Five-day test cricket remains the greatest form of the game, and there are talks that the game should be shortened to four days.
But I think that the second test match against England poses a very good argument that it should remain five days.
The second test against England at Newlands on New Year’s Day produced some of the most memorable cricket seen in recent years.
With a dismal display of batting in our first innings thanks to another collapse, the Proteas were given a monumental task of chasing down 400 odd runs in two days.
With England’s deadly bowling attack, many South African fans expected us to be at least five wickets down by the end of day four and be all dismissed early the next morning, but only one fell and we gained some hope.
The opening pair, the gutsy Dean Elgar and impressive debutant Pieter Malan, put up a much-needed partnership that stabilised that game a little bit for the hosts.
As the fifth day dawned, we lost two wickets, but a string of partnerships kept the hopes of a draw alive; a win was completely out of the question.
Our batsmen took no risks, every delivery was blocked or left alone.
Even loose or bad balls that would usually be dispatched to the boundary fence were left unbothered.
One batsmen, Rassie van der Dussen, faced 130 balls for only 17 runs with only one boundary.
However, it was the brilliance of all-rounder Ben Stokes from England who took the last two wickets that won them the second test with 189 runs, levelling the series at one all.
Had this been a four-day game, things would have turned out very differently.
The game would simply have been drawn with no further action.
The game of cricket is being shortened to draw in larger crowds.
With the popularity of 20-over cricket, this is hardly surprising.
Cricket has become more commercialised and made to look like American baseball with shorter games, loud music, mascots and bright uniforms.
But it has always been the five-day test format of the game that has produced its best stories.
Brian Lara scoring 400 runs and Graeme Smith batting for a draw with a broken hand with Makhaya Ntini on the other end are just some of these great stories.
The game pushes players to their physical and mental limits and often produces drama and banter that further delights cricket lovers.
The drama with the Australians in 2018 would not have happened if it were a limited overs game.
In what other sports can you read headlines about the match while the game is still ongoing?
Limited overs cricket is very entertaining to watch with the massive sixes and high scores, and they aren’t free of drama and memorable moments.
But with five-day cricket, we get to see some of the finest athletes bat and bowl at each for eight hours every day.
Batsmen guarding the crease for hours, facing hundreds of balls travelling at 140km/h while swinging and shaping in the air, where a drop catch can change a game and make tomorrows headline on your way to work.
Stare downs, sledging, wry smiles, sarcastic comments, flaring tempers and clashing egos turn the game into a theatre piece and a study of its characters that we all revere.
A test match shows teams wither at their lowest moments and soar at their greatest.
It is the reason why we sit and watch or listen for five days.
Not everyone understands or appreciates it, but to understand and love it is to do so forever.
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