SUPERSPORT PARK SPARKLES A view of SuperSport Park from the media centre during the SA20 clash between Pretoria Captials and Joburg Super Kings in Centurion. Picture: Michael Sherman/Independent Media
Image: Michael Sherman/Independent Media
The life of a sports journalist is something one can take for granted after 15 years in the job, but this week as I attended the SA20 match between the Pretoria Capitals (PC) and Joburg Super Kings (JSK) I was reminded what a privilege it was to watch cricket for a living.
I’ve always felt that SuperSport Park in Centurion, offers one of the best views for journalists covering a game in their media centre.
I like being as close to the sight screen as possible, and here you’re right above it if you can get here early enough to grab a great seat.
Besides the view of the cricket, you have the Gautrain that whips past every few minutes and the band that keep strutting their stuff across the stands if your mind begins to wander.
Unlike some other grounds, like down the road in Johannesburg at the Wanderers, SuperSport Park makes you feel like your right up close to the action. At the Wanderers, you’re about five floors up and over a kind of wide mid-on or 3rd man position. So from there, the players really look like ants unless you’re using binoculars for the whole match.
SuperSport Park is also much smaller than the Wanderers, with the ground having a capacity of around 22 000 while the Wanderers can accommodate 34 000.
This ground also has a lot of good memories for me, as I also was covering a Proteas 50-over match against India in 2013 when a young Quinton de Kock scored his third ODI century in a row. It was his fourth overall and an incredible start to his career, all before the age of 21.
So you can tell I’m a bit biased here, but that’s not always a bad thing.
Now with the SA20 in its third season, SuperSport Park is home to PC who are struggling a bit. On Tuesday they needed to beat JSK to still have a chance of making the playoffs, and the result indeed went their way.
That for me doesn’t matter too much though, as it’s always great to experience a game here regardless of which teams are playing. Although I must admit, it was great seeing a prime Dale Steyn torment opposition here.
I’m sure there are also going to be a number of top SA fast bowlers who strut their stuff here too in the future. So if ever you get a chance to watch cricket here in South Africa, make sure SuperSport Park is one of your first stops.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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