The Test Updates

When Australia had worries for their erratic batting, a demolishing win against South Africa all in 3 days was in the last in their minds. Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith hit their way to centuries to confirm their convincing victory against the Aussies to take the lead in the Test Series 1-0 going into the Test in Johannesburg next Saturday.




South Africa 236 for 2 (Amla 112, Smith 101*) and 96 (Watson 5-17, Harris 4-33) beat Australia 284 (Clarke 151, Steyn 4-55) and 47 (Philander 5-15, Morkel 3-9) by eight wickets 


The completion of humiliating the Aussies was done by Hashim Amla and captain Graeme Smith thanks to their half centuries. This was done after they were bowled for 96 in the previous day. And as a result, they were the second team to be bowled for less than 100 and then secured victory in 60 years of Test Cricket after New Zealand's success against India in Wellington 2002. 


How the match has gone highlights the excitement of bowling can give to Tests with the recent low scores in Newlands. 


Starting though at 81/1, breathing a sigh of relief after being bowled for 96 only to come back with bowling Australia for 47, Hashim Amla was the one to watch. Any cricketer would be astonished and pay a few quid seeing these shots from Smith and Amla, playing cover drives, some flicks of the pads and glances using the fielding to their advantage. The Australian pace attack was being quashed with Mitchell Johnson being the bowler being battered with figures of 1-61 in 11 overs although he had the only wicket of Amla for 112 when he had an edge to slip.


There was a level of irony and bizzare moment when on 11/11/11 in 11:11, South Africa needed 111 runs to win. Even Cricket South Africa asked the fans to stand on one leg and so they did to make 11 ones, Even Ian Gould got into the spirit!


The catch that would've had Australia in the game was Shane Watson dropping a relatively easy catch into slip in the third over of play. Ryan Harris was annoyed as well as the rest of the Australian Team. With the 195 runs partnership ended by the battered Mitchell Johnson, Graeme Smith finished the game with South Africa batting at near 5 runs per over. 


Showing the attack from South Africa, Australia need to pull their socks up in their bowling lines and their batting in order to call the epic Test Series as a stalemate in what would be a reasonable result for both teams before but after this show, it looks like South Africa deserve the Series after a 1 year wait in their home country.