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Centurion - All's well that ends well, they say, but Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis has voiced his strong disapproval with the wicket that was provided for the second Test against India at Centurion.
South Africa won the Test comfortably in the end, and the series as a result, and while the celebrations will carry on long into the Pretoria night, Du Plessis will be following up on what exactly went wrong with the wicket.
The Proteas had requested a traditional Centurion wicket that offered the seamers pace and bounce.
Instead, they were given a strip that seamer Morne Morkel earlier in the week referred to as sub-continent-like.
The bounce was low throughout the Test, variable if anything, while the quicks had to bend their backs to get purchase.
The spinners, too, came into the game far more than Du Plessis would have liked.
"I was very concerned when I got here, leading up to the Test match," Du Plessis confirmed.
"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."
The blame fell heavily on rookie curator Bryan Bloy, who was made to endure a long five days of public attention, but Du Plessis pointed to the process rather an individual.
"We can blame the groundsman but we also have to blame ourselves," he said.
"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."
The man Du Plessis was referring to is CSA consultant Hilbert Smith, who is there to assist whenever South African venues encounter problems, whether it be with the pitch or the outfield.
It is not his job, though, to physically prepare the wicket, and that is all part of the proces that Du Plessis wants to get to the bottom of.
"We never wanted something ridiculous, we just wanted a pitch with pace and bounce," he continued.
"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.
"We need to be better as a collective. That’s something I will be taking up and making sure we can improve."
