South Africa and New Zealand clash at the Wanderers on Thursday. Tristan Holme gets you right to the pitch.
South Africa and New Zealand clash at the Wanderers on Thursday. Tristan Holme gets you right to the pitch.
Overview
The New Wanderers ground, situated in Illovo, Johannesburg, became the third cricket venue in the city after the Old Wanderers Stadium and Ellis Park (which serves as the city's main rugby union stadium).
The ground was completely redeveloped following South Africa's readmission to international cricket in 1991 and further renovated for the 2003 World Cup, when it played host to the final between Australia and India.
Known as 'The Bullring' for its rotund design and intimidating atmosphere, the Wanderers is part of a greater sporting complex that is steeped in history, although the clubhouse was recently rebuilt after being gutted by fire in 2004.
The new clubhouse is similar in design to the original and contains an excellent stash of memorabilia, while the bar offers some of the cheapest drinks you'll find (R10/70p for a pint).
The ground sports an archetypal South African wicket - hard and dry with plenty of bounce - which often provides lots of seam movement up front. The inclusion of a spinner can be helpful for the second innings but it's rare for a twirler to take five - New Zealand's Matthew Hart and Australia's John Gleeson are the only spinners to do so since South Africa's readmission.
But while the Wanderers is often generous to seamers, the wicket can also be a great batting strip. Undeniable proof of this came in March 2006 when the ground played host to the most remarkable one-day international game in history, as South Africa successfully chased down Australia's world record total of 434 for 4.
While that match was of a freakish nature, it's generally known that if a Test batsman can get past the initial examination provided by the seam and bounce, then there are plenty of runs to be had.
Last time out
In December last year, India achieved their first Test win on South African soil with a 123-run victory in a low-scoring game that was over after just four days.
With play delayed by 90 minutes on the first morning due to a damp pitch, Rahul Dravid's decision to bat first was a brave one. With the groundsman having over-watered the wicket on the previous evening in an attempt to avoid premature cracking in the hot, dry weather, India's old guard of Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly battled conditions with more seam than the hosts knew what to do with.
The result was a first innings total of 249, though it was unclear just how good this score was until Shantha Sreesanth ripped through South Africa's batting line-up, taking five for 40 as the home side were rolled for 84 - their lowest total since England twice skittled them for 72 in 1956-57.
Twenty wickets fell on day two, but the pitch eased on day three and Laxman played a patient innings of 73 that took the lead past 400 and the game beyond South Africa.
Sreesanth claimed three of the first four sticks in the second innings, finishing with match figures of eight for 99 and the man of the match award, before Anil Kumble staved off a late fightback with the wickets of Shaun Pollock, Andre Nel and Ashwell Prince, the latter falling three runs short of his hundred.
New Zealand's last visit
South Africa claimed a four-wicket victory inside three days in early May 2006, chasing down a 200-plus fourth innings target for only the fourth time in their history.
Chilly conditions were the order of the day with Johannesburg entering its winter period, and there was plenty of juice for the seamers to exploit. Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn obliged, removing New Zealand's two openers without a run on the board and further reducing them to 2 for 3 after seven overs.
Ntini was particularly feisty as he claimed his fifth five-for of the season, while a large portion of the tourists' 119 runs were the result of edges behind the wicket. Stephen Fleming provided the only resistance as his side were dismissed inside 44 overs, and by close on day one South Africa had reached 133 for 4.
The Kiwis produced a better effort in their second innings as they recorded 283 to leave South Africa needing 217 for victory. Graeme Smith's second fifty of the match provided the backbone, and while three late wickets assured a nervy finish, the Proteas stuttered home to secure a 2-0 series victory.
Happy hunting ground
Graeme Smith has plundered 491 runs in nine Test innings at an average of 61.37, while opening partner
Herschelle Gibbs averages 51.27 at the ground. The presence of many opening batsmen among those with the best averages at the Wanderers suggests that once you're in, you're in.
However the assistance offered to seamers is clear from the fact that
Shaun Pollock and
Makhaya Ntini have taken 98 Test wickets between them at the ground, with both bowlers averaging a fraction over 20.
As for the visitors, only
Chris Martin has stats worth writing home about, having taken eight wickets in two Tests at an average of just 18.
Weather forecast: Intermittent showers have fallen for much of the week leading up to the Test and are likely to interrupt the first day's play. However these are expected to clear on Thursday night to make way for warm and dry conditions for the rest of the Test.
Conclusion
This should be a good toss to win for several reasons. With all the rain over the last week and overcast, humid conditions expected on day one, there will be no shortage of seam movement on Thursday. To compound this, the pitch was watered on Tuesday night and was still damp on Wednesday, with the humid conditions making the drying process a slow one.
The records show a fairly even split between success when batting and bowling first, but it's worth noting that this is mostly because of varying conditions between Tests held at the ground in summer and early winter.
Generally it's better to field first in summer when the humid conditions assist swing bowling, and bat first in early winter when the air is dry.
If Graeme Smith wins the toss and sticks New Zealand in then the inexperienced Kiwi batting line-up will face its toughest examination yet. Makhaya Ntini has taken a record three five-fors on this pitch, and given that the Black Cap top order crumbled against South Africa A, there is potential for disaster from the visitors' point of view.
However a top-class spinner such as Dan Vettori could certainly have an influence when the conditions dry out and the pitch begins to flatten on days four and five.
