Vic Marks’ report has arrived, so it’s time to wrap up today’s blog. Please join John Ashdown for day three of this quickfire Test. Thanks for your company, bye!
Here’s Joe Denly
“It was tough out there. It was a very impressive opening spell from Philander and Rabada, and they challenged us in good areas. There were a couple of very good balls in there. Batting outside of the crease against Philander, trying to take LBW out of the equation, was my plan. If he nips one away and catches my edge, then fair play.
“I wanted to be patient. I knew it would be tough and they would make me work really hard for every run. Once that new ball wore off, I managed to find a little bit of fluency. It’s frustrating. I felt pretty comfortable out there with Ben, then I managed to nick one and we lost a few wickets after that. We spoke at tea about trying to bat long, trying to keep them out there as long as we could, but it wasn’t to be in the end.
“We have spoken about trying to get first-innings runs. We need to try to assess the conditions, understand game situations, get through tricky periods and wear the opposition down. I think that as a batsman you need to be clear in your plan.
“It was a great fightback tonight though, and we’re in a stronger position than we were an hour ago. The bounce is a bit variable but I don’t think there are too many demons in the wicket. That new ball is very tricky. If we can get through that in the second innings, there are runs to be had.”
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Those four late wickets have given England an outside chance of another famous comeback, but you don’t need to be an automated win predictor to know that South Africa are strong favourites to win the match. They lead by 175, which might already be enough on this pitch and against these batsmen, and they have six wickets remaining.
England did some good things, some bad things and some really really really really really bad things. They collapsed from 142 for three to 181 all out, and there’s nothing much we can do except take the positives.
Stumps: South Africa lead by 175 runs
20th over: South Africa 72-4 (van der Dussen 17, Nortje 4) That second Archer beamer was originally given as a no-ball by the square-leg umpire Paul Reiffel, who then changed his mind. In fairness to Archer, the second one was just a low full-toss; it looked more dramatic because Noftje dived for cover.
Anyway, Ben Stokes comes on to bowl the last over of the day, a maiden to van der Dussen. It has been South Africa’s day, and then some.
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19th over: South Africa 72-4 (van der Dussen 17, Nortje 4) Archer bowls consecutive beamers to the nightwatchman Nortje. They were both attempted knuckle balls gone wrong, but even so that doesn’t look great. The first was given as a no-ball, the second wasn’t.
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18th over: South Africa 66-4 (van der Dussen 12, Nortje 4) Nortje isn’t a complete rabbit - he has four first-class fifties - and he gets off the mark by squirting Curran behind square for four. South Africa lead by 169.
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17th over: South Africa 62-4 (van der Dussen 12, Nortje 0) van der Dussen is almost hit by a diabolical bouncer from Archer, who is bowling ferociously. In fact van der Dussen did really well to snap his head out of the way, Robin Smith-style. A malevolent over from Archer finishes with van der Dussen playing and missing outside off.
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16th over: South Africa 62-4 (van der Dussen 12, Nortje 0) Replays show there was nothing on UltraEdge for that van der Dussen appeal, so England were right not to review. Curran, meanwhile, bowls a relatively harmless over that is survived by the nightwatchman Nortje. Fifteen minutes remaining.
15th over: South Africa 62-4 (van der Dussen 12, Nortje 0) Anrich Nortje comes in as nightwatchman. Archer looks fired up all of a sudden, and has a few words with van der Dussen after ripping a bouncer past his noggin.
The next ball snaps past the outside edge - or did it shave it? Some of the England fielders were convinced there was an edge, though Archer didn’t appeal. After canvassing opinion, Root decides not to review.
WICKET! South Africa 62-4 (du Plessis c Curran b Archer 20)
Faf du Plessis dies by the sword. He took Archer on effectively for a while but tried one shot too many. It was a very unusual stroke, a top-edged hook played on one knee, and Curran ran round the square leg boundary to take a good catch.
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14th over: South Africa 55-3 (du Plessis 20, van der Dussen 5) A quiet over from Sam Curran to du Plessis, a maiden in fact.
13th over: South Africa 55-3 (du Plessis 20, van der Dussen 5) du Plessis continues his calculated assault on Jofra Archer, hooking him sweetly for six. That was a brilliant stroke, and he has raced to 20 from 21 balls. He is doing precisely what England don’t want.
“Stokes has a huge role to play when this early push for wickets flattens out,” says Richard Holmes. “Cometh the hour, cometh the Stokes to keep England in the Test.”
I suspect this situation is beyond even SuperBen.
12th over: South Africa 48-3 (du Plessis 13, van der Dussen 5) van der Dussen edges the new bowler Sam Curran low to second slip, where Stokes seems to take an outstanding catch to his left. The umpires go upstairs, with a soft signal of out, but there is enough doubt for Kumar Dharmasena to give it not out. That’s the right decision I think.
11th over: South Africa 44-3 (du Plessis 12, van der Dussen 2) du Plessis gets off the mark with a nice stroke, opening the face to drive a straight ball from Archer to the extra-cover boundary. He repeats the stroke later in the over, this time off the back foot. Every little helps, especially on a pitch like this, and du Plessis has clearly decided to go on the attack. He makes room to cut the last ball of the over for another boundary. South Africa lead by 147.
WICKET! 🔥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) December 27, 2019
South Africa tumble to 29-3 as Elgar (22) inside-edges Archer through to Buttler - game on at Centurion! 🇿🇦🏴
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10th over: South Africa 31-3 (du Plessis 0, van der Dussen 1) A bit too wide from Broad, allowing du Plessis to leave a few deliveries outside off stump.
9th over: South Africa 30-3 (du Plessis 0, van der Dussen 0) I wouldn’t say England are back in the game just yet, but they have given themselves an outside chance with this new-ball burst. South Africa lead by 133.
WICKET! South Africa 29-3 (Elgar c Buttler b Archer 22)
Jofra Archer replaces his initialsake James Anderson - and he strikes second ball! Elgar inside-edges a big nipbacker down the leg side, where Buttler flies to his right to take another fine two-handed catch.
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8th over: South Africa 25-2 (Elgar 18, du Plessis 0) The new batsman, Faf du Plessis, is beaten by a jaffa from Broad. There’s an hour’s play remaining; realistically, England need another three or four wickets in that time.
WICKET! South Africa 25-2 (Hamza c Buttler b Broad 4)
Hamza is caught down the leg side. He tried to roll the wrists on a nothing delivery from Broad but got it too fine and Buttler took a good catch diving to his left. South Africa lead by 128.
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7th over: South Africa 25-1 (Elgar 18, Hamza 4) Elgar hits Anderson for consecutive boundaries, a slightly loose steer over backward point followed by a crisp drive through mid-off. He makes it three in four balls with a flick off the pads. Nice one.
6th over: South Africa 13-1 (Elgar 6, Hamza 4) Broad has an absurd enquiry for LBW against Elgar turned down. It was missing leg stump by a long way. England are bowling pretty well, though they have not managed to repeat Philander and Rabada’s forensic near-ball examination.
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5th over: South Africa 11-1 (Elgar 6, Hamza 3) I bet James Anderson’s internal monologue is a thing of comic beauty right now. He has an enquiry for LBW against Elgar turned down by Chris Gaffaney. It was a good delivery but it didn’t straighten enough. Root looks vaguely interested in a review but can’t persuade anyone else that he should go upstairs.
4th over: South Africa 10-1 (Elgar 6, Hamza 2) Broad beats Elgar again with a gorgeous delivery that straightens from around the wicket. He’s bowled extremely well in this game, albeit in helpful conditions, and should help himself to a few more wickets in the second innings.
“The thing about Lampard-Gerrard of course is that between underwhelming outings for England they went back and performed brilliantly at club level,” says Pete Salmon. “Not so Bairstow and Buttler.”
White-ball form is the new club level.
3rd over: South Africa 10-1 (Elgar 6, Hamza 2) Games like this can be won - get your precedents here - but realistically England will struggle to chase anything over 150 batting last. That gives them another 36 runs to play with. If it wasn’t so funny, it would be mildly dispiriting.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Nick Parish. “I’ve just woken up. Well, it is Christmas. A Tory government with a huge majority, Liverpool top of the league, and an England batting collapse. It’s like the 1980s all over again.”
Yes, but at least Donald Trump isn’t oh I can’t be bothered.
2nd over: South Africa 6-1 (Elgar 4, Hamza 0) Dean Elgar avoids a king pair by ignoring his first delivery from Stuart Broad. He is beaten by the second, a Warner special, and then edges between second slip and gully for four. It wasn’t at catchable height but it do go into a gap. “It’s beyond understanding,” says Nasser Hussain of England’s decision to have only two slips. “It really is.”
1st over: South Africa 2-1 (Elgar 0, Hamza 0) Anderson celebrated that wicket with a scowl, one which said: I’m 37 years old, coming back from a long-term injury, and you foppwits have asked me to bowl again after only 53.2 overs’ rest, so take your jaunty high fives and stick ‘em in your redacted.
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WICKET! South Africa 2-1 (Markram LBW b Anderson 2)
Jimmy Anderson strikes with his fourth ball. Markram whips around his pad and is given out LBW. He takes a review with him, having used one up in the hope the ball was missing leg stump. It wasn’t. That was a desperate review.
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What does he know?
Big risk to bowl first at @SuperSportPark. Unless you are not 100% sure you can roll a team for less than 200-220 and not bat last, you are in trouble. Best option for Proteas in 3rd innings will be to play very positive. #SAvsENG
— Jacques Rudolph (@Jacques_Rudolph) December 27, 2019
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“Now now, I think there is some doom and gloom here,” says Tone White. “There is not that much difference between the teams, only one big score. If de Kock had gone for 35, say, England would be easily within striking distance of the SA total. Following the OBO yesterday, I had the impression the English bowlers were better than ok.”
Never trust that rag. I do agree about de Kock – he was very lucky at the start of his innings – but you could say the same about England’s top scorer, Denly, who was dropped on 0. Ultimately England are being outplayed, again. They just aren’t very good. In fact, I’m not sure they’re that good.
Credit where it’s due. While England didn’t exactly bat with life-affirming excellence, South Africa bowled quite brilliantly. Not just the big two, either. Dwaine Pretorius and especially Anrich Nortje sparked a dramatic collapse - the last seven wickets fell for 39 - with a blistering spell of old-ball bowling.
WICKET England 181 all out (Archer b Philander 3)
That might just be out. Philander pegs back Archer’s off stump with a gorgeous legcutter to finish with pornographic figures of 14.2-8-16-4. South Africa lead by 103 and will win this game at a canter.
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53rd over: England 181-9 (Archer 3, Anderson 0) “Re: the 50th over,” begins Adam Pervoe. “England anticipated a tie?”
That or a seven-wicket win. It all depends on whether you speak scorecard.
WICKET! England 181-9 (Broad c Elgar b Rabada 2)
Meh. Broad fences a short one from Rabada straight to gully.
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52nd over: England 178-8 (Archer 0, Broad 2) “Hi Ron,” says Geoff Wignall. “I’ve noticed a couple of Lampard-Gerrard years comparisons you’ve made in recent months. As all football followers outside England and quite a few within it always knew, those should have been the Scholes years had he not been shunted onto the left wing because neither of the other two had his versatility. (If you doubt my word, ask Xavi.) Who, if anyone, do you reckon would be his current cricketing equivalent?”
The obvious answer is Ben Foakes. But I think he’s more like Michael Carrick or Owen Hargreaves, understated and underappreciated. I suppose the closest comparison is Moeen, in that he has often been played out of position to accommodate more ostentatious talents. And now he has semi-retired.
WICKET! England 176-8 (Buttler c de Kock b Philander 12)
And another one goes by. Buttler edges a beautiful seaming lifter from Philander towards first slip, where de Kock dives in front of van der Dussen to take a spectacular catch. That’s his sixth catch of the innings, equalling the South African record.
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51st over: England 176-7 (Buttler 12, Archer 0) Archer’s batting for England has been a letdown so far, in all forms. He is beaten by a cracking lifter from Rabada but then does extremely well to get on top of a venomous throat ball.
50th over: England 176-7 (Buttler 12, Archer 0) Buttler is beaten twice by Philander. The first kept low; the second lifted and seamed away. These are not easy batting conditions.
“Easy to say from here, but bearing in mind the fragile form of the batting unit as well as the disruption to the training camp due to illness, I am surprised by the decision to bowl first/bat last,” says Patrick Treacy. “Were the conditions really that compelling to make it worth the risk? Background circumstances seemed to favour using the bowling attack on a fourth innings wicket while giving batting partnerships more chance to bed in before fielding in blazing heat all day.”
I’d say it was emphatically the wrong decision – as most people observed at the time - but not a complete stinker. I suspect England misread the conditions and envisaged a 250/370/220/100-3 type of game.
49th over: England 176-7 (Buttler 12, Archer 0) “It all feels so predictable, Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “And not just Bairstow’s middle stump, but I agree he really did need the winter off. He still looks pretty blinkered, and there’s a risk he’ll really get into a big rut here. Pope will have a say in this series but we can’t expect a (hugely talented) young batsman to get us out of trouble. It starts, as they say, at the top. Once again, we let a side off the hook, something that’s even more common than our collapses. We aren’t a poor side, but we’re a potentially decent one making continually poor decisions. Something has to change, surely.”
I’m not sure I agree with all of that. It’s this assumption of potential, based on increasingly thin evidence, that has created a lot of the problems England have had in the last 2-3 years. The culture of picking on status and potential rather than performance is pretty miserable.
WICKET! England 176-7 (Curran b Hamza b Rabada 20)
Sam Curran’s counter-attack is ended by a fine reaction catch. He turned a shortish ball from Rabada off the face of the bat towards short leg, where Zubayr Hamza reached down by his left ankle to take it superbly.
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48th over: England 173-6 (Buttler 12, Curran 16) “I like the idea of a Gerrard-Lampardification of the team but at least you knew they were the best midfielders in the country and that they were likely in decent form for their clubs,” says David Horn. “With Bairstow, I believe he was asked to get some red ball cricket under his belt - which he hasn’t done - and come back as a specialist batsman. Now, someone who got their runs in red ball cricket and plugged away in county cricket has been dropped after one Test to make way for someone who still can’t work out if he should be backwards or forwards and whether or not he should hit a straight one. It’s approaching 90s levels of selection comedy.”
Crawley isn’t a middle-order batsman so I can understand the selection in that respect. But they should have had somebody other than Bairstow as the back-up middle-order batsman. England are still selecting him because of his form in 2016. And as we all know, the world was a very different place back then.
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47th over: England 171-6 (Buttler 12, Curran 15) A double bowling change, with Rabada coming on as well. He beats Buttler with a nasty seaming grubber. England are paying, in truth, for an indifferent (and occasionally unfortunate) bowling performance yesterday.
This pair are probably their last realistic hope, and both are playing with the requisite counter-attacking intent. Buttler gets his second boundary by thumping Rabada through the covers.
46th over: England 165-6 (Buttler 6, Curran 15) Vernon Philander returns after tea. His bowling figures (10-7-5-2) are already pretty erotic. In an hour’s time we could be looking at pure scorecard porn. Not if Curran has anything to do with it, mind you: he hits Philander for consecutive boundaries with a fine square drive and a thick edge along the ground.
“I gather from the good folk on Guerrilla Cricket that Ed Smith is on the record as saying Foakes needs to win a Big Bash contract before he can be considered again for the Test team,” says Reverend Jim. “Is this the most disgraceful cricket-related utterance in history or only in the last fifty years?”
No, but it might be the most satirical.
Teatime reading, from an old friend
Tea
45th over: England 157-6 (Buttler 6, Curran 7) Curran is beaten for pace as he attempts to hook Nortje. Playing for tea, 2019-style. The next ball is a snorter: full, seaming away and keeping a bit low as it zips past the edge. That was unplayable. England haven’t a prayer in the fourth innings on this pitch.
A superb over from Nortje continues with a short ball that Curran fences short of the slips and through for four. It’s been a sizzling spell of bowling from Nortje, and it has put South Africa in complete control of the match. See you in 20 minutes for more Test-match batting, England-style.
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44th over: England 152-6 (Buttler 6, Curran 2) Buttler ignores a series of tempters outside off stump from Pretorius. England are playing for tea, which is five minutes away. I’d expect a ferocious counter-attack from Buttler and Curran after that, as it’s the only way England can get a first-innings lead. And by flip they need one.
43rd over: England 151-6 (Buttler 6, Curran 1) Curran works Nortje off the hip to get off the mark. I think a few teams fancy that Curran can be bounced out, and South Africa are among them.
42nd over: England 150-6 (Buttler 6, Curran 0) “I know there are illnesses etc but what is Bairstow doing within ten miles of the Test team?” says Andrew Hurley. “It’s amusing how every attack in the world only needs to target Bairstow’s stumps for between 5 and 10 balls and he’ll get out. Do you think he’s in the team as he threw a tantrum to Root?!”
Ha, no, I think he’s there on perceived potential. I would have given him the winter off, at the very least, as two Tests isn’t nearly enough time to reset. It’s hard to justify - never mind warm to - the Gerrard/Lampardification of the England Test team in recent years.
41st over: England 150-6 (Buttler 6, Curran 0) Nortje produces another Flintoff-to-Gilchrist beauty to beat the new batsman Sam Curran. South Africa have always produced raw, exciting, occasionally shambolic fast bowlers – Nantie Hayward, Andre Nel, the rest - and Nortje looks a worthy addition to the list. That’s his second consecutive wicket maiden.
Spoiler alert: England have lost this game.
WICKET! England 150-6 (Stokes c de Kock b Nortje 35)
Anrich Nortje has taken the big wicket! Ben Stokes chases a wide delivery from around the wicket that straightens to take the edge, and de Kock pouches a simple catch. It was a fine delivery but a fairly poor stroke from Stokes, who until then had played immaculately.
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40th over: England 150-5 (Stokes 35, Buttler 6) Buttler gets off the mark second ball with a delicious boundary, driven between short extra cover and mid-off when Pretorius overpitches. He almost falls later in the over, checking a stroke that lands just short of the bowler.
39th over: England 143-5 (Stokes 34, Buttler 0) That dismissal takes Bairstow’s average this year to 19. England are in big trouble now.
WICKET! England 143-5 (Bairstow b Nortje 1)
Bairstow drags a couple of thick inside-edges into the leg side off Nortje. He is, unsurprisingly, are bowling very straight in an attempt to consolidate Bairstow’s famous bowled/LBW statistics. And he’s done it! Bairstow is cleaned up by a ball that keeps a fraction low and thuds into the off stump. He was back when he should have been forward, and was probably beaten for pace as well. His comeback lasted just six deliveries.
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38th over: England 143-4 (Stokes 34, Bairstow 1) That fifty was Denly’s fifth in the last nine innings, and was the usual mixture of pluck, luck, intelligence and elegance. Those runs have come against some serious pace attacks. All hail the Pretty Boy Who Went To War.
The new batsman is Jonny Bairstow, who has a point to prove, in his head at least.
WICKET! England 142-4 (Denly c de Kock b Pretorius 50)
Joe Denly falls three deliveries after reaching his fifty. He got the thinnest inside-edge on a nipbacker from the new bowler Dwaine Pretorious and was caught behind by Quinton de Kock. It was given not out on the field but South Africa reviewed straight away, and there was a small spike on Ultra-Edge. Pretorius gets his first Test wicket with a fine delivery.
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36th over: England 138-3 (Denly 45, Stokes 34) A beautiful shot from Stokes, who times Nortje through mid-on for four. Two balls later he bends his back to uppercut a short ball over the slips for a one-bounce four. That’s another majestic stroke from Stokes, who is now averaging over 50 in Tests this year. No other England player has an average in the forties, never mind the fifties. Right here, right now, he is unquestionably England’s best Test batsman.
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35th over: England 128-3 (Denly 45, Stokes 25) A quiet over from Maharaj this time, with Stokes resisting the urge to go over midwicket a third time.
34th over: England 126-3 (Denly 44, Stokes 24) An abysmal short ball from Nortje boings down the leg side for four wides. Despite their promising recovery, England have a lot of work to do. They will need plenty of fourth-innings insurance, ideally a lead of at least 100.
Thanks Tanya, hello everyone. South African conditions are often conducive to compelling, lowish-scoring Tests, and we have another on our hands here. England have recovered well from a torrid start to the innings, with Joe Denly again justifying comparisons with David Steele and Ben Stokes launching a calculated assault on Keshav Maharaj.
As the players take a slurp and Stokes and Denly admire their fifty partnership after that tactical savaging of Maharaj, I’ll hand over to Rob Smyth who’ll be your guide for the rest of the day. Thanks for all your emails!
33rd over: England 120-3 (Denly 43, Stokes 24) Stokes eyes up Maharaj for three balls, then kneels down and sweeps him twice in succession for six into the remnants of the barmy army. And that’s drinks!
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32nd over: England 108-3 (Denly 43, Stokes 12) Well played England! du Plessis decides Philander has done enough in this humidity. He scrambles for Nortje, who would fit twice over into Philander’s shirt. He fires a couple in, one leaps off a length, screaming past the top of de Kock’s desperate leap to stop it. Four byes.
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31st over: England 102-3 ( Denly 42, Stokes 11) Rabada goes too full, and Stokes twists the bat and drives him through mid-on for four. Rabada’s post-lunch spell hasn’t had the threat of his morning session, too many blobs not on a length.
Kim Thonger has a suggestion for Buttler:
Dear @tjaldred The Duchess and I think @josbuttler may be reading Stillness is the key but might be better off with ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/hVnPwjvaqp
— The Duke of Umbrage ✪ live from gates of hell🔥 (@ICETWICE) December 27, 2019
30th over: England 97-3 ( Denly 41, Stokes 7) Cricket is a cruel game. Sibley sits alone with his thoughts, just along from Buttler who is still reading that frustratingly-just-out-of-reach novel. Denly nudges just a single from the over
Ah! Martin Wright has identified the book. It’s not a novel. Thanks Martin.
I reckon Jos Buttler’s reading material is probably “Stillness Is The Key”, which apparently “draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead.” A fount of good advice for any batsman inclined to lose his head while coming down the wicket.
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29th over: England 96-3 ( Denly 40, Stokes 7) The main men have swapped ends, Rabada now rocking in from the Pavilion End. A better over, until the fifth ball, too short, which Stokes pulls, with gumption stuffing and sauce, to the midwicket boundary.
@tjaldred Hi Tanya just landed in Tromso. I can already sense an ideal location for Boxing Day Test.
— Richard.Farmer (@RichardFarmer7) December 27, 2019
It would be a Night Night game with possibility of green stripy skies stopping play. Richard
Tromso hey? You lucky thing. Is this Northern Lights season?
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29th over: England 90-3 ( Denly 40, Stokes 1) A-ha! England aren’t out of the woods yet. Philander has replaced Rabada at the other end. Stokes gets off the mark to his 13th ball (Denly’s progress will show him this is nothing to worry about), and Denly clips Philander off his heels for a couple. What is this plenty?
In the shade Jos Buttler is reading a novel, with a title something like Stillness is the net - but NOT that as google can’t find it.
28th over: England 87-3 ( Denly 38, Stokes 0) Maharaj replaces Philander, Denly employs watchful waiting for the first couple of balls before dancing forward to miscue-drive him to mid-on. Unperturbed, he twinkles and drives him beautifully for four to the long-off boundary.
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27th over: England 83-3 ( Denly 34, Stokes 0) Denly dabs at Rabada and, to the brass trumpets of the Centurion band, the ball rushes down between gully and point. Rabada won’t be too disheartened, it wasn’t done with any great conviction.
26th over: England 78-3 ( Denly 29, Stokes 0) Philander on the charge, the slight hint of Christmas day visible in his torso. Stokes plays out a maiden, driving slightly awkwardly at the sixth.
Abhijato Sensarma writes in high praise.
Philander is the antithesis to the incumbent English opening bowling pair. He pitches it up all the time with the new ball. He might go for the occasional boundary, but his control of length and mastery over the seam is so proficient that it’s second nature for him to claim top order batsmen in his opening spells. A role model for all aspiring bowlers.
Oh I don’t know. 8-7-1-2 not that much to shout about...
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25th over: England 78-3 ( Denly 29, Stokes 0) Joe Denly has one over Rabada right now, a midwicket shovel is followed by a swivel over mid-on, both for four. Rabada’s compass has gone somewhat haywire since lunch. Those grassy banks look lovely for cricket watching.
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24th over: England 70-3 ( Denly 21, Stokes 0) The hypnotic powers of Philander. Root knew what he had to do, knew what he mustn’t do, but he did it anyway. Stokes watches and sees out five dot balls.
WICKET! England 70-3 (Root c de Kock b Philander 29)
A furious Root flings his arms in disgust after a feeble nibble at Philander trying to nudge behind square.
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23rd over: England 70-2 ( Denly 21, Root 29) Root goes up on his toes and square cuts Rabada with his back foot off the ground to the boundary. And that’s the fifty partnership from 104 balls. A quick single, with an element of risk, is safely negociated. And that, my friends, is a cover drive to lie back and drink cocktails to. Denly leans into the stroke and it whizzes to the rope.
22nd over: England 61-2 ( Denly 17, Root 24) Philander takes the ball. He nips a couple away and Root watches, then nibbles. At last he gets bat to ball behind square and the first run off Philander comes off his 34th ball.
Right, here we go - a huge session this. Will Philander go for a run? Will Root and Denly survive Rabada and Philander mark two? Was it a good idea to give my 13 year old a boxing ball for Christmas? ( I know the answer to that one).
Lunch
England trail by 224 - but can just start to breathe a little. The ever-present danger from Rabada and Philander was completely absorbing, pace and skill, but Root and Denly somehow survived and their replacements Nortje and Pretorius didn’t have quite the threat. How they survive Rabada and Philander after their rub-down is the next test. Time for a coffee, see you shortly.
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21st over: England 60-2 ( Denly 17, Root 23) Nortje fires in a bouncer, Denly ducks. A couple of easy singles, and that’s lunch. An unbroken partnership of 45 between Root and Denly, who was, remember, dropped on 0.
Phil Sawyer has news for the schedulers , “Morning, Tanya. Hope you got all the Double Deckers your heart desired for Christmas. Having just spent Christmas back home in glorious Lancashire, could I suggest Blackpool’s delightful Stanley Park cricket ground for the Boxing Day test? A brisk walk down the prom before play, fish and chips for lunch and a quick pedalo around the lake for those wanting to work off those Christmas excesses (or for ex-England all-rounders wanting to recreate old times). And definitely untroubled by anything approaching warm temperatures. You know it makes sense.”
I love it.
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20th over: England 57-2 ( Denly 16, Root 21) Smith turns to the long-fingers of Maharaj, one of very few to have pulled on both the cap of the red rose and the white rose. He must, at the very least, be the only South African to have played both sides of the Pennines. A maiden. One over before lunch.
19th over: England 57-2 ( Denly 16, Root 21) Nortje’s not given up hopes of a wicket before lunch. He fires in a couple of fiery bouncers over Root’s head.
Lots of interesting talk around this (see below) - Graeme Smith persuading Dwaine Pretorius away from a Kolpak deal with Notts. A good point made by Nasser Hussain on Sky - what happens if he decides to stick with South Africa, has a couple of bad matches and is dropped? He’d be heartily cheesed off.
Interim director of cricket Graeme Smith reportedly persuaded Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius against pursuing a long-term contract with Nottinghamshire in English county cricket.https://t.co/jQOgSUEgA8
— SA Cricket magazine (@SACricketmag) December 27, 2019
18th over: England 59-2 ( Denly 16, Root 19) A Denly clip through mid-wicket off Pretorius makes that three boundaries in two overs. And suddenly it is all looking a bit easier.
Avitaj Mitra has been mulling over Sibley’s go-don’t go moment: In defence of Sibley’s decision (or indecision).. considering that the umpires barely call out no balls these days, I’d think it was worth it to hang around just to check if you’d get a reprieve due to the bowler overstepping the line.
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17th over: England 51-2 ( Denly 12, Root 19) And suddenly, just as nut follows after eight, the runs start to flow. Denly knocks Nortje through square leg and then through long-on for two charming boundaries.
16th over: England 42-2 ( Denly 3, Root 19) England would take Pretorius over Philander any day of the week. He’s accurate but without quite the threat. Root shoots him through third man for a boundary.
“Poor crowd for second day of test,” sniffs David Malcolm. “Lots of empty seats yesterday .Reflects the lack of interest in test cricket in South Africa. I imagine there will be more England fans watching this series than locals. The only cricket now viewed in any numbers outside England and Australia is rubbish twenty/20.”
There are reams of blue bucket seats on show, but it was much fuller yesterday. South African cricket has been a bit of a shower recently, maybe this new regime can turn it around.
15th over: England 38-2 ( Denly 3, Root 15) Nortje bounds in, a big guy, almost as horizontal as he is vertical. Root steals a four through the slips, Denly is hit on the pads, but the shout is optimistic.
14th over: England 33-2 ( Denly 3, Root 10) Five dots relieved only by a couple squeezed from the Denly bat. If he and Root can survive until lunch, they’ll deserve every strip of biltong coming their way.
Kim Thonger drops us a line.
Tanya, In the present dire circumstances might we consider giving Jolyon Maugham a run in the England top order? He’s clearly a man who knows how to get more than an outside edge on the object he’s trying to hit.
Ahem.
13th over: England 27-2 ( Denly 1, Root 10) A double-change, as Anrich Nortje is thrown the ball and Rabada retreats for a rest. Nortje has a look of a young Hansie Cronje, just less swarthy. It turns out he’s not in the habit of handing out freebies either, and the speedometer is up there at Rabada pace. Root squeezes a four off his final ball, but not with a great deal of confidence.
12th over: England 27-2 ( Denly 1, Root 6) England’s agony is briefly lifted as Pretorius replaces Philander. But Denly’s luck stretches on after he pushes forward at Pretorius and the ball narrowly misses popping back onto the stumps.
11th over: England 25-2 ( Denly 1, Root 6) Oooh, Denly survives as an outside edge is dropped by van der Dussen at first slip. He’s standing well back and the ball somehow popped out of his hands, low to the ground. Rabada puts his head in his hands. And three balls later, with an awkward prod, Denly is off the mark at last, after 28 balls.
10th over: England 25-2 ( Denly 0, Root 6) I’m quite impressed by Denly’s sang froid. He’s now gone 22 balls without scoring, without looking either too jumpy or too desperate . Here he manages a calm(ish) leg-bye, and potters up to the other end. And that’s Philander’s fifth maiden.
Good morning Tanya, writes Simon McMahon. I hope you are well, and had a merry Christmas. Thanks to you and all the OBO team for your sterling work in bringing us cricket from around the world.
‘If the Boxing Day Tests are to be put on hold while we work out how to save the planet, maybe Scotland could host one, at the end of January? A day / nighter perhaps, with whisky for drinks? Balaclavas on top of helmets. And an extra jumper of course. All traditions have to start somewhere...”
In all seriousness, I think high up in the northern hemisphere is the place to be. And cricket in the highlands in winter would mean, of course, no midges as well as the bonus whisky chaser. (is that a thing?)
9th over: England 25-2 ( Denly 0, Root 6) Root survives the final two balls of the over.
An email pings in from Tom Dunn. Good morning Tanya.
Good morning Tom!
England’s trepidation-inspiring top order might be getting a painful working over but there’s no need to take it out on Burglar Bill: While he may have stolen Burglar Betty’s baby (in the big brown box with little holes in it), it was Betty who subsequently broke into Bill’s house.
I think an apology might be in order.
Oh dear. Sorry Tom, sorry Bill, sorry Betty.
8.4 overs: England 25-2 ( Denly 0, Root 6) A sigh of relief, as Root kisses a four through the covers, but respite is brief. He’s then has to perform some kind of pike leap, cut in half by a bouncer that rises off the pitch. Ye gods, then Rabada sends one short, and Root heads the ball off the top of his helmet to the boundary for four. And as Root is checked for concussion, they take DRINKS.
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8th over: England 17-2 ( Denly 0, Root 2) Denly, 16 balls without scoring, is batting well out of his crease to Philander. Philander dangles the ball at various lengths, but Denly holds his nerve. Four overs, four maidens for Philander.
7th over: England 17-2 ( Denly 0, Root 2) Root runs through his multiple batting skills, ducking, diving, prodding, surviving. More Rabada magic.
6th over: England 15-2 ( Denly 0, Root 0) Denly somehow survives a Philander special, just escaping an lbw squeeze, then just nibbling, but not enough, at one on a perfect line. Philander and Rabada are quite the bowling double-act - one blows you away, the other dissects the remains.
5th over: England 15-2 ( Denly 0, Root 0) Rabada gave Sibley a thorough working over there, probing outside his off stump, though he did stray briefly onto his pads where Sibley nudged him through the onside for four. Then bang.
A suggestion for OBO over readers who like wallowing in England discord.
@tjaldred For OBO readers wanting radio coverage, may I suggest the fun folks @guerillacricket ? They are not geo-blocked and so can be heard worldwide online. They are on https://t.co/umVV4VwQiA, @TuneIn and also on Facebook. Irreverent, well informed, experienced, and funny.
— markzip (@markzip) December 27, 2019
WICKET! England 15-2 (Sibley c de Kock b Rabada 4)
Oh dear. Sibley gets a sniff at a rocket slightly wide of the stump and pushes slightly desperately at it. He’s given not out but South Africa review straight away. Sibley then starts walking, but Denly calls him back, but Reiffel tells him to keep walking. Confusion a-go-go. Anyway, he’s out.
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4th over: England 11-1 ( Denly 0, Sibley 0) Replays show the ball nicked Burns’s thumb as it went past. Such a peach from Philander, whose skills with the ball are pseudo-magical, especially against left-handers. Denly successfully plays out the rest of the over.
WICKET! England 11-1 (Burns c de Kock b Philander 9)
Burns falls to his very first ball from Philander, a beauty, that rockets up from nowhere and Burns dutifully nibbles away.
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3rd over: England 11-0 ( Burns 9, Sibley 0) Rabada is going for it here. Burns somehow, with a kind of twisted bat, directs a 90mph ball through gully for four. He looks awkward, but was ever thus, and how he’s compiled those runs.
2nd over: England 6-0 ( Burns 4, Sibley 0) Jelly babies and ginger nuts , Sibley plods forward heavily and gets within a lego brick of an edge to Philander. And so it continues.
1st over: England 6-0 ( Burns 4, Sibley 0) And just as it was in the South African innings, so it nearly was in the England innings. Rabada sent down a very full ball, that shaped in and Burns looked as if he’d got a tickle, he turned immediately to see the ball fall into de Koch’s gloves. He was given out on the field but, hesitatingly reviews, and it seems the noise was a foot or a glove. Not out. His working over continues for the rest of the over as Rabada sends down two no balls at top speed and hits him on the hip as he awkwardly twists. Advantage Rabada.
Four wickets each for Broad and Sam Curran. Let’s see what Philander and Rabada have up their sleeve. Rob Key has just suggested that Philander is similar to Darren Stevens...
South Africa all out 284
Just a sniff short of the 300 they were hoping for, we are about to see how good a score this is. Sibley, Denly, Burns - a top three to inspire what? Confidence? Trepidation? Lying down in a dark room? Another mince pie?
WICKET! Philander c Buttler b Broad 35
Philander reviews the most obvious caught behind since Burglar Bill broke into Burglar Betty’s house, for reasons currently inexplicable. And that’s that.
84th over: South Africa 278-9 (Philander 29, Nortje 0) Sam Curran is on the prowl for his fifth wicket, it would be his first Test five-fer. Nortje, not completely convincingly, survives the last four balls of the over.
83rd over: South Africa 277-9 (Philander 28, Nortje 0) Broad, long limbed, slightly rounded back, reels in and finishes off yesterday evening’s over.
Morning Tanya, writes Guy Hornsby, another great day of cricket in store. But with more players going down with this gastro bug it’ll be a miracle that it won’t affect the result, but it’s Friday so I’m being optimistic and saying we’ll have them out quickly and runs from Burns and Root today. The problem is that we said this in NZ and we folded, so we’re fragile. So it’s as likely 175 all out as 290-5, I’m afraid.
The players are out, Stuart Broad has the ball...
Did you know? writes Finbar Anslow, “that until yesterday three of the top ten run scorers in Australian test cricket played for Somerset?”
Ah, no. But I do now. Time for an emergency piece of toast and marmite. Hope that dog is behaving Graeme - you’ve got six minutes. ..
Graeme Smith, South African’s new interim director of cricket, is chatting to Ian ‘n’ Mike. His shoulders could have their own chat show.
“I was looking forward to being in the comm box, but South African cricket has got into a lot of challenges into the last while and I wanted to get in and see if I could make a difference and help. The biggest challenges? I’m still working to try and add a bit more intensity, a bit more experience, a bit more leadership.
[re Kolpaks] I think it is always difficult to stop guys going to earn a good living that comes their way - in many ways its a good thing for them but for us it is a big challenge. We’ve got to be able to give our guys a good living, the strength of our cricket willthen improve, and then work out transformation, how we brings really talented black Africans through.”
Graeme Arthur drops a note.
When does play begin? Have I got time to take the dog out?
And, out of interest, what would have happened if England had failed to field 11 fit players from their squad? Or, indeed, should a number of the current team have to leave the field? Is there a point beyond which play is abandoned / suspended?
You’ve got time for a quick stroll round the block - play starts at 8am GMT. As for the illness question, I think they could keep calling people up ad infinitum. Back in 1986, you could whistle for an old pro in a suit pressing the flesh in a hospitality box...
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We’re on, Rob Key has ironed his shirt and is calling it “a crucial day.” Ebony Rainford-Brent praises Sam Curran.
Nasser Hussain and Ian Ward are out on the pitch in matching white shirts, no ties. The clouds are out, it is humid. Nasser says day 2 is the best day for batting. Shaun says said the pitch is as good as he’s seen it for a few years . The cracks in the pitch are not yet in play - too far outside off stump.
It is especially poignant to read the report on the future of the Melbourne Test while England play in South Africa. It was only a couple of years ago that all grade cricket had to be cancelled in the Cape Town area because of drought, and the touring Indians were donating money to water charities.
Drilling deep into the report, particularly prescient in Australia right now, with burning bush fires and controversy over the future of coal, it suggests that the Boxing Day Test will soon no longer be able to exist in its present form because of rising temperatures, and will have to be moved to the evening or a different time of year.
Cricket Australia’s response: “Cricket is played in different climates and countries around the world and it is committed to both addressing the impact of climate change and ensuring cricket continued to be played in Australia on December 26 for many years to come.”
Here is coverage from Day 2 of Australia v New Zealand and Travis Head’s century - as it happened.
Good morning everyone! An intriguing day ahead at Centurion. While we wait for the coverage to start, a couple of things. Firstly, there is more sickness in the England camp to report - now Mark Wood joins Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes and two members of support staff in the sick bay.
Also, do read this important report into the future of the Boxing Day Test in this era of climate crisis.
Rising temperatures could imperil future of Boxing Day Test cricket, report warns | Environment | The Guardian https://t.co/iiXmeRegS4
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) December 26, 2019
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Preamble
Tanya will be here soon. Here’s Sam Curran’s thoughts on the first day of play:
“It’s been a tough week as a squad and we’re pleased how we’ve stuck together as a group. It was tough out there, warm with not much breeze. Of course we would like to have bowled them out by the close. But I would say it’s been an even day. [Quinton] de Kock played beautifully, yet all in all we’re pretty pleased.
“There was a special atmosphere out there with the band and the Barmy Army. It was pretty cool ... There is some nice carry here so you can nick the batters off and there is a bit of variation in the bounce. Maybe we will need some different plans for Quinton in the second innings.”
Read more from Vic Marks here.
