No chance to take a breath
What was I following at the Oval?
No chance for instant-hit lovers
It seemed that the days of uncovered pitches have returned during the era of bat vs bat clash and circus shows.
But wait, the deck at the Oval dried up after two days, and when the match commenced, it was good for batting.
Well, when the skill of the bowlers is sound and the opposite in the case of the instant-hit lovers, the scenario turns out to be the days of uncovered pitches.
17 wickets had fallen when the match progressed and obviously, the batters lacked patience and technique to counter against the high-quality seam and swing bowling - you cannot bat like a clown of Twenty20 cricket.
The scenario
The first day of the third Test between England and South Africa was washed out. On Day 2, the match was postponed due to the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. So, whatever the outcome of the match would be, it should come within the remaining 3 days with the English Cricket Board thinking of an extended day. But two of the sharpest bowling attacks in world cricket at present decided to make the first two days not only a frenetic one but one of the most memorable ever.
Crazy Day number 1
Day 3 commenced with the national anthems - movingly without musical accompaniment by Laura Wright - including the first rendition of "God Save the King" at a sporting event since 1952.
As I said, the deck had lost its life!
Guess what, even if the deck had lost enough juice, the English pacers kept the line and length accurate enough according to the demand of the situation, and the red cherry, looking like a fresh apple fetched from the orchard, moved in and out to test the visiting batters.
There were hardly any options to breathe and this is test cricket and no Twenty20 - you must have a sound technique.
South Africa lost five wickets inside the first hour, three of them to Robinson and one each to Stuart Broad - who extracted plenty of movement in both directions to trouble the batters relentlessly - and James Anderson.
It was the lines and lengths of the three England seamers that did the damage early on.
Robinson took 5 for 49, including 4 for 21 before lunch in an impressive eight-over spell with the new ball, and Broad took four to contain South Africa to a paltry first-innings 118.
South Africa decided to shake up the team by powering up the batting lineup which hardly cut a satisfactory figure because these days the Rainbow Nation is more interested in being a clown in the circus shows that are also supported by the paid media.
Well, the test of technique and temperament was not over yet!
It was time for the South African pacers to breathe fire.
Both England openers fell cheaply to Jansen - also South Africa's top-scorer - who fired a fuller ball into the top of Alex Lees' middle stump and then had Zak Crawley out lbw for a laboured 5 off 33 balls, the batter's decision to review reeking of desperation as replays showed he was plumb.
Jansen also removed Joe Root and debutant Harry Brook either side of a half-hour rain delay before England got their noses in front, only to lose Stokes and Pope in contrasting innings.
Stokes was gone in single figures edging Anrich Nortje to Sarel Erwee at first slip while Pope defied the run of play with a doughty 67 before giving an expensive Kagiso Rabada his first wicket, caught behind. Pope was assertive, compiling his score with 13 fours before he went fishing outside off-stump as Rabada, who conceded 78 runs for his two wickets, finally found his line.
Rabada also had Broad caught behind by Kyle Verreynne, who clung onto a late-wobbling edge to send England seven wickets down shortly before the players left the field for bad light.
Crazy Day number 2
The morning session belonged to South Africa, with Jansen completing his maiden Test five-wicket haul as England lost their final three wickets inside the first 16 deliveries of the day.
Then it was time for Stuart Broad and James Anderson to display their skillsets - high-quality seam and swing bowling that you can sit back and watch the whole day.
Dean Elgar had dug in to turn England's 40-run advantage in the first innings into a 30-run deficit by lunch. But, resuming after the break on 35, he added just one more to his score before he has adjudged lbw by umpire Nitin Menon off Broad in the third over back. Elgar, the South Africa captain, walked off, apparently giving no thought to a review, which would have seen the decision overturned with replays showing the ball was missing the leg stump by some way.
The wicket took Broad past, Glenn McGrath, to fifth on the all-time Test wicket-takers list with 564 and second among seamers behind Anderson, who moved his tally to 666 a short time later.
Anderson set up Keegan Petersen beautifully with an over's worth of inswingers before dragging his length back slightly on a wide outswinger with the third ball of his next over which Petersen guided to Ollie Pope at fourth slip.
The veteran duo kept a tight lid on South Africa's scoring thereafter, Ryan Rickelton's four off Broad through cover the only runs to come off 18 balls before Broad trapped Rickelton playing across an outswinger that straightened and crashed into the back pad low and in line with off stump.
Khaya Zondo and Wiaan Mulder, two batters rejoining the South Africa side for the first time since April as the tourists looked to shore up their batting in the absence of Rassie van der Dussen (finger injury) and Aiden Markram (omitted), batted 87 balls for their 25-run stand.
Robinson broke the union a short time later though, claiming his 50th wicket in just his 11th Test when Mulder edged one that shaped back into him onto his stumps. Robinson then removed Zondo with an inswinger that struck the front thigh with the third ball of his next over.
Then, Stokes uprooted Jansen's leg stump with a stunning inswinger that sent the visitors to tea seven men down.
Stokes had made the breakthrough before lunch, striking within three balls of bringing himself into the attack with a late outswinger which Sarel Erwee steered towards slip, where Root took a strong catch diving forward.
Stokes showed courage and determination n spite of a long-term knee injury that was clearly causing him discomfort, and bagged three crucial wickets.
England needed 130 runs for the series victory and it ended without drama in the shortest Test match at the Oval since 1912.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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