Series at a thrilling stage as South Africa level at Port Elizabeth

Being labelled as one of the most exciting test series so far in 2018, a levelling win in Port Elizabeth by South Africa has brought the competition to a whole new level of thrill. South Africa’s 6 wicket win over Australia in the second test, saw the likes of Kagiso Rabada soar to the summit of the ICC Test Bowlers rankings claiming a match-winning 11 wickets. 

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Australia certainly looked the part as Warner and Bancroft took the defensive approach to wear down a very hostile looking South African bowling side. A dropped Morne Morkel only brought in new South African pace sensation Lungi Ngidi to the bowling crease to claim a brilliant 3/53 in the first innings. 

With only David Warner (63) posting a score beyond the fifty mark, Australia were only able to produce a very ordinary first innings performance of 243 courtesy of a thrilling fast bowling display from Kagiso Rabada who claimed another 5 wicket haul.

South Africa’s top order partnerships again faltered as the hosts were reduced to 5/179 before losing 3/24 in quick succession. Despite the middle order collapse, what was seen on the ground of Port Elizabeth was an innings for the ages as AB de Villiers posted his first test ton in 3 years and his 22nd of his fruitful career which only emphasised that the legend continuous. It is hard to describe the quality of de Villiers’ innings of 126 not out at an incredible strike rate of 86.30. He is often depicted as the freak of modern day cricket and according to cricket broadcasting sensation Harsha Bogle; “ The true natural successor to Brian Lara”.  It is words like these which highlight the impact that players such as de Villiers have on a game of cricket if not the world of cricket. The ability to switch momentum in the matter of an hour and compile that innings of absolute classy stroke play at an aggressive rate could not be stopped as the ball was dispatched to all parts of Port Elizabeth. 

With a very handy 382 in the first innings, it all but seemed done for Australia as the hosts were not able to gain much momentum and no one really going on to compile a score that would assist a challenging chase. Despite the lack of application by the Australian batsmen, Usman Khawaja’s wonderful knock of 75 against a crumbling batting order and a very charged bowling lineup was another highlight of this test. In my view, I see Khawaja as being one of the more elegant looking players and it was this innings that again solidified his role in this team as the best number 3 in Australia. Despite being undone again by Kagiso Rabada, Khawaja was looking a complete class apart despite the early challenges. 

Much like the first test, the second test was filled with controversy as Kagiso Rabada went ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ as he was given a 2 match suspension following his excessive and aggressive celebrations on the pitch including contact with opposition captain Steve Smith. There is no issue with a youngster making mistakes, but continuing to do them is no longer an error but a habit. Whilst I believe that the passion is excellent and certainly electrifies the stadium, the instance of contact with opposition players is where the line must be drawn. There is no doubt that losing Rabada for the rest of the series is one of the major blows for South Africa and I believe this could be the moment where the balance between the two teams shifts. 

When looking at the dramatic shift between the bowling attacks of the two teams, I think that the ignorance of Rabada and the immaturity that has put his team in an exposed state is certainly going to favour the morale of the Australian side. I think that the suspension of Rabada will bring back Morne Morkel and Temba Bavuma coming in for Thynus de Brun in the middle order. 

It is series like these ones that revive the thrill of the game that is test cricket. The pace, aggression and hostility act as a catalyst to the debate of why test cricket is a game worth preserving. Whilst T20 cricket provides the continuous excitement, it is the romance of test cricket which fuels the thrill of the game.

Overall it has been a fantastic test match filled with excitement that has certainly promoted the game of test cricket to a great level. I think that there will be some changes regarding the South African team and I do not suspect any changes in the Australian camp as it is just a matter of execution by the Australian top order.


Predicted XIs for the 3rd Test in Cape Town:

South Africa XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinten de Kock, Vernon Philander, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Morne Morkel

Australia XI: Unchanged