South Africa v England, 4th Test Day Five: Five Things We Learned

England collapsed on day five of the 4th Test as they suffered defeat to South Africa. The series was already in the bag, but what did we learn from the defeat?

MAN OF THE DAY: KAGISO RABADA 13-144

Having been told off by the umpires for giving one too many send-offs, Kagiso Rabada has taken to offering a silent smile to his victims. He may have stumbled across it, but it’s a iconic celebration that’ll be around for a while. A second innings haul of six for 32 destroyed England and handed his side a comprehensive 280-run win. His match figures of 13-144 are the second best in South Africa’s Test history. It’s easy to call him “raw” because of his age, but he has the patience and consistency of a seasoned pro: knowing that batsmen could not trust the bounce of the pitch, he stuck to a simple ploy of attacking the stumps and letting the elements do the rest.

MAN OF THE SERIES: BEN STOKES

Ben Stokes’ pursuit of statistical all-round comfort got a little bit closer with this series. As it stands, his batting average is below his bowling average – but these four matches in isolation reaped 411 runs at 58.71 and 12 wickets at 29.16. South Africa coach Russell Domingo likened Stokes’ impact on this England’s side to Jacques Kallis, both in terms of returns and the balance he offers. He is, undoubtedly, on his way to becoming a true Test great. This was the first series he took by the scruff of its neck and it won’t be the last.

7-49

All that reminiscing last night about previous rearguard salvos at Centurion went well, then. Sixty-seven minutes. 67. That’s how long it took for South Africa to clean up England in the second innings, in 13.4 overs. Alastair Cook certainly wasn’t happy, lambasting his side’s imbalance between playing conservatively but being proactive. Of course, the series was won but it left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. Ah well, I suppose England won the moments that mattered…

LIFE IN THE PROTEAS

Things will be difficult for South Africa going forward as they continue to feel the knock-on effects of retirements, a struggling domestic set-up and the lure of Twenty20 leagues on some of their star players. But there are things to suggest that the near future won’t be quite as gloomy as expected even a week ago. For starters, this fourth Test ended a sequence of nine without a win, and with key contributions from Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock and debutant Stephen Cook, there is a sense that a new generation of long-form players are ready to come in to support and challenge the more established members of the team. Victory, the new personnel and a refreshed Hashim Amla may also convince AB de Villiers to carry the captaincy for a little longer.

“THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS”

Series win or not, Alastair Cook admitted he wasn’t happy with the output of his batsmen on this tour. While he didn’t shield himself from criticism, it was clear from his words that Alex Hales, Nick Compton and James Taylor had done little to convince in their respective positions up top in the middle order. As for Jonny Bairstow, while he excelled with the bat, Cook was keen to stress that he needs a lot more work on his keeping. There are three months between now and the next test series, at home to Sri Lanka. Enough time for Bairstow, Hales, Compton and Taylor to iron out some kinks, score some runs in the County Championship and focus on making the most on the three-match series.