St George’s Park, Gqeberha, has a long history dating back to 1889, when it hosted South Africa’s first-ever Test match against England. The venue has hosted 33 Test matches to date, with the most recent being the South Africa vs Sri Lanka Test from December 5–9, 2024.
St George’s Park Pitch Report: What to Expect
Historically, the surface at St George’s Park offers a balance between bat and ball. In Test cricket, teams have generally preferred to bat first, mainly because the pitch tends to offer more assistance to spinners as the match progresses, especially on the fourth and fifth days.
Seamers enjoy bowling here in the first innings, as they get plenty of bounce and carry. Batters need time to adjust to the conditions early on, but once they are settled, they can score runs quickly.
Overall, we can expect a good contest between bat and ball in the SA vs AUS 2nd Test, which starts from October 18th. Of the 15 Test matches played at the venue in this century, only two have ended in a draw, suggesting that we could see a result in the upcoming match.
St George’s Park: Test Stats and Records
St George’s Park has hosted 33 Test matches to date. Teams batting first have won 15 of them, while teams bowling first have won 13. The remaining five matches have ended in draws.
The average first-innings score at the venue stands at 313, while the average fourth-innings score is 159. The highest recorded total is Australia’s 549/7 declared against South Africa in 1950, while the lowest total is South Africa’s 30 all out against England.
Former South African captain Dean Elgar has scored the most Test runs at the venue, accumulating 667 runs in nine matches at an average of 47.64.
Herschelle Gibbs holds the record for the highest individual Test score at the venue, having scored 196 against India in 2001.
Former South African fast bowler Allan Donald tops the list of leading Test wicket-takers at the venue, with 40 wickets in seven matches. His best innings figures are 7/84.
England’s late fast bowler George Lohmann holds the record for the best bowling figures in an innings at St George’s Park, having taken eight wickets for just seven runs against South Africa in 1896. He also holds the record for the best match figures at the venue, taking 15 wickets for just 45 runs.
