It was a three-over burst that halted Australia’s momentum late on day four of the first Test and it may have also cost at least one bowler his place in the side.
With South Africa chasing a near-world record 414 to win, Australia had taken two quick wickets to have the Proteas 3-179 with two fresh batsmen at the crease, 10 overs before stumps.
It was time to push home the advantage and make more breakthroughs and get stuck into South Africa’s tail.
But instead Australia let the tourists off the hook. The last three overs of day four, bowled by paceman Peter Siddle and off-spinner Jason Krejza, were worth 27 runs.
Suddenly Jacques Kallis was 33 not out and AB De Villiers was on 11.
And on Sunday, Kallis completed his second half-century of the match and De Villiers scored his seventh Test hundred and first against Australia, leading the Proteas to a memorable victory.
The game will be memorable too for 25-year-old Krejza and 24-year-old Siddle, but they won’t recall it with a smile in times to come.
Ricky Ponting says it will be part of the “learning curve” of the pair, who were playing their first Tests on home soil.
Krejza produced a lovely ball to remove No.3 batsman Hashim Amla for 47 in South Africa’s first innings, but didn’t have a huge impact on the game when clearly he should have on a fifth-day pitch.
The Tasmanian’s match figures of 1-204 don’t make pretty reading and for a finger spinner he’s very generous with his long hops.
On his debut in India last month he gave up 358 runs – but at least he took 12 wickets.
Australia’s selectors have few spin options and Krejza’s injury replacement in last month’s second Test against New Zealand in Adelaide, Nathan Hauritz, is less threatening at Test level.
Siddle bowled with wholehearted effort but lacked penetration. The Victorian seemed several rungs in class below the mesmerising spell produced by Mitchell Johnson in South Africa’s first innings, which yielded 5-2 in 21 balls.
Then again so did 32-year-old Brett Lee, who has more than 300 Test wickets to his name but in this Test only claimed one and seems destined to play second fiddle to Johnson in this series.
Siddle, however, is under serious threat from NSW left-armer Doug Bollinger, who deserves his chance.
Bollinger’s six-wicket haul for NSW against South Australia at the SCG on Sunday was timely and it didn’t escape Test captain Ricky Ponting’s attention.
Ponting is talking up his fellow Tasmanian Ben Hilfenhaus and Bollinger as potential candidates for Melbourne.
Siddle appears under most threat, which would be a cruel blow to miss his home Test.
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