Quickest Newlands track I have seen with inconsistent bounce: SA batting coach Prince

Prince praised the Indian fast bowler for his 6 for 15 which saw Proteas get skittled out for 55.

Cape Town: India pacer Mohammed Siraj might have bowled the spell of his life during the second Test on Wednesday but South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince has never seen a quicker day one strip at the Newlands Stadium with such “inconsistent bounce”.

“Siraj bowled one of the spells of his life,” Prince said, praising the Indian fast bowler for his 6 for 15 which saw Proteas get skittled out for 55.

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“If you combine that with two good bowlers with the new ball in their hands in favourable conditions, that is what you get,” the former South Africa skipper said after the close of play on Day 1. However, he didn’t mince words while criticising the track.

“Having played a lot of cricket on this ground, and having also been a coach here, I have never seen the pitch being that quick on day one. It usually speeds up on day two,” Prince observed.

“But you need the bounce to be consistent. “I think the bounce was a little bit inconsistent. You have seen some balls bouncing steep and some keeping low. But you don’t mind the seam movement on day one. The amount of balls that took off from length and keepers took above their heads was extensive,” he said. Prince also offered a theory that a lot of construction work taking place adjacent to Newlands might have also affected the character of the track.

“I don’t know if the lots of construction taking place here are affecting this pitch. If two line-ups can’t bat on a surface, that says a lot.”