SA’s redemption song a No. 1 hit

Times Media - February 24, 2014

TELFORD VICE, Port Elizabeth

Pity the St George’s Park band didn’t play “Redemption Song” yesterday. It was the only tune in town after SA achieved what seemed impossible just days ago.

Australia, set 448 to win the second test on a ground where the highest fourth-innings score is 273, lost all 10 of their wickets for 90 runs - nine of them after tea - to be dismissed for 216 late on the fourth day.

That earned SA victory by 231 runs and kept the series alive and kicking going into the third test at Newlands on Saturday.

With SA’s triumph came redemption for their anaemic performance in the first test in Centurion, which Australia won by 281 runs inside four days.

“That’s sport, that’s why people watch it,” Graeme Smith said. “I don’t think many teams would have been able to respond to a defeat like that like we did. To take nine wickets in a session was something special.

“Test cricket showed its drama again today.”

The cold steel of Hashim Amla’s undefeated 127 and the hot fury of Dale Steyn’s 4/55 were the performances SA needed yesterday to reroute a series that had seemed all but lost.

“Dale goes from angry to really angry when he’s bowling,” Smith said. Steyn himself couldn’t say anything afterwards - he had lost his voice.

For Australia, Chris Rogers’ stoic 107 almost allowed them to fight into the fifth day.

SA declared half-an-hour before lunch, and David Warner made clear Australia’s intentions in the third over after the interval when he took four fours - one of them edged - off Morne Morkel.

JP Duminy replaced Morkel, and Smith’s decision almost paid off in the off-spinner’s third over when he dived to take a return catch offered by Warner, on 36.

Instead, Duminy collected man and ball simultaneously in a collision with non-striker Rogers and the catch went down to mark the fifth time Warner has been dropped in the series.

The opening stand grew to 126 before Warner picked the wrong line to the straightening second ball of Duminy’s new spell and was trapped in front for 66.

Three deliveries before tea, Rogers, on 69, flapped at Steyn and umpire Kumar Dharmasena turned down the appeal for caught behind. SA declined to refer and replays showed Rogers had edged the ball.

More drama came with the first ball after tea, bowled by Vernon Philander, which Alex Doolan nicked and AB de Villiers appeared to catch. Replays indicated the ball had bounced just before it reached De Villiers’ gloves.

Until the sixth over of the third session, Steyn had looked frustrated. But the sparks flew when he removed Michael Clarke and Steve Smith with consecutive deliveries, and Brad Haddin four overs later. Steyn celebrated Haddin’s dismissal by roaring to the other end of the pitch to point at the uprooted middle stump.

He took 3/10 in his spell of four overs as Australia lost four wickets for one run.

With the umpires adding to Australia’s problems by adding eight overs onto the day’s play because a result was imminent, Steyn had Ryan Harris lbw before Rogers was run out by substitute fielder Alviro Petersen’s throw from mid-off to end a vigil of more than five-and-a-half hours and 237 balls.

The fading light prompted Graeme Smith to give Dean Elgar the ball with three overs left in the day. His fourth delivery hit Nathan Lyon’s bat on its way to smacking him high on the leg.

Umpire Richard Illingworth gave him out, anyway. The band played, “Bye-bye, Aussies - we hope to see you again.”