Hahaha! Funny how Shami was hitting sixes and fours and in a span of 10 minutes, the pitch became a spitting cobra

And even funnier to see our pakistani brothers trying their hardest to justify saffers! Double standards anyone?

Both Indians and saffers have proved to hypocrites in this match.

First innings- Indians said it was a poor pitch while saffers said its okay and wait till both teams bat.

Second innings - saffers said pitch is fine because even Rabada spent 2 hours on this pitch. Then slowly they began to complain too when wickets fell.

Third innings - Indians kept moaning how the pitch was bad till they got into a strong position.

Fourth Innings - Saffers are complaining about how it is a dangerous pitch.

 

[R3verse Swing]

This is what happens when a team plays on flat pancake wickets 99% of the time. A challenging wicket comes up trump, and it's time to bail.

 

[Rightarmfast]

Both Indians and saffers have proved to hypocrites in this match.

First innings- Indians said it was a poor pitch while saffers said its okay and wait till both teams bat.

Second innings - saffers said pitch is fine because even Rabada spent 2 hours on this pitch. Then slowly they began to complain too when wickets fell.

Third innings - Indians kept moaning how the pitch was bad till they got into a strong position.

Fourth Innings - Saffers are complaining about how it is a dangerous pitch.

INdians complained but didnt run away! You cant first rig a pitch and then when it backfires on you, run away in your own home! Thats something else!

Complaining is fine, we all have the right to do it.

 

[Madplayer]

[MENTION=131678]Madplayer[/MENTION] And that refers to cowardice. You prepared a pitch to whitewash indians, you bowl all day short to indian tailenders but when it your turns to take it you walk off. It's not like there is bad light, or rain(before) . Elgar played bad shot on short pitch bowl. I know that match will not called off, they used tactics to start fresh tomorrow.

If the pitch is genuinely dangerous (it has not been conclusive till now) it is not cowardice. Its not a matter of life and death that you just have to play no matter what.

Prudent judgement has to be made by the officials. India are firm favourites to win this game and they deserve it after having batted through atrocious and dangerous conditions.

 

[Madplayer]

INdians complained but didnt run away! You cant first rig a pitch and then when it backfires on you, run away in your own home! Thats something else!

Complaining is fine, we all have the right to do it.

Is it too hard to understand that pitch conditions are changing? Its not the same as it was on day 1. It IS dangerous in my opinion and even Indians batted through a dangerous period. And its only going to get worse BUT that remains to be seen so cant call it off just yet.

 

[Bewal Express]

If the bowlers Mohanty and Roger Binny this wouldn't be an issue. I was really impressed by the guts shown by the Indians on a poor wicket, lets see how AB and co cope.

 

[Princejain191]

At the end of day three of the ongoing test match, South Africa are chasing 241 runs for victory on what is looking like an increasingly dangerous cricket pitch. The umpires and match referee will take a decision on how to proceed before the scheduled start of play tomorrow but until then, what do you think should happen? Should play continue as normal? Should the game be called off? Should the pitch be repaired and play resumed thereafter?

Some things to keep in mind:

1) The umpires took the players off, the South African team had nothing to do with that decision.
2) The umpires are the sole party responsible for judging whether playing conditions are safe or not. So even if both captains agree to play tomorrow and the umpires are unconvinced, the game will be called off.
3) One painful memory we should all keep in mind is that of Phillip Hughes sad death which showed us how dangerous this sport can be.
4) South Africa have already won the series 2:0 but if they sweep the series, they will close the distance between them and #1 ranked India to a hair's width on the ICC rankings table. On the other hand, India winning this match will give them some breathing room and allow them to cling onto the 'number one' tag

@Mods, can we get a poll here to judge where the forum stands on this issue?

1. The batsman could have said that the ball was short and I played it awfully - the truth.
2. The way the batsmen are dealing with the situation also matters, if you start calling physio for every small hit, or fall on the floor, or throw your bat on the ground - that influences the umpires. Simple behavioural science.
3. We will always keep that in mind and this match has nothing to do with it. A 140+ ball can be dangerous if it hits your head on any pitch.
4. Irrelevant to the topic of discussion. Only the safety of players should be considered.

Could have been considered dangerous if the ball was kicking up to the throat from good length. This was simply uneven bounce that is extremely tough to play - but not dangerous. Move on!!

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

[MENTION=131678]Madplayer[/MENTION] And that refers to cowardice. You prepared a pitch to whitewash indians, you bowl all day short to indian tailenders but when it your turns to take it you walk off. It's not like there is bad light, or rain(before) . Elgar played bad shot on short pitch bowl. I know that match will not called off, they used tactics to start fresh tomorrow.

Exactly. Amen.

 

[aloo paratha]

Bro, how about you calling Ganguly all names before, now you just change your opinion. And umpire didn't take decision by themselves. They ask players, and Sa players agree to walk off

Ganguly was talking about the day one version of this pitch not the day 4 one.

 

[aloo paratha]

If players safety is at risk, then it probably shouldn't be played on. Although it would be a quite lame end to a good match.

 

[Spidy201]

it should be called off. likes of Dean Elgar, amla and faf are not as good as bhuvi and shami when it comes to facing fast bouncer targeted at their body from around the wickets. and also rabada and morkel are good 20-30 km/h slower than bhuvi and shami. so better call off this match.

 

[jagatk]

If players safety is at risk, then it probably shouldn't be played on. Although it would be a quite lame end to a good match.

I don't think that inference can be drawn from Elgar's inability to bat, every ball that hit him was his own fault even the one that reared from good length hit him because he was too lazy to do a full leave action. You need to be a special kind of doofus to try and climb on to clear short pitch deliveries while standing outside your crease.

 

[JaDed]

it should be called off. likes of Dean Elgar, amla and faf are not as good as bhuvi and shami when it comes to facing fast bouncer targeted at their body from around the wickets. and also rabada and morkel are good 20-30 km/h slower than bhuvi and shami. so better call off this match.

Well said.

 

[DHONI_FAN]

When 150-160 kmph thunderbolts were being bowled at our Tailender no one raised an eyebrow but when 120 - 125 kmph trundlers like Bhubaneswar and Bumrah started bowling at top class players like Amla and Elgar pitch became dangerous all of a sudden

 

[CricketCartoons]

Should be awarded to India, so that they have something to cheer about. The way some indian fans are protesting, one would think the series result is on the line.

Seems their bravado has come alive in a dead rubber.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

The game is set to continue as per Harsha Bhogle.

 

[DHONI_FAN]

Should be awarded to India, so that they have something to cheer about. The way some indian fans are protesting, one would think the series result is on the line.

Seems their bravado has come alive in a dead rubber.

Dead rubber

 

[Syed1]

Indians are blaming the Saffers and calling them names even though their own team would have done exactly the same they were in South Africa's position.

 

[Spidy201]

Should be awarded to India, so that they have something to cheer about. The way some indian fans are protesting, one would think the series result is on the line.

Seems their bravado has come alive in a dead rubber.

true that. there is nothing to cheer about in it. away team wanting to play and home team running away to face their own doctored pitch is quite regular occurrence.
yes "doctored" term used exclusively for Asian pitches.

 

[Spidy201]

Indians are blaming the Saffers and calling them names even though their own team would have done exactly the same they were in South Africa's position.

hmm let's bring all would haves and could haves now. I'm sure people "would have" not mocked if India was running away

 

[JaDed]

If players safety is at risk, then it probably shouldn't be played on. Although it would be a quite lame end to a good match.

Pretty sure he had a better view and insight to see this.

 

[Rightarmfast]

Indians are blaming the Saffers and calling them names even though their own team would have done exactly the same they were in South Africa's position.

Except that they havent done it! Man, how biased, bitter and insecure a person can be. You are breaking all the records!

 

[Rightarmfast]

Is it too hard to understand that pitch conditions are changing? Its not the same as it was on day 1. It IS dangerous in my opinion and even Indians batted through a dangerous period. And its only going to get worse BUT that remains to be seen so cant call it off just yet.

From the sound of it, looks like you are the one who needs some understanding. Did you even bother watching the match or just came here to comment based on an assumption? Shami was hitting sixers 10 mins before and rabada was bowling bouncers at the tail enders. So you mean in a span of 10 mins, the pitch changed? Did you even watch a ball?

 

[Ab Fan]

It should and I think will continue. There is a reputation hanging around for the Saffers if they dont play further.

 

[Sachin136]

Indians are blaming the Saffers and calling them names even though their own team would have done exactly the same they were in South Africa's position.

No, they wouldn't. Kohli isn't that type of a player.

Then again, South Africa hasn't done anything yet either. We'll see tomorrow.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

It should not be called off.

India pitches turn square from Day 1 and nothing is said about them. Serving dust bowls has been long going by India for years.

 

[Zahid87]

I don't understand where this narrative that South Africa are 'chickening out' is coming from. Elgar got hit, Umpires took the players off, having discussed the possibility of doing so multiple times before.

The match will continue. India fans need to calm down, and I would not want to be in their position if they lose this test tomorrow. Some people will end up with egg on their faces.

 

[Zahid87]

No, the Indians have faced the music, the saffers must do the same. Ind should not be denied a well deserved victory. If they were going to call it off, then it should have been done after both 1st innings were completed.

Long way to go before India can start counting their chickens. 9 wickets to take. If they do not take wickets early with the new ball tomorrow, then South Africa have every chance.

 

[Syed1]

No, they wouldn't. Kohli isn't that type of a player.

Then again, South Africa hasn't done anything yet either. We'll see tomorrow.

Yeah it shouldn't be called off. We have a good match on our hands. India is most likely to win, but if somehow SA wins I know there will a huge controversy that India weren't allowed to bowl at SA at the end of day 3.

 

[Oligochaetes]

This thread could have been opened and the question asked when:

South African bowlers were coming round the wicket and bowling bouncers in the second innings at Indian tailenders who handled them well enough.

And NOT

When a South African opening bat did not display sufficient technique to get out of the way of a ball that took off a short length and was the result of the bowler's skill.

I was going to put out another opinion but your post got me thinking. Yeah.. you are right. That delivery was played badly by the batsman and should not be the basis on which the game would be stopped.

However..the pitch is still dangerous.. I don't think it's worth putting your career on the line by being brave and batting on a treacherous pitch just to show the world you are not a sissy.

Anyway let the umpires decide.. they are the ones who have the power and the right.

 

[Oligochaetes]

Yeah it shouldn't be called off. We have a good match on our hands. India is most likely to win, but if somehow SA wins I know there will a huge controversy that India weren't allowed to bowl at SA at the end of day 3.

Lol... that will be a deadly anti climax..

 

[drrashmin]

Proud to say Bhuvi, Shami not only more skillful batsmen than Elgar, Amla. Also they were able to handle SA bowlers well on the same pitch. Also greats like SA batsmen found it difficult to handle so called "Indian trundlers" on the same pitch.

When Vijay, Kohli and tailenders of India were getting hit on their bodies during Indian batting, where were all these posters?

 

[Itachi]

Hypocrisy from some posters are astonishing.

That's why I like posters such as monsee or kkwc..... They will stick to their opinion and don't change when situation changes. I disagree with them with respect hence.


But a few are here are just.... Amazing lol.

 

[Abdullah719]

The match will resume on time tomorrow.

 

[The_Odd_One]

The match should continue unless all it is obvious that playing conditions are not safe.

 

[Sarwar89]

What if South Africa manages to win this Test tomorrow ?

 

[Ab Fan]

SA chances of winning the match is almost nill. They might get all out till lunch itself.

 

[Oxfordchamp]

It's still an even contest..

 

[Bilal7]

Bro, how about you calling Ganguly all names before, now you just change your opinion. And umpire didn't take decision by themselves. They ask players, and Sa players agree to walk off

Don't lie about me. I did not call Ganguly any names.

 

[MRSN]

This pitch is not good enough for fourth innings.

 

[Bilal7]

Play will continue tomorrow so that's that. The right decision, in my opinion. Although it'll probably be even worse tomorrow.

 

[Chrish]

Embarrassing day for South African cricket and their players.. Will be extremely unfair to India if match is called off. They should never have prepared this kind of wicket if they had no balls to bat on it when result doesn’t look in their favor.

Disgraceful.

 

[Buffet]

What if South Africa manages to win this Test tomorrow ?

It will be a fantastic win then.

 

[KingKhanWC]

It's only the new ball which may be causing some issues.

You cant call a match off on day 4 . It will not happen.

India deserve a chance to win this test, they have given it their all.

 

[Sherlock]

Said it in the other thread, I think it's too far along to decide to pack it in now. They match ref etc should've come together when both sides played the 1st innings and then made the decision.

If they call it off now India will be well in their right to vent their frustration.

 

[kingusama92]

The fact India put up 247 (highest score) in the 3rd innings suggests it's a good enough pitch.

Sabina Park in 1998 was an example of a truly dangerous pitch. The match didn't even last a session.

 

[Hasan123]

The game shouldn't be called off.

 

[aloo paratha]

Pretty sure he had a better view and insight to see this.

Who's he?

 

[CricketAnalyst]

This pitch is not good enough for fourth innings.

It's not worse than it was for any of the other innings.

 

[Bilal7]

It's not worse than it was for any of the other innings.

There wasn't really any variable bounce on day one, if I remember correctly.

 

[Sachin136]

Embarrassing day for South African cricket and their players.. Will be extremely unfair to India if match is called off. They should never have prepared this kind of wicket if they had no balls to bat on it when result doesn’t look in their favor.

Disgraceful.

To be fair, you can't blame them for preparing this type of pitch, because no one (probably not even the curator) intended it to turn out like this. Or at least I hope that's the case.

 

[Princejain191]

There wasn't really any variable bounce on day one, if I remember correctly.

There was some variable bounce. Less than today. But more seam movement.

 

[dhonixi]

[MENTION=129948]Bilal7[/MENTION] its natural to have variable bounce on 3,4,5th day pitch than 1st day pitch. Or you are judging this pitch different to other pitches. This pitch is tough but it is not dangerous. Elgar played that ball all wrong.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Lol the struggle is real for some people.

 

[hadi123]

The ICC and match officials have confirmed that the third Sunfoil Test match against India at the Bidvest Wanderers stadium will start as scheduled at 10h00 on Saturday. Play was suspended shortly before stumps on Friday.

The ICC issued the following statement: “ The on-field umpires (Aleem Dar and Ian Gould) in consultation with the match referee, and after speaking with both captains and groundsmen, have decided that the Johannesburg Test will resume on time on Saturday. The on-field umpires will continue to monitor the pitch and consult with the match referee should the pitch deteriorate further. The welfare of the players is paramount and two of the most experienced match officials are in charge of the game and will take appropriate decisions. Play on Friday was suspended shortly before the scheduled close because the on-field umpires wanted to consult the match referee regarding the condition of the pitch.”

Standard Bank Proteas head coach, Ottis Gibson, insists his players remain determined to play and will fight it out for what could be a memorable victory. The Proteas are faced with an uphill battle, and need a further 224 runs with nine wickets in hand for a 3-0 series whitewash.

"We are here to play cricket” Gibson said after the day’s play on Friday. “We still want to play cricket. The match referee’s decision will be based around player safety, they won’t call it off if they don’t think it is safe. If the match referee comes tomorrow and says ‘game on’ then we are going to play.

“Once the decision is made that is it, we will prepare like we do every morning and we will go out and play,” he said. “ The batsmen will try and do their best to bat us to victory. Throughout the whole game on both sides, you saw batsmen wearing a few on the body. India didn’t complain and we are not complaining either.”

Dean Elgar (11) and Hashim Amla (2) will resume the Proteas’ innings on 17/1 on Saturday.

 

[R3verse Swing]

India were complaining about the wicket before the test and after day 1, now they stand a chance to win a dead rubber, the pitch is not at fault.

Go figure.

 

[Bewal Express]

Long way to go before India can start counting their chickens. 9 wickets to take. If they do not take wickets early with the new ball tomorrow, then South Africa have every chance.

They have a chance but its more likely that they will be 50-5 very quickly and be bowled out for 130-140.

 

[Bilal7]

[MENTION=129948]Bilal7[/MENTION] its natural to have variable bounce on 3,4,5th day pitch than 1st day pitch. Or you are judging this pitch different to other pitches. This pitch is tough but it is not dangerous. Elgar played that ball all wrong.

It is natural and that is what happened. However, my post was in response to someone claiming that all four innings have had the same conditions. There was little to none variable bounce on the first day and that variable bounce is what has made this pitch a difficult one ever since.

As for everyone else, read this statement from the ICC: "Play on Friday was suspended shortly before the scheduled close because the on-field umpires wanted to consult the match referee regarding the condition of the pitch.”

 

[Chrish]

To be fair, you can't blame them for preparing this type of pitch, because no one (probably not even the curator) intended it to turn out like this. Or at least I hope that's the case.

Well doesn’t matter. The saffers have no objection calling off the game when they are in unfavorable position on the excuse of “dangerous” wicket they prepared themselves for home advantage forgetting the fact that they have whined about Indian wickets in just about every single press conference.

Saffer players and fans alike have lost all the moaning rights about what happened in India after today. Period.

 

[Romali_rotti]

India were complaining about the wicket before the test and after day 1,

.

Proof to back this statement?

 

[Romali_rotti]

I am a little confused about this one, when India was batting I thought this was a dangerous pitch, the pitch was showing some crazy inconsistent bounce and side way movement. However the fact Indians battled it out means SA being the home country has to do the same....

 

[Chrish]

Both Vijay and Rahane got hit few times too but none from Indian camp complained.

 

[Pete Rose]

It’s what happens when you have flat pitches all over the world (I am looking at you CA). One remotely fast pitch comes along and folks are unnecessarily making too much out of it.
The match must go on.

 

[Big Mac]

India were complaining about the wicket before the test and after day 1, now they stand a chance to win a dead rubber, the pitch is not at fault.

Go figure.

It's not that the pitch is at fault, it's that the Indian batsmen took their punishment and for it to get called off now looks unfair. It should have been called off earlier yesterday when the Indian batsmen kept getting hit.

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[Madplayer]

From the sound of it, looks like you are the one who needs some understanding. Did you even bother watching the match or just came here to comment based on an assumption? Shami was hitting sixers 10 mins before and rabada was bowling bouncers at the tail enders. So you mean in a span of 10 mins, the pitch changed? Did you even watch a ball?

I watched the match mate so between you and me, i am not the one who is making assumptions about others.

Shami hitting sixers doesnt prove jack. Just like Rabada surviving for 2 hours didnt make batting conditions friendly. Every ball cannot be dangerous. I dont need to tell you how many times Indian batsmen were hit. Put your blue tinted glasses down and see what the pitch is - dangerous for batsmen. It was dangerous when Indians were batting too, shami hitting 6s doesnt change that. It remains to be seen whether it has become deadly dangerous where no play can continue. We will find out today.

 

[Madplayer]

It's not that the pitch is at fault, it's that the Indian batsmen took their punishment and for it to get called off now looks unfair. It should have been called off earlier yesterday when the Indian batsmen kept getting hit.

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100% right. Indians took the punishment when they should not have done so. It was a dangerous pitch even when Indians were batting.

 

[Mp812]

Match can be called off but since it was not called of yesterday when south Africa were in with a chance. It is faithful that south Africa concede match to India and India be announced winners. After all player safety is Paramount to South Africa as per their statement and result is irrelevant int hat context so show some sportsmanship and concede defeat and prove player safety is only priority

 

[dhonixi]

Thing is South Africa manager came before media and lie about where ball pitched in surface. He said that ball is pitched in Good length area , how can you say that they want to play and umpire dragged them outside.