England Cricket / Ed Hawkins / 15 January 2010 / Leave a Comment

England are staring defeat in the face in Johannesburg unless they produce a fine bowling display today. Ed Hawkins guides us through the action with the stats, tips and trends. Email him here

CLOSE 16.10 SA 212-2
We'll be back from 08.00 tomorrow to make up for lost time. A disappointing end to a frustrating day. Let's hope for better things on day three. South Africa [1.59], the draw [2.94] and England [26.00].

BAD LIGHT 15.46 SA 212-2
Well, that is frustrating. Only 15 minutes of play possible and the players are heading back to the pavilion. And people wonder why there are empty seats at Test matches these days. The people that have bothered to turn up have sat through a thunderstorm and waited for a flooded outfield to drain only for bad light to scupper play for the day it would seem. The sun is out and the floodlights are on. In this day and age where there is so much competition for people's time, it is not acceptable. Oh, tiresome. I've ranted on this subject before. Enough.

15.38 SA 212-2
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said yesterday that this pitch and situation was perfect for Jacques Kallis, who is [2.00] to score a 50. Kallis averages 45 at Jo'burg with two centuries. He also has a mark of 63 in the fourth Test of a series. .

15.28 SA 208-2
Light and rain permitting we should get another 14 overs before the close. We will have to start half an hour earlier tomorrow, too for lost time. I'm not too sure whether South Africa will fancy this spell tonight. It could be tricky for them. But England would definitely rather be in the dressing room. They must take wickets or get the run rate down. Both are likely scenarios given Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis must start from scratch.

15.11 SA 208-2
Restart in 15 minutes sports fans. Draw comes out to [3.15] as that news breaks.

WET OUTFIELD 14.47 SA 208-2
Sirloin of Beef reckons we need another 30 minutes or so before play can be considered because water is coming up where the bowlers run in. Still, we have an extra hour tonight which can be claimed to make up for lost time. The umps are inspecting as we speak.

WET OUTFIELD 14.14 SA 208-2
Pitch inspection in half and hour.

WET OUTFIELD 13.43 SA 208-2
We're expecting a statement from SABC, the host broadcaster, over the furore of the Smith referral earlier in the day. Basically, it was the edge heard by all around the world apart from Daryl Harper, who had the volume turned up to mark four out of 10 on the stump microphone. Whether that is enough to hear or not, we don't know. What we do know is that it is an absolute farce.

TEA 13.12 208-2
It has stopped raining. The puddles are being mopped up. Nasser Hussain is doing his best to shorten the draw. "I think South Africa should be worried. All the talk before this game was of a poor pitch but it's a good one ... it allows England to think that they might be able to do another great escape."

RAIN 12.26 SA 208-2
The draw into [3.00] as shots of a flooded Wanderers appear on our screen. I'm sure that will be it for the day, folks. "Still enough time for a result," says Michael Atherton.

RAIN 12.17 SA 208-2
The thunderstorm has arrived. South Africa out to [1.55] and the draw [3.15]. I wonder if that could be it for the day?

RAIN 12.12 SA 208-2
South Africa drift to [1.45] as the players go off. The draw is [3.50]. Not a bad time to back them one would have thought.

12.01 SA 201-2
England needed that. Sidebottom needed that. Unfortunately for the tourists it brings Jacques Kallis to the crease. He who loves nothing more than grinding the opposition into submission in such circumstances. A bit of rain in the air says Nasser Hussain on comms.

WICKET 12.00 SA 201-2
G Smith c Strauss b Sidebottom 105. South Africa [1.38], the draw [4.10] and England [30.00].

11.52 SA 196-1
The Smith stats. Back-to-back centuries. 16 fours. 241 minutes. His second 50 came in 77 deliveries. His 20th Test ton. His sixth v England. [1.35] South Africa, [4.10] the draw.

11.50 193-1
A century for Smith. Oh my, England are in so deep they'd get the bend if they ever surfaced. What they need, of course, is Matthew Hoggard. Remember how he use to bend the ball into his pads and Smith looked powerless? I believe it was at this ground that Hoggard trapped him leg before with such force that Smith ended up flat on his face and when he looked up, he saw the umpire's finger pointing at him. Oh look, here it is.

11.33 SA 173-1
Sacha has been on email. "Smith is looking like a colossus. SA really need to ram home this advantage now, ensure they bat once and give themselves enough time to bowl Eng out. It's like Groundhog Day, except that the adhesive Onions (could be a catchy band name) won't be around this time." Yes, what sort of music would Adhesive Onions play? I'm going for grunge rock.

11.16 SA 166-1
Stuart Broad starts with four wides after lunch. Not what England required. Quick wickets are needed. More likely, England need to stem the flow of runs. They have to find a way of hanging in there until the rain comes when they can regroup and think again. Mind you, their backers would hope they did a bit of that at the lunch break.

LUNCH 10.36 SA 161-1, trail by 19
South Africa in the box seat, cosy, with a good book and beverages and delicacies within arm's reach. Graeme Smith is the architect of the home side's commanding position. His 84 not out has been tremendous to watch, a real example of runs under pressure. Hashim Amla has 53. It has to be said that it has been a disastrous session for England, one that has cost them the series. True they thought they had Smith caught behind to spark controversy but they were just not threatening enough with the ball. Their only hope of escape lies with the weather. There is plenty of rain about but surely not enough to deny South Africa at [1.36]. The draw is [4.20] and England an irrelevant [30.00].

10.21 SA 150-1
The weather forecast is far from special for today. Shaun Pollock reckons it will start raining around 13.00. Nasser Hussain 14.00. This weather forecast makes us none the wiser. Gosh, the Highveld appears to be a miserable place to live. It's up there with Scunthorpe, or somewhere.

10.10 SA 135-1
Graeme Smith looks imperious as he swats Graeme Swann for four to reduce the deficit to just 44. Of course, he shouldn't really be there. We had controversy first thing when he appeared to edge behind with South Africa on 36. Poor old Sidebum was the bowler. It was referred but there are strong rumours that third ump Daryl Harper did not have the use of the stump microphone. Don't know why. But if he had, Smith would have been on his way given it sounded like someone chopping down a tree.

09.54 SA 128-1
It it is not quite desperation but there is a definite whiff. Graeme Swann is bowling. Now, utilising Swann could never be described as a panic measure but the mere fact he is bowling so early in the piece highlights England's strife. The seamers are supposed to be doing the damage. Indeed, only 9% of wickets to have fallen at The Wanderers since 2000 have gone to spin bowlers.

09.32 SA 102-1
There is something comforting about once again seeing Ryan Sidebottom's angry face on our screens. Like a long, lost furious friend. He has been getting increasingly irate this morning as the overs without a wicket click by. It is hard not to feel for the chap. Plucked from bag-carrying duty, Sidebottom is expected to bowl out South Africa on a green top. But he has hardly bowled on this tour. Not since December 12 in fact. One game he has played. It is no wonder that he has looked as though he is about to combust. Andrew Strauss has taken him off, just in case. A fifty for Smith.

09.10 SA 74-1
There is not a huge amount of cash sloshing around the top South Africa bat at the moment. Jacques Kallis, though, is as big as [6.20] for small money. Graeme Smith is the favourite at [2.20]. He has 33 to his name. Hashim Amla (14 not out) is [4.10] and AB De Villiers [7.20]. Smith, by the way, is leading runscorer in the series with 339 having just nudged past Kallis.

08.50 SA 58-1
South Africa are looking to go way past England in the hope they can win this Test, and save the series, by an innings. They will need runs from someone, so who's it going to be? Yesterday we began discussions about top South Africa bat but they were disrupted by the weather. So pasted below are stats reproduced form yesterday to help out.
Averages/centuries at Jo'burg
Smith 47/1
Amla 49/1
Kallis 45/2
Ab de Villiers 20/1
JP Duminy 23/0
Boucher 25/0

08.39 SA 54-1
A few gremlins in the system this morning, folks but everything appears to be dandy now. England have had their problems, too. Only now is James Anderson coming onto bowl. Odd. There has been swing galore but instead Andrew Strauss has favoured Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom. South Africa [1.44], England [8.40] and the draw [4.90].

WICKET 08.18 SA 36-1
A Prince c Swann b Broad 19

08.12 SA 36-0
Stuart Broad and Ryan SIdebottom in action for England. Contrasting styles, contrasting looks. Both have absolutely fierce tempers, though. I'd rather have James Anderson bowling myself. There is decent swing to be had.

08.00 SA 30-0
An earlier start for us because of yesterday's bad light. England striving for wickets, South Africa merely for crease time. They know that that they need only to bat well for a couple of sessions and they have this Test in their pockets. Do bear in mind we have some weather on the way, however. The local weather forecasters are predicting some heavy stuff after lunch.

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