England Cricket / Ed Hawkins / 07 January 2010 /

England's series advantage looks under threat with just seven wickets to play with on the final day in Cape Town. Ed Hawkins is on hand to talk us through the action and the odds. Email him here.

MATCH DRAWN 14.00 Eng 296-9
England have again proven they are excellent at mediocrity, saving a Test on the last day for the fifth time on the last six occasions they have been asked to, albeit in extraordinary circumstances. At 272-5 they were cruising before panic stations were well and truly manned as four wickets went in a blur. A repeat rearguard for the tourists would be quite welcome in Johannesburg, venue for the final Test starting on January 14. The Wanderers, however, is a tricky wicket - the last nine have produced results. South Africa, surely, will produce a green top to allow Dale Steyn to be a wrecking ball on his favourite ground. They may as well drop Harris, too and play an extra bowler with JP Duminy a more effective twirler. Regardless of the combatans, let's hope it's another thriller. Series prices: England [1.62] and the draw [2.32].

Last over. South Africa need one wicket. South Africa [2.62] and the draw [1.60]

WICKET 15.41
I Bell c Smith b Morkel 78. South Africa [1.96], the draw [2.00]

WICKET 15.36 Eng 286-7, 3 overs left
S Broad c De Villiers b Harris 0. South Africa [5.00] and the draw [1.22]

15.30 Eng 282-7, 5 overs left
Paul Harris is gamely having another go. Enjoy it, pal, it might be your last appearance in a South Africa shirt. He has taken two wickets but he has been largely underused by Graeme Smith today, betraying a lack of confidence. On a fifth day pitch a spinner should be far more of a threat. Instead, he has bowled dreadfully, especially at the death here when he is far too full. Still, Harris will not be alone in terms of spinners who have tried, failed and then cast aside by failing to bowl either South Africa or England to victory in last-day clashes between the countries. I can think of three others.
0-52 Clive Eksteen Jo'burg 1995 (the Atherton Test)
0-117 Phil Tufnell Durban 1999
2-91 Monty Panesar Edgbaston 2008

15.20 Eng 282-7
Seven overs left. Four will be bowled by Dale Steyn and three by JP Duminy, who is operating with EIGHT fielders around the bat.

15.13 Eng 278-7
Drama. Stuart Broad looked as if he struck a bump ball into the hands of one of the plethora of fielders (there are so many under hats and helmets it is difficult to make them out). South Africa said it was an edge. So it went upstairs. Frankly, it was impossible to tell. It didn't appear to hit the ground but it was one of those where umpires just cannot give it, especially at such a pivotal time. Get Dale Steyn on, South Africa. South Africa [4.80] and the draw [1.25].

15.07 Eng 278-7
There are 10 overs left today. South Africa have a chance. A sniff. It is the spin of JP Duminy that has given them this window, that and a brilliant catch by AB De Villiers. Fielders surround the batsman now.

WICKET 15.01 Eng 278-7
M Prior c AB De Villiers b Duminy 4. South Africa [3.50] and the draw [1.40]

14.55 Eng 272-6
Well, a flurry of excitement. Matt Prior is in. That puts paid to hopes that we might get an early call off as went enter the last hour. There are 13 overs left. Surely South Africa can't win this? No, of course not.

WICKET 14.51 Eng 272-6
P Collingwood c Kallis b JP Duminy 40. South Africa [7.40] and the draw [1.15].

14.42 Eng 269-5
So why is Paul Collingwood so good at saving Tests? It's all down to his back lift. Or lack of one. Brigadier Block barely lifts it up, just manoeuvring it in front of the ball, or not, at the last moment. He is so difficult to remove because the lack of a back lift makes it a waste of time for him to play a runscoring stroke, so often the downfall of batters. 'Why try to stroke something through the covers when there will barely be any power on it when runs are irrelevant. I may as well leave it'. It makes a mockery of pundits who say batsmen have to play their natural game in these circumstances. In fact, it's the last thing they need to do. If Collingwood was playing his natural game here, he would have been out by now. No back lift cuts out his great technical weakness of playing across the line.

14.15 Eng 257-5
South Africa's last throw of the dice it would seem. Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis are operating in tandem with attacking fields; three slips, gully, short extra, short mid off, short mid on, short midwicket, short leg. Not doing any good, though. South Africa [7.80].

14.04 Eng 251-5
Ian Bell has 50. Good innings from him. Praise for the Warwickshire man has been in short supply on this blog for some time but we're prepared to give credit where it's due. A little grudgingly, though. We quite like the fact that Bell is good when the pressure is off and bad when it's on, it enables us to win money. So an innings of this substance which punches a hole in our strategy isn't that welcome. Well played, anyway.

13.51 Eng 239-5
If Collingwood and Bell can negotiate the next burst from Dale Steyn, which must be imminent, and ensure South Africa still need five wickets as we enter the last 20 overs, England are surely safe. It is also worth remembering that although England's collapse at Centurion came against the new ball, it was all sparked by Kevin Pietersen's crazy run out. Given that either Collingwood or Bell are not doing any running, South Africa really need something remarkable. Oh, hang on ... here comes Steyn now.

13.34 Eng 231-5
No doubt South Africa would have discussed England's collapse at Centurion to try to gee themselves up for this last session. Fair enough I suppose. Although I would point out that they didn't win that Test and the procession of wickets was down to a new ball. South Africa do not have one of those, nor will they do for the rest of the game. It is 27 overs old and there are 33 overs left.

TEA 13.12 Eng 230-5
Paul 'Barnacle' Collingwood is doing it again for England. He has survived for 135 balls, eking out 31 runs. Ian Bell is not doing too bad either with 38 of 111. Together they have taken England to the brink of safety after a wicketless session. They have seen off the new ball and since then, they haven't looked like making a mistake. South Africa [3.30] and the draw [1.42].

12.56 Eng 225-5
As South Africa falter, I thought they might need to get the blood flowing a little bit. So I give you Lucy Versamy, a huge favourite on this blog. She's a weather girl. She comes in useful during summer Tests in England. Not sure she knows too much about SA forecasting, though.

12.34 Eng 210-5
Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell look comfortable indeed as we pass the halfway mark of the day. There are 43 overs left, which seems an awful lot but when you consider only two wickets have fallen up until this point, and one of those was James Anderson, then it is easy to see why South Africa might start to get deflated. All very quiet out in the middle at the moment. They need a spark.

12.19 Eng 206-5
With Dale Steyn out of the attack, the flip occurs. The draw is now favourite at [1.98] with South Africa at [2.00]. Not surprising, really. Looking back, only one specialist batsmen has been removed today. South Africa could do with Ian Bell having a brain surge.

12.06 Eng 205-5
South Africa must average a wicket every 10 overs from now. A tough ask, particularly as the new ball is now 10 overs old. Will panic begin to set in? Steyn has bowled six off the reel. He can't go on for much longer. Maybe a back of the draw is required at [2.22]

11.52 Eng 202-5
Three maidens in a row as South Africa build pressure, two of them from Dale Steyn. If there is to be a breakthrough for the hosts within the next five or six overs it is most likely going to come from Steyn, who is bowling terrifically. He is hostile, quick and right on the button. Indeed, he is giving Collingwood, England's rock, a bit of a going over. The draw is in to [2.34].

11.31 Eng 198-5
The dynamics of a fifth day match odds market are fascinating. When we have two possible results of a win or a draw, major market moves occur when nothing has really happened of significance. For example, South Africa are warming up nicely with this new ball. But because they have failed to take a wicket with it in three overs, they have drifted out to [1.58]. In comes the draw to [2.72]. Overreaction. If you can get your timing right, you can make a packet. An over before the new ball, South Africa were [1.30].

11.16 Eng 180-5
Three slips, short leg and a gully for South Africa as they take the new ball. We'll stop short of announcing, with a voice injected with hyperbole, that "this is the Test match right here" but the hosts need to make it count. They need to average a wicket every 12.4 overs to win the Test with 62 left. The average in fourth-innings on this ground histroically is a wicket every 12 overs.

11.09 Eng 179-5
One over to go then until the new ball. Paul Harris has it. Dale Steyn is likely to start off with the cherry. he has bowled superbly in this dig, producing a real snorter to get Trott.

LUNCH 10.32 Eng 179-5
The new ball will be due pretty much straight after lunch. If South Africa waste it, England will dare to feel confident about saving it. Paul Collingwood is the key wicket. If he goes after the break ... well, you should know by now the implications. South Africa [1.37], the draw [3.70]

10.18 Eng 171-5
England could not have two more contrasting batsmen at the crease. Paul Collingwood, a belt and braces man, loves a scrap. Ian Bell less so. He looks pretty, sometimes plays pretty, too, but he's about as comfortable as a poodle down a pit in a rearguard action like this. In the second innings, the coalface of Test cricket if you like, Collingwood averages a hugely impressive 37. Bell averages a whole 10 runs less.

10.00 Eng 162-5
A snorter of a ball from Dale Steyn. It nipped back just a touch and Trott was left bewildered. He was looking around to see where his off stump was. It had cartwheeled yards back. South Africa are halfway through and with a new ball due in nine overs, they are as good as cooked. Ian Bell is the new man at the crease. This situation does not suit him at all. We all know Bell struggles to hang around when his team are relying on him.

WICKET 09.55 Eng 160-5
J Trott b Steyn 42. South Africa [1.24] and the draw [5.10].

09.32 Eng 158-4
Paul Collingwood, or Brigadier Block as he is known in these last innings rearguards, holds the key for England. In three of the four Test matches that England saved (as listed at 08.48) Collingwood was the glue that held the innings together. For example, at Centurion in this series the Brigadier batted for 159 minutes for his unbeaten 26 and in Cardiff against Australia in the summer he made 74 in 344 minutes. He is [2.34] for a 50. South Africa are so desperate to get him that a couple of balls ago, Colly had to refer a 'catch' to slip. The replays showed there was only a deflection off his thigh.

09.22 Eng 153-4
James Anderson has suffered a slice of misfortune. He got an edge from a sweep shot onto his boot and it flew to Ashwell Prince at leg slip, who took a fine diving catch. No matter. Anderson batted for eight minutes shy of an hour. That brings Paul Collingwood to the crease. He is the key wicket for South Africa.

WICKET 09.17 Eng 153-4
J Anderson c Prince b Harris 9. South Africa [1.50], the draw [5.00]

09.04 Eng 144-3
With the first half hour safely negotiated, England's next big Test is the new ball, which is due in 23 overs' time. If England are only four down (with James Anderson the man out) the home side and the draw will be about level pegging. Paul Harris, South Africa's spinner, will have a heavy workload until then and there is a great deal of pressure for him to perform. These sort of situations make or break a spinner's career.

08.48 Eng 139-3
Time for a history lesson, folks. England have plenty of fight in these situations. On the last five occasions when they have been asked to bat out the final day to save a Test, they have done it four times.

Dec 2009 v South Africa (Centurion) 228-9 96 inns overs - 2 wkts down overnight

July 2009 v Australia (Cardiff) 252-9 105inns overs - 1 down overnight

Dec 2007 v Sri Lanka (Galle) 251-6 95 inns overs - 1 down overnight

Dec 2007 v Sri Lanka (Colombo) 250-2 77 inns overs - 1 down overnight

08.32 Eng 132-3
We're underway. Dale Steyn is charging in to Jonathan Trott. Morne Morkel, who has been mightily impressive, will operate from the other end. Friedel de Wet, South Africa's back-up fast man, has a back niggle so expect his pace to be down. A boost for England, that.

08.25 South Africa need seven wickets to level series
Morning all. Welcome to our in-running betting blog for the final day from Newlands. South Africa need seven wickets. England need to bat out 90 overs. We have been in such a situation before with the tourists. Experience tells us that we could be in for a topsy turvy day with the home side and draw price likely to swap favouritism regularly. Here are the odds: South Africa [1.33], the draw [4.10] and ENgland [80.00]

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: