India in South Africa for their ODI series

So nearly a week has gone by since I last wrote to you and we’ve moved from Durban to Cape Town.

Now onto Port Elizabeth on our journey around South Africa following the ODI series between SA and India. The match at Durban last Wednesday was a very one sided affair with SA winning the toss and making 248-8 in their 50 overs. Jacques Kallis getting an unbeaten 119 and then the home side bowled India out under lightsf or just 91.
When it gets dark here there is some additional movement around for the bowlers but that can’t be the whole story, there were some fairly indifferent shots played!

I woke the next morning very early because it was the start of ‘The Ashes’. I didn’t set my alarm clock or anything it must have just been an instinct that woke me and when I turned on the telly although Australia had won the toss England weren’t doing too badly and at 209-3 at tea it looked like a good day. Sadly it went downhill from that point onwards and when you lose the first game in a series, even in a 5 match series it’s a big uphill climb to get parity or even better.

Anyway, Thursday was a travelling day to the very picturesque Cape Town. The teams and officials were all booked into the Southern Sun Hotel at Newlands which is 5 minutes walk away from the ground and the feature of this hotel is the staff. I have never been to another hotel where they greet you like a long lost friend not in the sickly false smiley sort of way but in a very genuine caring sort of way, nothing is too much trouble!

The rooms are not the greatest but the staff more than make up for that with their attitude. I had hoped to play some golf whilst I was down there but with cutbacks by Cricket South Africa and a misunderstanding between myself and our 4th umpire nothing materialized so the 3 days before the match were spent without transport either walking between Claremont shopping complex and the hotel or watching re-run upon re-run of sporting action on the hotel TV’s –very boring! And then there was the debacle that was England rugby! Not a good performance and with the cricketers not doing well either it made for a disappointing Saturday night. At least the wine is good here in South Africa!!!!!

Still Sunday didn’t take too long to come around and it was a fascinating game with SA again winning the toss and batting but this time they found themselves in trouble at 74-6 but a magnificent 1st ODI hundred from Justin Kemp got the home side to a respectable 274-7 in their 50 overs. India also got off to a poor start and although Dravid held his end up by getting a good half century not much else came to the party and the tourists ended up being bowled out for 168. On top of that Dravid is ruled out for the rest ofthe ODI’s because he’s broken his finger!

And then it’s off to Port Elizabeth which is a lovely little seaside town on the East coast of the country, where the Garden Route, a beautiful coastal drive between here and Cape Town begins. The teams left early on the 9.30am flight, we travelled at 1pm and it’s nice not to travel with the teams because we tend to get lost in the adulation of the Indian team which they get wherever they go. I do admire them so because you never see any of them get agitated or annoyed when they’re buffeted by the huge support they receive, even the likes of Tendulkar and Dravid. In the evening Billy and I walk down to the Boardwalk shopping, restaurant and casino complex where we did a bit of everything, some less successfully than others!!!!

And today it’s ground inspection and golf at the very testing Humewood Golf Club where in just 3 weeks time they’ll be playing the South African Open – who knows if I have a good round I might just enter…………….NOT!!!!