South Africa v England: 4th Test, Day 3 - South Africa's Young Lion Sets Up A Win

 

South Africa v England: 4^th Test, Day 3

South Africa's Young Lion Sets Up A Win

 

January 24^th  2016

As in the 3^rd Test, South Africa batted again on Day 3 with the chance to set up a chase and a win. Then, it ended catastrophically. This time though the starting point has been radically different and the momentum is all with South Africa. South Africa should end Day 4 on the point of victory thanks to a big first innings lead.

It is a salutary thought that had it not been for injuries and the “racial quota” Rabada would not have played in this series. With 16 wickets at a strike rate of 37.1, only Stuart Broad has more wickets in the series, although at a far inferior strike rate. Here, he has set up a winning position. At 20 years old and with twenty-three caps and 41 wickets behind him (5 Tests, 10 ODIs and 8 T20s) the potential of Kagiso Rabada is frightening. He started at well over 90mph but after 29 overs, was struggling to pass mid-80s: if South Africa bowl him into the ground, as England did Jimmy Anderson at the same age, they risk losing an authentic gem. It is not hard to see that he will be the natural replacement for Dale Steyn and quite capable of leading the South African attack back up to #1.

At 177-2 in mid-morning, the follow-on looked like a mere formality and England were thinking about parity and a near-certain draw. Cook and Root were both accumulating sublimely and centuries were approaching. Cook fell straight after drinks, but James Taylor bedded in quietly with Root and all seemed lovely in the English garden.

However, you always need to hold your breath in case the house of cards batting order collapses in a heap. Today, someone in the dressing room must have sneezed. At 208-3 you would have backed 400 minimum. At 211-6, the follow-on was looking alarmingly possible.

Just as in the old “It’s a Knockout” (Jeux Sans Frontiers) on television, England had the option of playing the Joker. In England’s case it is Ben “at Dunkirk I would have lead an assault on Berlin” Stokes. However, you know that if you keep relying on the Joker sometimes you are going to fall flat on your face and look very silly. If England rely on Ben Stokes to get them out of trouble every time, they are going to look absolutely daft when it fails – even Superman has his off days. Thirty-three runs from twenty-nine balls, twenty-six of them in boundaries, including the standard abuse of Dane Piedt as he went down the track to wallop him into the distance. Next over, second delivery with the new ball, one whack too many against a very fine Rabada delivery ended the fun.

Both Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes – regarded by many as a batsman who bowls – needed a score having managed just sixty-eight runs between them in seven innings. Just as the partnership started to look promising, the increasingly occasional spin of Duminy broke the stand. Edge to de Kock that looped up off the ‘keeper’s knee to Elgar at slip. Woakes owed England a fifty at least and this innings will have been insufficient to get him back into credit.

With Moeen batting better than for a long time, Stuart Broad decided to bat sensibly when possibly having a swing and trusting his good eye might have worked better against Duminy and Piedt. As soon as Rabada came on he did swing and almost got away with it, as a huge top edge only just failed to clear Cook on the boundary. Moeen deserved a century, or at very least, a red-inker, but went down all guns blazing trying to reduce the deficit.

Starting 133 ahead, South Africa had the pressure of setting a target. In the 3^rd Test it went disastrously badly. Two wickets with the new ball and there could have been tremors of near-panic in the dressing room. England cannot complain about their start: Jimmy Anderson has bowled a lot better and took a wicket with his eighth delivery. At 9-1 came perhaps the critical moment of the Test: Amla went after a Jimmy Anderson outswinger, edged and a flying Alex Hales at second slip could not hang on. Had it been 9-2, the door would have been open. Stephen Cook though is a calm presence and helped Amla to see out the storm. Why South Africa persisted for so long with makeshift openers when Cook has adapted so fast to Tests is one of life’s little mysteries.

There is just a hint that Moeen Ali may be a handful on the ‘morrow. He posed plenty of questions in his two overs before bad light brought a premature end. England though need something pretty devastating to get back into the match. The lead is 175. ABdV has to decide when to declare: the betting is that it will be before Tea and that England will be challenged to survive four sessions to break their sequence of Final Test calamities.  

Day 3, to South Africa.