East London - Not as bad as its reputation

In my first dispatch from South Africa I mentioned Michael Henderson’s rather blunt assessment of East London 10 years ago, which made him “the most hated journalist in South Africa,” according to the local Daily Dispatch newspaper at the time.

I admit I arrived in the city with preconceptions, and as the rain fell on my first day – it was torrential during a mighty overnight thunderstorm, which forced a number of flights, including the one carrying Mushtaq Ahmed, to turn around – I could kind of see where Henderson had been coming from. However, after spending a little longer here I am starting to see the place in a different light. It helped no end that the sun came out for a day.

From my hotel in the centre of the older part of town, which does give the feel of stepping back a few decades, it’s a 20-minute walk along the foreshore to Buffalo Park. The waves crash against a rocky coastline as the penguins in the local aquarium sun themselves by their pools. Further along the path, people are selling African souvenirs, and if you carry on, rather than turn inwards towards the ground, you will reach the tall sand dunes that the England players sprinted up during one of their training sessions. There is always something impressive about a harsh coastline with the force of nature in full flow.

Buffalo Park itself is, admittedly, looking a little ramshackle, but the people are friendly and have worked hard to ensure this game could start after a week of bad weather. Half the ground is surrounded by grass banks – an increasingly rare sight these days, as venues are developed to maximise capacity – and the reception proudly displays the history of Border cricket.

One of their finest sons is Makhaya Ntini, who has become a national hero of huge standing and will play his 100th Test at Centurion Park. He hails from the Eastern Cape village of Mdingi, where he was talent-spotted and fast-tracked into the cricket set-up as a beacon of the new South Africa.

And back on the field we have even been treated to the rare sight of cricketers in action. It has been 10 days since England won the fourth ODI in Port Elizabeth and they haven’t been on the park since. And, with apologies to their rare series win in the one-dayers, when Andrew Strauss defended the first ball back to the bowler it signalled the start of the serious leg of this tour.

However, shortly after lunch, ominous dark clouds were encroaching over the ground and soon the thunderstorm arrived. Still, if tomorrow dawns sunny I’ll walk to the ground again – it’s worth it. East London will never be top of the tourist list in South Africa – there is serious competition for that accolade – but it’s certainly not as bad as some would make out.