Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Bull

As South Africa’s Test fortunes wax, interest in five-day format wanes

Dean Elgar (left) celebrates South Africa’s win against England with his teammates at Lord’s.
Dean Elgar (left) celebrates South Africa’s win against England with his teammates at Lord’s. Commercial realities are pushing the five-day format on to the sidelines in their country. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

The last day of the Test stretched on long after England’s batsmen had been and gone. When the presentations were finished, the interviews wrapped, the hoardings packed, the crowd still lingered in the stands with nothing better to do on a free sunny afternoon than ask each other: “Who fancies another?”

I passed three men sprawled in the front row of the Mound Stand, all in linen suits, one with his loafers up on the boundary boards. “Excuse me,” he called out as I walked around the outfield, “but what happens now?” I wondered what he was talking about. “Is there going to be some music or something?”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.