As the Pink ODI rolled around again, an electric atmosphere was steadily building at the Wanderers ahead of the second match of the series between South Africa and Australia on Sunday.
With South Africa having comprehensively beaten Australia in the first ODI in Durban earlier in the week, fans slowly filed into the stadium in eager anticipation of the Proteas sealing the three-match series at Johannesburg’s iconic venue.
Of course, the Pink ODI is as much about raising breast cancer awareness as it is about world-class cricket—with a generous portion of the day’s proceeds going directly to the Breast Care Unit at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Approaching the stadium about two hours before the 10:00 AM start, I made my way inside smoothly without hitting any long queues.
Once inside the Wanderers, a vibrant buzz was already taking hold, with plenty of people stocking up on refreshments at the food stands before heading off to find their seats.
Even though rain had fallen in Centurion around 7:00 AM, the weather turned out to be absolute perfection for cricket across the Jukskei. There was, however, a considerable layer of cloud cover lingering overhead, which meant choosing to bowl first would be a tempting proposition.
That is precisely what transpired when Australian captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and promptly inserted South Africa to bat.
By just before noon—with South Africa sitting at 132/3 after 22 overs—the stands had filled up considerably. Most of the crowd donned some shade of pink, creating a far more colourful and captivating spectacle than any standard ODI match.
@MichaelSherman
IOL Sport
