South Africa v Australia, 2008-09
Wisden's review of South Africa v Australia, 3rd Test, 2008-09
Geoffrey Dean
15-Apr-2010
At Cape Town, March 19, 20, 21, 22, 2009. South Africa won by an innings and 20 runs.
Toss: Australia. Test debuts: I. Khan, J. A. Morkel; B. E. McGain.
Paul Harris helped South Africa to a consolation win•Getty Images
After a four-day break for all their players when wives and girlfriends flew in, the
Australians played, in Ponting's view, as poorly as they had for some time. South Africa,
by contrast, at last reproduced the sort of form that had won them the previous series in
December, inflicting Australia's first innings defeat since they lost to India at Calcutta in
March 1998. The result also ended a long sequence of success for Australia at Newlands,
where they had been victorious in nine of their ten previous Tests, losing only in 1969-70.
South Africa dithered over their choice of captain to replace the injured Smith, initially
naming Prince, who had not played a Test since November, only to backtrack and allow
Kallis to lead for the second time (his other taste of Test leadership came in the final game
of the previous home series against Australia).
After winning his sixth consecutive toss against South Africa, Ponting soon became a
maiden Test victim for Albie Morkel, who had replaced his brother Morne in the side. It
was Morkel's only wicket of the match, but a vital one nonetheless; Australia had been
obliged to go in with only five specialist batsmen as they had no replacement for Marcus
North, who had been admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis. Bryce McGain, a week
short of his 37th birthday - the oldest debutant for Australia since his fellow leg-spinner
Bob Holland in 1984-85 - came in, but the match was nothing less than a nightmare for
him. McGain's tour portents had hardly been auspicious: he missed the flight out with the
rest of the party.
Against some much improved bowling, no Australian batsman looked convincing on a
good pitch. Katich, badly dropped at point by the debutant Imraan Khan when nine,
scratched his way to 55 in nearly four hours before falling to a sweep shot off Harris, just
as Hughes had done. Harris, skilfully using the breeze, tied up an end, allowing the pace bowlers to attack downwind. Steyn exploited a weak defensive shot from Hussey and a
misjudgment by Clarke to bowl both in successive overs. Haddin spoilt a good start by
poking across a straight one from Harris, whereupon the lower order folded meekly.
South Africa scored quickly from the outset, taking 20 off Johnson's third over.
Although the disciplined Siddle finally made a breakthrough in the 18th over, the others
were quite unable to contain the home side in excellent batting conditions. McGain had
his second ball in Test cricket struck back over his head for six by Prince, who batted
beautifully on his return to the side. McGain's tendency to drop short repeatedly proved
very costly, as his first ten overs were ravaged for 93. His final return - none for 149 from
18 overs - represented the second-worst economy-rate by a Test debutant bowling at least
ten overs (Shahadat Hossain of Bangladesh conceded 101 from 12 overs in his first Test,
at Lord's in 2005), as many as eight sixes and 17 fours being crashed off him. Clearly,
South Africa had targeted McGain, refusing to let him settle.
Prince, allowed to concentrate on the unfamiliar role of opener after being relieved of
the captaincy the day after being given it, reached his 11th Test hundred in the course of
hitting McGain for three successive fours. With Kallis, he added 160 in 38 overs for the
third wicket to take the game away from Australia. Kallis played with equal freedom,
completing his fourth century against Australia with 14 fours, as well as two sixes, almost
inevitably off McGain. When both were out, de Villiers flogged a wilting attack in brilliant
fashion, surging to 163. A calculated assault on McDonald brought him four (all to leg)
sixes off consecutive balls, making him the third batsman to achieve this feat in Test
cricket after Kapil Dev and Shahid Afridi. De Villiers's two previous scoring shots had
been sixes off McGain; he hit seven in all, as well as 12 fours. His buccaneering seventh wicket
stand of 124 with Morkel took only 20 overs, and ensured South Africa would reach 651, their biggest total against Australia (previously 622 for nine declared at Durban
in 1969-70). The 62 extras were also the most conceded by Australia in any Test innings.
Needing 442 to make South Africa bat again, they were a beaten side by the time they lost
their top six batsmen for 218 by the 89th over. Once again Harris dismissed both openers,
Hughes edging an arm ball to slip and Katich, beaten in the flight, driving to mid-off. Later,
Haddin miscued to deep mid-on. Steyn, back to his best, filleted the middle order - Ponting
edging a drive, Hussey caught in the gully and Clarke playing on with no footwork.
Johnson and McDonald threatened to extend the match into the fifth day with wellexecuted
and at times piratical strokeplay in a seventh-wicket stand of 163 in 26 overs, but
it was in a lost cause. While McDonald played positively to canter to his first Test fifty
from 56 balls, Johnson thundered to a maiden first-class hundred from 86 with what was
his fourth six, a pull off Steyn. His unbeaten 123 came from 103 balls with 11 fours and
five sixes. Of more significance as far as the match was concerned was the unsung Harris's
return of six for 127, the first five-wicket haul in a home Test by a South African slow
bowler since off-spinner Harry Bromfield, also at Newlands, against England in 1964-65.
Man of the Match: P. L. Harris. Man of the Series: M. G. Johnson.
Close of play: First day, South Africa 57-0 (Khan 15, Prince 37); Second day, South Africa 404-3
(Kallis 102, de Villiers 39); Third day, Australia 102-2 (Katich 44, Hussey 13).