We needed to wait a day and a half for more play after bad light delays, rain delays and wet outfield delays – but an action-packed Day 4 was definitely worth the wait.
It was worth it alone to watch Pat Cummins bowl. This is what we were hoping for when he got the Test captaincy – in crunch times, our first fast bowling spinner in more than half a century just grabs the ball and breaks open the match.
His spell in the final session was incredible – it was fast, it was bouncy, it was hostile, there was reverse swing going both ways. Good luck, batsmen.
The set-up of Khaya Zondo was beautiful – coming around the wicket, he kept bouncing him, kept making him feel uncomfortable, and then just nailed the yorker when he least suspected it. It was an absolute beauty.
Almost as good was Josh Hazlewood, who really set the tone early with the new ball. His first over was like he hasn’t spent half the summer on the sidelines – it was fast, it was in the perfect channel, and he beat the outside edge time and again.
He looked really fired up, almost like there was some pent-up frustration from injuries and not playing for weeks. Particularly his full deliveries were sensational – they moved a bit in the air and off the wicket, and they beat the bat repeatedly. It was Josh at his best.
With all the chat of pecking orders this summer, and suggestions Scott Boland should have been picked ahead of him, I can’t help but wonder whether he just wanted to set the record straight that it’s Patty Cummins and then him for quicks in Australia. He certainly went a long way to doing that today.
He was formidable, he was hostile, he was controlled, and the Hazlewood Hallway of HesitationTM is back.
There’s enough in the pitch for the spinners as well. You’ve got to remember that this is effectively a Day 2 or 3 pitch, because it’s been covered for most of the match. It hasn’t had the chance to get sun on it, or for fast bowlers to create some rough, but there’s certainly enough incentive there for Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar to work with.
I’d love Agar in particular to get into the wickets. He bowled steadily enough, but it’s not the raging turner that we expected, just purely because of the lack of sun and the lack of playing time on it.
I’d like him to pick up a couple of wickets to enhance his case of playing in India. As it’s turned out, we could have played the five bowlers and had the extra option in Boland up our sleeve, which would have been handy. If Agar can have a really good day and prove he’s the second spinner behind Lyon, he’ll be hard to overlook for that first Test in February.
From what I’ve seen, this next wicket’s a big one. I was really impressed with Simon Harmer’s last half an hour or so with the bat – he backed his defence, but then when he got a half-volley, he put it away. The rest of the South Africans should take a leaf out of his book – block out the good deliveries, but if you get something loose in your scoring zone, put it away.
We saw the Proteas attack Lyon a bit, with Temba Bavuma and Zondo each hitting him for a couple of sixes when he got too short, but I don’t think we’ll see a lot of aggression from the on the final day. Every ball that doesn’t have a wicket gets them closer to drawing the match, so I’d expect more dogged defence.
Pat Cummins of Australia celebrates after taking the wicket of Kyle Verreynne of South Africa. (Photo by Brett Hemmings – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
I can’t see them getting to 275 to beat the follow-on, so they’ve got to be at their defensive best to get through 98 overs against a fire-up Aussie attack. They’ve got to show fight.
But if that first wicket falls early, I can see them collapsing; then, if they’re two or three wickets down at lunch, it’ll be all over. The new ball will be a factor, spin will be a factor, and then in 25-degree heat with the pitch getting drier and drier, reverse swing is going to be a factor late in the day too.
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I’m still confident the Aussies are going to take those last 14 wickets – but it could well be the first really exciting finish of the Test summer!
The one down side of the day was DRS again causing controversy – Steve Smith’s ‘catch’ off Dean Elgar looked like it went clean in. The real pity for me is it would have been one of the greatest slips catches I’ve ever seen had it been paid.
I still don’t think the cameras are at the right level – one angle made it look like it might have brushed the grass, but for me it’s still not definitive. I’d really love technology to go that next step and prove it one way or another.
That adds to the issues from Harmer’s catch off Marnus Labuschagne on Day 1, which the Channel Seven cameras showed was clean. I think it’s easier for the on-field umpires to say not out with disputed catches, because we’re hearing the soft signal has less weight now, and it’s up to the third umpire as well. But that makes it harder to overturn the not out decision and give it out.
Elgar, though, again couldn’t make the most of his bit of luck. His average as captain continues to sink into the mid-20s, and throughout his career, other than a big hundred in Perth in 2016, he’s really struggled in Australia.
He’s not a proactive captain, so I’d think he’d be under pressure to keep that job. It might turn out to be a blessing for him not to have to deal with it – maybe that would get his batting back to averaging 40. It’s been an unhappy tour for him.
There haven’t been too many positives for the Proteas, but one could be fighting it out to draw this Test. They’re slim hopes of making the World Test Championship final anyway, but it would at least give them a sniff and some confidence to take into future Tests.
Other than that, though, there isn’t much to get excited about. The problem with the squad they’ve picked is that it’s an older batting line-up without much experience at the top level. Guys like Zondo and Sarel Erwee are in their 30s already, so you can’t see them being part of the long-term top six.
Kyle Verreynne looked good again – he’s certainly been a big positive. Marco Jansen has technical difficulties against the short ball, but he’ll get better, and he has real promise with both bat and ball. Harmer looked good with the ball, even though he didn’t take a wicket, and equally good with the bat: in South Africa you probably only play the one spinner, so he’ll definitely be challenging Keshav Maharaj for the spot.
Obviously Anrich Nortje has enhanced his reputation, too.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Murphy is comfortably in front of both of them. He has the same number of FC wickets this season as Manenti, and only has 2 fewer than Rocchiccioli because he's played fewer games. He's miles ahead of both of them in terms of his average, economy and strike rate (for both this season and their brief careers to date).
ColinT
Roar Rookie
The four NSW bowlers, Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon have been a close knit, and successful bowling unit for a very long time. Cummins has a big say on selection matters and can be relied upon to stick by his mates through thick and thin. That makes it virtually impossible for Boland to break in, no matter how good he is. His best hope is one of the three being injured in England where Boland is likely to excel.
Steele
Roar Rookie
And yet Hazlewood was predictably great on his home track. It should be considered close between those two, but clearly the selectors favour Josh.
ColinT
Roar Rookie
And yet he was dropped!!?? Is he doomed to be another Brad Hodge? Doomed to spend the rest of his life being told how unlucky he was? If he wants to play test cricket he should consider emigrating. He is not likely to usurp any of the NSW bowlers unless injury intervenes.
Takeadeepbreath
Roar Rookie
Yip Steele, you have a point in the cyclical nature of team sports....just feeling dejected being a lifelong Proteas supporter...and seeing this pitiful performance. Really love to see them come back, but the current structures and planning don't support that. Ploughing all the money into T20 format and deliberately cutting back on test schedules in the next 3 years. After the clubbing of WI and SA....would love it if Australia get brought back to earth by India or Eng....exciting times ahead.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Ok Nunfa
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Better chance of getting them if you bowl more than 4 over spells.
Steele
Roar Rookie
No greater currency than wickets.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You probably need to do more than look at a scorecard.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Dommy, I see a part timer took more wickets than your man Agar. Haha, I did say our part timers are just as good as him. Let’s see if he can take a wicket in the second innings.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Take a deep breath indeed. South Africa have had the wood over Australia until now. I think it’s cyclical and they will reach the pinnacle again. They have a production line of quicks, a good Wickie and a nice Spinning all rounder in Harmer. They just need a couple of gun bats and they are back in business. For a long time Australia only had Smith and Warner. And to disagree further, I’m expecting India to win pretty easily. That’s what usually happens.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Colin, you have to include S/R. Cummins undroppable, he just is. Starc has left arm variety, fear factor and a low S/R. It’s too same/same if the other 3 play without him. So really it is a debate of two. The Hazlewood v Boland debate is legit to me. Their F/C stats are identical. Their test stats are incomparable. One guy has over 200 test wickets, the other guy has the best start to a Test career you could ever hope for.
ColinT
Roar Rookie
Flem; Scott Boland: Test average = 10.36. FC average = 24.48 Pat Cummins: Test average = 21.15. FC average = 22.25 Josh Hazelwood: Test average = 25.92. FC average = 24.69 Mitchell Starc: Test average = 27.2. FC average = 26.59 And you have the temerity to suggest that Scott Boland should be relegated to being no more than a spare bowler in case one of the three NSW bowlers gets injured? I accept that Boland has only played five tests and if he was given the chance to play more tests that average of 10.36 might grow, perhaps even to 15 or 16 or more, but that is still outstanding. We will never know how many wickets Boland would have taken if he had been selected for this test. You can’t take wickets if you’re not selected! This is starting to look like Brad Hodge all over again. Sadly, provided the NSW trio stay injury free, I don’t expect Boland will get a test match in the forthcoming ashes tour. They might let him have a consolation match in India if it’s really hot and not conducive to pace.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He did.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Yeah, both Warnie & Murali rated Lara as the best player of spin
Steele
Roar Rookie
It’s easy to think that, he passes the eye test a bit better with his extra height, bounce, pace and he’s had a long and successful test career. Yet if you look at it purely from a money ball perspective(statistics only), then it’s not so obvious. Not including Boland’s brilliant but brief Test stats, they have remarkably similar First Class numbers. Batting included!
Mike
Guest
That's a really good summary of the situation. I'd just ke to add that Steve Waugh's batting wasn't too far behind Lara's in that series - as a new captain, I thought he was terrific. I have always had trouble processing that whole tour as I was a big Waugh and Warne fan, however, I believe I t did show a major flaw in Warnie's character. He "played the man and not the ball" on the issue. The right decision was made to rest Warnie and it was proven by the result. A 2-2 series with Aust winning that final test. The twin leggie selection was not working against Lara and they went with the clearly better performing leggie from the first three tests. End of selection story! Warne's beef seems to have been that his reputation demanded he not be dropped. I believe that preferential treatment can't be afforded to out-of-form champion players in absolutely crucial, do-or-die games. Ronaldo in the recent football World Cup is a prime example. Incidentally, he displayed a similar character trait of not accepting the selection process with grace. It would've been vastly unjust to have dropped MacGill, who himself was a great bowler and was clearly in better form than Warnie at the time. It was the right call. For me, I always had trouble accepting Warne's continued behaviour and public comments about this "dropping" and his opinions about Waugh. He wouldn't let it go. Every time he carried on about it I winced. I honestly believe it displayed one of the reasons he was never a Test captain. The ability to remove emotion from a decision is important as a leader. The ability to make the right call and wear the fall-out makes a good leader. The easy, long term call for Waugh would've been to pick Warnie and protect his own personal relationship with him. As it turned out he had to wear years of animosity (which continues from Chappelli - yawn!) for making the right call. Warnie was so brilliant, so passionate, such a force of nature. He was much-watch entertainment for most of his career. He changed cricket in the 90s when he came into Border's team. He was (with Lillee) my fave Aust bowler ever. However, this selection incident, Warne's attitude to it and his continued public slamming of Waugh is something that always disappointed me and left me thinking "no Shane, please stop." I think I'm far from alone with my thinking on this issue.
Takeadeepbreath
Roar Rookie
Whatever happens today...SA lose or draw....it has been a hugely disappointing series for the Proteas. Posted a few times already, but the reality is SA imo will never be a force in Test cricket again....when a country goes down the tubes, it drags everything with it. The cricket talent in SA will find other formats and avenues to make a living, and it is not going to be in test cricket. Peace has been made here, and now looking forward to the upcoming battles in India & England. At least... you would suspect... they are not going to be one-sided affairs. The Australians have benefited from a bunch of practice games now....only danger it may have created a degree of complacency in certain individuals true ability. Time will tell....
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Cheers Flem, I know there is plenty of love for Boland and rightly so, he has done a superb job. However Hazo is the better bowler and it’s not a debate imho. We are lucky once again to have a fantastic stable of quicks to call on. Boland deserves to Tour this year as the 4th choice quick. Agree re Agar, would love to see him grab a couple of wickets tomorrow.
Linphoma
Guest
And if I were a gambling man (which I am not) I'd say the draw is most likely unless Australia cleans up the first innings within the first hour Sunday.