Although crowds at the New Zealand Test were disappointing, it was a triumphant end to a hard season for South Africa’s cricketers
CRICKET: Krish Mi’rams
SOUTH AFRICA’S one-off Test win over New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland capped a season of great triumph for South Africa’s cricketers. The 94-run victory was the fourth in a row after the poor defeat by New Zealand at the Wanderers in November.
New Zealand’s cricket centenary is now in danger of being a dismal failure, both on and off the field. The Kiwis have lost a series in South Africa, they lost a series to the West Indies last month and now the showpiece Test to South Africa.
Some pride can be salvaged later this month when Ken Rutherford leads his side, without the injured Martin Crowe, in two tests against Sri Lanka. Perhaps they will draw more support in Napier and Dunedin than the Auckland Test. The poor attendance on all five days was a great disappointment to everyone involved.
It’s difficult to imagine why the Aucklanders showed no interest in the Test. Apart from three hours on the first morning the weather was perfect. The cricket was of a very high standard throughout, although at no stage did any one side look as though they were going to dominate the match.
Except, of course, for the final session when South Africa took the last seven New Zealand wickets for 67 runs. The total attendance for the five days was just 12 000.
On the field of play the pitch proved to be a superb five- day strip. The ball behaved very normally throughout. There was little variable bounce and, if the bowlers were prepared to put in a solid effort, they were rewarded with pace and good bounce.
The nature of South Africa’s ninth Test victory since readmission must be examined.
Firstly, the batsmen failed to build on a solid platform of 230 for four in the first innings, and the 294 all out total was short of a projected first innings total, particularly as Hansie Cronje had opted to bat first. A decision that took him about five minutes to make after he had consulted coach Bob Woolmer.
The decision to bat Andrew Hudson at three was perhaps the wrong one. He is a fairly nervous starter when opening so he must have been even more so by the 14th over when he had to go out to bat. He lasted just eight balls. Having said that, it was gratifying to see he knuckled down in the second innings and scored a fine 64. An innings that may well have preserved his place in the team for the next Test match in November against England.
Rudi Steyn showed admirable adhesive qualities in hist first innings of 46, made in three and three quarter hours. However, he still needs to work at his technique against spin. He can take a leaf out of Hudson’s book of progress.
The Natalian played both Dipak Patel and Matthew Hart with great confidnce in the second innings.
Daryll Cullinan will still be kicking himself for having thrown his wicket away when a second Test hundred was one shot away. He has so much talent and class, surely he must start to convert that potential into major Test scores.
Gary Kirsten is another who must be very frustrated. He played as well as he ever has in reaching 76 in the second innings. The fact that he got the rough end of a Daryll Hair decision should not disguise the fact that he palyed a poor shot to a poor delivery in getting out.
His consistency since making his Test debut has been the highlight of the top order batting in the last year. While Hudson’s average has slipped from 44 to 34, Kirsten is averaging nearly 38 with nearly 1 000 runs in 14 tests.
The form of Jonty Rhodes is of major concern. He battled through the second innings, after a first innings faiure, to make 28 — but it was not the Jonty of two years back. He seems to be short of that self belief that made some of the world’s leading bowlers scream in frustration.
His technical deficiencies have been cruelly exposed and he will have a long winter off to work at those problems and come back a better player next season.
Captain Hansie Cronje has confirmed his status as one of the best batsmen in world cricket at the moment. His second Test hundred of the summer and fifth of his career was one of his best. His domination of the two spinners Patel and Hart was impressive and he survived, even won, a compelling battle with Morrison who tried to exploit Cronje’s weakness against the bouncer.
Few players have a conversion rate as good as Cronje’s. He has reached 50 eight times and has gone beyond 100 on five of those occasions. And it is not coincidence that every time he has scored a hundred, South Africa have won the Test. Batting apart, his captaincy continues to blossom under the guidance of Woolmer.
The brave declaration just before lunch — leaving the Kiwis 63 overs to get 275 — looked at one stage to be rather generous. But the manner in which Cronje mobilised his troops at tea was superb.
And once again the South African pace attack rose to the occasion. Donald bowled a wayward opening spell but came back to take a crucial wicket. De Villiers, bowling with as much enhusiasm and zest as ever, took four wickets to take his tally to 36 in five tests this summer.
Craig Matthews bowled as straight as an arrow and fittingly secured the final wicket with the only lbw decision of the match. The umpire who raised his finger was … yes, Daryll Hair. Remember him?