Crikey.

Afghanistan coach, Jonathan Trott, didn’t want to sound bitter but he was also pretty categorical in his assessment of the 22 yards. “I don’t want to get myself into trouble… I don’t want to come across as bitter,” he said. “But that’s not the pitch you want to have a match on, plain and simple. It should be a fair contest. I’m saying you shouldn’t have batsmen worrying about going forward and the ball flying over their head.

“If the opposition bowled well and got to a position where they bowled well, and it’s through skill, then that’s fine. But once the ball starts misbehaving and rolling…”

Trott got to the heart of the issue. To give one example, one Ancrich Nortje pitched on a back of length area before climbing above the blade of Karim Janat. It continued its upward trajectory and evaded a jumping Quinton de Kock glove for four byes. It was a throwback to that very cracky Cape Town surface where India and South Africa played a two-day Test in last year’s Boxing Day Test.

With this much variable bounce and exaggerated seam movement on offer, Kagiso Rabada, Nortje, Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi knew they only had to keep the stumps and outside edge in play at all times which they did. “If we had bowled as straight as South Africa had, I think you would have seen a very interesting second half as well,” Trott added. “South Africa bowled well, used the conditions, and showed our boys what it’s capable of.” Amidst all this, one thing has to be said. The result and the surface do not reflect the incredible campaign Afghanistan have had. For South Africa, destiny awaits.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 56 in 11.5 ovs

(Jansen 3/16, Rabada 2/14, Nortje 2/7, Shamsi 3/6) lost to South Africa 60/1 in 8.5 ovs

(Hendricks 29 n.o).