Thanks for your company and emails. I’ll leave you with Vic’s report from Cape Town. Please join Simon and Tim tomorrow morning for the final day’s play; it’ll be worth it.
Close of play England need eight wickets for victory tomorrow, South Africa 312 runs. We can probably discount the latter, Quinton de Kock notwithstanding, but the home side have a decent chance of batting out a draw. Their key men are the debutant Pieter Malan, who has already survived 193 balls for his 63, and the captain Faf du Plessis.
England will take encouragement from the hint of reverse swing that Jimmy Anderson found late in the day to set up and then dismiss Zubayr Hamza. That could prove decisive, especially with the pitch offering little to the seamers or spinners.
56th over: South Africa 126-2 (Malan 63, Maharaj 2) England give Malan a single off Curran’s first delivery, an unusual tactic that allows them to bowl at Maharaj. He is beaten, chasing a wide yorker, but there are no other alarms and he will return tomorrow morning. That’s stumps.
55th over: South Africa 123-2 (Malan 62, Maharaj 0) Anderson almost gets another one, with the nightwatchman Maharaj beaten all ends up. I thought it was the last over of the day. In fact it was Anderson’s last over, and there will be one more at the other end.
Anderson has always been so good at finding a way to take a wicket late in the day, and he’s done it again at the age of 37. Having set Hamza up with a few reverse inswingers, he got one to straighten just enough to take a thin edge as Hamza pushed forward defensively to cover any inswing. Jos Buttler did the rest, tumbling to his right to take a good two-handed catch. That is just brilliant from Anderson.
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WICKET! South Africa 123-2 (Hamza c Buttler b Anderson 18)
Anderson has done it in the last over of the day!
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54th over: South Africa 123-1 (Malan 62, Hamza 18) Sam Curran replaces Ben Stokes for the last over at this end. Nothing happens. Pieter Malan has played an almost flawless defensive innings.
“Hi Rob, Happy New Year,” says Robert Ellson. “I do hope the ICC’s cricket committee have enjoyed the first four days of this very compelling match.”
53rd over: South Africa 122-1 (Malan 62, Hamza 17) With three overs remaining today, Jimmy Anderson replaces Joe Root. He has always prided himself of taking vital wickets at the end of long days, especially on flat tracks. Another here, especially that of Malan, would be precious.
There is some reverse swing back into Malan, who offers no stroke to the first two deliveries. The second was pretty close, though I’m loath to call it a dodgy leave given how good Malan has been outside off stump. A maiden.
52nd over: South Africa 122-1 (Malan 62, Hamza 17) Stokes to Hamza, round seven. Hamza does the sensible thing by pushing the ball to mid-on and getting the hell down the other end. A single from Malan brings up the second fifty partnership of the innings - this time with only one boundary. South Africa have managed risk superbly. Hamza survives the remainder of the Stokes (working-)over. Well played.
“From memory, Mark Waugh spent much of his time at first slip, especially once Mark Taylor retired (from where he famously tried to sledge Jimmy Ormond),” says Richard O’Hagan. “Freddie, on the other hand, had to wait to even migrate to second slip. For much of his early career the first two spots were occupied by Trescothick and Strauss. Botham, on the other hand, was an almost immediate shoo-in for the number two slot. Although his ‘hands on knees’ technique provoked criticism, a few seasons of snaffling edges off Joel Garner had already turned him into a fine slipper by the time he reached the England side. He also benefitted from a era where quick bowlers were expected to stand there - both Willis and Hendrick did so for England - rather than at fine leg.”
Wasn’t it Warne 1, Mark Waugh 2? Oh I don’t know, it was forever ago.
51st over: South Africa 119-1 (Malan 61, Hamza 16) Malan moves into the sixties with a pleasant drive for two off Root. Kevin Pietersen, commentating on Sky Sports, is full of praise for Malan’s temperament and technique. He’s not the only one, but his view is worth more than most. From the wreckage of 2019, South Africa have found some really promising newcomers.
50th over: South Africa 117-1 (Malan 59, Hamza 16) England are giving Malan the single so that Stokes can bowl to Hamza. Nasser Hussain did that once to get an out-of-form Steve Waugh on strike during the 2002-03 Ashes; imagine the four-letter comedy of Waugh’s internal monologue at that precise moment. Actually, you don’t have to, I’ve found it in Waugh’s book:
It was Under-10 stuff by Nasser, intended to take the piss out of me and let his quick bowler have his way with me.
The tension was stimulating and I wanted confrontation, but I needed to let off some steam.
‘You smart-arse prick!’ seemed to cover that objective pretty well. To me, it was about respect.
Back in 2019-20, Malan does take a single, allowing Stokes four balls at Hamza. The second of those is a jaffa that that roars past the edge. This is some hot, hot heat from Stokes, but Hamza is hanging in there.
49th over: South Africa 116-1 (Malan 58, Hamza 16) Joe Root replaces Dom Bess, starting around the wicket to Malan. He plays a rare loose stroke, mistiming a sweep and gloving the ball over the head of Stokes at leg slip. England have tried everything today. We certainly can’t criticise them for not thinking outside the box.
“Just how flipping King of the Valley have you just made me feel?” says Damian Clarke. “Skipper always used to put me at second slip, even though my ego said Please, Boss, Cover! Can’t wait for my wife to get home. She’ll be absolutely thrilled at my planned evening’s monologue.”
48th over: South Africa 113-1 (Malan 55, Hamza 16) Hamza, reaching outside off stump at a short ball, clunks Stokes this far short of Broad at extra cover. He then flaps a bouncer unconvincingly into the leg side before being hit on the armpit as he tries to jump inside the line. Although Stokes is now bowling over the wicket, I think he was given an official warning for running on the pitch earlier in the over. That aside, it’s been a brilliant spell from Stokes.
“Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins is not the best album ever,” says Matt Dony. “But it makes me feel things. Fernando Torres is not the greatest player to play for Liverpool. But I got unbelievably excited when the ball was at his feet. Matthew Arnold is not history’s greatest poet. But ‘Dover Beach’ has a final stanza that I find incredibly moving. Ben Stokes is not the greatest English all-rounder. But he brings something viscerally exciting to the table.”
And it’s a lot more viscerally exciting than the phrase ‘viscerally exciting’.
47th over: South Africa 113-1 (Malan 55, Hamza 16) Five from Bess’s over. I think it’s a mistake to persist with him tonight, and I’ll keep banging on about it until fate decides to shut me up.
“I just meant the teams they’ve been in haven’t actually been tremendously successful (compared to the best teams of their time)!” says David Murray. “So can they really be such great matchwinners? PS England could still lose this...”
I think they can, but each his own. I wouldn’t worry about England losing this unless de Kock takes matters into his own hands. South Africa won’t risk it.
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46th over: South Africa 108-1 (Malan 52, Hamza 14) Stokes winces after bowling one short ball to Malan. I think it’s his side, though he has no problem finishing the over. Another maiden to the hugely impressive Malan. Stokes looks absolutely shattered, so I fully expect him to bowl the remaining four overs at this end.
“Enjoyed the discussion on our all-rounders,” says Paul in Manchester. “Just wondered why are they all brilliant at second slip? Rather than say in the covers? Or rather than first slip?”
Stokes would be good anywhere, Flintoff and latterday Botham less so I suspect. The slip question is a good one. I assume it’s just that second slip is the most important position – Mark Waugh, probably the greatest of all, fielded there I think – and that they would have been equally good at first.
45th over: South Africa 108-1 (Malan 52, Hamza 14) Bess has now moved around the wicket to the right-handers, which theoretically brings both edges into play, but in truth he is struggling to threaten either.
“England have used seven bowlers before any one of the has bowled 10 overs,” says Michael Duggan. “Has this happened before in a Test? I wouldn’t even know how to begin asking Statsguru.”
I suspect even Travis Basevi, the hulking genius who invented Statsguru, wouldn’t know how to ask that. I suspect it’s happened a few times in the past - perhaps in this match - but couldn’t be sure.
44th over: South Africa 106-1 (Malan 51, Hamza 13) Stokes has decided it’s time for some rough stuff from round the wicket. Rough is the operative word, as it might also be with a view to leaving a few footmarks outside the right-hander’s off stump for Dom Bess. Kumar Dharmasena has a word about his follow through halfway the over, in fact, so Stokes moves over the wicket for the final delivery. A maiden to Malan, who dealt with the short stuff comfortably.
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43rd over: South Africa 106-1 (Malan 51, Hamza 13) Malan drives Bess for a single to reach a very impressive half-century on debut. It’s been a calm, accomplished innings: 144 balls, two fours, umpteen well-judged singles. I think England should bring back Anderson at this end, as nothing much is happening for Bess. Do you hear that, fate? Can you hear me now? Nothing is happening for Bess. Sweet bugger all. D squat. Nuttin.
42nd over: South Africa 103-1 (Malan 49, Hamza 12) A lovely delivery from Stokes follows Malan and hits him near the breastbone. It would be such a cliche if Stokes ripped out a couple of wickets before the close. There are 13 overs remaining.
“Seems clear to me that Stokes is the best batsman, Flintoff the best bowler, Stokes the best fielder and Flintoff the most X-factor, which can only mean that England’s greatest allrounder is Botham,” says James. “Anyway, statistics show that Alastair Cook has a Test average of 47 with the bat and 7 with the ball.”
And the best Bob Willis impersonation, so he wins in the crowd-pleasing department as well.
41st over: South Africa 100-1 (Malan 46, Hamza 12) Bess gets one to kick at Hamza, who lets it go past his body and down the leg side for four byes. A bit more encouragement for England, though. That’s drinks.
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40th over: South Africa 96-1 (Malan 46, Hamza 12) Ben Stokes comes into the attack. He has a bowling average of 33.38, higher than those of Mark Ealham, Dermot Reeve and Richard Illingworth. He starts with a no-ball before hitting a good length with a bit of lift to Malan. As throughout the innings, Malan shows immaculate judgement outside off stump.
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39th over: South Africa 95-1 (Malan 46, Hamza 12) It’s not compulsory for England to bowl a spinner at the Kelvin Grove End, but that’s what Joe Root has done since Bess came into the attack. There isn’t much happening for him - a bit of turn, but not much bounce. South Africa must be starting to fancy their chances of drawing this match.
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38th over: South Africa 90-1 (Malan 44, Hamza 9) Broad turns Malan round with a good delivery that takes a leading edge and dribbles into the off side. England really need at least one more wicket tonight, and I’m surprised we haven’t seen Ben Stokes yet.
“Pulling off miracles every now and then is fine,” says OB Jato, “but I think we can all agree that Colin de Grandhomme is the daddy of Test all-rounders?”
Don’t. I still wake up most mornings in a cold sweat, eight overs into his spell in the World Cup final, the walls inexorably closing in.
37th over: South Africa 89-1 (Malan 43, Hamza 9) Enough with the emails for a bit, I keep missing the actual cricket. The impressive Malan skids back in his crease to force consecutive deliveries from Bess for two and then three. He’s an alert runner, Malan, and his hit only two boundaries in his 43.
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36th over: South Africa 83-1 (Malan 38, Hamza 8) “Flintoff is a bit like Harmison,” says Stephen Wolstencroft. “When he was on it he was a world beater, but there were too many series when he was nowhere near his best and/or drunk at sea. Stokes is more consistent, a better batsman, and has a habit of taking key wickets and of bowling Flintoff-like endurance spells. Freddie is better at chess, though.”
Not sure I agree with that. As a batsman, certainly, but as a bowler I thought Flintoff was consistently excellent from around 2004 until his knee packed in, and even then he produced that epic spell in the 2009 Lord’s Test against Australia. Flintoff’s C-game was miles better than Harmison’s, in my humble one.
Stokes is a much better batsman, though, even though Freddie did have a golden period from 2003-06. I’d say Stokes is closer to Botham, who was also technically excellent, as a batsman.
35th over: South Africa 83-1 (Malan 38, Hamza 8) Dom Bess replaces Joe Denly, who did his job by getting rid of Dean Elgar. I’m still not convinced Elgar hit it, but hey ho. There’s a suggestion of turn to Hamza, who inside-edges one delivery onto the pad and short of the man at short leg. An accurate start from Bess.
34th over: South Africa 83-1 (Malan 38, Hamza 7) Broad goes wide on the crease to Hamza, who edges along the ground for four. England only have two slips anyway and that was well wide of them. It’s hard yakka out there. England have 21 overs to take another wicket or two.
“Re. your 30th over comments,” says David Murray. “Doesn’t this slightly ignore the fact that Stokes, Flintoff and even Botham perhaps didn’t actually win all that many matches compared with the very best?”
That depends how you define matchwinning, I suppose. Jason Roy and Jos Buttler won the Headingley Test of 2019, but they scored 23 runs between them.
33rd over: South Africa 78-1 (Malan 38, Hamza 3) Hamza gets off the mark with a confident cut off Denly. He looks much less threatening to the right-handers from over the wicket than he did to Elgar. It might be worth trying to attack from round the wicket.
“Look at what Stokes did today to set up a match-winning scenario,” says David Kelsey. “He came out and (elegantly) clumped 72 off 47. He could have done things very differently but he played the scenario for the team; and he does this all the time. Averages are useful, context is usefullerererererer.”
Yes but context, like lunch, is difficult. That’s why most people treat averages as gospel. Anyway, Stokes and Kallis are so different that there’s no point trying to compare them. It’s like comparing an epochal orgasm and a massive bank balance.
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32nd over: South Africa 73-1 (Malan 36, Hamza 0) Stuart Broad replaces Sam Curran (6-2-9-0). That’s a bespoke bowling change, as Broad has dismissed Zubayr Hamza in every innings in this series. Hamza looks keen to get off strike, but does the next best thing by surviving the last four balls of the over.
“The running down the wicket in the Oz match was innocuous in the extreme,” says Martin Turnbull. “Can you let David Murray know that his accusation will be remembered come the next Ashes. Looking forward to seeing the Poms put to the sword next year: 4-1 is my early prediction.”
What makes you so confident England will win the fifth Test?
31st over: South Africa 73-1 (Malan 36, Hamza 0) Denly continues, although he’s now bowling to two right-handers. He’d prefer to bowl to a left-hander, though none are due in until Quinton de Kock.
30th over: South Africa 72-1 (Malan 35, Hamza 0) “Is it just me or is ‘XX can’t be judged by statistics’ standard English cricket fan speak for ‘not actually that great’?” says Indy Bagral. “You all love to harp on about single standout performances, but part of what makes such performances stand out is the dross that surrounds them. Stokes’ 4th innings at Headingley will live on in folklore but it politely ignores the fact that if he hadn’t got himself out chasing a wide one at 30 odd for 3 in the first innings, maybe some Hollywood heroics wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place? It’s always been a personal conviction of mine that this English preference for a highlights reel over boringly consistent actual brilliance is what keeps them from ever being the best for any sustained period of time.”
I know what you mean, but I don’t particularly agree. I don’t have time to reply, properly, but I’ll always believe there is a small group of selfless matchwinners (Adam Gilchrist was another) whose impact cannot be conveyed through averages.
29th over: South Africa 71-1 (Malan 34, Hamza 0) That was Joe Denly’s first Test wicket.
Elgar pushed tentatively outside off stump at Denly and was given out caught behind. He reviewed straight away, thinking his bat had hit the ground. There was the smallest spike on UltraEdge as the ball went past the edge, and then another spike as the bat hit the ground. That was enough for the third umpire to uphold the original decision. My instinct is that Elgar didn’t hit it, but I suppose there wasn’t enough evidence for the third umpire to overrule.
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WICKET! South Africa 71-1 (Elgar c Buttler b Denly 34)
Joe Denly has struck! It’s a pretty controversial dismissal, which was upheld on review, but Elgar has gone.
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28th over: South Africa 64-0 (Malan 29, Elgar 32) This is good stuff from Curran, who is using plenty of variations in an attempt to make something happen. If Anderson and Broad are the classical interrogators, then Curran is more like Manny from Black Books. That over, a maiden to Elgar, was the fifth of his spell. He might have one more before Ben Stokes, who is a different kind of cop, replaces him at this end.
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27th over: South Africa 64-0 (Malan 29, Elgar 32)
26th over: South Africa 61-0 (Malan 28, Elgar 30) Curran switches over the wicket to Malan, who edges a good delivery along the floor to second slip.
“Hi Rob,” says David Murray. “Interesting to read about Warner and Labuschagne both getting penalised for running down the pitch (presumably trying to make things easier for Lyon in the fourth innings). Australia still not averse to a bit of cheating?”
I haven’t seen it, but I’d be surprised if it was deliberate. It doesn’t make much sense, as they were going to win anyway and we’re still in the PR years.
25th over: South Africa 60-0 (Malan 28, Elgar 29) “Happy new year Rob, and to all those who read the OBO,” says Chris Drew. “Talking of the leg spin bowling of Marnŵs fach for Australia, he was also the second highest wicket taker for Glamorgan last season. I’m trying to contain my excitement for the new season...”
He won’t just trouble the scorers, he’ll have them begging for mercy.
24th over: South Africa 57-0 (Malan 27, Elgar 27) Sam Curran continues at the other end, the one with the crack. Malan takes a sharp single to mid-off, a reflection of South Africa’s positive intent since tea. They’ve scored 10 in two overs, all in ones and twos.
23rd over: South Africa 52-0 (Malan 24, Elgar 26) There are 33 overs to bowl this evening. England probably need at least two wickets in that time to ensure a decent night’s sleep. The part-time legspinner Joe Denly, who looked dangerous before tea, has Elgar in trouble straight away. His third ball spat from the rough to hit Elgar on the arm guard and loop wide of Buttler. England thought it was a chance, with Buttler stretching desperately in an unsuccessful attempt to take the catch, but replays showed it wouldn’t have been out. Later in the over Malan pushed a single to bring up a solid fifty partnership.
“Stokes v Flintoff?” says Tom Carver. “Children of their times and can’t be compared. Stokes is a millennial striving to be the best version of himself. Flintoff was a naughty noughties boozer mainly striving to have fun and play some cricket along the way. Stokes is the better player, applies himself more assiduously and will end up with better stats, but Flintoff will be remembered more fondly.”
Depends whether you’re X or Y, surely?
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Tea South Africa have a chance of saving this match. England are still strong favourites, with four sessions remaining, but the pitch isn’t doing a lot and South Africa know their way round a fourth-innings rearguard. See you in 15 minutes for the final session.
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22nd over: South Africa 46-0 (Malan 23, Elgar 21) Joe Root brings himself on for the latest before tea. A lot goes on but nothing happens, and South Africa go to tea unscathed. Pieter Malan and Dean Elgar have played impressively.
21st over: South Africa 44-0 (Malan 22, Elgar 20) Denly enquires politely for LBW when Malan pushes forward with bat and pad together. Even if it was pad first, he was outside off stump. Another encouraging over from Denly, who will hopefully continue after tea.
“The Stokes/Flintoff debate is getting a tad tedious,” says Nacmac Bok. “The definitive answer to an allrounder debate is always Jacques Kallis.”
Even when the question is about English allrounders?
20th over: South Africa 43-0 (Malan 21, Elgar 20) Curran continues around the wicket to Malan. He leaves everything outside off stump, including a couple of deliveries that lift from a length. His judgement looks excellent.
19th over: South Africa 41-0 (Malan 20, Elgar 20) Another imaginative bit of captaincy from Joe Root, who has brought on Joe Denly to replace Dom Bess. There’s a lot of rough outside the left-hander’s off stump, and we saw how dangerous the part-time legspin of Marcus Labuschagne could be during the Ashes.
Malan overbalances and is fortunate that the ball hits the pad and deflects wide of Buttler for a leg bye. Had it done so, that would have been a stumping chance. The next ball bursts from the rough to Elgar, who gloves it in the air on the off side. The delivery after that rips through the gate to hit Elgar in the chest, and he ends the over by missing a slightly flustered sweep stroke. A superb, mood-changing first over from Denly.
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18th over: South Africa 39-0 (Malan 20, Elgar 19) Sam Curran comes on to replace Jimmy Anderson. I think he’ll be an important bowler today, with his variety, intelligence and golden arm. He goes straight around the wicket to the right-handed Malan, who offers no stroke to a ball that curves reasonably close to off stump. Another maiden, the fourth in five overs.
“Interesting debate about the best all-rounder,” says Max in Germany, “but I think Stokes has the talent (and time) to be even more devastating than Kallis.”
What Stokes doesn’t have, and probably never will, are Kallis’s ruthlessness and concentration. That’s why his career averages will be nowhere near as good. But you can’t really judge Stokes by statistics. It’s like trying to quantify love, or something.
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17th over: South Africa 39-0 (Malan 20, Elgar 19) Apologies, I’m all over the show here. To be honest, very little is happening. South Africa are plodding along comfortably, England are getting no help from the pitch or the Kookaburra ball.
16th over: South Africa 37-0 (Malan 20, Elgar 17) Malan does well to shoulder arms and allow a lifter from Anderson to whistle past his armpit. He looks an accomplished old-fashioned opener, an observation supported by his first-class record: 10,000 runs at an average of 45.
“Re: Faf’s debut rearguard hundred... look at AB’s scoring rate in the second innings!” says Kevin Wilson. “For a guy with a reputation as a 360 degree player made for T20, he could bat out time when his side was under the cosh phenomenally well. Check this out against India in 2015. South Africa lost, but they batted 143 overs for 143 all out! De Villiers scored 43 from 297 balls!”
That team was great at putting the shutters up. The thing I love most about de Villiers’ rearguard in Adelaide is that, six days later, he lashed 169 from 184 balls to win the series. Where do you even start with that level of brilliance? Headingley 2019, I suppose.
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15th over: South Africa 37-0 (Malan 20, Elgar 17) Another economical over from Bess. He’s not really threatening, though, and I’d like to see Sam Curran have a few overs from that end.
14th over: South Africa 37-0 (Malan 20, Elgar 17) Sorry, I keep missing the actual cricket to attend to emails. The lack of excitement in the TV commentary suggests you’re not missing much.
“I’d agree re Freddie being a better bowler,” says Boris Starling. “You rarely get the sense that Stokes is capable of turning a game with the ball the way he is with the bat, or that he could bowl an over like Flintoff’s famous one at Edgbaston to get rid of Langer and Ponting in 2005. When it comes to discussing all-round play, we shouldn’t forget Stokes’ fielding, which is as good as anyone in the world right now and as any England player in history. If it came to picking one man to take a catch for my life, I’d probably still have Mark Waugh, but Stokes would definitely be in the mix.”
Flintoff was an immense bowler. At his best, he was the most irresistible England bowler of my cricket-watching lifetime. Others did it for much longer, I realise.
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13th over: South Africa 37-0 (Malan 19, Elgar 17) Bess has a slip and short leg for Malan, who looks comfortable in coming down the track to the offspinner. Three from the over. No sign of any bite for Bess at the moment.
“Based on this morning’s evidence, we might be forgiven for thinking that Stokes cares more about England winning this match than nurturing his career average,” says Brian Withington. “The man clearly has no future in the game - let’s make him captain soon.”
He’d be a shoo-in for an all-time Selfless XI. One of the best things about this morning’s innings is that Stokes took two - one for the team one for Dom Sibley. In a parallel universe Stokes batted at a normal tempo, Sibley worried that he was holding the team back and got himself out for 93.
12th over: South Africa 34-0 (Malan 17, Elgar 17) Anderson changes ends to replace Broad (5-1-13-0), and Malan drives him crisply through extra cover for three. He’s playing nicely. As is Elgar, who pings a boundary through mid-on off the next delivery. This is a test of England’s patience.
“I’d be quite up for a rearguard action here,” says Pete Salmon. “Remember those? Mark Greatbatch or Andy Flower batting for seven sessions, jumpers for goalposts. Nowadays it’s all Ben Stokes and Kusal Perera sort of nonsense. Be nice to be applauding Elgar off at the end of the match on 158 not out in a total of 8/360. Proper cricket.”
If anyone can, South Africa can. Faf du Plessis famously did it on debut, and that great side of the early 2010s had a few such rearguards. That said, those who really know their Onions would rather South Africa ended nine rather than eight wickets down.
11th over: South Africa 27-0 (Malan 14, Elgar 13) Malan uses his feet to drive Bess for a single, something South Africa didn’t really do in the first innings. That’s drinks, which comes at a decent time for England’s thinktank.
“Not sure why commentators are in a funk about letting Broad have a few overs out in the middle,” says Tom Atkins. “There’s plenty of time, he could use the practice out in the middle and for me the psychological value of making bowlers toil pointlessly and the openers sweat out on the field shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Most people are disproportionately angry about something these days. And if you don’t agree, I’ll fill you in.
10th over: South Africa 26-0 (Malan 13, Elgar 13) There isn’t a huge amount happening for Broad. This could be a case for Mulde- Sam Curran, who has the ability to take wickets in unusual ways.
9th over: South Africa 23-0 (Malan 11, Elgar 12) Joe Root decides to play a bit of slap-bass, bringing Dom Bess on first change. Nothing to report in his first over, but a nice, attacking move from England.
“Stokes versus Flintoff - hard to judge as Stokes still has a long way to go,” says David Murray. “But for me he’s far more talented. Flintoff isn’t even in the top 10 best bowlers for England, whereas if it wasn’t for his suspension I think we’d be already talking about Stokes as one of our best-ever batsmen. And he could almost be in the team as a specialist fielder. Flintoff also had the advantage of playing in a good team.”
I think it’s closer than that, and I wouldn’t put Stokes in England’s top 50 batsmen. I also think Flintoff has become a little underrated since he retired. But I’d definitely put Stokes above him, mainly because he wins at Top Trumps in the Miracles category.
8th over: South Africa 21-0 (Malan 10, Elgar 11) Elgar hooks Broad for a single. He had plenty of time to play that stroke, another indication that the pitch has lost some of its zing. The moment I type that, Malan does well to get on top of a much nastier lifter. That might have hit a crack.
7th over: South Africa 20-0 (Malan 10, Elgar 10) Thanks Tanya, morning everyone. It looks like England are going to have to work pretty hard for these 10 wickets. At least they didn’t use up their second review on that appeal in Anderson’s previous over. Umpire Smyth, officiating from his office, thought it was out when he saw it live.
And that’s it from me as I trot off to buy emergency school shoes and handover to Rob Smyth to take you through to stumps. Thanks for all the emails and tweets, sorry I wasn’t able to publish them all, an avalanche in my inbox this morning! What a bloody great day’s cricket.
6th over: South Africa 18-0 (Malan 9, Elgar 9) A maiden for Broad, as the fielders shoo away the lurking Hadeda.
In his office, John Robbins has a keen eye for literals.
Following the OBO at work on a slow day at the office. So slow in fact that David Stocker’s Bulgarian winter reminded me of the winter I spent in Romania, in Galati. So cold, the Danube froze over and I could have taken a stroll across to the Ukraine.
Everything worked – busses, trams, my Dacia Logan, and the heating in my flat was so good (powered by surplus energy from the local steel mill) I had to open the window…
No no-balls, but a couple of superfluous apostrophes in David’s post. (I told you it was a slow day in the office).
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5th over: South Africa 18-0 (Malan 9, Elgar 9) Anderson carrying more of a threat at the moment. He seems to have Malan caught by a diving Buttler as the slips rise up. Behind the stumps, much discussion as to whether to appeal but Anderson is already walking back shaking his head. With a quick glance towards the back of his retreating fast bowler, Root decides not to press ahead with a review. Wise decision - the noise was pad on pad. More judicious leaving from Malan.
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4th over: South Africa 17-0 (Malan 9, Elgar 8) Elgar and Malan play out Broad’s over without much to get excited about.
@tjaldred South Africa and 438.. Really, did Root just set SA 438 as target? Can't think of a better way to spur your opposition on for glory... 👏
— Apne Aappu (@AappuApne) January 6, 2020
AH! A reference to this I assume?
3rd over: South Africa 14-0 (Malan 9, Elgar 5) Ah, just been reminded that Malan is making his Test debut, which makes that leaving in the first over all the more impressive/foolhardy. He shoulders arms again to Anderson here, in between knocking a couple of twos.
2nd over: South Africa 10-0 (Malan 5, Elgar 5) Elgar gets in on the act, through the covers for a nice cuppa tea and four malted milks. Broad’s line improves and fourth ball he appears to thump Malan on the back pad. Broad’s arms pump up and down like a demented marionette and, with seconds to spare, Root reviews. The replay shows the ball squeezing between front pad and bat, just trimming the edge of bat before hitting Elgar high on the back pad.
Genrous Joel Eley’s cup floweth over : Following from Kuala Lumpur, it seems that a recipe for success as an England all-rounder is not to be a perfect role model. All have had front page headlines. However all have provided life long memories, Botham 1981, Flintoff 2005, Stokes 2019. Plus many others. Comparing stats does not do any of them justice as they go from sublime to ridiculous. However most of the the posts have not also considered how good they all were / are (in Stokes case) in the field. Beefy standing in front of keeper at 2nd Slip, Freddie run outs and Stokes only 5 catches in the last innings!! My moment of the World Cup was Nasser commentating after the catch “No way, you cannot do that Ben Stokes”. Appreciate them all is what I say.
1st over: South Africa 4-0 (Malan 4, Elgar 0) Malan flicks Anderson’s first rather ragged ball for four, then lets the third ball alone and the ball skims the side of off stump. Oooh and again, and again, four balls in a row. Either he knows this pitch very well or he’s about to come to a rather embarrassing end.
While Mark Slater wonders why Joe Root exposed Broad to a potential broken finger, Romeo is feeling for Dom Sibley: Sibley needed to reach 135 (and not get out) to end the match with a Test batting average of 40.
135 was also the score Little Marnus (Marnŵs bach to his real friends)
needed to score in the first innings at Sydney to end the innings with
an average of 60.
Marnus managed it of course, but Root chopped Sibley off.
Yikes! They’re back out.
Such riches from you lot as well.
Derek Stocker in frosty eastern Europe:
Hello Tanya from wintery Bulgaria. The snow is coming thick and fast.
As a Zimbabwean I find winter in BG a tad challenging. Still my first
winter here, staying in a caravan renovating our derelict cottage was
almost the death of me. I sprung from my 7 sleeping bags woken from
two enormous explosions. Lucky I wasn’t dreaming of the Rhodesian bush
war.
Oh no! Chunks of orange ice all over the place. I don’t know what
temperature soda freezes at. The gas heater chugging out about 2
calories of heat and the interior like an industrial freezer. Two
bottles of orange pop kerbam, kerbam.
When I went out next morning the thermometer deserved a second
glance...minus 37 centigrade. Almost Siberianesque. Still I survived
without losing any digits and in 9 years I have not experienced cold
like that again. Minus 20c has been the lowest.
Anyway ma’am to the sport of the Goddess...Extra’s in this England innings.
22 extra’s not a single no ball. That is crazy. 660 balls not a
single no ball. Impossible.
And Daniel Shepherd in hotter Dubai “also a good time zone for OBOing”
A suitably fine discussion for a day like this when we can enjoy the greater moments of English cricket rather than wallow in the gloom.
For me there are two things that haven’t really been touched on. As two sublimely and naturally gifted players, the teams they played in is relevant. Stokes has become a wonderful batsmen in a team bereft of wonderful batsmen, whereas Flintoff led the bowling in a team full of decent batters. Would they have stepped up in the other discipline if they’d swapped teams?
And the acid test is which one would you pick? Obviously the team makeup, as mentioned, would affect it but, for me, Stokes gets the nod for his astonishing fielding.
DECLARATION!
111th over: England 391-8 (Sibley 133, Broad 8) And that is that. England declare with abounding riches, South Africa need 438 to win or have a day and three quarters to bat out. England, inspired by guts and glory from Sibley and Stokes, and with the fast bowlers well-rested, and the odd glitch in the pitch, should have this in the bag by elevenses tomorrow.
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110th over: England 382-8 (Sibley 127, Broad 5) Slightly funny period of play this, just one off the over and Rabada slams a ball into Broad which he inexpertly defends off the splice.
A couple of newbies - thanks so much for tuning/logging/clicking in.
Steve Crick: Welcome to my first ever em such as this and I cannot pretend to cricket geekdom, but this live coverage makes me glad it’s not on the telly, not R5 for that matter. Keep up the good work! Am I allowed a mention of The Bradford Bulls?
But of course.
And Kevin Tong: I just have a quick question/clarification, what do you mean by “South Africa will now have to make the highest score in Test history to win the game”? A quick google tells me there have been higher scores in test history. Sorry, I’m a pretty new and naive follower of the game, haha.
Sorry, I meant the highest score batting last to win the game.
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109th over: England 381-8 (Sibley 126, Broad 5) Broad sweeps Maharaj fine and gallops off for a single, but it whizzes for four. He, with waterlogged boots, plays and misses his way through the rest of the over.
More highlights news, thanks Andy Shaw.
@tjaldred Re: video highlights for non-Sky subscribers - seem to be a few on Cricinfo. Haven't watched them myself so can't say whether they are of use and/or ornament
— Andy Shaw (@RedAndy54) January 6, 2020
108th over: England 377-8 (Sibley 126, Broad 1) Broad deals perfectly calmly with a short one from Rabada, knocking it into the covers for a single.
I’m trying to find out when England last managed 150+ runs in a session. They managed it twice last time they were in Cape Town back in 2016, with 150 runs exactly in the third session on day one, and 196 runs (!!) in the first session of day two, writes Michael Avery.
Has it been done in the intervening period? Does anyone remember? Can someone reading the OBO get statsguru to work in a way that I can’t (almost undoubtedly)?
107th over: England 375-8 (Sibley 125, Broad 0) A little consolation for Maharaj, as England send Stuart Broad out for what will undoubtedly be some short stuff. Perhaps an unnecessary risk, if he were to break his finger avoiding a snorter.
Steve Castle has some succour for those of you without Sky. Thanks Steve.
The only highlights I can find which are free are on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel. They’re not exactly exhaustive though, with each day’s play squeezed into five minutes...
WICKET! Curran c sub (Zubayr Hamza) b Maharaj 13
Curran twonks the third ball of the day straight to midwicket.
On Flintoff and Stokes, it is hard to divide the two, I think as some OBOers have said, Flintoff, like Botham before him, didn’t nurture his body as he might have, so his career peak was relatively short. But Stokes is of a different era, his body is not his problem, unless it crumbles from over-use.
Bad news for Pat Brown who had been due to play in the Big Bash. He has a lower back stress fracture, so has been withdrawn from England’s ODI squad.
They’re back out.
In Memorium
This lovely tribute was sitting in my inbox, from Simon Darvill.
Had the silly bugger not died a couple of weeks before Christmas, today would have been my dad’s 75th birthday. He was a long time club cricketeer who bowled a deceptive short run up right arm medium pace filler, competent with the bat and who actively chose to filed at silly mid off/on in an age before helmets and protection. He was an avid Northantamptonshire (or just “The County” as they were known in our house) supporter and Test watcher. He was ambivalent to the allure of short form cricket (“I was playing 20/20 years ago - all those evening games we played, what were they but 20/20?”).
Why do I tell you this? First because he would be absolutely loving this display of batting this morning and second to say thanks to him for giving me my love of cricket. For all the Sunday afternoons spent on the boundaries of cricket clubs around the Midlands, for all the hours watching Test matches and for taking me to see the County play Hampshire in the John Player League and getting to see Gordon Greenidge play in the flesh (even if his display was far from stellar that day). Cheers Dad.
An unsuccessful lunch interval. I lost a couple of games of magnetic darts to my eleven year old and also failed to find the answer to a question a couple of you have written in to ask. Are there any terrestrial highlights of this series? I’m spoilt by having Sky, but can’t find any evidence of them online. Can anyone help?
Lunch - England lead by 421
What a session for England! A wonderful debut century for Sibley - Mike Atherton has just outstatted most by calling it the first Test hundred for an England opener at Newlands since Jack Hobbs in 1910. He compares Sibley’s powers of concentration with Alastair Cook - early days, but high praise. And Ben Stokes? An eye-popping, tongue-clicking, head-blowing cameo. Time for a quick stretch, back in a jiffy.
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106th over: England 375-7 (Sibley 125, Curran 13) Delight for England, and a broad smile from Stuart Broad on the balcony, as a ball from Pretorius spits off the pitch and hits Sam Curran’s top hand. Curran sends a four square and that is that. South Africa will now have to make the highest score in Test history to win the game. England lead 421, 157 runs in the session. Sibley is applauded off the pitch for the best lunch of his lifetime.
105th over: England 368-7 (Sibley 125, Curran 6) I’m not sure how they measure this but Maharaj is getting more turn over the wicket than around. At least I think that’s right, they whipped the stat away very quickly. Anyway, Curran flays him through the covers for four. Time, with lunch approaching, to chew over a declaration? Lead 414.
104th over: England 362-7 (Sibley 124, Curran 1) Nortje sends down four byes high and getting higher over a ducking Sam Curran and then over the head of a leaping de Kock. Not a happy bowler.
Stokes v Flintoff, take 2: Dylan Pugh.
I think although they’re both obviously the premier pace allrounders of the time for England, their skillsets are very different.It boils down to the fact that Stokes is a world class bat who is a useful change bowler, whereas Flintoff was a world-class bowler, and a more than useful bat.
You could make the argument that Freddie was the more naturally gifted of the two, but stokes ha a bigger hunger for runs. I’m not convinced Freddie would have always made the team as a bat, and Stokes has played more and more tests as a pure batsman.
And take three: Avitaj Mitra.
On the whole, I agree with Chris. Stokes for me, is still a batsman who bowls while when I think of Freddie, it is as someone who was a very reliable third choice bowler capable of the odd brilliant innings.Similarities between the two of course being that both have played starring roles in one Ashes series each.
When I am asked to recall Stokes’ memorable performances, 2 or 3 immediately come to mind while for Freddie it was just the 2005 Ashes. (To be fair, what a sensational series that was)
One thing we will never know however, is whether Stokes would have had the same effect that Freddie did, against “that” Aussie team of bonafide legends. My personal view is no.
To conclude:Average Stokes > Average Flintoff (without a doubt)Peak Flintoff > Peak Stokes (but only just)
WICKET! Buttler c de Kock b Nortje 23
Buttler tries to scoop but it was too short and the ball falls into the gloves of de Kock. Short but glorious.
103rd over: England 356-6 (Sibley 123, Buttler 23) Sibley fine-edges Rabada for four and with that the England lead passes a stately 400.
102nd over: England 350-6 (Sibley 119, Buttler 23) Just the 14 from Nortje’s over as Buttler practises his stand and swivel. The sweetest hook for six, some pulls interspersed with a couple of drives. Despite what he said the other day, Buttler looks in very good nick indeed.
Ok Flintoff v Stokes, take one: Will Padmore.
In regards to Chris Goater’s question the bowling stats are actually very close. Flintoff has a lower bowling average (32.78 v 33.13) and better economy (2.97 v 3.34) but Stokes has more 5 wicket hauls (4 v 3) and a better strike rate (59.4 v 66.1). I’m not sure anyone would argue that Flintoff was a better batsman, I suspect it was telling that there was no real thought of him continuing as a batsman when bowling became so problematic.
I would also agree with Gough on the fitness point, I always felt that the shape Flintoff got himself in for the boxing match that he fought post retirement showed that he could have made more of an effort to look after himself more whilst playing (was he trying to emulate Beefy off the pitch as well as on?). Having said all of that being too young to have seen Botham in action, both Flintoff and Stokes are two of my all time favourites and have brought me much joy!
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101st over: England 338-6 (Sibley 119, Buttler 9) Hey Jos, watch this! Sibley hauls himself down on one knee and sweeps Maharaj for SIX with casual violence. Next ball Maharaj fights back with an arm ball to get Sibley in a tangle, before Sibley responds with another sweep, this time for four.
100th over: England 327-6 (Sibley 109, Buttler 8) Nortje comes into the attack for the first time today and Buttler off-drives him for six! Like you do. Casually, in his tracksuit bottoms, skulking round the corner shop for a morning pick-me-up lucozade.
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99th over: England 318-6 (Sibley 108, Buttler 1) Buttler and Sibley nurdle and nudge through Maharaj’s over. A timely stat from Sky - nine wickets fell on the first two days, six on the second, two today. A glimmer of hope for South Africa?
My lovely colleague Tim de Lisle has sent me this of Sibley’s Warwickshire teammates. He’s a very popular chap.
YES,@DomSibley! 💯👏
— Warwickshire CCC 🏏 (@WarwickshireCCC) January 6, 2020
The lads were ready! 🤝
🐻#YouBears #SAvENG pic.twitter.com/0LU32tQfsJ
98th over: England 316-6 (Sibley 107, Buttler 1) Sibley and Pope dab Rabada around before Pope drags on. Briefly, it all got a lot slower but, heck, what does it matter. Anyway, Buttler is in now. Both he and Stokes average in the mid 30s. But is unfair to expect much more giving firstly, where Buttler bats, and secondly, Stokes’s duties with the ball?
Paul Hand sums up Sibley simply, but perfectly, all the way from Kazakhstan
IMO a selfless and for the team innings. A good rest for the bowlers.England are almost in an unassailable position.Thanks Dom.
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WICKET! Pope b Rabada 3
Rabada comes wide of the wicket and Pope rocks back and gets an inside edge, plop, onto his stumps.
97th over: England 313-5 (Sibley 106, Pope 1) What an innings that was from Ben Stokes. Do catch the highlights later if you can. To be honest, the whole innings was a highlights package. The perfect combination of gay abandon and absolute skill. Plus he got Sibley safely to his hundred and England into a place of complete supremacy - lead currently 359. Ollie Pope gets off the mark with a reverse sweep off Maharaj.
Ian Forth is a happy man too.
Cape Town is an even more perfect timezone for expats following England from Australia. A tough day on the corporate coalface (incorporating a little snooze early afternoon in the car park) then the evening slot from 7.30 through to 3 am. Hopefully no one notices if you’re not operating on all four cylinders the first week in January.
I thought you lot had most of January off?
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WICKET! Stokes caught van der Dussen b Maharaj 72
Maharaj gets his man at last. Stokes gets down on one knee, but doesn’t quite get the distance this time and the balls falls to van der Dussen at long on, who takes a more than decent catch, sliding down onto his ankles. Stokes walks off with the broadest of smiles. Just 47 balls, and a whole heap of joy.
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96th over: England 310-4 (Sibley 105, Stokes 72) South Africa have spread the field, a field of du Plessis’s nightmares. There is one slip and eight men on the boundary. And that’s a partnership of 100 runs in 92 balls.
Chris Goater has a cracking question.
On Talk Sport Goughy has just said that he rates Stokes higher than Flintoff, partially because he thinks Flintoff was rarely fit enough to make the most of his talent.
It is an interesting question. I don’t think there is much doubt that Stokes is a better batsman. But as a bowler, he is nowhere near as good as Freddy, in my opinion. Flintoff’s ability to bowl reverse, and especially his angle to left-handers, made him a much more genuine allrounder, in my opinion. But what does the wisdom of the OBO crowd think?
95th over: England 307-4 (Sibley 104, Stokes 70) Memories flooding back of Stokes’s double hundred he gathered four years ago as he clobbers Maharaj with a wide-legged reverse sweep, a smash through mid-wicket and a stick-that-up-your-jumper casual six. Brutal.
94th over: England 294-4 (Sibley 104, Stokes 55) Three off Rabada, and that’s drinks and the morning has gone better than England could have dreamt. South Africa, ye gods, have not had such a good morning. A special mention here to all those county cricket readers who have been championing Sibley for two or three years, and to him for churning out those hundreds for Warwickshire - it is his Championship performances that got him picked for England, no hunch, no admiration of his Vince-like flair.
A maiden century for Dom Sibley!
93rd over: England 289-4 (Sibley 103, Stokes 54) Yes! Sibley sweeps Maharaj for four - such panache! He pumps the air, pulls off his helmet to reveal the broadest of smiles, gets a big hug from Ben Stokes, kisses the badge, and on the balcony everyone is standing and smiling, Sam Curran leaps in the air. What a cracking innings, playing to his strengths, doing it for the team. From Surrey to Warwickshire to England - here’s to many , many more. The first century of the series too.
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92nd over: England 282-4 (Sibley 99, Stokes 50) And that’s the Ben Stokes 50 with a touch behind square and the Dom Sibley 99 as he edges Rabada, not completely convincingly, down to the boundary and on the England balcony everyone is smiling. Come on Dom!
A lovely email from David Murray. What a morning! An England win in prospect and suddenly 3 or 4 choices for the-future-of-England cricket (Sibley, Pope, Crawley, Burns).
Newlands is in the perfect timezone for following OBO back in the UK - none of this awful waiting around until 11.00am or staying up all night. Something to look forward to as soon as you switch on your computer.
It’s a perfect timezone for OBO-ing too!
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90th over: England 277-4 (Sibley 95, Stokes 49) Stokes is seeing the new ball like a new year’s resolution he needs to finish off, he reverse-sweeps Maharaj with such quick, loose hands. It is Jack Spratt and his Mrs Spratt out there in the middle for England but, oh, such a perfect combination. Especially with all the Christmas leftovers to finish off.
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89th over: England 272-4 (Sibley 94, Stokes 45) Oh dear, nothing going for South Africa this morning. Stokes pulls Rabada high and a sprinting de Koch calls for it, he must cover 50 yards sprinting down towards fine leg, but then muffs the (difficult) chance. Stokes rubs salt into the wound by rocking back onto his heels, rolling his wrists and slamming a juicy full toss back over the boundary next ball. And that’s the fifty partnership of which Stokes has scored 45! And now Sibley gets in on the act with a nicely played boundary through the covers.
Charles Shedrick writes:
Still in the bunker....
Following OBO for a little second-hand sunlight...
What are the odds on Stokes getting to a ton before Sibley....
It’s certainly possible... especially if South Africa keep sending down these fat, juicy, easy pickings.
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88th over: England 261-4 (Sibley 90, Stokes 38 ) Sibley enters the 90s with a prosaic two off Maharaj into the leg side. It takes some mental strength to just plod away while a cartoon hero throws the bat at the other end.
Michael Anderson, you’re my hero
Re John Starbuck’s question 80th over, I took it upon myself to have a look through Root’s declaration history as England captain. In 36 matches before this one he has declared nine times, winning six, drawing two, and losing that one against Shai Hope at Headingley in 2017. Don’t know how this compares to other captains, but if it helps, of the six wins, the margins have been 211, 232, 239, innings and 119, innings and 159, innings and 209, so all quite safe.
Whilst looking through, I noticed that our second innings total is often larger than our first. The total aggregate of runs doesn’t help much because we don’t always bat twice, but looking at our average runs per wicket since Root became captain: in first innings is 29.14, and in second innings 29.72. Ok pretty much identical. But surely there can’t be many teams who average more in second innings that first?
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87th over: England 259-4 (Sibley 88, Stokes 38 ) Philander trundels in and for no apparent reason turns carthorse as Stokes climbs into his farmyard galoshes and throws the bat for fours through backward point and square leg and runs any old place his can slam them. The England lead passes 300.
86th over: England 247-4 (Sibley 87, Stokes 27) Maharaj is kept on with the new ball. Sibley almost in trouble from one round the wicket that spins past the outside of his prodding bat. He looks a little leaden footed, but survives. It’s dusty out there.
@tjaldred MTMA. When do you think England should think about declaring this morning? Before tea, or do they wait for Sibley to get his hundred?
— Andy Shaw (@RedAndy54) January 6, 2020
Oh Andy, that’s harsh.
85th over: England 246-4 (Sibley 87, Stokes 26) And we have the new ball at last, after that expensive experiment, in the rightful mitts of Vernon Philander bowling from the Wynberg end to restore some order. Sibley with that dot-to-dot stubble perfection prods the pitch to see out a maiden. Norje, incidentally, is back on the pitch.
Tom! Tom! I hope you’re still reading... a message to cheer up your Monday:
Morning Tanya,
Morning, Michael Robinson.
First Monday back today and it’s already a struggle. Cheers for providing some OBO respite.
Can I just say that the 222/22.22 stat you posted earlier is hands down the best email input I’ve ever seen to OBO. Excellent stuff.
84th over: England 246-4 (Sibley 87, Stokes 26) Just a massive Stokes six, down on one knee, thanks very much, straight bat, straight legs, gorgeous. Maharaj get the better of him later in the over when a ball spins out of a huge puff of dust - more good news for England.
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83rd over: England 236-4 (Sibley 87, Stokes 16) That could be the end of the no ball. Ben Stokes decides to get his eye in by destroying Pretorius’s morning confidence with a six farted straight back whence it came, followed by a reverse switch for four. He’s got the bit between his teeth this morning, don’t go anywhere.
83rd over: England 225-4 (Sibley 87, Stokes 5)
82nd over: England 223-4 (Sibley 85, Stokes 5) A disdainful swat from Ben Stokes dispatches Pretorius for the first boundary of the day. Still with the old ball here, apparently Anrich Nortje is not on the field, sick.
An email pops up from Tom Bowtell entitled “exciting Philander Stat.”
Morning Tanya! It’s going to be a hugely tense day for stats lovers. A glance at Philander’s current career stats shows he has 222 wickets at 22.05. However, if he concedes another 32 runs without taking a wicket, he’ll momentarily have the holy grail career figures of 222 wickets at 22.22. There is so much that can go wrong: a wicket with the new ball, a selfish slog from a batter which skips the average from 22.21 to 22.23, there are even rumours he isn’t fit, so he might not even bowl enough overs to concede the runs.
All we can do is watch and hope.
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81st over: England 219-4 (Sibley 85, Stokes 1) Ok, so that wasn’t the last over with the old ball. du Plessis gives Maharaj a go from the other end. It was nearly a seven ball over actually as the umpire lost count of how many balls Maharaj had bowled. Not sure if they still transfer pebbles from hand to hand to count the over out. Just a single to Stokes with a sweep behind square
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80th over: England 218-4 (Sibley 85, Stokes 0) Dwaine Pretorius bowls a last over with the old ball, Dom Sibley is watchful. A maiden. A few hazy clouds float above Table Mountain but the sky is blue and the temperature a blissful 22 degrees.
John Starbuck has been musing in Yorkshire:
Good morning, Tanya, from windswept Yorkshire. As a matter of curiosity, are there any stats on Root’s declaration/win history? And how do they compare with other England captains?
Who do you think I am, Rob Smyth? If Rob happens to be reading he’s probably got those stats in his morning milk jug. If not, I promise to try and research at drinks.
The players are on their way out, Dom Sibley has a new batting partner in Ben Stokes.
A pre-start email! Hi Danny Outram.
Whilst it was refreshing to see Dom Sibley’s long drawn out openers innings, I hear time and time again that it is the duty of the openers to take the ‘bite’ out of the new ball and allow the lower order batsman to get their eye in with a scuffed cherry that has less zip to it. Therefore would it have not been better had Sibley given away his wicket 10 overs ago?
Unless an opener carries his bat, what is the ideal time they should spend at the crease?
I’m not sure if there is an ideal time, it would all depend on game circumstances, pitch, weather etc etc. But I think in this England line-up which has such a propensity for collapsing, but such an abundance of stroke-players, actually staying in at one end and scoring, however slowly, gives the others the freedom to play their own game.
Interesting interview with Graham Thorpe, England’s batting coach . He talks about the simplicity of Dom Sibley’s technique. Says he said to him, there’s time to talk about the areas of where to develop your game but when you’re in the heat of the battle keep doing what you do. Important to work on his technique outside off stump but without getting into his head too much.
Vic Marks was on the radio this morning and saying that this is the first time England have ever played four players under 23 in the same match. I’m not doubting Vic’s stats, but can this really be true?
Anyway, it looks a beautiful day at Newlands. Shaun Pollock is in a suit and Mike Atherton and Ian Ward are in shirt sleeves. Ward’s hand is in his pocket, of course. The only other person I’ve noticed with such a pocket obsession is Aussie PM Scott Morrison. Apparently whereas in England you need overcast conditions to move the ball about, in South Africa the heat bakes the pitch a bit and the edges come up and it jags around. That’s the science bit. South Africa have this morning to try and keep in the game with the new ball.
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And Sachin Tendulkar follows where Virat Kohli dared to tread:
“Spinners look forward to bowling with the scruffed ball, taking advantage on day five of the roughs created on the wickets.”
“All that is part of Test cricket. Is it fair to take that advantage away from spinners? There is T20, there is one-dayers and then there are T10 and 100-ball cricket. Test is the purest form of cricket. It SHOULD NOT BE TINKERED WITH.”
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Nice gesture here by Shane Warne:
Please bid here https://t.co/kZMhGkmcxs pic.twitter.com/ZhpeWQxqY7
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) January 6, 2020
It’s all over at the SCG. Another century for David Warner, five wickets for Nathan Lyon and, as crackle follows snap, Australia claimed all five Tests of the summer inside four days for the first time.
Preamble
Good morning! It’s all a bit back-to-work-Monday here in the UK, but over in Cape Town England have been busy putting in the hard yards all weekend thanks very much. Dom Sibley, England’s answer to Desperate Dan, has, in between lunging awkwardly and munching cow pie, done what England’s team of cavaliers has been desperate for someone to do: score slow (his first 50 runs took 50 overs), boring, unremarkable and steady runs.
In the words of James Anderson “That’s what we’ve been missing for a couple of years. Hopefully he’s going to cement his place and will get confidence from this knock and go on tomorrow. More importantly, hopefully he can go on in his career in the next few years.”
Sibley will start tomorrow just 15 short of a century, with the middle-order guns for company. By mid-morning drinks he should be nearly there - the perfect morale booster for the rest of the tour and just what England need with his opening partner Rory Burns now likely to be nursing his ankle and off cricket for the rest of the winter.
Of course there’s always the possibility that England will pull out of their classic collapses - South Africa lost their last 7 wickets for 66 after all. But with a lead of 264 already, and a change in the wind direction to help the fast bowlers, another 50-100 runs and they’ll be safe. Safeish. Pretty safe. Let’s settle on safe enough.
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