THE venue of the first Test of the present three-match series between South Africa and Pakistan, the Wanderers Stadium, is home to Transvaal team which also is known now as the Highveld Lions. From 1956 when it staged its first Test against England to now it has transformed into a full-fledged arena and is aptly known as the ‘Bullring’.

But there were no bulls around in sight nor the matadors but the centre of attention on the first day was the South African captain Graeme Smith who on his 32nd birthday came out to bat to celebrate his record breaking hundredth appearance as a Test skipper.

Standing ovation was well deserved, though offered by only a small crowd of about 5,000 present at the stadium when play began after Smith won the toss and walked in to open the innings. He wished he had stayed longer but it was not to be when he edged a slower delivery from Umar Gul to Sarfraz Ahmed to be out for 24.

At tea time he cut the birthday cake in full view of the spectators on the ground. He would not forget the experience though which he tasted on the venue on Friday nor would the day when he led his country to a one wicket win chasing a record 435 runs in an ODI against Australia here in 2005.

Sitting next to me in the media box was the South African great fast bowler Makhaya Ntini who was the non-striker when Mark Boucher hit that winning four off Brett Lee to go past 434-run target in that historic ODI.

Ntini remembers the moment well, “I took a single and told Boucher ‘now it is up to you man.’ Boucher clouted the next delivery for four to get victory for us. But before he hit that shot I felt numb. Difficult to describe,” he said.

Nor would I when I visited this ground for the first time in 1991 during apartheid days when I along with Sir Garfield Sobers, Sunil Gavaskar and Richie Benaud was invited on the occasion of the merger of non-white cricket board with South African Union, the whites cricket board into the United Cricket Board of South Africa.

Dr Ali Bacher, the former South African Test captain, was our host. He took Gavaskar and me to the ground where no non-white team had ever played because the laws of the country did not allow it. I told Gavaskar that ‘you have never played on this ground, so I would like you to sit under the scoreboard with your name flashing on it and I will take a picture.’ He obliged and I took the photo and then asked him to enter the barbed-wire cage on one of the stands in which the blacks used to sit during the Tests as they were not allowed to have a mixed seating with the whites. Gavaskar obliged again and with glossy eyes we walked away from the cage.

Things are different now. There are fully developed stands all round and facilities as good any in the world. With apartheid over after Nelson Mandela’s release from imprisonment after 27 years of hard labour, now no cage and no segregated seatings are to seen.

No non-white teams could have imagined playing in South Africa before 1991 but now most of the teams have visited this country and the venue.

The Test in progress is the third here by Pakistan, they lost the first here in 1993-94 and drew one in 1998. Now we have different faces and a totally fresh team with new talent aiming to make the grade.

Though Misbah-ul-Haq lost the toss, his team did put on an impressive performance with the ball and while fielding. Mohammad Hafeez took a good catch at second slip to dismiss Alvero Petersen, Asad Shafiq dived full length later at deep mid-wicket to scoop a brilliant catch to dismiss Jacques Kallis and Azhar Ali did not fail either as he caught a blinder at gully when Hashim Amla mistimed a drive off the back foot.

I was a bit surprised, though, by the inclusion of medium-pacer Rahat Ali who playing in his first Test looked rather nervous and was unable to control his line and length. Everyone had expected Mohammad Irfan or Tanvir Ahmed to play but they were left out for reasons best known to team management.

Umar Gul and Junaid Khan offered a lot of hope as they kept the batsmen busy guessing but in between Kallis batted brilliantly and later when the wicket eased, A.B. de Villiers and Faf.du Plessis concentrated hard to put up a resolute stand.

However, it was a different ball game after tea when Pakistan, immediately after taking the new ball, snapped up five quick wickets to dismiss the hosts for 253 with all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez taking 4-16 to cap a great day for the tourists.