Cricket Results: Smith and Amla guide South Africa to incredible win

Bat and ball / Editor / 11 November 2011 / Leave a Comment

Lean on me. Man-of-the match Vernon Philander and captain and centurion Graeme Smith enjoy a moment in the sun

"This match not only highlighted the unpredictability of the game, but also the beauty of in-play betting – pick your moment and there are some cracking odds out there!"

After day two in which 23 wickets fell, it was a relatively tranquil end to proceedings with Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla both scoring centuries as South Africa chased down 236. What went on before that was one of the most extraordinary Test matches ever...

After South Africa were dismissed for the 96 early on day two, conceding a first innings deficit of 188, not too many viewers at home would have predicted the home side securing an eight-wicket victory midway day three. But cricket, as they say, is a funny old game, and a mad 18 overs (the sum total of Australia's second innings) turned the game on its head in spectacular fashion.

After 55 balls South Africa's seam bowling trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and debutant Vernon Philander - who claimed 5-15 in only his second Test innings - had claimed six Australia wickets between them, and at 21-9 the visitors were staring down the barrel of the lowest ever Test score.

A late flourish from Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon took the Aussies to the relative 'credibility' of 47, and - bizarrely, given the comprehensive nature of their capitulation - kept Michael Clarke's side in the box seat. After a brace of two-figure scores in the same day, South Africa's victory target of 236 seemed more like 500.

This was reflected in the odds available on a South Africa win throughout most of yesterday's play. Australia's struggles only served to convince most punters that the pitch was the proverbial minefield, but those brave enough to stick their neck out (after all, lightning never strikes thrice in the same place on the same day, does it?) were able to make a tidy profit.

For those who had the foresight to back the Proteas prior to Australia's spectacular collapse, it was an even better day - South were backed at odds as long as [13.5] by a few very canny punters, who will no doubt have enjoyed the serene fashion with which Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla both compiled tons on a pitch that appeared to transform from a spitting cobra into a feather bed in the blink of an eye.

This match not only highlighted the unpredictability of the game, but also the beauty of in-play betting - pick your moment and there are some cracking odds out there!
Attention now turns to the second (and, unfortunately, the last) Test of the series. With both batting line-ups looking clueless against the swinging ball, a draw seems unlikely, so there's value in laying a 1-0 series win for South Africa.

What do you think of the Newlands pitch? Was it suitable for Test cricket?

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