Timeless memories

With the bad-light issues that often plague Durban Tests it’s tempting to suggest a few more days would be useful to engineer a result. But 70 years ago there was an occasion when even 10 days wasn’t enough.

Kingsmead is famous for having hosted the last timeless Test, where South Africa faced England from March 3 to 14 in 1939. There was play on nine days, there were two rest days, and one was washed out before further rain ended played at tea on the 10th day with England 42 short of an unthinkable pursuit of 696. At that point the tourists had to say enough was enough as they had a boat to catch in Cape Town – a 1000-mile train journey away – and the two captains, Wally Hammond of England and Alan Melville of South Africa, agreed to a draw. All that effort and still no result.

Among the many pictures that cover the walls of the main stand at Kingsmead there a few commemorating that game, including the famous image of the scoreboard showing England’s final score of 654 for 5. Spare a thought for the bowlers, too. Hedley Verity sent down 95 overs (766 balls) and Norman Gordon, the one survivor from the match, bowled 92 in the game.

“Unparalleled in the history of the game this was in many ways an extraordinary match,” Wisden said, “emphasising that there are no limits to the possibilities of what may occur in cricket; but it ended farcically, for insufficient time remained to finish the timeless Test.”

South Africa batted first on winning the toss and piled up 530 with hundreds from Pieter van der Bijl and Dudley Nourse. The innings lasted a mammoth 202.6 overs – and they were eight-ball overs, which proved how much of a grind it was. Test cricket is a game of patience, but this was pushing it to extremes.

England struggled in reply and could only muster 316 before South Africa, with time clearly not meant to be an issue, added 481 in their second innings (Melville scored 103). It left England 696 to chase down when they began on March 9, the sixth day of the game. Five days later they were still going.

“Instead of going in with their tails down, the batsmen set about their task in a magnificent manner and proved what can be done when the wicket remains unimpaired,” Wisden said.

Bill Edrich was the leading light with 219, which kickstarted his Test career after he hadn’t passed 28 in his first 11 innings, while Hammond and Paul Gibb also struck hundreds. In the end, though, it all came to nothing as England had to catch their boat. And to think that nowadays there’s Twenty20 which is completed in three hours. What would Lalit Modi have made of the timeless Test?