Hurricane Mitchell sinks SA batsmen

Times Media - February 14, 2014

TELFORD VICE, Centurion

“Storm’s coming,” a spectator said as the clouds loomed in the distance during the tea interval on the second day of the first test in Centurion yesterday. The response from his neighbour was short and sharp: “Another one?”

When, almost two hours later, lightening cracked the sky and the downpour hit the hot earth to end the day’s play with SA on 140/6 in reply to Australia’s 397, the second storm of the day was indeed upon us.

The first was delivered by the lightening left-arm bowling of Mitchell Johnson, whose downpour of express deliveries earned him figures of 4/51.

AB de Villiers battened down the hatches with rare confidence for his unbeaten 52, but the rest of SA’s batting order had been reduced to flotsam and jetsam.

While Johnson was bowling the smell of something like fear pervaded the ground. If it was not emanating from the batsmen then it came from the crowd. What did he think of the nightmare he had created?

“I’m not really worried about what the opposition are thinking,” Johnson said. “We’re playing against the world’s No. 1 test team. I don’t think there was fear.”

He had a different take on the spectators at his back while he was fielding on the boundary: “I can’t say what they were saying to me, but I did say a few things back.

“I told a few of the guys in the pool that maybe they should use the toilet. They had been sitting there for a while.”

Johnson flew in on the wings of much hype, and he proved worthy of the fuss.

He found success with his fourth delivery, which Graeme Smith waved at like a drowning man to be caught at second slip. Johnson added Alviro Petersen, Faf du Plessis and Ryan McLaren to his list.

Du Plessis was sunk by a delivery that roared past him at 151km/h, but not before it took the shoulder of his bat on its way to second slip. It was beauty and the beast all in one.

“With Johnson’s action, the challenge is knowing which balls to leave,” Russell Domingo said.

At least, that’s part of the challenge. There’s also the angle of his attack, his supersonic pace, and, of course, that butt ugly moustache.

Not content with sending down destructive bolts, Johnson also found a way to catch JP Duminy’s lofted drive off Nathan Lyon. He ran towards the boundary, leapt high and hopeful, and landed face down but with ball in hand. He could do no wrong.

De Villiers delivered a performance that on other days would have been hailed as brilliant. “AB can play shots others around the world can’t play,” Domingo said. “He’s covered his off-stump and he’s left the ball really well.”

When the sun was still shining, SA made hay by taking Australia’s last six wickets for 66 runs. But they couldn’t stop Steve Smith from joining Shaun Marsh as the innings’ other centurion and the pair of them from taking their partnership to 233.

Marsh scored 148 before edging Vernon philander to second slip to end an innings of substance and style. Smith went the same way, off McLaren for 100.

How much more of the deficit of 257 runs SA will be able to bale out of their stricken boat of an innings today is the key to them keeping their heads above water in this match.