South Africa Romp Home

In a remarkable Test match that had only six full sessions of a scheduled fifteen, the final morning returned the game back to the synergy of the ages, as Graeme Smith and Hasim Amla both made centuries in a second wicket stand of 195 which delivered the game to South Africa.

Its a match that will forever be remembered for the insanity of its second day in which a part of all four innings occurred on the one day for only the second time in 2016 Test matches, 23 wickets fell as cheaply as a politician's promise. That's what will be in the frontal lobe of the public, rather than three superb hundreds scored as bookends to the headlines. Michael Clarke's innings should never be forgotten for exactly what it was: a superb captain's hand that could inspire cement to dance and even the most po-faced nun to smile. On what proved to be the final morning, Amla played a gem with 84 of his 112 coming from boundaries. A batsmen renowned for his leg side strength, his new "trigger" movement had him driving straight and through the covers and playing a series of delightful glides, pushes and cuts from forward of point to third man. His last 51 runs came of just 36 balls, including 4's off three consecutive balls from Ryan Harris: a straight drive, a glide to wide third man and a flick through mid wicket. Where do you bowl to a man who has everything?

Smith was less pretty and in truth, hasn't cured that week spot he has to the ball moving back at him from slightly wider of the off stump. He was still finding inside edges back onto pads and french polishing cuts to fine leg in this innings but its all in how you finish and at the end, he was hitting the winning run after his side turned when the umpires changed ends 188 runs behind . He top scored in the first innings disaster and guided his side safely to the win in the second. He was unlucky not to be named Man of the Match.

Whoops - Watson spills Amla

The Australians have been destroyed by the batting fiasco. It showed in the field and in the way their heads dropped early when Shane Watson dropped Amla to his left at first slip off Harris in the second over. It was a far tougher chance than the gimmie Michael Hussey dropped in the gully from the last ball the previous day, but at Test level, you are at first slip to take such as these. Harris and Peter Siddle bowled their heart out but nothing they did made any difference. Watson's magic dust was blown away the more aggressive Amla became and Nathan Lyon was bowled too little, too late and then discarded when Amla hit a second four from him in three overs. Mitchell Johnson was back to his dreadful best, spraying in direction like a randy tom cat, with no reason or rhyme to his work. He couldn't even snarl worth a damn.

There's nothing worse than a game in which your hard work allows you to get both hands on the prize and then a disaster causes you drop it to the turf. Australia's second innings batting was an act of collective malpractice that this eleven will have to bare the haunting of for the rest of their careers and beyond, for whilst others will talk about the events and say "I was there on that day", they will always know they were that day. Just ask Damien Martyn.

South Africa stand ten feet tall with their eight wicket win but a lack of Test matches since January made them vulnerable against a side which shouldn't have been allowed an opening. To win by so much when trailing by so far is an outstanding achievement but when their first innings closed it looked a very different picture. There is work to do but they have talent to burn as offerings in the climb to topple England next northern summer.

For Australia, there were some brilliant moments but all are standing in the giant, menacing shadow of the number 47. Still, it could have been worse. Imagine if the last pair followed the trend and Australia had been all out for 21. The Kiwis would have almost sixty years of paying out to catch up on and the first text message would have been from Brian McKechnie.

I was asked this morning by a wag I know what the following number sequence was - 4902 00330 12 14 ? Knowing full well it was the second innings batting card, I instead suggested it was Clarkie's mobile number.

He's not taking calls at present.