Newlands in pristine condition, eyeing Lord’s number 1 status

​Can PPC Newlands, one of the Mother City’s ultimate sporting venues, replace Lord’s as the top cricket stadium around the world? 

PPC Newlands’ upgrades of R13 million including an enlarged capacity of 200 guests in the new President’s Suite, and the presence of a new state-of-the-art scoreboard, one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, are providing a face-lift to the already world-famous ground.
 
The upgrades, known as the Newlands Cricket Ground Mini-Project, is on track to meet the deadline of 30th September. The scoreboard will be installed before the start of the T20 Global League on 3rd November.

“With PPC Newlands confirmed as host of the traditional New Year’s Test against India (the match starts on 5th January), I cannot think of a more pristine backdrop for a battle royal between the current number 1 and number 2 ranked teams in the world,” said Nabeal Dien, chief executive officer of the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA),

“I am excited about the gigantic work done by Edudev, high calibre master builders and Western Province’s ground staff and operational teams to give Newlands such a face-lift,” Dien added.
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In May 2012, 40 experts approached by The Cricketer, voted Lord’s as the number 1 cricket venue in the world and selected Newlands as the second best with the Adelaide Oval placed third.
 
“PPC Newlands has never looked in more pristine condition,” said Evan Flint, decorated South African groundsman of the year in 2017. He heads a professional team that relayed four pitches and installed two more at the edge of the square to ensure that 14 wickets are available for the 2017/2018 competitions.
 
Flint was also at the helm of an extensive operation to see a comprehensive Shelton drainage system installed at the ground.
 
Newlands is renowned for its backdrop of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak, its knowledgeable and vocal fans and the sizes of the crowd at the traditional New Year’s tests, as well as limited-overs games.
 
“Yeah, Newlands looks as good as I have ever seen it,” Flint says, who has been the head curator under the Oaks since 2008.
 
Prior to that, he performed his apprenticeship under the guardianship of Philip Russell, a former Derbyshire player, former head curator at Kingsmead and former coach of the Dolphins.
 
“We have added two wickets and I have relayed four because of increasing content. It is not only because of the advent of the T20 Global competition, but also because of club competitions and the fact that wickets might become ‘tired’ at the end of the season.
 
“Players in the T20 Global competition might also want to have middle practice to see how far they can hit it,” he said.
 
Reflecting on the outfield, Flint is a custodian of a very specific philosophy. “I don’t think the outfield will be as quick as that of the Wanderers. But I feel that you should not be credited with a boundary if you just beat the inner ring, especially in four-day cricket and test cricket.
 
“There should be more skill involved to find the ropes, and twos and threes should also be in the reckoning,” he added.
 
Flint says when there are clouds against Table Mountain, the ball might move. The opposite is also true that if it’s a bright, sunny day and it remains the case for the next four days, the pitch might be dry on day five.
 
The advent of global T20 cricket has tilted the scales in the batsmen’s favour. Yet, he believes in a fair contest between bat and ball in one-day cricket, three- and four-day matches and in tests and prepares pitches and the ground so that there is a less lop-sided clash where the bat doesn’t completely dominate.
 
“If you score 270 in a domestic one-day game that is good going. But once you score more than 300, that is not equally as thrilling,” he added.
 
When judging test and four-day matches, he argues that 30 runs per wicket is about par, which means 1200 runs in a match and 40 wickets.
 
“I think we have the formula about right, but even if you repeat it, the results might be different. Sometimes it is a bit of a lottery,” he added.
 
Flint has been judged by his peers and by the players and umpires as the best in the country.
 
It is a great accolade, for overhead conditions and just a bit of nip off the seam can cause havoc, especially when Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander are in full cry.
 
Philander captured 5-17 in his maiden test in 2011 at PPC Newlands when South Africa romped to an eight-wicket win and Australia was dismissed for a lowly 47 after being 21 for nine at a stage.
 
In the 2012/2013-season, New Zealand was routed for 45 as Philander took 5-7 at the iconic Newlands.
 
The England batsmen had no such trouble in the New Year’s test in 2016, as they clubbed 629 for six declared.
 
South Africa’s response produced one of the most celebrated centuries of the past five years, as Temba Bavuma struck his maiden test century and the Proteas managed 627.
 
Flint says he has been enormously privileged to be surrounded by an experienced assistant, Ihtishaam Adams, who has been at his side for five years. “He is brilliant.”
 
The rest of his support cast are people who love their trade. “You can see it. They are so passionate,” he concludes.