‘Honest’ Faf wants answers on under-fire Centurion pitch

Faf du Plessis has flexed his muscles as an influential Proteas skipper by demanding answers on the Centurion pitch.

South Africa clinched an early Test series win against India with a 135-run triumph on Wednesday, highlighted by Lungi Ngidi’s fantastic debut.

Yet SuperSport Park’s surface remains one of the bigger talking points given how low and slow it became.

“I was very concerned when I got here, leading up to the Test match,” said Du Plessis.

It didn’t look like a Centurion wicket that I know. That is a concern, to be honest.

“I am very honest about good things and when we get it right but it’s also fair to comment on where we can get better. I believe this was an opportunity that we missed.”

Former Proteas skipper Graeme Smith was particularly critical after the first day, in which India’s off-spinner Ravi Ashwin bowled a massive 31 overs.

Such conditions seemed to level the playing field far more than South Africa would’ve wanted.

Du Plessis noted that it wasn’t the first time that the Proteas were left disappointed by the type of home pitches they encountered though he didn’t mention other instances.

He wants better oversight from Cricket South Africa.

“We can blame the groundsman but we also have to blame ourselves,” said Du Plessis.

“We made a process where we make sure CSA has someone that looks after the groundsmen to get the right kind of pitches when we play against teams.

“We never wanted something ridiculous, we just wanted a pitch with pace and bounce. I think there is concern that we are not getting it right and this is not the first time. I can think of three or four occasions over the last 12 months. That’s something I will be taking up and making sure we can improve.”

ALSO READ:

//

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.