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Cape Town - After the Boxing Day Test between the Proteas and Zimbabwe ended with just 151 overs bowled in the match, former Proteas Herschelle Gibbs and Pat Symcox took to Twitter to question whether four-day Test matches are indeed the way forward.
The Proteas thrashed Zimbabwe within two days, taking 16 wickets on Day 2 and winning a very one-sided contest at St. George's Park.
Led by Morne Morkel (5-21) in the first innings and Keshav Maharaj (5-59) in the second, the Proteas bowlers dominated the Zimbabwean batsmen to win by an innings and 120 runs.
Gibbs, who played 90 Tests for South Africa scoring 6 167 runs and averaging 41.95, wrote on Twitter: "Test cricket is the ultimate test..keep it to 5 days please not 4!"
Symcox, who took 37 wickets in 20 Tests for the Proteas, believed the result would detract more from the longer format of the game.
"Sadly the Zim Test will just detract more from Test cricket despite every effort to make it attractive by playing over 4 days. Really feel for the Zim boys. Their system back home has not done them any favours," tweeted Symcox.
"Just wondering CSA are thinking of perhaps arranging a second Test perhaps starting 2morrow for 2 days. Would be so innovative," he then suggested, somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
The Proteas next face India in the first of a three-match Test series, starting at Newlands on January 5.
India's Test squad for South Africa:
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, K. L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
India's tour fixtures in South Africa:
January 5-9 - 1st Test, Newlands
January 13-17 - 2nd Test, Centurion
January 24-28 - 3rd Test, Wanderers
February 1 - 1st ODI, Kingsmead (D/N)
February 4 - 2nd ODI, Centurion
February 7 - 3rd ODI, Newlands (D/N)
February 10 - 4th ODI, Wanderers (D/N)
February 13 - 5th ODI, St. George's Park (D/N)
February 16 - 6th ODI, Centurion (D/N)
February 18 - 1st T20I, Wanderers
February 21 - 2nd T20I, Centurion (D/N)
February 24 - 3rd T20I, Newlands (D/N)
Test cricket is the ultimate test..keep it to 5 days please not 4!
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) December 27, 2017
Sadly the Zim Test will just detract more from Test cricket despite every effort to make it attractive by playing over 4 days. Really feel for the Zim boys. Their system back home has not done them any favours.
— Pat Symcox (@PatSymcox77) December 27, 2017
Just wondering CSA are thinking of perhaps arranging a second Test perhaps starting 2morrow for 2 days. Would be so innovative.
— Pat Symcox (@PatSymcox77) December 27, 2017
