South Africa's Pink Day tradition at the Wanderers

South Africa host Australia in the second men's one-day international at the Wanderers today, and the home side mark the occasion as Pink Day.

The tradition began at the same ground in 2013, raising money and awareness for breast cancer. The Pink ODI Fund has since supported breast-care services at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, and an official update in 2022 put the total raised at more than R7m.

South Africa swap their usual green kit for pink for the day. The players also drop their own names from the backs of their shirts in favour of the names of breast cancer survivors. David Miller wears his mother's name today.

The Wanderers has produced the format's most extreme cricket before. In 2015, South Africa made 439-2 against West Indies, still the country's highest ODI total. AB de Villiers scored 149 off 44 balls that day, reaching his hundred in 31 balls, at the time the fastest century in one-day international history. Hashim Amla finished unbeaten on 153, Rilee Rossouw made 128, and South Africa won by 148 runs.

Altitude explains much of it. The thin air in Johannesburg carries the ball further, and a pitch with more bounce than most in South Africa lets batters free their arms from the start.

A repeat of 2015 is unlikely on demand, but Pink Day at the Wanderers has built a habit of testing the limits of the format, and today's match adds one more instalment to a series already under way.