Mutton rootie, dumpies and darts for six bucks? A walk down memory lane as the past and present meet in South Africa

As Cameron Green was batting in Gqeberha on Saturday, a bloodcurdling howl had heads turning swiftly towards the net where the angular Australian was facing for fear he has suffered another foul blow.

Having been injured when struck in the stomach by a full toss a week before the series started, which ensures he will miss the Test in the port city beginning on Sunday, it was a relief the anguished cry instead came from a bird in an adjoining park.

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There is a rustic feel to St George’s Park, the ground that hosted the last Test before the Apartheid ban, in a city where the downtown buildings are decaying and every house or hotel along Marine Drive is bolstered by significant security measures.

At The Halal Hut, situated in a corridor between the oval and the nets, you can snap up some cigarettes with your Mutton Rootie, Dumpies and Biltong, if any of those offerings catches your fancy. A Castle Lite? That will set you back three bucks.

The corridor itself provides a walk back in time to a darker period in South Africa’s history, serving as a museum of sorts within a cricket ground that hosted South Africa’s first ever Test in 1889 against England. And it is fascinating.

Three framed front pages from the Eastern Province Herald in May, 1970, foreshadow the crisis that unfolded as governments around the world took a stand at the segregated policies of the National Party, which saw South Africa ostracised globally.

The first proclaimed that the tour against England would go ahead, with South African players and officials “overjoyed”. The second informs the public that the UK government is making a “last ditch bid” to stop the tour. And the last? “TOUR OFF”.

Given this history, it is not a surprise that there is a sign at the start of what locals call the old grandstand warning that racism of any sort will not be tolerated. And nor should it be.

Further along the corridor there is a superb photograph of the “Champion Bat Tournament” from 1984 along with another portraying the winners of the competition sporting moustaches, bats and a spaniel looking particularly pleased with itself.

Fast forward almost 150 years and while there has not yet been a dog spotted at the ground over the past couple of days, more exotic wildlife including a mongoose and several geese have been.

A mongoose wandered across the ground while the Aussies were in the middle on their first day here, while a pack of geese arrived to watch Green batting alongside Josh Inglis and Pat Cummins in the nets as Andrew McDonald watched on.

As yet, the beast that gave the ground the nickname “The Dragon’s Lair” has kept itself in the shadows, though one suspects the Australians are wary of what another South African legend, Kagiso Rabada, might unleash in this Test.

The Australians have been in good spirits in the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth, which is understandable after their superb performance in Durban.

The session on Saturday was a light affair held in windy conditions on another sunny day.

Bad weather is predicted for Sunday, with showers arriving late on Saturday, but locals are hopeful that it will clear as it is the only non-working day for the match.

As it stands, about 5,000 fans are predicted to attend, which is well below capacity at what is a delightful venue. And that estimation came before the predictions that a thunderstorm would arrive.

St George’s Park is renowned for the big brass band that features here but after the milder than anticipated reception the Aussies received in Durban, Cummins is hoping for more of the same, even though he hopes more fans come along.

“Personally I enjoyed it last week. It was quite calm. (There were) lots of Aussie tour groups over there as well, which is nice,” the Australian captain said.

“But, of course, ideally you’re playing in front of bigger crowds. Hopefully, the band is out here this week. That is always a feature of playing at this venue.

“Again, we’re really lucky in Australia. We’re always really well supported, big TV numbers as well as crowds. But it is one of those quirks when you do tour overseas, even in places like India, lots of people watching, but not necessarily at the ground. But hopefully this week’s a bit better than last.”

The Aussies were making hay while the sun was shining on Saturday, working hard to fine tune their preparation and to continue the momentum gleaned from the 214-run win at Kingsmead Stadium.

It is anecdotal, but this is in contrast to what unfolded in 2018 according to one keen nets watcher named Lance, who was holding a book featuring Shane Warne on the cover that featured dozens of signatures of former players.

Back then, he said, the Aussies were barely spotted in the lead in to the second Test after a strong win in Durban and were subsequently bowled out for 243 in the first innings, which allowed the Proteas to coast to a six wicket win.

And we all know what unfolded in that Test with Rabada, who is primed to return on Sunday, and Steve Smith and the subsequent calamity that unfolded in Cape Town in the following match.

This time around the Aussies have been in the nets from Thursday through Saturday, though admittedly in rotation.

The final session was a lighter one and Cummins, after his pre-match press duties, was among the more active.

He rolled the arm over off a couple of steps in the middle for a period to loosen up and so, too, did Scott Boland, Beau Webster and Matt Kuhnemann as batsmen including Matt Renshaw and Travis Head were facing throw downs in the nets.

The Aussie captain, who batted superbly in Durban, then faced an extended stint of throw downs in the nets which curiously included time against what appeared to be an indoor cricket ball.

The good news is that Cummins was spanking them, irrespective of whether the ball was yellow or red, and he is hoping he can carry on after enjoying his time with the bat as well as ball in Durban while partnering Matt Renshaw.

“I did enjoy it. It’s not always the case, so I savoured it while I was out there,” he said.

If Australia can see off the threat posed by Rabada and the World Test Champions at St George’s Park, it is something he will savour even more.

A series win South Africa after the trauma of 2018? That would be one for the memory bank.