IN PICS | Hovercraft, stainless steel trays usher in new pitch era at the Bullring

A new era for South Africa’s cricket grounds starts at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday, when seeds will be sowed in the first “drop-in” pitch to be installed in the country. 

Evan Flint, a former head groundsman at the Wanderers and Newlands, will oversee the process in which a pitch will be grown inside a stainless steel tray, situated on the boundary edge, before it is transported to the centre square. 

“It’s all very new for all of us,” said Flint, who is working alongside Cricket SA’s Grounds consultant Hilbert Smith. 

Once the soil and grass have been planted in the tray, it will be allowed to settle and in the off-season will be transported to the centre square.

The transportation process is also unique.

“The tray will be lifted and moved via a hovercraft to the centre of the ground,” Flint said.

The vehicle is similar to what is used at many grounds in England, including Lord’s, to cover the playing strip when it rains.   

“It weighs about 32 tons, but because it's on air, it can be easily moved around by pushing it.”

The hovercraft will transport the pitch from its present location to the eastern half of the Wanderers square, where it will be allowed to “settle in” over winter with the plan to use it for a friendly in December next year. 

Depending on how that process unfolds, the pitch may be used for a first class game in April 2026. 

Flint explained the need for drop-in pitches arose from criticism about South African surfaces — specially the centre strips used for international matches — which had become “old and tired” and weren’t conducive to stroke play.

“The problem in relaying and growing new pitches is there isn’t time to allow that to occur. Besides international cricket there’s also the SA20 and the domestic matches, so [using drop-ins] was one solution,” he said.

The Australian model in use at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Perth Stadium and the Adelaide Oval was deemed too expensive, with the movement of pitches for venues facilitated via a “train” which transported the strip from a different location into the venue for use. 

“This way, we grow the pitch at the ground, and then we  move it to the centre. The aim ultimately is to have three to four pitches which can be rotated and used as required.” 

For now, the goal is to use the drop-in pitches only for white ball matches once they’ve settled in. Test cricket is only likely to be played on a South African drop-in after the 2027 World Cup is hosted in this country, Zimbabwe and Namibia. 

“We can do it for the white ball stuff because pitches worldwide for those formats are pretty standard. It's a batter’s game, they want pace on the ball and consistent bounce  because that helps shot making,” said Flint.

Ideally the pitches should retain the traditional characteristics associated with the venue, which in the case of the Wanderers, includes good pace and bounce. Whether that is the case will only be determined in a year’s time at the earliest.

Drop-in pitches are scheduled to be used at all four major venues in SA — the Wanderers, SuperSport Park, Kingsmead and Newlands — with plans to do the same at remaining venues that will be used for the World Cup. 

There was scepticism within provincial administrative circles about using drop-in wickets after the debacle that occurred at the T20 World Cup in New York this year. 

The pitches were declared substandard by the ICC, with batting nearly impossible, specially against the new ball. However, the matches were played at a temporary venue  and besides the pitch, an entire outfield had to be built for the event.

The field itself hadn’t grown properly and the pitches were only given six months to be embedded. In South Africa the surfaces will be allowed 12 to 18 months to settle. 

“I have to trust in the voices of the experts,” said Jono Leaf-Wright, Central Gauteng Lions CEO. “I’m proud that DP World Wanderers is the first stadium in the country to do this.

“For now, it’s the one strip that will be built, but if all goes well the Wanderers could move up to four pitches.”