Criket: South Africa Not Impressed By Ball Change On Day Three In Durban

South Africa were left frustrated on day three of the first Test against England after the umpires decided to change a ball that had started to reverse swing.

The Proteas thought their luck had come in when Alex Hales smashed Dane Piedt for six against an advertising board, causing damage to the surface of the ball. Umpire Rod Tucker was initially happy to continue with the original but he and colleague Aleem Dar made the decision to call for a replacement when Hales departed 10 overs later.

South Africa captain Hashim Amla was seen in lengthy conversation with the officials at the time, with team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee later seeking clarification from match referee Ranjan Madugalle. Dr Moosajee said, “The reason I have been given is that when it hit the advertising board, or the LED screen, a chunk of the ball came out. Because there was unnatural wear and tear they have the right to change the ball. Obviously at first we were not very impressed but they are the match officials and we have to take their word on these kind of things. Maybe it was because of an unnatural amount of reverse swing. If the match officials make a call, as much as I have my own opinion in it, I have to respect it”

Three straightforward drops did not help the South Africa cause, while there are major fitness doubts over pace spearhead Dale Steyn. He left the field twice in the middle of overs with a shoulder injury and although the news is not as bad as it could be his participation in the remainder of the game, and the second Test in Cape Town is under a cloud. Dr Moosajee said “He found the pain and discomfort troublesome but the results of the scans are inconclusive. There are no tears to the muscles, tendons or ligaments and we are treating it as a shoulder spasm or stiffness for now. We will trial him in the warm-up and if he gets through that we may allow him to bowl. Further assessment will be done after the first Test before we make a call on Cape Town”