Steve Smith ‘taken aback’ by Gqeberha pitch for 2nd Test against SA

Gqeberha, Oct 18 (IANS) Australia veteran batter Steve Smith said he was “taken aback” after seeing the pitch at St George’s Park for the second Test against South Africa, starting Sunday.

Speaking to Mark Howard on Kayo Sports after the toss, the former Aussie skipper stated that the Gqeberha pitch looked green with a “little bit of damp” and was “taken aback” after learning that the groundsman did not use the hessian cover to protect and manage the pitch.

“It looks to be a bit of grass on it, to be fair. Bit of grass, a little bit damp, actually,” Smith said before the start of the play.

“So I just actually spoke to the groundsman. He, I said, do you not use a hessian? And he’s like, nah, do for morning games in one-day cricket. But I actually like to see a little bit of moisture in the morning. So I was, yeah, taken aback by that.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that before. But no, it looks like it’s got some grass. Could be interesting, particularly with the overheads as well,” he added.

Australia won the toss and brought in Scott Boland for Nathan Lyon, opting for an all-four-pace attack, although the visitors have several part-time spin options.

Speaking on the conditions at the venue, Smith opined that the surface would seemingly help the pacers more than the spinners. “Yeah, could be a handful. I’ve never played this time of year. When we’ve played in February, March, it’s end of the season. The square’s usually a lot drier. Wicket’s a bit drier and does take some spin.

“You know, with a bit of rain forecast for the next couple of days, you know, it might not get as much foot traffic as well. So spin may not play as big a part as it traditionally does here. But we’ll wait and see,” he added.

Lyon missed out on playing a red-ball game for Australia for the first time since 2013, whenever he has been available.

Lyon had previously been omitted from pink-ball Test matches in Jamaica and Brisbane in 2025, but he has not been left out for a day Test even once since the 2013 Ashes whenever he was fully fit.

–IANS

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