David Warner’s historic unbeaten double-century in his 100th Test will be what is most remembered from the second day of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the MCG on Tuesday, but Anrich Nortje’s phenomenal effort with the ball should not be forgotten either.
Although Nortje finished with figures of just one for 50 in 16 overs as Australia piled up 386 for three and Warner retired hurt with severe cramp after scoring 200 off just 254 balls, his fiery, indefatigable fast bowling certainly caught the imagination of the 42 000 people at the MCG.
Nortje strung together some of the fastest overs recorded in Test cricket, consistently exceeding 150km/h for lengthy periods, and his endurance on a sweltering day when the temperature touched 40° was incredible. Even the notorious Bay 13 spectators were charmed by Nortje, who signed many autographs on various items, downed a bottle of water for their entertainment and had his warm-up routine mimicked by the crowd, as they used to do most famously for Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes.
Not even being struck to the ground by spidercam could get Nortje down.
“I was just trying to get a breakthrough, be more aggressive and bring out the pace. I wasn’t bowling as quickly as I can, but I did try to speed it up,” Nortje said after a torrid day’s play for the Proteas.
“Bowling the one over on the first day, I felt I needed to adjust to the wicket, which is a good one. There’s a bit of a slope upwards and my focus was on getting my momentum through the crease rather than jumping up.
“It started clicking and then you can push a bit more when you feel you have the momentum, you just ride it and not try to force anything else. I felt I had good rhythm and just tried to come as hard as I can.
“It’s a good wicket for batting, but if you can hit good areas over time then you can get reward, good bumpers can make the batsmen a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately it just didn’t work out for us today,” Nortje said.
Warner became just the second batsman after England’s Joe Root to score a double century in his 100th Test, and the veteran left-hander became the eighth Australian to score 8000 Test runs. It was his first Test century in nearly three years.
“He batted really well, hats off to him for the energy and fight he showed,” Nortje said.
The Sharks motored into a 12-0 lead after just 16 minutes, thanks to rapid recycles of the ball and tremendous direct rugby, but they then spluttered and allowed the Lions back into the game before eventually running rampant from the hour mark to win 37-10 in their United Rugby Championship match at Kings Park on Friday evening.
It was all smooth sailing for the Sharks at the start of the derby and, in the ninth minute, they kept possession through nine phases, after a strong carry by eighthman Phepsi Buthelezi, going right and then left before inside centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg broke the defensive line and passed inside for wing Makazole Mapimpi to score.
With 67% possession in the first half, the Sharks were soon back on attack and, after bashing away on the line against the stout Lions defence, they went wide, two short loop passes being followed by fullback Boeta Chamberlain knifing through for the try.
But the shift in momentum perhaps came straight afterwards as flank Jeandre Labuschagne misjudged the restart, dropping the ball, and Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe was on hand to kick through and score the try.
The Lions gained belief to go with their tireless efforts on defence, and despite making just 35 tackles to the visitors’ 105 in the first half, the Sharks went into halftime just 12-7 up.
Flyhalves Curwin Bosch and Jordan Hendrikse traded scrum penalties in the first six minutes of the second half, but the Sharks eventually showed why they were top of the log in southern hemisphere competition when SuperRugby was killed by Covid and remain one of the most highly-rated teams in Europe.
The turnaround came out of the blue as Chamberlain charged down a clearance by Lions fullback Andries Coetzee, centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg gathered and his pop pass found just the right player in scrumhalf Grant Williams, whose sheer speed from just outside the 22 made his try impossible to stop.
Having defended so much, perhaps fatigue set in for the Lions in the final quarter and they began to make basic errors. Centre Marius Louw strayed in front of the kicker, Jaden Hendrikse took a quick tap for the Sharks, Sikhumbuzo Notshe burst clear and Siya Kolisi rounded off the try.
The ever-busy Mapimpi then kicked through a dropped ball in the Lions backline, his second kick being a touch of Messi-like class, as he grabbed his second try at the death.
Anrich Nortje had it all in synch on the second day of the first Test against the West Indies as he took five wickets.
Anrich Nortje led a superb display with the ball by the Proteas, but South Africa’s top-order then folded again with the bat in a familiar story on the second day of the first Test against the West Indies at Centurion on Wednesday.
The Proteas reached stumps on a desperate 49 for four in their second innings, but with a first-innings lead of 130 their overall position is much more positive, with a lead of 179, six wickets in hand and a pitch that is starting to do the unexpected.
That sizeable first-innings lead was thanks to the excellent work of the bowlers, who dismissed the West Indies for 212, Nortje taking a wonderful five for 36 in 16 overs. Bowling with tremendous fire, but also ruthless control, Nortje spearheaded a dramatic collapse that saw the tourists, looking solid on 169 for three, lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs.
The hottest bowler in the country this season typically said he could not have done it without the help of his fellow bowlers and the support of some vociferous spectators.
“It was nice to have a bit of a crowd at my back, and most of the time something was happening with the ball, with the wind blowing across the right-handers also helping,” Nortje said.
“KG [Rabada] also bowled really well before me and I just tried to capitalise on that and take the momentum further. There was movement and that breeze, and that played into our favour.
“I think the attack did a pretty good job. We just tried to control the run-rate and still try to be attacking. It was nice to see Gerald Coetzee come in too and do his thing. I was very happy for him, he’s bowled lots of overs domestically at high pace and was with us in England and Australia. Charl Langeveldt [bowling coach] helped him a bit with some small tweaks.
“We could all see how happy he was to get his first Test wicket and I’m sure he will have a long career going forward,” Nortje said.
With the West Indies coming in to bat half-an-hour into the morning session, it was Rabada who provided the early pressure. He produced a peach of a delivery, pitching middle-and-off and hitting the top of off-stump to bowl Kraigg Brathwaite for 11. The captain might have saved himself with a better stride with the front foot.
But the West Indies, much like the Proteas on the first day, batted solidly up front. Tagenarine Chanderpaul (22), Raymon Reifer (62) and Jermaine Blackwood (37) saw them to 136 for three at tea.
With much caution against the probing attack on a helpful pitch, the West Indies top-order strung together partnerships of 22, 36, 64 and 47.
But from 3.36pm, when Marco Jansen, who did not seem to have his best rhythm, had Reifer caught behind with his best ball of the day, angling in and then just nipping away from the left-hander; until 4.06pm, when Alzarri Joseph (4) became Nortje’s fourth victim, the Proteas enjoyed a great half-hour. They took five wickets for 21 runs in the space of 28 deliveries.
The next ball after Reifer’s dismissal saw Rabada have Roston Chase (22) caught at first slip and Nortje then removed Josh da Silva (4) and Jason Holder (0) in the same over. The 29-year-old completed his fourth five-wicket haul in 19 Tests when he had Kyle Mayers caught at fine leg, top-edging a hook, for 18.
“Things can happen quickly here,” Nortje said, “you just have to try and do the basics for as long as possible.”
First-innings centurion Aiden Markram made a flying start to the South African second innings, racing to 35 not out off just 33 balls with six fours, but West Indies made inroads at the other end.
Dean Elgar (1) will be furious with himself for once again being caught at third man trying to ramp Joseph, totally unnecessarily, while Tony de Zorzi fell first ball to Kemar Roach and Temba Bavuma also suffered a golden duck, making him just the fourth player to make a pair in his first Test as captain, also being caught behind, off Joseph, who was probably still celebrating his career-best five for 81 in the first innings. The only consolation for De Zorzi and Bavuma was that they were both excellent deliveries, tough to get first up.
A busy day’s cricket – the Proteas had started Wednesday by taking their first innings from 314 for eight to 342 all out – ended with Holder trapping Keegan Petersen lbw for seven with a bit of a grubber that jagged back into the batsman.
Aiden Markram celebrated his return to Test cricket with an impressively-controlled century.
The Proteas may have lost wickets and closed up shop in the second half of the day, but the enduring image of the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies at Centurion will be Aiden Markram stroking the ball around SuperSport Park on his way to a comeback century.
It was just like the old days as Markram compiled a fabulous 115 off 174 balls in four-and-a-half hours at the crease, the opener’s first Test century since February 2021 leading South Africa to 314 for eight at stumps after they won what seems a good toss.
He and fellow opener Dean Elgar, stripped of the captaincy, needed some good fortune in the morning, but they both showed the determination and skill to fight through the new ball and they put on an impressive 141 for the first wicket.
It was out of character for Elgar to give his wicket away on 71 by ramping Alzarri Joseph to third man, where Jermaine Blackwood did well to hang on to the speeding ball above his head while tumbling backwards, but the left-hander had done the sort of defiant job at the start of the innings that he also did in the good old days. He was also more expansive than he often is, striking 11 fours and needing just 118 balls for his 71 runs.
Another left-hander, the debutant Tony de Zorzi, then joined Markram, and when South Africa went to tea on 206 for one, they seemed set to plunder runs in the final session against an attack that was looking increasingly flat.
But De Zorzi, looking for an unlikely third run, was run out for 28 and, from 221 for one, the Proteas lost their next seven wickets for just 79 runs.
Markram later said, however, that with the ball moving around all day, the home side will certainly take their position at the end of the day.
“We started really well after lunch, but as the pitch got quicker, it became clear that any ball could have your name on it,” Markram said. “The ball was still going sideways a couple of overs before the second new ball was due, so there was still quite a lot in the wicket even at the end of the day.”
Markram drove the ball magnificently through the covers, where most of his 18 fours came from, but also seemed to dial back his strokeplay a little, not going quite as hard as he can, his sixth Test century being an impressively controlled effort.
“I’ve been having nice chats to the coaches and the senior players, and with the slower bounce here on the first day, it can be difficult to drive,” Markram said. “In the past, I might have just gone hard anyway, but I understand now that, at some stages, you have to either earn the right to drive or the ball has to be extremely full.
“It’s not about being any less aggressive, but instead just trying to keep it as simple as possible. The attitude from the coaches is that each guy has his own strengths and if the ball is in your area then no worries, even if it doesn’t work out. But you have to marry that with the conditions and the bowling attack you’re up against,” the 28-year-old Markram said.
The West Indies picked up the big wicket of Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, trapped in front by Joseph for a two-ball duck in the same over as De Zorzi’s run out, and Joseph then speared a superb yorker into Markram’s stumps four overs later as the home side slipped to 236 for four.
Heinrich Klaasen was in counter-attack mode as he went to 20 off 22 balls, but he then miscued an attempted pull off Shannon Gabriel into the hands of Joseph, running from mid-on.
Senuran Muthusamy, surprisingly in the XI instead of Keshav Maharaj or another batsman, shouldered arms and was trapped in front by Kemar Roach for three, and Keegan Petersen dug in for an hour-and-a-half, but could only amass 14 runs in 50 balls before he walked across his stumps and was lbw to Kyle Mayers’ inswingers.
Marco Jansen (17*) and Gerald Coetzee, another debutant, who struck his first two balls for fours to reach 11 not out at stumps, will resume on the second morning.
Overnight, Markram will be able to savour a Test career resumed in the most impressive fashion. He said the confidence placed in him by new Test coach Shukri Conrad, who insisted he be recalled and open the batting, had helped inspire him on Tuesday.
“It might have been a good thing to be dropped, it meant I started today with a clean slate,” Markram said. “I was heartsore about not being in Australia, but the reasons I was given by the selectors were quite clear and I was happy with the explanation.
“As a batsman, you need runs on the board, and if you don’t have them then your position should be under scrutiny. It probably worked out nicely in the end. It’s been a strange journey, but I’m grateful it worked out today.
“There was a lot of relief when I reached my hundred, but it’s great when a coach backs you, what it does for a player is massive and I’ve always had a really good relationship and understanding with Shukri.
“His backing gave me extra confidence and you also want to do him justice. One of Shukri’s big strengths is that he’s always very clear where you stand and I’m grateful for his backing and another chance,” Markram said, having taken the opportunity with both hands.
Galatians 5:25 – “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep walking in step with the Spirit.”
There is only one Christ and all things that are preached in his name must conform to his character. We can only know Christ’s character through an intimate and personal relationship with him.
How would Christ respond in situations in which you find yourself? Would he be underhanded? Would he be unforgiving and cause broken relationships?
“The value of your faith and the depth of your spiritual experience can only be measured by their practical application in your daily life. You can spend hours at mass crusades; have the ability to pray in public; quote endlessly from the Word; but if you have not had a personal encounter with the living Christ your outward acts count for nothing.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm
Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, Salmaan Moerat, Marco van Staden, Embrose Papier, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Aphelele Fassi.
