Australia v South Africa: Third Test, Day 3
When I was 7, dad bought me a book of cricket cartoons. The front cover posed the question: “How to get Viv Richards out”, with a picture of a blindfolded Viv taking guard in front of about 5 sets of stumps. The 2012 version could feature Hashim Amla. He is just a nightmare to bowl to. Against Australia in Perth, he punished anything outside off stump, however if the bowlers even strayed within 5 inches of his off peg, he whipped them through midwicket. Then again, the Australian bowlers could have showed a little more consistency of line and length today. Though when you are bowling to a person in that form, line and length is easier than it sounds.
After Kallis was well caught by Johnson at fine leg, AB de Villiers strode out to the wicket with a few question marks over his head. Could he keep wicket and continue his stellar batting form of the past 4 years? OK, that was just one question, but a fair one at that. By the time AB had reverse-swept his third successive boundary with that audacious shot to bring up a scintillating hundred, the question had just about been answered. From that point, he really opened up the shoulders and raced to 169. By the way,Hashim Amla was relatively pedestrian today in making 196 off 220-odd deliveries. His innings ended by another fantastic Mitchell Johnson catch off his own bowling. This represented something of a purple patch for Johnson, who had Elgar out leg before in the same over. The unfortunate debutant registered a pair on debut.
From there, the innings fell in something of a heap. South Africa lost their last 5 wickets for 31, though the damage had well and truly been done. Mitchell Starc finished with 6 wickets in a good display of perseverance, though he conceded nearly 6 an over. Johnson took 4, and was the standout bowler. Australia were set 632 to win, or forced to bat for 14 hours to save the match. Despite intereference from a few flys that seemed to enjoy Ed Cowans helmet, the Australian openers went to stumps with their wickets intact. Two more days to go. Good news for Australia – Hashim Amla will not have to bat again this series.
Australian Cricket News 