What a fantastic advertisement for Test cricket. The second Test in Port Elizabeth did not disappoint – well, unless you are an Aussie fan!
I genuinely believed Australia could do something special in the fourth innings to win the game, especially while David Warner and Chris Rogers were motoring along with a century stand.
But alas, the beauty of Test cricket came to the fore.
A partnership-breaking wicket and all of a sudden South Africa got a sniff to put the Aussie batsmen under pressure.
They knew runs on the board were ultimately going to dictate the way the fourth innings was going to pan out.
There are reasons very few teams successfully chase down big totals late in Test matches – the sheer amount of runs, deteriorating pitch and the pressure the batting team puts on themselves.
Pressure is an interesting one. The reality is pressure is perceived. The better players can maintain focus on the job at hand (score runs) and not worry about other things that take them away from their job.
That is the aim of the fielding side in these situations – to get the batsmen thinking about everything but the job at hand!
Discipline with the ball on a deteriorating surface will have the batsmen getting into a negative mindset. Then it is just a patience game for the fielding side.
They know they are one delivery away from a wicket and the batting team know they have to not only keep out the good and very good deliveries but also look to score runs.
Then you throw in an attack of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, backed up with some part time spin and the challenge becomes even more daunting!
The South Africa bowlers were outstanding.
Steyn is simply one of the very best fast bowlers to ever play the game. He bowls fuller than most quicks and threatens the stumps, pads and outside edge constantly.
And, as we saw day four, late reverse swing makes the challenge even more difficult.
Philander does need conditions to suit and it was obvious in this game he tried to show critics he can be effective on non-helpful surfaces by charging in and looking to bowl faster.
The jury is still out on this, yet he did make some important breakthroughs during the match.
Morkel bowled with the most aggression I have seen from him.
This is exactly how he needs to bowl – fast and nasty. It complements Steyn and Philander perfectly.
Australia have two issues.
Firstly, if Shane Watson plays, who makes way for him? I think he will, considering he can provide some useful overs, so it will be down to Alex Doolan and Shaun Marsh.
I have a feeling Marsh may be the one to make way – I think Australia liked what they saw from Doolan in the first Test and he has been spoken about for a while now.
I sense a decent run in the team is possibly on the cards for him. This would seem harsh on Marsh, however you can’t play them both so my guess would be Doolan.
The other issue is the make-up of the seam attack. Can Ryan Harris front up for another Test? Is Peter Siddle under pressure?
If they believe Harris can get through then he will play. Siddle is way down on pace. He has done a decent job in recent times but I must admit to some concerns with his lack of pace.
I first noticed this in the Big Bash League, when he played a game for the Renegades. He bowled a lot of slower balls and when he bowled his stock ball he was rarely reaching 130kms.
I just wonder if he is carrying a niggle that is stopping him bowling flat out? Or is there another issue we are unaware of?
The reality is he needs to be bowling 135-140kms to be at his most effective.
The selectors will be monitoring him very closely I’m sure. If they decide he is not the best option then James Pattinson will play.
1-1 going into the deciding Test. I can’t wait for the match to start!
Just a shame we can’t see these two sides battle it out over five Tests.
The mammoth rise of Jake Fraser-McGurk - his enormous potential and the destructive shot-making that he possesses makes him a very tempting option.
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