South Africa v Australia - Series Summary

Australia now have just five victories in their last 22 Tests, winning only one out of six series in that time, and although they cling on to their number one ranking, both South Africa and England are in touching distance of the top. In their defence, the Aussies were certainly very unfortunate in having to deal with a rash of injuries and any number of poor umpiring decisions, and the call for neutral umpires in ATG cricket is now louder than ever. Take nothing away from South Africa, though; their tactic of hitting the Australians with an unremitting barrage of pace paid huge dividends, and the tourists were literally battered into submission. Australia next host West Indies, and memories of the ‘blackwash’ in the Caribbean will have to be banished to the back of the mind if they are to maintain their position as top dog in ATG cricket.

South Africa - Batting

	M	I	No	Runs	HS	Avge	100	50
RG Pollock	5	9	1	587	195	73.38	3	1
BA Richards	5	10	1	424	199	47.11	1	1
TL Goddard	5	10	1	380	121	42.22	1	2
JHB Waite	5	9	1	220	88*	27.50	-	1
AD Nourse	5	9	-	245	111	27.22	1	-

South Africa - Bowling

	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Avge	Best	5/10
AA Donald	117.1	269	11	24.45	5-46	1/-
PS Heine	52.1	149	6	24.83	5-67	1/-
MJ Procter	185.0	457	18	25.39	3-30	-/-
HJ Tayfield	156.3	385	15	25.67	6-68	1/-
TL Goddard	144.5	309	12	25.75	5-70	1/-

Australia - Batting

	M	I	No	Runs	HS	Avge	100	50
AR Border	5	10	2	376	112	47.00	1	1
DG Bradman	2	4	1	132	52*	44.00	-	1
IA Healy	3	5	-	200	79	40.00	-	3
GS Chappell	5	10	-	362	93	36.20	-	3
MA Taylor	5	10	1	254	73	28.22	-	2

Australia - Bowling

	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Avge	Best	5/10
WA Johnston	219.1	488	22	22.18	7-82	1/-
AK Davidson	196.2	456	20	22.80	6-100	1/-
KR Miller	67.0	182	6	30.33	3-39	-/-
JR Thomson	84.5	233	7	33.29	2-49	-/-
DK Lillee	123.0	413	10	41.30	4-40	-/-

SOUTH AFRICA WON THE SERIES 3-1

Players of the Series
RG Pollock & WA Johnston

South Africa v Australia - Fifth Test, Day 5

It has been a case of "if it can go wrong, it will go wrong" for Australia on this tour, and on the final day of the trip it was the elements that appeared to be conspiring against the visitors. Rain allowed only forty minutes play before lunch, during which time Neil Harvey was well held in the slips by Nourse off Donald for 17, and at the interval Australia's total stood at 69-1, 110 runs away from victory.

The Aussies do not have a good record when it comes to chasing down small targets, and three further wickets fell in a rain-interrupted afternoon as the jitters set in once again. Donald claimed all three scalps as he continued a spell of sustained hostility from the Pavilion End, and when Woodfull departed for 43 on the stroke of tea, Australia had lost their anchor still 64 runs short of the finishing line.

The evening session began in light that would normally force the players from the field, but there was no way that Australia were going come off so close to their target. Healy (0) became Donald's fifth victim when he was bowled by a slower ball that he failed to pick up, and at 126-5 Australia were on the verge of blowing yet another fourth innings chase. However, Allan Border was still at the crease, and once fatigue finally forced Donald out of the attack, he was able to guide his team towards their target with Richie Benaud (8) the only other casualty before the magic figure of 179 was reached.

Australia had thus won by 4 wickets and had avoided being blanked by the Springboks, but victory in Centurion could not hide the fact that the once-invincible Green & Gold machine is still misfiring badly. South Africa now move into a tie with England for second place in the ATG rankings, both teams sitting just two points behind Australia at the top, and one feels that there will soon be a change at the top table in ATG cricket.

Close of Play, Day 5
SAF 1st Inns 193 (Procter 44; Johnston 4-49)
AUS 1st Inns 309 (Healy 79, Border 58, Benaud 46*; Goddard 5-70)
SAF 2nd Inns 294 (Waite 88*, Bland 62, Richards 58)
AUS 2nd Inns 179-6 (Border 49*, Woodfull 43; Donald 5-46)

AUSTRALIA WON BY 4 WICKETS


Man of the Match: AR Border

South Africa v Australia - Fifth Test, Day 4

After all yesterday's controversies, day four thankfully passed with little incident, and the cricket that was played saw Australia place themselves on the verge of a consolation victory in the series' final Test. Pollock (22) and Rhodes (10) both departed early, and when rain forced an early lunch, South Africa led by just 85 on 201-6.

The runs all but dried up in the afternoon as the tourists turned the screw still further, and only John Waite stood between Australia and a paltry fourth innings victory target. South Africa's 'keeper batted pugnaciously for his first fifty of the series, and with the help of Procter (20), Tayfield (16) and Donald (8), Waite oversaw the addition of 136 runs for the last four wickets, with South Africa's eventual total of 294 setting Australia a target of 179 in the best part of four sessions. Waite finished undefeated on 88, adding 51 for the ninth wicket with Donald in less than an hour as he chased his century, and his innings ensured that any win for Australia would be no cakewalk.

Benaud's team chipped 45 runs off their target by the close, but they lost the services of Mark Taylor for 9 as Donald poleaxed his third Australian of the match with another volley of short-pitched bowling. Taylor will probably be able to bat on the final day, but Australia will hope that they will not require his services with just another 134 runs needed for a face saving victory.

Close of Play, Day 4
SAF 1st Inns 193 (Procter 44; Johnston 4-49)
AUS 1st Inns 309 (Healy 79, Border 58, Benaud 46*; Goddard 5-70)
SAF 2nd Inns 294 (Waite 88*, Bland 62, Richards 58)
AUS 2nd Inns 45-0

South Africa v Australia - Fifth Test, Day 3

Day three in Centurion was marred by controversy, with tempers reaching boiling point as what had already been a hard-fought series neared its conclusion. Healy and Benaud extended their seventh wicket partnership to 53 before the former was bowled by Goddard for a career best 79, but Davidson quickly departed lbw for 7, victim of yet another poor decision by umpire Kidson.

Australia led by 88 at lunch with a score of 281-8, and they managed to post their first total of over 300 in the series before Allan Donald ended the innings in controversial fashion. First he felled Australia's number 10, Jeff Thomson, with a searingly quick short pitched ball, and after Goddard removed a clearly shaken Thomson for 5 two overs later, Donald laid out Richie Benaud with a similar delivery, ending the innings as Australia's skipper was forced to retire for a valiant 46.

Umpires Ashman and Kidson would later attract heavy criticism for failing to control Donald's barrage of bouncers at the Australian tail, and the controversy did not end there as South Africa's second innings got under way in the most acrimonious fashion. Trailing by 116, the Springboks now needed a good start from their openers, but with just 4 runs on the board, Trevor Goddard - whose seventh five wicket haul in ATG cricket had earlier gone almost unnoticed - was run out by substitute Bill O'Reilly after fending away a Johnston bouncer to square leg. Goddard did not appear to be attempting a run, but he was out of his crease when O'Reilly's underarm throw hit the stumps, and after much debate with both the umpires and Australia's stand-in captain, Allan Border, he was sent on his way.

Importantly for South Africa at this time, Richards and Bland managed to keep their heads whilst all those around them seemed to be losing theirs, and a century stand either side of tea wiped out the hosts' deficit as Australia's threadbare attack looked like it was beginning to struggle. A neat stumping by Healy standing up to Chappell removed Richards for 58 though, and by stumps both Bland (62) and Nourse (2) departed in fading light as South Africa closed on 155-4, just 39 runs to the good. It had been an exhausting day in Centurion, and one can only hope that come tomorrow it will be the cricket that makes the headlines as Australia attempt to close in on a consolation victory to finish the series.

Close of Play, Day 3
SAF 1st Inns 193 (Procter 44; Johnston 4-49)
AUS 1st Inns 309 (Healy 79, Border 58, Benaud 46*; Goddard 5-70)
SAF 2nd Inns 155-4 (Bland 62, Richards 58)

South Africa v Australia, Fifth Test

Centurion Park

SAF: Richards, *Goddard, Bland, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, Rhodes, +Waite, Procter, Tayfield, Donald, Adcock.

AUS: Woodfull, Taylor, Harvey, GS Chappell, McCabe, Border, +Healy, *Benaud, Davidson, Thomson, Johnston.

A capacity crowd at Centurion Park welcomed Trevor Goddard's all-conquering heroes for the final Test, and their scorecards would have shown two changes from Durban, with the fit-again Donald replacing Heine and Colin Bland coming in at three for hamstring victim Bruce Mitchell. Allan Border made the tourists' starting XI despite the ankle injury he picked up in the last Test, but Dennis Lillee missed out with a shoulder strain, Jeff Thomson replacing him as he had done in the series opener in Cape Town.

Trevor Goddard had no hesitation in batting upon winning the toss, but a rain lashed morning session ended with South Africa on a hesitant 37-1, Barry Richards (16) the man out, and progress was again slow in the afternoon as Australia's seamers bowled with admirable application. Goddard (33) and Nourse (5) both flashed catches into the slip cordon off Johnston and Chappell respectively, whilst the key wicket of Graeme Pollock was claimed courtesy of a brilliant piece of fielding from McCabe, whose direct hit at the bowler's end sent Pollock on his way for just 4 after Bland changed his mind over a possible single.

South Africa were a disappointing 90-4 at tea, and despite a hard-hit 44 from Procter they never really recovered. Bland laboured two and a half hours for just 18, Rhodes showed promise before Johnston cleaned him up for 20, and Procter fell victim to the second direct hit run out of the innings, this time from Allan Border.

The Springboks' innings eventually ended on 193 early on day two, and although the home team could now call upon the services of both Jonty Rhodes and Colin Bland in the field, they would have to work hard to match Australia's efforts on the first day. Bill Johnston had again led the way with figures of 4-49, but as has been the recurring theme on this tour, his work was quickly undermined as Donald picked up the scalps of both Taylor (7) and Woodfull (14) before the break for lunch.

Harvey batted brightly after the break, but on 37 he became the victim of yet another poor decision from the officials, umpire Kidson giving him out lbw to Goddard despite what seemed an obvious inside edge onto the pad, and at 68-3 Australia looked vulnerable. Stan McCabe did not help the cause when he was bowled for 14 playing no stroke against Tayfield, and on the stroke of tea Tayfield struck once more when Chappell again failed to capitalize on a good start, snared by Nourse at silly point for 32.

Australia were now 123-5 and still 70 behind South Africa's paltry first innings total, but Allan Border and the in-form Ian Healy took the tourists to their first 1st innings lead of the series with a vital 85 run partnership for the sixth wicket as the evening session produced 105 runs for Richie Benaud's team. Border eventually fell to Goddard for 58, but Healy remained unbeaten with his third fifty in four innings since replacing the injured Marsh, and if Australia can build on their 35 run lead tomorrow they may yet be able to salvage some pride from what has been an otherwise disastrous series.

Close of Play, Day 2
SAF 1st Inns 193 (Procter 44; Johnston 4-49)
AUS 1st Inns 228-6 (Healy 58*, Border 58)