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Ali Bacher’s new book celebrates the country’s finest batsmen, including forgotten heroes lost to apartheid

Firdose Moonda14-Sep-2015Not long after Ali Bacher and David Williams completed their first collaboration, a book on South Africa’s greatest allrounders, Williams asked Bacher if they should consider doing one on South Africa’s best batsmen. Bacher was not convinced, but the next day, he called Williams and said they were to embark on a second project, he had the beginnings of a list of batsmen they could look at.So began the pair’s second innings, which is formatted in the same way as the first to maintain consistency, but delves a little deeper into the art of batting. As someone with experience in the field himself, Bacher was the chief selector and, aided by some rigorous criteria, was tasked with choosing 12 outstanding international batsmen for the book.Bacher and Williams established that as of December 2014, only 39 batsmen worldwide had achieved a Test average regarded as “excellent” – of over 50 – and only six were South African. Five of them – Dudley Nourse, Graeme Pollock, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, were automatic picks. Faf du Plessis was omitted because of the infancy of his Test career. The rest of the book is made up of players with a Test average of either “very good” (45-50) or “good” (40-45), along with two players from South Africa’s non-white teams who were denied the opportunity to play at the highest level during apartheid, but there are some obvious absentees. Jimmy Cook (who played three Tests but had a first-class average of 50.58), Peter Kirsten (Test average 31.30, first-class average 44.46) and Daryll Cullinan (Test average 44.21, first-class average 44.79) are among those who didn’t make the cut.The inclusions come with interesting statistics, none more so than the staggering one about the two current players written about – de Villiers and Amla. The pair are the only players in the history of the game with Test and ODI averages over 50. Bacher lauds de Villiers’ creativity and calls Amla a “living bridge between apartheid and the country’s democracy”.Penguin Random HouseEither side of that bridge, things got interesting. The pre-war stories of Nourse, Bruce Mitchell and Eric Rowan are underlined by the 1939 timeless Test while Herbie Taylor’s battle with Sydney Barnes is recreated in some detail. Those early years were characterised by the “intensity of defence rather than aggression”, so the closer to the contemporary period we get, the more things change even though the book itself does not. It relies heavily on statistics and match reportage to make its case throughout.Pollock, Barry Richards and Colin Bland, whose chapter begins with a celebration of his fielding, are lauded for individual greatness but there are no great mysteries revealed about them. Instead, the unknown comes from the contribution of historian Krish Reddy, who writes on Ahmed Deedat and Frank Roro, known as Dusty Bradman, the two players of colour featured in the compilation. Unlike in the allrounders book, more space has been made to look into what might have been before going on to the current crop.Gary Kirsten, as the first South African to play 100 Tests, the first to score a double-hundred since readmission and the first to score two hundreds in the same game, could not be ignored, and neither could Graeme Smith. His captaincy takes a backseat to his ability to score quickly and under pressure. Someone with a similar determination is Kevin Pietersen, a surprising inclusion, which Bacher saw as necessary even though he was at the heart of Pietersen leaving South Africa.”KP went to Maritzburg College and played Natal B so he is a South African product,” Bacher said at the book launch. Pietersen felt he was an unwanted product when, in 2000, he went to see Bacher to inform him of his decision to leave based on the quota system. Bacher recounts part of that meeting in the book and explains how his relationship with Pietersen has since thawed. The exploration of Pietersen’s supreme self-confidence juxtaposed against his child-like vulnerability is the most compelling personal account in the book.In complete contrast is Jacques Kallis, who maintains the same distance he was known for as a player, and is the only player to have appeared in both books. All that’s left to ask is whether Bacher and Williams are planning a third book, about South Africa’s best bowlers. “Right now, Ali is not convinced,” Williams joked. “But I know he has already started thinking of the list.”South Africa’s Greatest Batsmen: Past and Present
by Ali Bacher and David Williams
Penguin Random House 2015
241 pages, R150

A disappointing Johannesburg Test in 2013 meant Ashwin was dropped, perhaps unfairly, from the team for six matches. Two years and a tweaked bowling action later, he has emerged as one of India’s best impact players

Sidharth Monga07-Dec-20151:40

Manjrekar: Spinners will finally get the credit they deserve

Johannesburg and Delhi are important signposts on R Ashwin’s journey as a Test bowler. On December 22, 2013, Ashwin went wicketless for 36 overs as India tried to bowl South Africa out in four-and-a-half sessions for what could have been one of India’s greatest Test wins. He was dropped from the side after that for six Tests, and then when India went to Australia, he was not picked for the first Test of the series. Ashwin was hurt, but he went into the nets and during that Adelaide Test, he says, something clicked in his action, which has changed him as a bowler.Ashwin felt staying out for so long was a little harsh, but it was not as if he was letting himself take it easy this time. Six years ago, in Delhi, at the Palam Ground, about 20km from Feroz Shah Kotla where he capped off a fantastic series on Monday, Ashwin had had his domestic Johannesburg moment. It was the quarter-final of the Ranji trophy in 2009-10, and Tamil Nadu had scored 463 in the first innings. The onus was on Ashwin to get Tamil Nadu the first-innings lead, but a Delhi side full of domestic stalwarts crawled its way to a lead and into the semi-final. Ashwin bowled 62 overs for 116 runs and picked up just two wickets. He says he took the easy route back then, and consoled himself saying the pitch was completely flat. That did not repeat in Johannesburg.For a final icing on this cake, Ashwin had to come back to Delhi. He was already on his way to being the Man of the Series, but he had hardly been challenged in the first three Tests of this series. Now he was up against a pitch going slower and lower by the minute and stalwarts who were hanging on for dear life. Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis – masters of such blockathons earlier too – were leading this effort where no bat would be raised in anger, where the bowlers would be given no chances by way of poor shots, because there would be no shots.India had enough time, you would think, but the way South Africa went about their job, something special was needed with the ball. It was the perfect time for Ashwin to find some redemption from memories of those two matches. It had generally been a difficult week for Ashwin with his home city Chennai flooded, and his parents out of communication channels. While Ashwin batted in the first innings, his wife tweeted they had not heard from Ashwin’s parents in more than a day.And here there was a Test to be won. And what a test it was for the Indian bowlers. The first wicket had come easy, but when Amla and Temba Bavuma dead-batted everything, you knew it would need something extraordinary from somewhere to get a wicket. The man who came closest was Ashwin, nearly getting Amla with a legbreak. He followed it up with a perfectly pitched offbreak that did not turn as much as expected to get Bavuma out.India needed something special with South Africa dead-batting everything, and Ashwin delivered•BCCIThen, Amla and de Villiers began to dead-bat. It seriously looked like they could score the runs drip by drip in four days if this were a timeless Test. Except that it was not. Time was running out for India. Not fast, but fast enough to possibly refresh the demons from Johannesburg and Wellington. Ashwin then bowled another legbreak. Bear in mind he is an offspinner. He has to show to the batsman he is bowling finger-spin, then change the grip at the last moment and land the delivery. This one to de Villiers drifted in and dipped late. Shane Warne would have been proud of it. It drew a false defensive shot from a batsman so intent at not making a mistake.Twice Ashwin came close to doing the sort of thing that immortalises bowlers, but perhaps magic was not what was going to give India the win. There was more hard work in store. On the fifth day, after waiting for eight overs with the old ball, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were back on for the hard toil. They kept bowling ball after ball in that zone. Ashwin kept changing the trajectory to possibly play around with the batsmen’s shape as they defended everything, while Jadeja kept using the crease and variations in pace. Not much worked except for when Jadeja found just the right amount of turn so as to not miss Amla’s off stump when it missed the edge.Ashwin had to wait longer. He tried tricks. He went through the repertoire. Except for a wrong’un, he tired everything. He even tried running in funny, cutting across between the umpire and the stumps, the way some left-arm spinners do. Who knows, he might even have thought of bowling left-arm. Who knows, he might actually be really good at left-arm spin.As important as it was to break through the resistance, it was also important to burst through a door left ajar. Jadeja did so for him with du Plessis’ wicket, and Ashwin now knew he could get Duminy. He spread the field for de Villiers, who might have made the mistake of letting Ashwin bowl to Duminy. It took Ashwin six balls to set him up with offbreaks before trapping him lbw.When he got de Villiers – 297 deliveries for just 43 runs later – with his first ball after tea, Ashwin had sealed his status as the biggest impact man in the series. Almost invariably, he struck when South Africa embarked on something new: innings, day and session. Thanks to Ashwin, those awkward minutes when a team starts an innings minutes before an interval became torturous. In Mohali, he struck in the evening, in Nagpur he did so twice, in his first over in Bangalore, he broke what looked like a solid opening partnership. When made to work hard in Delhi, it was great to watch him find a way.

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2016His opening partner Rohit Sharma, however, was unperturbed as he showed intent right from the start, scoring freely all around the wicket•Getty ImagesVirat Kohli, who joined him in the 7th over, built on the solid start as the the two brought up India’s 100 in the 22nd over•Getty ImagesKohli brought up his half-century with a superbly timed pull over fine leg. It came off 61 deliveries•Getty ImagesRohit then brought up his third ODI century in Australia off 122 balls courtesy seven fours and three sixes•AFPThe pair put on 207 for the third wicket; the mammoth stand studded with authoritative stroke play and fearless ball striking•AFPKohli fell in 45th over, caught at the long-on boundary, nine runs short of his century•Associated PressRohit continued his onslaught, powering India to 3 for 309 with an unbeaten 171 off 163 – breaking Viv Richard’s record of the highest score against Australia in Australia•AFPDebutant Barinder Sran got rid of Aaron Finch and David Warner in successive overs to give India a strong start in the chase•Getty ImagesBut Australia’s captain Steven Smith showed nothing had chanced since last summer and dominated the Indian bowling again•Getty ImagesGeorge Bailey, who could have been caught behind first ball, also had a grand time on a flat WACA pitch•Getty ImagesBoth batsmen reached centuries at rapid pace during their 242-run partnership for the third wicket•Getty ImagesR Ashwin dismissed Bailey (112) and then had Glenn Maxwell (6) caught at long-on, but Australia, by then, were in total control•Getty ImagesSmith held firm for 149 runs off 135 balls. All had seemed perfect for him to hit the winning runs, but he fell with Australia needing two runs off five balls. James Faulkner had no trouble taking care of that•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

There are days when Shahid Afridi’s game resembles a train wreck. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, Wednesday was not one of those days

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Kolkata16-Mar-20161:06

‘Afridi showed character’ – Hafeez

There are days when Shahid Afridi may look a little foolish. One time in Australia when, feeling a Rana Naved spell was not incisive enough, Afridi introduced his incisors to the situation. Other periods in Pakistan’s recent history have featured an “Afridi slog reception area”, otherwise known as the leg side. And in gesticulating animatedly at his own team-mates, there has surely been none better. Recently in New Zealand, Umar Gul looked like he was being yelled at by Afridi. Gul had just taken a wicket.Afridi’s other days, though, are different. These are days when he turns the tables on the rest of us. Those who have been making a fool of him, are made instead by him to look foolish. As he smoked 49 off 19 against Bangladesh, and claimed figures of 2 for 27 at Eden Gardens, Wednesday was one such day.It has been a week in which he has been under the microscope. Afridi had made a habit of not turning up to Pakistan’s training sessions in recent weeks. He had also had to stave away a challenge to his captaincy, ahead of the tournament.His recent innings had produced scores such as 0 from 2 balls, and 7 from 3. In a way, these contributions are almost typical enough to define him. So much so, that if he ever releases a fragrance, one of these knocks could give the perfume its name. Who would resist a bottle? 7(3) by Afridi.Yet, there he stood at the pitch, intent unbowed by the criticism. He swung as he often does, from the first ball, and today, he hit them to the fence. Pakistan were already well set, but his innings upgraded their total from commanding to colossal. He played out fewer dot balls than he struck sixes. When his team were in the field, they appeared lively and united. The bowling changes were sensible, and the field placements apt.Conventional wisdom suggests missing practice does your game ill. Afridi hoicks saliva in the face of such wisdom like he hoicks short balls over the long on fence. Normal folk would insist that captains keep their cool, and set an example when it comes to commitment, but Afridi’s universe is governed by different rules.So many of his flaws seem also to be his strengths, and vice versa. To say Afridi had a brain explosion seems redundant, because isn’t his brain in a perpetual state of explosion? The trick is to point the explosions in a productive direction – like the blasts near the piston of a car engine. Though, you may not want to ride in a vehicle built like Afridi’s brain. Sure, it would go from 0-100 kph in three seconds, but would most often reach those speeds as it plunges into ravines.

Conventional wisdom suggests missing practice does your game ill. Afridi hoicks saliva in the face of such wisdom like he hoicks short balls over the long on fence

And to call his hitting agricultural would be… no… actually that is fair. Today, he went on one knee to wallop Shakib Al Hasan into the stands beyond long on. The bat swing extravagant, the scythe long and low, he was more harvesting the ball, than hitting it. Like any farmer, Afridi’s career has been defined by seasons of famine and plenty. When you have cracked a 37-ball hundred in your first international innings, was it ever going to be another way?”It’s great to see someone who was under pressure from the media and people, to come up with that strong performance,” Mohammad Hafeez said of Afridi after the game. “That shows the character he’s got. It’s always pleasing to see him come up and play shots everywhere. Fans love it, and we love it as a team. We know that he can take the game away from the opposition. It’s great to see him coming to form with the ball also.”Afridi tells us this World T20 is his final foray in international cricket. It may be three weeks full of emotion if so, because for over 20 years, Afridi has been more than a player; he has been almost an elemental cricketing force – largely unchanged himself, but a catalyst in the transformation of the limited-overs game.Perhaps there will be glowing tributes, from players and writers. Maybe the PCB will present him a memento upon his return to Pakistan. Fans may reminisce about his greatest innings, and shed a quiet, nostalgic tear. And then, after all that, it is entirely possible that he will un-retire, play for another half-decade, and make fools of us all over again.

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2016Vohra’s run-out reduced King XI to 35 for 2 in the sixth over to once again put the onus on Glenn Maxwell and David Miller•AFPBut they were dismissed in the same over for the third time this season, by Moises Henriques•BCCIMustafizur bowled 17 dots to return figures of 4-1-9-2 – the most economical spell in the season so far; his wicket of Shaun Marsh (40) left Kings XI Punjab on 89 for 5•BCCIIt needed Axar Patel’s 36 off 17 from No. 7 to lift them to 143•BCCIDavid Warner’s 59 off 31 -his third consecutive fifty and fourth in five matches – gave Sunrisers a turbocharge at the top•BCCIWarner’s wicket did little to arrest momentum as Shikhar Dhawan (45) and Eoin Morgan (25) continued to make merry•BCCIDespite soft dismissals towards the end, Sunrisers cruised past the finish line with five wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2016Sikandar Raza and Malcolm Waller flickered briefly, but it was Elton Chigumbura who set the innings alight with seven sixes during his 54•AFPCaptain Graeme Cremer made 4 as Zimbabwe finished with 170 for 6•AFPIndia lost early wickets, and when Kedhar Jadhav was bowled by Taurai Muzarabani for 19, they were reduced to 90 for 4 in the 13th over•Associated PressMS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 19 and took the game deep, as he has done several times in his career•AFPBut seamer Neville Madziva defended seven off the last over to seal Zimbabwe’s 2-run win•Associated PressCoach Makhaya Ntini joined the celebrations after Zimbabwe achieved their second successive T20I win over India•Associated Press

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2016Chris Woakes had Imrul caught by David Willey at deep-backward square leg…•Getty Images…and then removed Tamim Iqbal in an impressive opening spell•Getty ImagesJake Ball again struck in his opening over•Associated PressMushfiqur Rahim helped add 50 for the fourth wicket in partnership with Mahmudullah•Getty ImagesBut Mushfiqur fell to Ball and Ben Stokes removed Shakib Al Hasan to leave Bangladesh 113 for 5•AFPMahmudullah progressed to a vital half-century…•AFP…and stabilised the innings again in partnership with Mosaddek Hossain•Associated PressAdil Rashid removed both batsmen to give England the edge•Associated PressHowever, Mashrafe Mortaza biffed 44 off 29 balls, adding 69 with Nasir Hossain, to lift the total to 238•AFPMashrafe then led from the front with three early wickets, including Jason Roy lbw…•Getty Images…and he bowled Ben Stokes for a duck the match after his maiden ODI hundred•Getty ImagesBen Duckett also fell for a duck when he was bowled by one that turned through the gate from Shakib•Associated PressMashrafe’s burst left England 26 for 4 and reeling•Getty ImagesIt required Jos Buttler’s attacking prowess to get England going…•Associated Press…as the captain added 79 in partnership with Jonny Bairstow•Associated PressTaskin Ahmed returned to get rid of Bairstow for 35•Getty ImagesButtler’s dismissal for 57 after a review brought an explosion of delight from the Bangladesh players…•Getty Images…which sparked angry words from Buttler and led the umpires to intervene•Getty ImagesTaskin’s three-wicket burst knocked the stuffing out of England as they slid to a 34-run defeat•Getty ImagesThe teams continued to exchange words after the match was over•Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2016Marlon Samuels began his work with two fours off his first two balls•Getty ImagesAt the other end, Darren Bravo survived a close call: he was dropped by Asad Shafiq at first slip after misreading the length of a Yasir delivery•AFPMisbah-ul-Haq was in his element, with scoreboard pressure behind his team and the spinners creating chances•Getty ImagesA straightforward pitch and some determined work from West Indies though took them to tea at 138 for 2. Samuels recorded his 24th Test fifty•Getty ImagesDeep into the second session on the third day, Sohail Khan took the first wicket by a fast bowler in the Test, removing Samuels for 76•AFPBravo persevered, securing his half-century off 176 balls and taking West Indies to dinner at 211 for 3•Getty ImagesJermaine Blackwood and Bravo added 77 for the fourth wicket. Wahab Riaz, though, chipped away with wickets in successive overs•AFPBravo reached 87 before prodding a catch to short leg in the final half hour of play. West Indies closed the day at 315 for 6•Getty Images

Moeen Ali’s fourth century of the calendar year was a performance of two distinct parts. But his success has intensified the debate about his role in the side

George Dobell in Chennai16-Dec-20162:57

Trott: Moeen took advantage of his reprieve

If you had taken your seat at Chepauk on Friday morning having never seen Moeen Ali bat, you would have been forgiven for wondering how on earth he found himself batting in the top four.But had you only taken your seat in the afternoon session, you would have been forgiven for wondering how he had ever found himself batting down at No. 8 or 9.For this innings was a microcosm of Moeen’s Test career with the bat. Like Beauty and the Beast rolled into one, it was, in turns, awful and ugly and brilliant and beautiful. It rarely hinted at permanence, but contained several strokes of rare quality. As he persuaded some balls to the boundary and flirted footlessly at others, he provided a demonstration of all his strengths and all his weaknesses. It was just a little bit Goweresque.He was beaten like a snare drum in the early stages. He was dropped before he had scored – the second match in succession an England centurion had benefited in such fashion – after trying to flick one over midwicket, and then survived a couple of early wafts against Ravi Ashwin that suggested a lack of confidence in his own defensive technique. He also saw an attempted flick into the leg side dart towards point off a leading edge. That he made it to lunch unbeaten (on 7 from 44 balls) was little short of a miracle.At that stage, it seemed safe to conclude that this was Moeen’s last foray into the top order. This was, after all, his 11th innings in the top four (one at No. 3, four at No. 4 and six as an opener) and they had brought seven scores under 20 and a best of 50. Some of the dismissals – not least hooking a bouncer to the men placed for the shot in the first innings in Mohali, or scooping to mid-on in the second – were just too soft to sustain the experiment.But after the interval he was a different man. Apparently determined to be more aggressive, he slog-swept both left-arm and offspin, he skipped down the track and, even though Ravi Ashwin beat him in the flight and he didn’t quite make it to the pitch of the ball, he carried through with the stroke and cleared the field. He played with the uncompromised conviction that is the mantra of Trevor Bayliss and provided a pretty decent advert for the virtues of the approach.He had some fortune. Having a man with the class of Joe Root at the other end for the first portion of his innings ensured there was little scoreboard pressure; Moeen contributed just 13 of the first 50 runs they added together. And, while the only bouncer that Umesh Yadav bowled at him resulted in an attempted pull that spooned just over midwicket, it was a line of attack that India failed to exploit. Ishant Sharma bowled him three more, but it seemed an odd oversight.Moeen Ali grew in fluency after a scratchy start•AFPThere were a couple of decent lbw shouts after that but Moeen, learning the lessons from earlier in the series, ensured he had his pad outside the line of the stumps and, once he had reached 40, was hardly troubled. Amit Mishra, whose relative lack of pace allowed Moeen time to skip down the pitch to him, came in for particular punishment, but he also coped with Ashwin admirably after that torturous first hour. He had given England a decent chance of the sort of imposing first-innings total that could end this demanding tour with a consolation victory. Two more sessions of batting may be required, though.It was Moeen’s second century of the series – the first was made while batting at No. 5 in Rajkot – and the fourth of a calendar year that has seen him become one of just five men to record 1,000 Test runs in 2016. While the inclusion of four England players in that list underlines the huge amount of Test cricket they have played, that still represents a fine achievement. His average for the year (48.00) is almost six higher than Alastair Cook’s (42.10) and less than two fewer than Joe Root’s (50.20).Where does it leave him in the future? Back at No. 7 or 8, probably. With Jonny Bairstow pencilled in to stay at No. 5 (he is clearly good enough to bat at No. 4 but the England management are keen to provide him with a break between batting and keeping) and Ben Stokes looking settled at No. 6, those are the obvious vacancies. Root could well return to No. 4 – especially if Keaton Jennings makes a strong case for his retention at the start of the next English season – leaving Moeen squeezed out of the top order. Besides, for all the charm and fluency of his batting, we have probably seen enough now to appreciate that consistency is unlikely to be one of his strengths. There are too many flaws, too many foibles. And top-four players need to at least offer the potential of consistency.Ideally, he would bat no lower than No. 7 and be given the chance to establish himself there without further confusion. Batting at No. 8 will be an obvious temptation – it allows room for Jos Buttler at No. 7 and still allows room for four seamers (including Stokes) – but Moeen’s record there is poor. Often forced to accelerate before he is ready, he averages only 28.06 in 19 innings there. At No. 7, high enough to placate his batsman’s pride and low enough to alleviate the worst of the pressure of expectation, he averages 87.85 in 10 innings.The other issue he faces is the possibility that he has been replaced as England’s first-choice spinner. Adil Rashid has claimed far more wickets than him this series (22 to nine) and has been referred to as England’s “best spinner” by the coach, Trevor Bayliss. There won’t be too many surfaces in England when they require two spinners, though they may conclude that, such is their allround strength, they have room for both Rashid and Moeen.Recognising this problem some weeks ago, the England management have given Moeen a chance to establish himself as a specialist batsman (and support spin bowler) in recent weeks. As Bayliss said after the Mumbai Test: “We came here to give Moeen a chance to cement a spot in the top six and play more as a bat and, as we saw in the first three games, the third spinner.”This century may convince them that he has taken the chance. But Moeen, who batted everywhere from one to nine in his first 35 Tests, has emerged as England’s ultimate utility player and is likely to remain in a floating role in the immediate future. If England’s priority is getting the best out of Moeen, they will probably bat him at No. 7 or higher, but if the priority is what is best for the side, it is understandable that, despite all the runs this year, he plays his next Test as a No. 8.

Dropped catches and poor use of the DRS set tone for a frustrating day for New Zealand

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin11-Mar-2017Over 24.3: Incorrect review, Duminy on 2 Trent Boult was convinced he had JP Duminy caught behind with a delivery that swung away late and squared him up, taking what looked like an outside edge. BJ Watling and James Neesham, stationed at slip, appealed with Bout, who was so convinced he called for a review on his own, almost leaving Kane Williamson with no choice but to go upstairs. Williamson should have waited on Neesham’s word, because the allrounder was signalling that he knew Duminy’s bat had not made contact with the ball and it had come off the thigh pad. Instead, he went with Boult but Hotspot confirmed Neesham was correct and New Zealand’s first review was gone.Over 28.1: Dropped, Duminy on 6 Two overs later, Boult should have had Duminy legitimately when he induced the edge with a delivery that swung away and took the shoulder of the bat on the way through to slip. Tom Latham at first slip in place of the injured Ross Taylor went for a regulation catch with both hands but spilled the chance.Over 37.6: No review, Duminy on 20 After surviving the pace onslaught, Duminy’s next challenge was spin in the form of Jeetan Patel, who should have dismissed him at the end of his first over of the morning. The delivery was tossed up and turned away from Duminy, beat the outside edge and struck him on the back pad. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave it not out and New Zealand, despite a vociferous appeal, opted not to review. Ball-tracking showed that the ball would have gone on to hit off stump. Had New Zealand referred it, Dharamasena’s on-field decision would have been overturned.Over 39.3: Incorrect review, Duminy on 27 The frustration of their missed opportunity may have led to New Zealand referring another Patel delivery to Duminy. A flatter ball that skidded on caught Duminy on the back foot and crashed into his front pad. Dharmasena said not out and New Zealand reviewed. BJ Watling seemed to be as convinced as Patel, and Williamson went on the keeper and bowler’s word. Replays showed a thick inside edge had actually caused the ball to deflect onto the pad so Duminy was safe.Over 40.3: Dropped, Elgar on 35 In the next over, Watling could have redeemed himself by taking the catch that would have sent Elgar, who had remained out of the action up to that point, back to the dressing room. Neesham angled a ball into Elgar from round the wicket, who was drawn into a poke and the edge carried fairly wide of Watling but in between him and Latham at a wide slip. Watling dived full stretch to his left, went for the catch one-handed and got fingertips to it but needed more reach and a tighter grip to hold on. Watling also dropped Elgar in the first innings on 36.Over 53.1: Dropped, Elgar on 48 New Zealand removed Duminy shortly after lunch but gave Elgar a third life when he went down the track to attack a Patel delivery that was tossed up offside. Elgar hit the ball hard towards the two short covers positioned there for that exact reason. Colin de Grandhomme was one of them, on the field in place of the injured Taylor, and the ball burst through his hands. Not only did Elgar get away with a bit of rashness, but he also got the two runs that took him to fifty.Over 61.4: Doesn’t carry, Elgar on 61 Elgar continued to be a little uncertain against spin when he reached out to drive a Patel offbreak and got an outside edge. The ball fell just short of Neesham at first slip. Had he been a step closer, who not come up so quickly from his stance, Neesham may have been able to take the catch low down. Instead, it was another near-miss. Over 73.5: Survived, Elgar on 73 New Zealand thought they had finally seen the back of Elgar when he was given out caught behind off Patel on the last ball before tea by umpire Dharmasena but they celebrated too soon. South Africa still had a review in hand and Elgar knew he hadn’t hit the ball. The sound New Zealand and Dharmasena heard was bat on pad, and the absence of a mark on Hotspot or a spike on Snicko confirmed it. Dharmasena’s decision was overturned and Elgar’s innings resumed after the break.