South Africa
v England, 3rd Test, Days 2-4: A Bizarre Series Swings Again
July 30th 2017
What a
weekend to go away to a mountain retreat for two nights!
If a series
that shows such violent swings of fortune can be said to show a pattern, one is
emerging. The side that bats first edges what appears to be a tight first day
before dynamiting the match on the second and third days, setting up a huge
chase that, despite declarations of intent, turns horribly one-sided.
Plenty of
pundits and fans questioned Joe Root’s sanity in setting the declaration
target. A lot thought that 300 would be enough to defend but it seems that Joe
Root was only interested in the time equation: he wanted to declare at Tea and
did so.
Of the
twenty-five successful fourth innings chases at The Oval, only two have been
over 250 and the largest of them was 263-9 by England back in 1902. Maybe to
set 492 was overkill. It challenged South Africa to survive at least 130 overs
to draw (nominally 138, assuming that England actually bowled all their overs
both days).
Only
twenty-three sides in Test history have ever batted out 130 overs or more to
draw a Test. South Africa are specialists, having managed it four times: more
than any other side apart from the eight times of England and India, who have
also done it four times.
There were a
few fantasists who thought that in what seemed easy batting conditions, South
Africa might get seriously close to their target: after all, records are made
to be broken.
At 47-1,
with Elgar and Amla battling, South Africa had a chance. If they could get
through this tough spell. If they could get to the Close, anything would be
possible.
Three
wickets in eight balls. Thanks very much. Talk of the extra half hour and the
match ending already on the fourth day. When you are facing a record fourth
innings chase the one thing that you do not want is to find yourself 57-4 with
close on 120 overs more to survive.
That the
extra half hour has not happened thanks to what could yet turn out to be one of
the great backs-to-the-wall defensive innings from Dean Elgar. He has looked in
terrible trouble, has been hit time and again, but somehow is still there at
the Close, 72* and battling. With Temba Bavuma, no stranger to battling innings
in this series, the stand has reached 65 and England have a sizeable problem in
the morning. Basically, they need to get one of these two in the first hour. If
they do not. If they cannot, belief will grow in the South African camp that
they can make another amazing escape. With another 375 needed in 98 overs and
two set batsmen, they could even entertain enticing thoughts of making a tilt
at the target if this pair were to be together at Lunch.
Realistically
though, even saving the Test is a very long shot. Only three sides have ever
batted through the last day to save a Test when starting it four wickets down,
but one of those sides was South Africa v Australia in 2012. On that occasion,
South Africa were 45-4 before AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis engineered one
of the greatest rear-guard actions of all time.
One or two
of the other South African batsmen could do with a share of the gumption that
Elgar and Bavuma are showing. Heino Kuhn’s demeanour is increasingly one of
“what am I doing here?” when he bats. Faf de Plessis, incredibly, has been out
LBW twice in the match playing no shot (connoisseurs of Mike Gatting’s career
will remember that he went through a similar phase). With Chris Morris’s awful
match and Vernon Philander’s illness, the SS South Africa is carrying far too
many passengers and the ship is sinking because of it.
While we are
on the case of Faf du Plessis, one wonders how he ever permitted a visibly sick
Vernon Philander to be included in the final XI. Apart from having his
spearhead struggling when on the field and frequently off it with his head
stuck in a toilet pan, which led to him spending a night in hospital on a drip
and then being released to bat and then take the new ball when he should have
remained in hospital, Philander’s problems have forced Chris Morris to have to
continue bowling when it was the one thing that England most wanted. Morris’s
28 overs have gone for 161 runs so far and have allowed England to score freely
when free-scoring has been at a premium. It has released pressure when it
existed. While it is true that, in the 2nd Test, Chris Morris bowled
superbly, here he has been the weak link in the attack and with limited other
options, du Plessis had to bowl both Philander and Morris far more than should
have. Most likely this is going to cost South Africa the match and leave them
needing to win the final Test to save the series. Whatever the rights and
wrongs of Philander’s selection though, he has shown guts that go far beyond
anything that anyone could reasonably ask of him and has bowled superbly,
albeit at reduced pace. One hopes that his efforts have not done him serious
physical harm.
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