South African captain Faf du Plessis said on Tuesday that he did not support the idea of a four-day Test matches – despite Cricket South Africa supported the format.

“I suppose you’ve got to ask CSA what their opinion is,” said Faf du Plessis after a nail-biting finish to the second Test against England, which his team lost on the fifth afternoon. “My opinion is that I am a fan of Test cricket going five days.”

Faf du Plessis said there were different points of view as well. “I understand that a lot of money is being burnt on five-day cricket because so many Test matches are not going five days. People will sit 50-50 on it. My personal opinion is that I am still a purist of the game because I have been part of some great draws that went five days.”

He said the finish on Tuesday was an example. “There would definitely not have been a result in four days on this surface.”

Read here: Mahela Jayawardene opposes the four-day Tests

England Test captain Joe Root said, “I like five-day Test cricket.”

“Some people might think there’s a place for [four-day cricket] but you don’t want to miss out on days like today,” he said. “You don’t want to miss out on games like this. This is what makes Test cricket what it is. To go right down to the wire, nearly a full house at Newlands, half of it English support, and what a great finish to a brilliant game of cricket.”

Not just both the captains, but Player of the Match England’s Ben Stokes too supported for five-day cricket. “When you have series in which the first few games are results, it makes things very interesting,” said Stokes during the post-match presentations. “And that’s why five-day cricket should always be around.”