What is the reason for the game's halt? The ship that was intended to transport the English squad back to England was scheduled to depart from South Africa. It was the match lasted 12 days, from March 3to 14, including two rest days on March 5 and 12, as well as one day on March 11 when play was cancelled due to rain. There were 1,981 runs scored and 5,447 deliveries bowled during the 43-hour and 16-minute contest.

After winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat. In the first innings, the home team scored 530 runs, with Pieter van der Bijl scoring 125 runs and Dudley Nourse scoring 103 runs. Reg Perks of England took five wickets.

After England was knocked out for 316 runs, it built a 214-run first-innings advantage. Les Ames was the leading run-scorer with 84 runs, while leg-spinner Eric Dalton bowled 4 for 59 runs. In the second innings, the Proteas scored 481 runs, with skipper Alan Melville striking a century. England's finest bowler, fast bowler Ken Farnes, took 4 for 74 runs.

Set a goal of 696 runs, England batted for six days, with two days of no activity. Rain delayed play after tea on March 14, with the visiting on 654 for 5, just 42 runs short of its objective, and the teams agreed to call the game a draw. Bill Edrich hit two centuries, while Paul Gibb and Wally Hammond both hit a century.