Australia will continue their tour of South Africa on Friday night as the 2nd Test from St. Georges Park in Port Elizabeth gets underway. The Aussies were able to claim a 118 run victory in the 1st Test, which didn’t come without its share of controversy.
Australian Vice Captain David Warner and South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Cock were caught on CCTV having a heated shouting match on day four of the Durban Test, which should add plenty of spice to the series as we head to Port Elizabeth.
de Cock and South African opener Aiden Markram put on a 157 run partnership when the hosts were reeling at 5-136, giving South Africa a glimmer of hope in their attempted run chase of 416. But ultimately, the work of quicks Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Starc brought the South Africans undone, giving the Aussies a 1-0 lead in the series.
Mitch Starc was the man of the match with 9 wickets total, and continued to show why he is one of the most destructive bowlers in the world as he cleaned up the SA tail in both innings in record time.
The Durban pitch didn’t exactly offer up what we thought it would in that it was fairly slow and low with a lot of spin, particular for South African front man Keshan Maharaj. The St. Georges Park pitch, by all reports, is predicted to be more of the same, with more spin and reverse swing on the menu.
Typically, the driest and most abrasive pitch in South Africa, St. Georges Park is renowned for being the most spin friendly pitch in the country. Reverse swing will also play a big part as it did in Durban, however, these to bowling attacks match up so evenly that we are not sure whose advantage that plays into.
TIP: Vernon Philander top SA wicket taker 1st innings - $4 at Sportsbet
We think the second Test will once again come down to the performance of either team’s top six. Although there were no really big scores from the Australian top six in either innings, they did look comfortable, with all but Usman Khawaja getting at least one score over 40.
South Africa’s batting order was a different story. Markram was great in the second innings, compiling a masterful 143 off 340 balls, and de Cock proved his case as arguably the best batsman-keeper currently in world cricket with a brilliant 83 in the the run chase.
There’s no doubting A.B de Villiers either, who looked untouchable in the first innings and copped a stiff run out in the second. The problem lies with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, who combined for just 27 runs in the first Test. Amla in particular looks like the game has gone past him, but write off the absolute champion of Test cricket at your own peril. We think the master bounces back here.
TIP: Hashim Amla top SA run scorer 1st innings - $4.33 at Sportsbet
Such a tough game to call. These two teams are so evenly matched in our opinion. South Africa failed miserably with the bat in the first innings and still scratched out a good performance in the second to lose by just 100 runs. We think there’s more room to improve for the home side and if their top order can find any sort of form here we think they bounce back and win the second Test.
TIP: South Africa to win - $2.65 at Ladbrokes
