WICKET! Renshaw c Rickelton b Rabada 0, Australia 1-1
Only seven to go, then, Kagiso! One of the blows that Australia could least afford. Renshaw their best long-innings performer, on the evidence of this series. Totally innocuous, ball on leg stump, he’s on the move looking to glance as he’s done throughout this tour, and he nicks it down the leg side to the keeper. Out first ball, after Head played a similar glance to get off strike. Labuschagne is into the fire in the first over!
Kagiso Rabada to start us off… if he takes eight wickets today, he’ll match Dennis Lillee’s 355 Test wickets. Dare to dream.
Send me an email, let’s do this with company. Gervase Greene is out of the blocks early.
“I have not looked forward to an evening in front of the telly in a lifetime. (Maybe the last day, the Oval, 2005… There’s more sub-plots than an Agatha Christie. Marnus? Trav’s spot in the order? Cam Green? Who the hell – and how the hell – we open? The call to send them in…? Wow.”
I’m not sure if that means Gervase has never looked forward more to an evening in front of the telly, or has never looked forward to one full stop. Either sentiment would be fair.
Now, I bet there is a good chance that you are saying, or that somebody will in your hearing today say, that it’s a tough blow for Australia that they don’t have Steve Smith playing. Their great batting champion, tough chase without him, et cetera, et cetera.
Not so, King of Siam, because Steve Smith in his long and remarkable career has barely made a run in the fourth innings of a Test, and barely faced a ball on the fifth day. He wins games early, and has never notably won or saved one late. I did the analysis a while back, and it still holds. Interesting to delve into the detail of how a career works.
Long story short, for this job Australia are better off with other players doing it.
What happened yesterday? Great question. A fine day of Test cricket, that’s what. But you want to know more. I know a guy who does match reports for The Guardian, let me hook you up.
Preamble
I have been saying it every day throughout this match, and most of the days throughout this series, but I can say it with truth one more time: what a beautifully set up contest. The previous 14 days all come down to this. Day five, third Test, Cape Town, where in series terms winner will take all.
Australia must chase 288 to win. South Africa must take 10 wickets. The weather is fine, so the draw is not really on the cards, unless there’s a big early collapse followed by a defensive effort. In the main, if this Australian team bats 90 overs, they’ll score what needs to be scored in the course of that.
My instinct says South Africa, however. It was not easy to bat out there on day four, which highlights just how well Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder did so for their twin centuries. Starting was difficult. There was big turn on offer, and SA have a quality spinner as well as their quality quicks. I think 288 looks right this second like a reasonable target but will rapidly look a much taller one with a couple of wickets.
The key, as so often for Australia in recent times, is Travis Head. If he can make a chunky score up front, that might put the others in the frame. If he goes early, which is always a strong chance given his playing style, that might be that.
Another belter of a day awaits. Let’s take one more turn through the garden.
