The third test was held at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, the site of the first test held in South Africa in 1889, making it one of the oldest grounds in the world. The series was one all and evenly poised.
We sat in the Duck Pond stand which has framed newspaper articles from the late ’60s and early ’70s describing the lead up to, and fall out from, the D’Oliveira debacle; a reminder of how things have changed. Our fellow fans were predominantly English – sporting their home caps, shirts and banners including “Somerset cricket – Dave’s 60th birthday tour” – and discussing beer prices, where to have dinner, the merits of sit on lawn mowers…..and occasionally the cricket. The St Georges band outshone the “choir” of the Barmy Army.
The first day was tense , ending honours even. This soon changed on day two, with Ben Stokes carrying on where he left off in 2019 and Ollie Pope showing great potential for the future. Late hitting from the lower order, a rare England declaration and two Dom Bess wickets left England well in control in a match they would ultimately win comfortably.
Shilli-Fully Travels 