SA v Eng: Reaction – Test Cricket At Its Best

South Africa and England played out a thrilling draw in the first Test at Centurion. This was Test match cricket at its very, very best; providing twists and turns, changes in balance of power and drama to the final ball of the match.

Many will look at England, who were left clinging on against a rampant Friedel de Wet, and suggest they were lucky to escape with a draw.

But the tourists more than played their part in the match and a number of individuals turned-in excellent performances. Jonathan Trott continues to show his maturity, Graham Onions bowled well and showed his nerves are strong with the bat, Paul Collingwood demonstrated the determination and skills he has made his name for, and Kevin Pietersen’s swagger seemed to be returning during his vital 81 this afternoon.

Swann on song

And then there was Graeme Swann. Swann has enjoyed a superb year as England’s premier spinner and that continued at Supersport Park. A hard-earned five-fer and an innings-saving 85 saw him pick up the man of the match award.

But there are some concerns for the tourists, heading to Durban for the second Test. Alaistar Cook and Stuart Broad look horribly out of form and Matt Prior doesn’t appear to have the stomach for a fight, despite his improvment behind the stumps.

The biggest problem, however, is the continued selection of the gutless Ian Bell.

End of Bell?

How many times has Bell got to show the selectors what a poor player he is? Yes, his cover drive is nice to look at, but if you lack the mental qualities to apply that ability at the highest level, you haven’t got a hope.

The time has surely come to throw Bell on the scrapheap where he has regularly shown he belongs and look to the future.

Looking ahead to the second Test at Durban, starting on Boxing Day, the England selectors have a few big calls to make. Luke Wright should replace Bell, as a poll by the Guardian suggests; he has as much chance of scoring runs and offers something with the ball – it has clearly been a mistake to go in with only four bowlers.

Cook and Broad will probably get another chance, but chances are quickly running out.

Until then, we can all enjoy Christmas safe in the knowledge that Test match cricket is alive and well…. and England are just about level in the series.

South Africa All Out, Referrals Not Convincing

England dismissed South Africa for 418 in their first innings of the first Test at Centurion, in what is warming into a nicely balanced contest.

The tourists will be fairly happy with their display. The bowlers worked hard for their ten wickets,  Graeme Swann the pick of the bunch with 5 for 110.

For the hosts, Jacques Kallis stroked a chanceless hundred and there were decent contributions from Ashwell Prince, JP Duminy and Mark Boucher – but none made enough runs to take the game away from England.

The one contentious issue has been the new referral system. On day one it worked splendidly, giving reprieve to Prince and AB De Villiers.

But, on day two, Graeme Swann trapped Morne Morkel on the crease and everyone – umpire Steve Davies included – thought it was a straight forward decision.

Hawkeye, however, disagreed and Morkel was given another life. From every angle I saw, it looked as plum as an lbw can be.

If the system is there to make Test cricket better – and it needs something given the terrible crowd at Supersport Park – I’m not sure this system is it.

Watching Morkel, a hulk of a man, prod around for an extra half hour, blocking and nudging, is not going to turn anyone’s eye from Twenty20.

As if batsmen need any more help in this day and age; bigger bats and smaller boundries, now coupled with some extra lives, spells a dark era for the world’s bowlers.

Highlights of the 2nd ODI: SA v Eng

Click here to watch highlights of the second ODI between South Africa and England, at Centurion.