Wandering in oblivion at the Wanderers - Opinion
The Bidvest Wanderers cricket stadium in Johannesburg is arguably the finest cricket ground in Africa. With top notch facilities and situated in Illovo which is south of Sandton in Africa’s financial capital, there haven’t been too many top quality sporting
facilities on offer. The problem for touring captains however, is the unpredictable nature of the pitch, which they have had to deal with in the recent past. Regardless of whether touring sides play South Africa in the longest format of the game or the shortest,
pitches at the venue have ranged in what they have had to offer over the years.
At times the seamers tend to get the better of the wicket as was the case in the 2009 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Onions-c1449 of England managed to extract lateral movement. However, its notoriety for being
a batsman’s paradise has never really waned away.
The Wanderers also offers plenty of opportunities for scoring runs as well. This was after all the venue, where the famous ‘438 game’ between Australia and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 took place. That game was an exhibition of the finest hitting in the game of cricket
that the world had ever seen, with the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/HH-Gibbs-c1549 registering individual scores of 150+. That was in 2006, yet what amazes erudite observers of the game is how quickly the nature of the track tends to change whenever a major
tournament or series is played in South Africa.
It is thus difficult to gauge as to what the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bull-c48831 Ring has to offer. With its short boundaries and lightening fast outfield, some of the most prolific ODI and Test scores have been witnessed at this ground. It was at this venue that one of the fastest Test
double centuries had been smashed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820, which is notorious for spin, or the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad which is
bone dry, the Wanderers cannot be deemed as a run yielding machine entirely.
The Wanderers has had its share of lows as well, where the West Indies being bowled out for 133 in 2009 resulted in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 were
bowled out for 146, only for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 to crawl their way to the target by losing six wickets in the process.
The bounce and juice in the wicket has also been a subject of fascination. Despite South Africa producing pitches which provide even bounce and ample time for outlandish stroke play, the wickets at Joburg have often witnessed deliveries cart wheeling into
the stumps from bizarre angles. Patrick Cummins' six-wicket haul at the venue which set up a narrow win for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 over South Africa in the second match of the 2011 Test series, was largely a product of exploiting the uneven bounce on offer. The uniqueness
about this fact is that if the ball is pitched up then it is bound to result in something substantive for the bowler, yet with the new ball at Johannesburg, the ball can dart around even if bowlers resort to lengths which are just in or around the corridor
of uncertainty. The likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Morkel-c73528 have bombarded many touring sides with hostile spells, often yielding wickets.
It can be said that regardless of the reputation of the Bidvest Wanderers stadium as providing plenty of pace and bounce, the ground itself offers far more. Spinners apart, many captains would be contemplating over what to opt for at the toss.
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