There is only one sporting event dominating South Africa at the moment, and I can confirm it isn’t England’s upcoming two-day matches against an Invitational XI in East London. The country is still abuzz following Friday’s World Cup draw, and as I arrived at Tambo airport in Johannesburg the front pages of the newspapers were reflecting on the excitement of the star-studded event in Cape Town.
“It’s party time” splashed the Sunday Times and pieces inside dissected the event in huge detail, from how the World Cup will boost the tourist industry to what David Beckham had been eating during his whistle-stop trip. Apparently he dined on yellowtail sashimi, Nando’s lemon chicken and ostrich fillet. So now you know.
The last time I was in South Africa, for the 2007 World Twenty20, the countdown clock outside the airport read 1004 days. This time it was down to 186. The airport was also a construction site, but now it is a gleaming, modern terminal ready to deal with the hundreds of thousands who will descend in June. Not long to go.
Before the football, though, there is time for cricket. The one-day series has certainly whetted the appetite for the four-Test series, which starts in Centurion on December 16. England are preparing in East London, a 90-minute flight south from Johannesburg on the rugged south-east coast. It hasn’t got the greatest reputation as a thriving “place to visit” and, in cricket circles, is remembered for a scathing article penned by Michael Henderson on a previous England tour when he basically said he’d rather be anywhere else.
I’ll give it the week before making an assessment, but the weather isn’t playing ball. I pulled back the curtains on my first full day here and could see… precisely nothing. The shoreline that was visible the previous evening was covered in heavy cloud and the next-door building was barely visible. Apparently it rained most of last week and the locals are wondering when summer will arrive.
England were forced to cancel their training session and, instead, hit the gym. After the wet week they had in Durban, the players will be crossing their fingers to get on the park come Wednesday.
****
The exotically named Hanalulu Shuttle Service whisked me from the airport to my hotel. Lulama, the chatty driver, struck me as an industrious person. He is a one-man business and doesn’t restrict himself to picking up bleary-eyed visitors. On the reverse of his business card he lists “Services Offered: General Supplier, Stationery, Catering, Embroidery, Printing and Office Removal.” Sounds like a useful man to know.
****
Most of you will have heard the joke by now. Where do England’s players stay while on tour in South Africa? With their parents. The connections of Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott have been a regular theme during the first month of the tour and it will remain so throughout the next six weeks.
On SuperSport, the pay-TV network, the Test series is being advertised with a range of promos, but one in particular caught my eye. Footage of an England team huddle is dubbed with the local accent and the voiceover at the end goes: “It’s South Africa versus, hmm, England. Starting December 16.” Gotta love the sense of humour.