South Africa true World Champions at last

Congratulations, South Africa! Three long decades after being welcomed back into the international sporting fold, the World Test Championship ha as it did for New Zealand a few years ago, provided the opportunity to break their duck in major ICC global trophies. Temba Bavuma’s joy at holding the WTC prize aloft was reflected in cricket fans not only in South Africa but in many other nations, too. 

The Apartheid era has unfortunately tainted the way I regard that country but the reborn ‘Rainbow Nation’, for all it faults, deserves some success on the cricket field. The reputation as ‘chokers’ has also weighed heavy on the shoulders of every team since 1999, as unfair as it is cruel. Nonetheless, only one previous cup final appearance in eighteen ODI and T20 tournaments is scant reward for their undoubted talent. Even England have won more semi-finals in that time. 

I think of all those great sides, both in white and red ball who tried and failed to take that extra step or two to claim the silverware. The WTC came too late for the likes of Allan Donald, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, AB De Villiers, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Jonty Rhodes, Daryll Cullinan, Lance Klusener et al. 

Many of those names competed in that infamous tied semi-final at Edgbaston almost exactly 26 years ago. So horribly close… But look at Australia’s players they faced that day: Gilchrist, both Waughs, Ponting, Lehmann, Warne, McGrath, Moody, Bevan,…. Some of the best one-day cricketers of a generation were in that line-up. yet Pollock and Donald took nine wickets to restrict the Aussies to 213.  In response, Shane Warne took 4-29 and it was only big hitting by the maligned Klusener which kept them in the hunt until the disastrous run-outs at the end. 

Who would have thought that a side featuring names like Mulder, Stubbs, Bedingham, Jansen and Ngidi would be the one to end all those years of hurt? It’s not as if South Africa play many Test matches. Money talks loudest, of course. England, Australia and India regularly play three- or five-game series which make enough cash to justify halting the conveyor belt of meaningless but fan-friendly T20 thrashes. Nobody else has the luxury of playing so much proper cricket, but the format of qualifying for the final over a two-year cycle gives others a chance. 

The all-powerful India didn’t make it, while England’s Bazball-blinkered set-up hasn’t lived up to the local media hype. SA had a dodgy start, losing 2-0 to New Zealand and the two-day Cape Town drubbing by India, leaving them needing to win their final six Tests to stand chance. This they achieved, whitewashing both Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Bavuma has nine wins in his first ten as captain, and he earned his place as an excellent batsman. Indeed, his 144-run partnership with centurion Aiden Markram in the second innings at Lord’s was decisive at calming the nerves after two and a half days of tumbling wickets. 

David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne have caught my eye in the county game in recent years and they were at the wicket as the latter’s driven single off Starc carried them over the line. Not forgetting their world-class paceman Kagiso Rabada who had match figures of 9-110 to maintain an excellent record over the past two years. Just past his thirtieth birthday, he is bowling better than ever. 

It is a pity South Africa cannot immediately build upon this Test success. However, visits to Zimbabwe (1 Test) and India (only two) will launch their attempt to retain the WTC in 2027. Australia still lead the ICC Test rankings, with England and India not far behind. There’s still a fair way to go but, surviving relentless Aussie sledging at Lord’s suggests South Africa have little to fear. The Aussie fast bowlers are getting on a bit and England cannot rely on Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Harry Brook for ever. Kohli and Rohit have gone, so Test cricket is entering a new phase. Give South Africa a chance to be at its forefront.

2018 Cricket Team of the Year

2018 wasn’t a vintage year for cricket, and there were no major international tournaments in the men’s game. However, Meg Lanning’s Australia reigned supreme in the Women’s T20 World Cup while Suzie Bates, Smiriti Mandhana. Poonam Yadav and Leigh Kasparek were the most successful exponents of the women’s game.

India remained the leading nation, retaining Test cricket’s ceremonial mace despite coming a 4-1 cropper last summer in England. Their travel woes currently seem behind them, temporarily at least, thanks to a resounding victory at the MCG this week. The Aussies are in minor disarray after having their captain and vice-captain banned for a year for their disgraceful policy of getting young Cameron Bancroft to cheat in South Africa. It didn’t help them much. Despite having destroyed England last winter, Australia were thoroughly outplayed by De Kock’s team.

England also ended the year in the top three of all formats and must be favourites in the 2019 World Cup. Pakistan head the T20 rankings while Sri Lanka’s decline has dropped them below Afghanistan and in danger of not qualifying for the next T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the Afghans played their first ever Test match in June, but India trounced them inside two days. Rashid Khan may be the greatest limited-overs spin bowler in the world but he was granted a rude awakening in the first-class game, taking 2-154 on his Test debut.

Alastair Cook, Morne Morkel and Rangana Herath were amongst those announcing international retirements although only the former received a knighthood! Dale Steyn was fit for long enough to finally eclipse Shaun Pollock’s Test wicket record but Jimmy Anderson – wrapped in cotton wool for much of the year - just kept on swinging to become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history.

So who makes my team of the year?

Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque scored more first-class runs than anybody else, compiling four centuries in his last six games of the year, but openers were conspicuously absent from those near the top of the list. Instead I’ve had to raid the white ball stars. Shikhar Dhawan again makes my XI and, while Colin Munro was the leading T20 scorer, Jos Buttler beats him, thanks to a surprisingly successful recall to England’s five-day line-up. Only Jonny Bairstow had a superior ODI strike rate than Buttler’s 113.53.

Virat Kohli was the first name on my team sheet. Despite shouldering the burden of India’s captaincy in all three formats, it was his runs which did more than anything to keep his country at the top of the pile. I think he was the only man to accumulate more than 3,000 runs in all cricket, and that’s without any domestic first-class or 50-over fixtures. The man was a machine. It’s such a shame that New Zealand play so few internationals because Kane Williamson remains a global star, adding a T20 strike rate of 137 to his already impressive CV. 

Hashim Amla endured an uncharacteristically mediocre run, Steve Smith was crying on a beach somewhere, and Joe Root still couldn’t quite turn enough fifties into tons. In their places, Rohit Sharma, Bairstow and Khawaja were all in the frame but I’ve gone for Babar Azam. Whilst not as rapid as other contenders in the shorter formats, the Pakistani batsman was almost as consistent as Williamson across all types of cricket.

Shakib al-Hasan is officially the number one all-rounder but in 2019 I’d say he was marginally overtaken by West Indian seamer Jason Holder. Perhaps if Shakib had played more matches for Bangladesh he would have done enough to hold on to his place in my Eleven.

Behind the stumps, I could have plumped for De Kock or Buttler. However, I think 21 year-old Rishabh Pant has developed sufficiently to enjoy a stellar year. He made his Test debut in England while his T20 strike rate during the year of 173 was superior even to De Villiers and Finch! If only MS Dhoni would relinquish the ODI gloves, young Pant could step up to superstardom because he’s also no fool as a ‘keeper.

My leading pace bowlers are the same as 2018’s. Indeed, Kagiso Rabada is there for the third consecutive year. His Test figures were the strongest including 52 wickets at barely 20 apiece. Morkel, Anderson, Pat Cummins, Matt Henry and Duanne Olivier each staked a claim but I’ve selected Mohammad Abbas, whose 104 first-class wickets were achieved at a superb average of 15.37. He was brilliant for Leicestershire last summer and devastating against Australia in October.

Jasprit Bumrah’s peculiar straight-armed action proved equally adept in Tests as in the shorter stuff this year. His ODI economy was excellent as ever but he also took 48 wickets at 21 in the five-day game, including 6-33 in the recent contest with Australia at Melbourne. My final selection could have gone to South African Simon Harmer but there’s no ignoring Rashid Khan. He was by far the leading wicket-taker in T20, with 96 in 61 appearances at barely a run a ball, and also rattled off 48 victims in ODIs, albeit mostly against weak nations. The World Cup could be his stage this coming summer, and he’s still only 20. I wish him well.

In summary, here is my 2018 Team of the Year:-

Buttler (Eng), Dhawan (Ind), Kohli (Ind), Williamson (NZ), Babar Azam (Pak), Pant (Ind, +), Holder (WI), Rabada (SA), Bumrah (Ind), Abbas (Pak), Rashid Khan (Afg).

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Khawaja (Aus), Bairstow (Eng), Hasan Ali (Pak) and Shakib (Ban).

Cricket’s Fun Factor

The other day I enjoyed reading Barney Ronay’s Guardian article  in which the author extols the virtues of taking pleasure in sport and indeed in seeing others take pleasure in it. He was focussing specifically on football, the ‘beautiful game’ which has been turning progressively uglier with every passing season in direct correlation with the amount of money swilling around in the trough, but it resonates more widely than that.

Most players seem to be losing their engagement with the fans. They arrive at grounds lost in their headphones, alighting from swish coaches making a brief walk to the stadium door seeing only be-suited security managers and a Sky TV cameraman, and never a single supporter. I would once have criticised them for avoiding the very people who pay their wages but that’s no longer true; it’s the TV companies and sponsors who do that. Fans are just people who cover up the rows of seats to make the TV pictures look more interesting. If a supporter tries to contact such a sporting celebrity, at best he or she may pose for a selfie, more likely be ignored, and at worst, if it’s Jamie Carragher, get spat on.

However, I am beginning to see the same principle affecting cricket, if not the beautiful game then the aesthetically pleasing and polite game. I sincerely hope we don’t get to see mobile footage of someone like a Flintoff, Holding or Slater gobbing over an Aussie wind-up merchant gloating over the Ashes or a T20 defeat, but who knows?!

A lot comes down to what we as cricket supporters see on the pitch. I’m no  devotee of Twenty20 but it does at least bring players down to the pitch in full view of spectators and TV viewers instead of hiding behind glass up in the dressing room, swigging sponsors’ beer or poring over a laptop. In the past week, we’ve had De Kock clashing with Warner and, on the pitch, Kagiso Rabada spoiling his electric eleven-wicket haul  at Port Elizabeth by deliberately barging Steve Smith, a second boorish offence resulting in a deserved two-Test ban. Some decry the punishment for seeking to quash natural aggression and passion for the game. Nonsense! Like footballers or pundits propelling spittle at other humans, swearing and charging has nothing to do with passion, only disrespect. It certainly has nothing to do with promoting fun.

In a sport where there’s lots of ‘down’ time – between overs, wickets, sessions, rain delays, etc, much entertainment has to be provided by fans. The chants by dreary drunks can be dull as ditchwater but when I go to a game I always keep an ear out for a witty barb and an eye for a costume worn not necessarily to attract the cameras but for the sheer hell of it. You don’t get that in a two-hour high-pressure cooker of a football match.

And yet of course the players do have a role to play. It’s not just the matter of superb strokes, brilliant bowling and fabulous fielding but the interaction with spectators. It doesn’t matter if there are a few hundred elderly boater wearers and Telegraph readers or twenty thousand pint-wielding twenty-somethings, we all love it when someone patrolling at third man or deep mid-wicket exchanges a few light-hearted quips or gestures with someone the other side of the boundary. Even if the Indian skipper responds to fans singing “Kohli, Kohli, give us a wave” with a simple raise of the hand, it means more than a million press conference interviews.

That’s the fun factor - and heaven help cricket if it disappears.

2017 Cricket Team of the Year

2017 ended with all three cricketing formats intact following some memorable competitions and team performances. There was even some favourable headlines when Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Harry was to marry Morne Morkel – or didn’t I hear that correctly?!

Despite chucking out coach and national legend Anil Kumble, India remain the most consistent nation, ranked in the top three across all red- and whiteball format. However, their domination of Test cricket was the most notable, even if it was predicated on home series. Home advantage in the five-day game seems more evident than ever, and India’s only victory abroad came in neighbouring Sri Lanka back in the summer. In six matches between the two countries, India racked up at least 600 in their first innings, as skipper Virat Kohli, Dhawan, Pujara et al filled their boots. The forthcoming three-match rubber in South Africa will prove a more formidable challenge.

England advanced to third in the list, also on the back of summer wins on their swing-friendly pitches. The thumping they are currently receiving in Australia his winter proves that there is work to do before any consideration of regaining the ICC mace. Keeping Ben Stokes away from drinking establishments would be a start.

In ODIs, I enjoyed watching Pakistan and Bangladesh playing well in the Champions Trophy in Cardiff, before the former overcame India to win the final and a rare piece of silverware. However, South Africa displaced the Aussies at the top of the rankings despite losing again in England. New Zealand topped and tailed the year with satisfying series wins against the Aussies and West Indies. The highlights of Sri Lanka’s 2017 were probably their T20 successes in South Africa and Australia although Pakistan top the rankings.

In county cricket, newly-promoted Essex romped home to claim the Championship thanks largely to a shedload of wickets from Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter. Nottinghamshire, Perth Scorchers and the Mumbai Indians triumphed in the T20 Blast, Big Bash and IPL, respectively.

But who were the individuals who shone most brightly throughout the year? First: the batsmen. Nobody scored more first-class runs than South African Dean Elgar, who contributed valuable runs to Somerset’s early campaign as well as his country’s. Cheteshwar Pujara was the only other man to accumulate more than 2,000 runs with the red ball and averaged 67 in Tests. Kumar Sangakkara may have retired from Tests but he proved that age is just a number by stroking eight centuries for Surrey, ending his summer with a stupendous average of 106.50. 

In T20, the usual suspects Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch and Kieron Pollard outscored the rest but in List A games, that man Kohli ruled the roost once more, adding 1,460 runs to his already formidable tally. He and his team-mate Rohit Sharma each notched six one-day hundreds with strike rates a smidgeon under 100. Pakistan’s Babar Azam scored four, but his strike rate was a relatively mediocre 79. Dhawan, Bairstow, Warner and, in a relatively leisurely year, AB De Villiers were the only high scorers taking more than a run a ball across the whole year.

After accepting the England Test captaincy, Joe Root wasn’t his usual self with the bat but, in addition to Kohli, the proven class of Hashim Amla, David Warner and Steve Smith was again demonstrated in spades across all cricket. The Aussie skipper has now averaged more than 70 in four consecutive calendar years and is no slouch in the fifty-over stuff, although he didn’t play an awful lot of it this year. He makes my Eleven for the third year in succession. Amla aggregated more than 3,000 runs in all cricket, which I don’t think anyone else could approach.

It wasn’t a vintage year for all-rounders. The evergreen spinner Jeetan Patel took more than 100 wickets in total but his batting was weaker than in previous years. T20 specialist Sunil Narine improved with the willow, adding 760 runs to his 62 wickets in 64 games. India’s Hardik Pandya is perhaps one for the future but, when it comes to the international stage, I have to select Shakib al-Hasan for my Team of the Year.

In 2016, England’s Bairstow took more catches behind the stumps than any other Test ‘keeper. Last year, he was a distant second behind South Africa’s Quintin de Kock, who also dismissed 25 in ODIs. MS Dhoni may have greyer hairs these days but he was still more than useful as a keeper-batsman in limited-overs cricket. His India Test successor Saha made 61 first-class dismissals and young West Indian Shai Hope had a breakthrough twelve months. Unlike most of his countrymen, he looks to be better suited to the longer formats and may well be one to watch in the coming years. De Villiers may still have the edge in T20 but De Kock has been the star stumpie of 2017.

Now for the bowlers:

It seems to me that bowlers, even more than the batsmen, are becoming increasingly specialised. For example, Malinda Pushpakumara has long been a prolific wicket-taker in Sri Lankan domestic cricket and in 2017 claimed a barely credible 115 first-class victims at only 15.50 apiece. However, he made little impact with the white ball. Similarly for Essex’s top bowlers Harmer and Porter, Australian Test spinner Nathan Lyon, Ravi Ashwin and England’s number one-ranked swing king James Anderson.

Meanwhile, Alzarri Joseph, the 21 year-old Antiguan seamer, played several Tests with little distinction, no T20s whatsoever, yet had a decent ODI return of 19 at 30.63. Hasan Ali enjoyed a storming Champions Trophy for Pakistan and ended the year with 91 wickets in ODIs and Twenty20. He was the top wicket-taker in 50-over internationals but Indian medium-pacer Jasprit Bumrah boasted a superior total in all List A games, with 52.

One of last year’s picks, Kagiso Rabada, proved that 2016 was no flash in the pan. Last year he collected a round hundred wickets, including 57 in Tests for South Africa. He is making Steyn’s absence as attack leader less problematic. Another paceman, Marchant de Lange, hasn’t played for the Proteas for five years but was in excellent form for his various teams around the world. Mitchell Starc had injury problems so made little impact. However, that presented Josh Hazlewood with an opportunity to make a mark in Tests and ODIs. He certainly played his part in the Ashes clincher at Perth the other week.

My last pick for the 2017 XI is only 19 years old and, because he’s from Afghanistan, doesn’t play Test cricket – yet. Nonetheless he had a storming twelve months with the white ball. Rashid Khan was by some margin the supreme wicket-taker in T20, with 80, and his economy rate of 5.53 was just as extraordinary. While most of his 43 ODI victims were representing Associate nations he is a great talent and I hope he is allowed the chance to do his stuff against the leading teams in five-day cricket. Afghanistan have finally had Test status bestowed upon them but the likes of India and South Africa have yet to schedule matches against them, even over four days. Perhaps they’re too scared of Rashid!

In summary, here is my 2017 Team of the Year:-

Elgar (SA), Dhawan (Ind), Amla (SA), Kohli (Ind), Smith (Aus), De Kock (SA, +), Shakib al-Hasan (Ban), Hasan Ali (Pak), Rabada (SA), Bumrah (Ind), Rashid Khan (Afg).

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Warner (Aus), Sangakkara (SL), Jeetan Patel (NZ) and Anderson (Eng).

Kohli, Ashwin and Bairstow lead the 2016 Team of the Year

2016 ended with no one nation able to claim domination of world cricket. In my mind, that’s a good thing. It means most of the top nations have something to boast about, to aspire to and keep the fans interested. All the above are vital if cricket is to remain a viable professional sport not only for TV viewers but those who shell out good money to support the team or the game they love.

England began the year in good spirit. A new aggressive approach to one-dayers yielded some spectacular performances yet only a modest ODI world ranking of five and T20 position of equal sixth. They even managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the World T20 final at Eden Gardens. This was the scene of probably the most incredible moment in the calendar. Fresh from his daredevil Test double-century, Ben Stokes served up four ‘death’ balls for Carlo Brathwaite to slam four successive sixes to take the trophy back to the West Indies, making a remarkable double to accompany the successful Women’s team.

Pakistan’s prolific press-up pumpers briefly held the ICC mace, but India remained unbeaten in Tests throughout 2016 to lead the rankings comfortably at the end of December. Australia have held off South Africa to top the ODI table while New Zealand are the stars of T20. It’s been a miserable year for Sri Lanka, no higher than sixth in any of the formats and dependant on 38 year-old Rangana Herath for their Test match wickets. His 28 in three summer games against Australia constitute a remarkable solo performance.

So who have been the stars of 2016? In the three international formats, Joe Root, David Warner and Virat Kohli were the leading run scorers while Ravi Ashwin, Adam Zampa and Jasprit Bumrah topped the wickets tables. Across all first-class cricket, Jonny Bairstow was the only man to break the 2,000 run barrier and the ever-dependable Jeetan Patel the sole 100-wicket taker, thanks largely to continued sterling work for Warwickshire. However, he doesn’t make my 2016 Team of the Year.

As opener, David Warner is a no-brainer, accumulating well over 3,000 runs in total, including seven ODI centuries. Alastair Cook had plenty of Tests in which to boost his career aggregate beyond 11,000 runs, but I’ve gone for South Africa’s 50-over opener Quinton de Kock for his consistency and reliable strike rate.

There are plenty of candidates for the middle –order. Azhar Ali, Pujara and Williamson have pressing claims but it’s impossible to leave out Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. The Englishman accumulated more than 2500 first-class and ODI runs, including numerous fifties even if centuries were in short supply. The India captain is in the form of his life, leading his country with distinction whilst averaging 76 in Tests and maintaining a 100+ strike rate across ten ODIs and 147 in his 31 twenty-over fixtures. Steve Smith didn’t quite hit the heights of 2015 but he remained a crucial part of Australia’s teams. Remarkably, his career Test average stands above 60, and his ability to reach three figures when it matters is better than anyone in the world.

Jonny Bairstow may not have taken the gloves in many one-dayers but his 70 Test dismissals easily outnumbered his rivals. Together with his runs, this gives him the edge over the likes of De Kock and Sarfraz Ahmed as my wicketkeeper.

Few genuine all-rounders have shone in the past twelve months. Shakib al- Hasan was as reliable as ever, Chris Woakes had his moments and Dwayne Bravo whacked and bowled with customary relish for his numerous employers in T20. Ben Stokes spat, snarled, swore and occasionally produced breathtaking innings and spells for England and, setting aside that final over in Kolkata, I reluctantly hand him a place at seven in my XI.

Ravichindra Ashwin was easily the star bowler in Test matches throughout 2016, taking 72 wickets in 12 matches at under 24 apiece. His lower-order runs have also elevated him to all-rounder status and, while he is not an obvious choice for ODIs, he remains an extremely economical T20 spinner, too. Young Aussie leggie Adam Zampa has a dreadful first-class record but his limited-overs stats last year were mighty impressive, propelling him into my team of 2016.

For the second consecutive year, Mitchell Starc walks tall into the team. He takes plenty of Test and ODI wickets while conceding few runs, and what else could you ask of a fast bowler in any form of cricket? As a new-ball partner, it’s between England’s Stuart Broad, New Zealander Neil Wagner and 21 year-old Kagiso Rabada. Broad played plenty of Tests but injury rest restricted his appearances elsewhere. Wagner was prolific for Lancashire, Otago and the Black Caps but my selection is right-armer Rabada. With Steyn often missing, the young quick from Jo’burg has been propelled into the frontline with considerable success, especially at home against England and, more recently, in Australia.

So, to sum up, here is my 2016 Team of the Year:-

Warner (Aus), De Kock (SA), Root (Eng), Kohli (Ind *), Smith (Aus), Bairstow (Eng +), Stokes (Eng), Ashwin (Ind), Starc (Aus), Rabada (SA), Zampa (Aus). My ‘squad replacements’ would be Cook, Azhar Ali and Wagner.

Can Smith, Ashwin and Starc make it three in a row this time next year? We’ll see!

Aussies Suffer, Windies Thrive

It’s been a refreshingly mixed week of Test cricket. First we had the West Indies gaining a consolation victory over Pakistan, and then the Aussies came a cropper at the WACA. After Bangladesh gave England a bloody nose last week, the sport is looking encouragingly open again.

In the UAE desert, Pakistan may have won the series, but Jason Holder’s visitors did at least show signs that they are not mere T20 biffers and bashers, but a team capable of competing with the world number ones over four or five days.

I can’t believe Devendra Bishoo is already 31 years old. The Guyanan leggie has had a topsy-turvy career, and this latest series was in the same vein. Abu Dhabi was a trial, but that second innings 8-49 in Dubai so early set up a brilliant victory. Two weeks later, another seven wickets did contribute to success in Sharjah.

Skipper Holder also played his part, but it was Kraigg Brathwaite who garnered the headlines. A Caribbean rarity, a batsman who has never played a single senior T20 match, he boosted his Test average considerably by carrying his bat for 142 then making an unbeaten 60 to help see his side home. I was amazed to discover that no other opener had ever finished both innings of a Test not out. How has that never happened before?!

When neither of your senior batsmen like Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels boast an average above 40, you know you have problems in the runs department. The pacemen aren’t exactly prolific in the wickets league either. Never mind, a win is a win. If only the Windies didn’t have the whole winter without a chance on building on the confidence this result should have given them.

Meanwhile, the tasty encounter between Australia and South Africa has served up a spicy first course in Perth, However, the home side must be feeling rather sick. After being stuffed 3-0 in India, now it’s the turn of a sub-par South Africa to extend the Aussies’ loss sequence to four.

There was nothing between them on first innings totals, yet neither reached 250. Faf du Plessis opted to bat, and SA slumped to 32-4. Only Bavuma and de Kock rescued them from a disaster. The Aussie reply was even more lop-sided. Openers Warner and Shaun Marsh put on 158, but the rest of the team collapsed for 86. The absent AB de Villiers wasn’t missed second time around as Elgar and Duminy shared a third-wicket partnership of 250 en route to a 500+ total. Even without the seriously injured Dale Steyn, South Africa couldn’t fail to dismiss Australia on the final day.

21 year-old quick Kagiso Rabada stepped up to the plate with a five-for, but the patient 40-over spin workload of Keshav Maharaj also kept up the pressure. Only Khawaja and Nevil passed 50 and South Africa’s third consecutive WACA win was duly achieved. Not since 1988 have the Aussies lost the first of their summer Tests and they have some work to do in Hobart.

Across the Tasman Sea, it will be interesting to see whether New Zealand can give Pakistan a challenge on pitches less conducive to spin. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are enjoying a predictably easy game against Zimbabwe and then there’s a small matter of England’s visit to India. I don’t think it’s going to be as straightforward for Kohli and co as the British media are making out.

South Africa’s Consolation prize, but England’s Series

A fantastic series for England didn’t end in the way Trevor Baylis would have liked, in a 280-run defeat. One Cook cheerfully held aloft the Basil D’Oliviera Trophy while another marked his belated debut with a century. Nevertheless, it would have been a travesty had the tourists triumphed 3-0.

South Africa had been on a nine-match winless streak, including two draws in Bangladesh and that 3-0 hammering in India, so a first victory in over twelve months was especially welcome. Hashim Amla has rediscovered his mojo while, faced with an injury crisis, the selectors have polished some gems.

Thomas Bavuma played the whole series, notching his first Test century in the Cape Town runfest. Kagiso Rabada took more wickets than anybody, doubling his Test tally at Centurion alone. And Stephen Cook’s debut was rather more successful than his dad’s had been two decades ago. Somerset run machine Jimmy was out first ball when SA returned to the international fold, but his son clipped Anderson for a boundary en route for a well-deserved 115.

Yet we also learned that AB De Villiers is only human after all, collecting three consecutive ducks! Not an auspicious start to his Test captaincy, but it’s not deterring him from holding on to the role. It’s not like his opposite number has excelled; Alastair averaged a mediocre 23. Alex Hales was, as I suspected, a disaster as an opening partner, while I was disappointed at James Taylor’s failure to turn promising innings into hundreds.

Fortunately for England, runs flowed from the bats of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes. I am not convinced by the Durham hothead’s incredible onslaught at Newlands as a precursor of a Bothamesque career. He has flopped too often in the past. However, the legendary Sir Ian was hardly a master of consistency himself. It was nice to see the Yorkshire ‘keeper transferring his batting form into the Test arena, although his glovework still needs a bit of work. Joe Root, is just Joe Root, a phenomenon who can find runs on pitches which seem to defeat anybody else.

Whilst Rabada came good in the finale, ably supported by Morkel and Abbott, South Africa desperately missed Steyn and Philander. Instead, Stuart Broad produced his usual supreme spell from the stars to seal the series at Jo’burg and leave the home side floundering at 83 all out. Steven Finn did OK when fit, but Anderson, Moeen Ali and Woakes struggled.

So what comes next? South Africa welcome Australia next month, which could be an interesting contest. England must be very confident ahead of the visits of Sri Lanka in May, and Pakistan in July. I reckon the bowlers will improve in home conditions and - who knows? – a return to the top of the rankings is not beyond them. Eventually!