The second Test between the Proteas and England at Newlands was an illustration of quality Test cricket, writes Dan Orsmond.

It was in the shadow of Table Mountain where I had the privilege of attending one of the most enthralling Test matches in recent memory, in fact, if I were to develop a set of criteria for what constitutes good Test cricket, this would probably have ticked all the boxes.

A beautiful stadium with an even more beautiful view, a packed house, youngsters, legends, battles within a battle, two evenly matched sides, the barmy army, and most importantly, an even contest between bat and ball.

The ebb and flow of that Test match had me on the edge of my seat for all five days and I would go as far as to argue that all four possible results were on the cards going into the final day.

Having said that, momentum was definitely in favour of the touring side after the all to the familiar batting collapse that the current Proteas side has become notorious for that occurred in their 1^st innings.

Props must go to the English spearhead and fast bowling legend Jimmy Anderson who showed that even at the ripe age of 37, he still has all the skills and ‘prowess’ of anyone in the game. 

Now I am not one to go into the intricate details of each days play, but regardless of proceedings going down to the final hour of the final day, I’d argue that there was a definite inevitability about the result, and dare I say, a definite sense that we got a fair outcome.

England outplayed the Proteas in all three departments of the game. They were more patient, resilient, and confident with the bat, they not only had clear game plans with the ball, but stuck to them relentlessly, and lastly, they took their catches, applied pressure in the field, and turned twos into singles.

Simply put, they performed the basics at a more a consistent level than the Proteas for five days and thoroughly deserve to go into the much needed break ahead of the third Test on an equal footing with South Africa.

Moving on, it’s a funny phenomenon in cricket that you seem to never want to make changes to a winning side, but after a defeat, gaping holes in the playing XI suddenly appear and, in my opinion, we’re often too quick to call for a players head.

Personally, given the players that are available in the current squad, and without having too much to work with from the ongoing 4-day franchise fixtures, I would go with an unchanged side into the third Test.

Having said, I wouldn’t be surprised or rather, a case could be made to shake up the playing XI altogether. Hamza, and Du Plessis have yet to offer much in the form of runs and with an in form, eager and ever promising Keegan Petersen hungry for a spot, partnered with the pressure of defeat weighing on the back of selectors minds, we could see him make a debut in that number 3 slot. 

Furthermore, there can be no denying that South Africa’s recent shortcomings have not been the result of their bowling attack, but rather their fragile and timid looking top 7.

To add some much needed depth to the line-up, I would also not beparticularly surprised to see a batsman coming in for Dwaine Pretorius who, in my opinion, has played his role with the ball fantastically well, but has not been able to contribute with the willow in hand.

That number 7 role, I believe, should be reserved for a batsman who has the ability to contribute with the ball if needed. Dwaine Pretorius is a fantastic cricketer, but in my opinion, is a bowler who can contribute with the bat. If replaced by a specialist batsman, Faf du Plessis could be asked to use Maharaj and Philander to do a ‘holding’ job with the softer and older ball, while Rabada and Nortje operate as the ‘strike’ bowlers of the attack.

What would I do? Personally, I believe that we need to back Dwaine Pretorius as the all-rounder for the series. Maharaj has struggled thus far and I would feel very vulnerable going into a series-deciding Test with three seamers and a spinner who is low on confidence without any realistic 5^th bowling option, aside from Dean Elgar.

Stick with the same XI, give Dwaine and Hamza as much time as we have given others before we pass judgement, and let’s work on doing the fundamentals well.

I’ll hopefully see you all in Port Elizabeth for what is likely to be a cracker of a game!

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