Johnson again leads Australia to convincing win as S Africa fold on crumbling pitch: T1 D4

Australia 397 & 4/290 dec (72.2ov, Warner 115, Doolan 89, Marsh 44) def South Africa    206 & 200 (59.4ov, deVilliers 48, Amla 35, Johnson 16-3-59-5, Harris 2/35, Siddle 2/55) by 281 runs; T1/3 D4/5 at Centurion. Australia lead series 1-0.

It didn't take Michael Clarke long to decide that the pitch was continuing to deteriorate and therefore that Australia's lead was big enough. After 21 deliveries, 2 runs (a wide and a leg bye) and Shaun Marsh's wicket he declared, setting South Africa an unlikely 482 to win. While there's been a very recent example of this happening - Queensland chasing down 470 to beat South Australia by 5 wickets in a Sheffied Shield fixture- the state of the Centurion wicket, not to mention the quality of the Australia bowling (and fielding) consigned any such hope to the realm of dreams.

Yes, Australia bowled and caught well, with Mitchell Johnson again outstanding, but South Africa had no chance as the ball came through at varying heights. Faf duPlessis was lbw to a grubber then Hashim Amla and AB deVilliers toughed it out for a time, and there was some resistance from the lower order,but any result other than a win to the visitors never looked likely. If anything South Africa, after losing early wickets, did well to reach 200. 

So, a huge victory to Australia. How much was it magnified by Graeme Smith's decision to field first? He clearly misjudged the wicket's staying power, but in his decision there may have been an element of hubris, of we're much better than England, we're playing at home so we'll put the Aussies back in their box.  

The old cliche "a good toss to lose" certainly applied here, but the Proteas underperformed in spades. Some like duPlessis were unlucky in their dismissals but the bowling was below par - and that standard is now set by Australia.

So where to from here? It's hard to see Australia having another cushy victory such as this, and yet South Africa may be rattled after this crushing, and unexpected, loss. If Shane Watson is fit it will create a dilemma for the selectors, but I think he should play to provide a fifth bowling option, something which wasn't required at Centurion, is always handy against a team with batsmen of the stature of deVilliers and Amla.

<a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2013-14/engine/match/648673.html"> Scorecard </a>

Johnson reprises Ashes bowling form to rattle South Africa: T1D2

South Africa 6/140 (43.3ov, deVilliers 52*/94b/1x6 4x4, Johnson 13.3-1-51-4) trail Australia 397 (122ov, Marsh 148/288b/15x4, S Smith 100/213b/13x4, Johnson 33, Steyn 29-6-78-4, Peterson 2/49, McLaren 2/72) by 257 with 4 1st inns wkts in hand: T1/3 D2/5 at Centurion.

Another Australia - or Mitchell Johnson - day . South Africa had a good moment or two in the almost empty stadium: one after they'd  worked through the remaining Australia batting, another when they drew breath at the end of a battering day with AB deVilliers still at the crease, and looking good.

In between it was Johnson who ripped the top order asunder with an exhilaratingly (from an Australian perspective) ferocious (from everyone's perspective)  81 balls. Graeme Smith was tied up in knots        ( look for pics/video of his looping catch to slip) while Alviro Petersen, Faf du Plessis - the find of the last Proteas' tour of Australia - and Ryan McLaren looked out of their depth.

Yes, Johnson bowled very well, but Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and ( particularly compared to the South African spinners) Nathan Lyon supported him well. I hope that none of them breaks down (but also that Australia thinks hard about who might be able to bowl a few supporting overs if required by injury or a match situation.

We mustn't forget that Shaun Marsh and  Steve Smith's 233 fifth wicket partnership gave Australia a good foundation for what looks like a probable victory. The wicket is sometimes keeping low, even to Johnson, so circumspection will be order of the day for the remaining batters - of both sides.

<a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2013-14/engine/match/648673.html">Scorecard </a>

Thrilling finish out of the blue

South Africa 418 and 6/301 dec drew with England 356 & 9/228 (96ov, K Pietersen 81,J Trott 69): T1 D5 at Centurion.

For most of the last day fortunes fluctuated with a comfortable draw increasingly looking the likeliest result. Then came the last hour, when South Africa came from out of nowhere and put England under great pressure.

Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott restored a shaky 3/27 to 3/169 at tea. I heard one commentator suggest that Pietersen, 80* at that interval, might fancy having a crack at the 195 runs required from the last 36 overs. Maybe KP fancied himself: he'd batted well but it had been clear for much of the match that team England would be happy to settle for a draw. The pitch was OK as fifth day pitches go, which is to say that it wasn't conducive to a full on run chase, especially against the competent South African attack.

Well, just after tea Pietersen foolishly ran himself out by the length of the pitch, his 81/143b (11x4) now looking likely to go down as a match saving innings. When Trott and Paul Collingwood spent almost 20 overs moving from 4/172 to 205 when Trott was brilliantly caught in the slips by A B de Villiers off the combative Friedel de Wet. With 86 balls to be bowled the draw looked almost the only possible result.

Almost, but not quite. While Collingwood watched from the other end wickets fell at 207, 208, 209 and 218, leaving him and Graham Onions to face the last 19 balls, which they did. Actually Onions faced 12 of those balls, including the entire last over. Watch the highlights here:

Scorecard

England batting flounders and Swann revives

South Africa 418 & 1/9 (4 ov) lead England 356 (104 ov, G Swann 85, P Collingwood 50, P Harris 5/123) by 71 runs with 9 second inns wickets in hand: T1 D3 at Centurion.

Thanks to Graeme Swann England are still in this match. On D3 a106 run 9th wicket partnership between him and James Anderson restored a degree of respectability to their team which, despite its selection of an extra batter (Ian Bell) in preference to a fifth bowler, had struggled to build a big first innings total. Swann biffed 85/81b (2x6, 10 x4), his highest Test score:

England's first innings deficit , though smaller than seemed likely at one point, has increased the chance of a South African victory instead of the draw I predicted yesterday. It may even be worth watching D4's play live.

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Heading for draw after D2?

England 1/88 (23ov) trail South Africa 418 (153.2 ov, J Kallis 120, JP Duminy 56, G Swann 5/110) by 330 runs with 9 1st inns wickets in hand: T1 D2 at Centurion.

South Africa after losing Jacques Kallis for 120/225b (1x6, 16x4) early scratched away for 63.2 overs adding 7/156. England did a little better, though both sides seem to be comfortable with a draw. And this in a three Test series!

Not a great day's Test cricket: one for watching the highlights to fill the gaps in one's viewing of the live relay.

The lowlight of what I did see was the perfect script for Makhaya Ntini's 100th Test spoilt as he had Alistair Cook dropped at third slip off his first ball to him.


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Kallis leads South Africa to safer ground in Ntini's 100th Test

Another Test starting on a Wednesday and overlapping a little with the Perth one. You can understand doubling up on Boxing Day but why can't the authorities (esp the Australian and West Indies ones schedule things better? South Africa deserve the first bite of he cherry: Wednesday there is a public holiday whereas in Perth it's a midweek working day.

Enough on that . I watched most of the middle session live and the whole day's highlights later. The Proteas recovered in the 35 over last session from 4/159 to 4/262 thanks chiefly to the seemingly ageless Jacques Kallis' 112*/203 (1x6, 14x4). Even at tea, when he was 51*, he looked in very good touch.

Scorecard


This is also Makhaya Ntini's 100th Test. South African cricket CEO Gerald Majola says "He has stridden the world cricket stage like a colossus since making his Test debut at the age of 20".

As a person with an interest in grammar (some might say I'm a pedant) I can't resist observing that "stridden" is a brave call for the past participle of "stride". I'd have said "strode" though Google search opinion seems to be divided : see this and this for examples.