South Africa v England, 3rd Test Day One: Five Things We Learned

Vithushan Ehantharajah picks out five things we learned from day one of the third test between South Africa and England.

MAN OF THE DAY - STEVEN FINN 18-4-50-2

There have been days where the Middlesex fast bowler has taken more wickets: days when he has sent stumps flying, denting helmets and consistently breaking 90mph on the speed gun. But rarely, if ever, has Steven Finn bowled better than he has today. Rarely has he displayed such control: doing all his work on a good length outside off stump. Rarely has he been able to call on his away swinger at will: a trick he picked up about a year ago but one that he can now call his own. The ball to remove Hashim Amla, drawing the bat forwards before moving away late and taking the edge, was from the very top drawer. He beat other bats regularly, through swing and some prodigious bounce from a good and full length. The run-up is as smooth as it ever has been and the confidence is oozing from his every movement. He might not have broken 90mph today but, for the first time in his career, he broke into world class.

NEW BALL FAILINGS

Between the initial periods of the first and second new ball, England were superb. Were it not for those two periods, the tourists would be well in front in this Test. Both James Anderson and Stuart Broad struggled to find the right length, on a Wanderers track that dupes bowlers into bowling shorter than they should. Broad, it seems, is struggling with the bug that has followed the camp from Cape Town. Lunch was a welcome break and Broad returned to good effect in the afternoon session and, later in the day, was rewarded with the wicket of Dane Vilas. But South Africa’s start of 117 for one and their finish, which saw Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada put on 42 before stumps, has kept South Africa in this contest.

BAIRSTOW’S BEST IN THE FIELD

Days like these will go a long way to assure those around English cricket that wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow is the right man for the gloves. With the first four batsmen caught behind, Bairstow became only the second England keeper to dismiss the opening four wickets in an innings, after Jack Russell against Australia at Melbourne in 1990. But his best bit of work was the run out of Temba Bavuma, who stopped and started when called through for a run by Morris. Chris Woakes, on as a sub-fielder, threw the ball low into the stumps and, while rushing forward, Bairstow took the ball on the half volley and dove to remove the bails in one motion, finding Bavuma short of his ground. Any tentativeness from Bairstow and the chance was gone. It was an incredible display of athleticism and awareness.

SAFFA STARTS STOPPED

As well as England bowled, South Africa were guilty of throwing their wickets away after doing the hard work. The pitch was nothing like the road of Newlands, and every newbie to the crease had to tough it out and accept that the odd ball would beat them. But with six of the top seven passing 20, not one registered a fifty (only Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla passed 40). On a few occasions, England were on the verge of losing their cool but were soon settled by some slack decision making, notably from Faf du Plessis and Vilas, who were both needlessly caught in the deep.

WHAT NEXT?

According to Graeme Smith, Shaun Pollock and the groundsman, 350 could be a match-winning score here. The pitch is expected to quicken up on days two and three, and the indentations made by the ball tend to stay in the surface and cause some outlandish movement off the seam later in the game. England’s top six should heed the failings of their counterparts because, at this juncture, one centurion buffed up by contributions throughout the order should give them a very useful lead. The first thing they need to do is lop the tail off as quickly as possible tomorrow morning.