da cassino： The Plays of the day from the fourth day of the third Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town
da brdice： Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town22-Mar-2009
Steve Bucknor gets a guard of honour during his 128th and final Test © Getty Images
Mitchell’s déjà vu
In Johannesburg, Mitchell Johnson was stranded on 96 as he lost PeterSiddle and Ben Hilfenhaus in consecutive deliveries and there was amoment of horror for Johnson as the same thing threatened to happenagain in Cape Town. Johnson was on 95 and at the non-striker’s endwhen once more two wickets fell in a row. Andrew McDonald and Siddlewere both caught at silly point off inside-edges onto their padsagainst Paul Harris and with two balls left in the over and twobatsmen to come, Johnson must have been panicking. But Bryce McGaindid the right thing and blocked out the last two balls and Johnsonbrought up his first Test century next over with a six smashed overmidwicket off Dale Steyn.1rph
One run per hour. That’s the rate at which Simon Katich was travellingat drinks in the morning session. He began the day on 44 and by thetime the first hour was up he had progressed to 45. His only run forthat first hour came when he scampered through for a single when hewas dropped by Harris at gully off the bowling of Steyn and rarely didKatich look like adding any further runs. He was looking exhausted atthe end of a long tour and with Michael Hussey hardly racing at theother end, the pair did their best to put the “dead” back in deadrubber.Harris gets heated
There has been a distinct lack of on-field nastiness in this series soit was a surprise to see Harris and Michael Clarke engage in a verbalstoush as the dead rubber came to a close. Harris has picked up Clarkefour times over these six Tests and the pair exchanged words as Clarketicked through the 30s without looking entirely convincing againstHarris. It was the South Africans who ended up on the wrong end of thebanter. At the finish of the over in question, Harris had a loud lbwshout against McDonald and he talked a clearly unconvinced JacquesKallis into asking for the referral. The ball was clearly sliding downleg and it was impossible not to think that Harris’ judgment had beenclouded by the tension leading up to it.Steyn gets Harris’ man
Kamran Akmal is the only man Harris has dismissed more often in Teststhan Clarke but it was another familiar tormentor who finally removedClarke for 47. Steyn collected Clarke for the fifth time in the pastfew months when Clarke played the ball onto his leg and it trickledback onto the stumps. It was a successful day for Steyn against somerecognisable foes. No bowler has dismissed Hussey more often thanSteyn, who removed him for the fourth time when he forced a leadingedge that bobbed up to JP Duminy in the gully.Farewell to a familiar face
Steve Bucknor bowed out of Test cricket today at the end of his 128thTest match, a world record number of appearances. It’s quite anachievement, considering that when he began his international career20 years ago the only such record in his sights was the number ofTests officiated by a West Indian umpire: the 31 that Douglas Sang Huestood in from 1962 to 1981. Earlier in the match the ICC presentedBucknor with a painting of him by Richie Ryall, the former WesternProvince wicketkeeper, and today he was given a guard of honour byboth teams as he walked out onto the field after tea, for what wouldbecome his final session of Test cricket. Bucknor now heads home tothe Caribbean to stand in his final two international matches in theongoing ODI series between West Indies and England.
