After wrapping up the series in stunning fashion in Johannesburg, England fell flat in the fourth and final Test, a dead rubber, at Centurion. They lost by 280 runs, falling victim to a masterclass by Kagiso Rabada. The 20-year-old, playing in only his sixth Test, terrorised the English batting line-up in both innings to finish with match figures of 13-144, the second-best ever bowling figures by a South African in Test cricket.
The hosts won the toss and chose to bat on a good batting surface which would have a lot of life in it in the final two days. It was a good toss to win as it meant that they had an opportunity to score a mammoth total in the first innings and use that to set an unassailable target for the tourists to chase in the final innings in the difficult conditions which were due later on in the match.
Centuries by 33-year-old debutant Stephen Cook and Hashim Amla put South Africa in a commanding position at 237-1, before the latter fell to Ben Stokes. A flurry of wickets in the final session meant that the hosts had lost four wickets for just 40 runs and at 273-5 they ran the risk of collapsing and handing the initiative to the opposition. But Quinton de Kock, still fighting for his place in the team, produced a great Test innings, scoring 129 off just 128 balls and, supported by Temba Bavuma, Kyle Abbott and Dane Piedt, led his side to a promising total of 475 all-out.
The England bowling attack looked almost indifferent compared to their form in the rest of the series. The final session on the first day was a bright spot, but they toiled with little reward as the batting side racked up a huge total. The only stand-out bowler was Ben Stokes, whose figures of 4-86 show that he is becoming more and more of an all-rounder who can be relied on in Test cricket.
England’s reply started strongly. Alex Hales, whose first series in Test cricket has been a difficult one, and Nick Compton were dismissed relatively cheaply, but strong showings from Alastair Cook and Joe Root, who scored 76 each, put their side back in the match at 208-3.
However, Root, James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow were dismissed in quick succession, leaving the tourists stranded on 211-6. A revival by Stokes, who scored 33 off 29, and Moeen Ali, who finished the innings on 61, helped England get to 342, but considering where they were before Cook and Root were dismissed this was something of a disappointing score. Rabada’s figures of 7-112 truly justified his efforts.
Once again, the English bowlers toiled and Amla’s 96, along with a promising 78 not out from Bavuma, allowed South Africa to declare on 248-5 on day four, setting a target of 382 runs to win. This was a somewhat cautious decision, as the total, though very difficult considering the conditions, was not an impossible one to get, but the hosts’ decision was vindicated.
England found themselves 18-3 as Cook, Hales and Compton put up little resistance to Morne Morkel and a rampant Rabada, but a promising stand at the end of day four from Root and Taylor left them 52-3 going into day five. The next day, things got embarrassing. Morkel and Rabada tore through the batting line-up to end with figures of 3-36 and 6-32 respectively, with Piedt picking up the other wicket as the batting side slumped to 101 all-out.
South Africa’s victory by 280 runs gave them their first win of the four-match series, which ended 2-1 to England. The visitors continued their poor record in dead rubbers—they have not won a Test in a series the result of which has already been decided since 2011—but of all the problems to have this is one of the better ones. They will be delighted with their famous away series win and the players didn’t seem to worried as they celebrated their success.
The main hero of this match was young Kagiso Rabada. He bowled with great pace and skill and really looks like he could become one of cricket’s greatest. There has been plenty of excitement surrounding him—there has even been talk of him hitting 100mph one day—but he is not letting this bother him and continues to perform at a very high level.
It is tough for a young player to get into the South African team; it is tougher to stay in it as they are wary of overworking less experienced men, but he is currently too good to miss any action and could forge a devastating partnership with Dale Steyn if the latter can keep fit.
