The second day of the first test between Australia and SA was absolute mayhem.
- 23 wickets were lost on a single day
- Aussies were 21/9 at one stage, only to stagger back to 47
- Proteas were bundled for 96 in their first innings
- 9 DRS reviews requested
The entire day was so surreal and the television channels were spared the work of having a specific highlights package for the day. Bowlers had a field day and did I mention two catches dropped in the Aussie innings. For once, bowlers dominated the entire day and showcased why test cricket is still interesting and can never be matched by any other form of cricket.
In this chaos, two specifics of cricket stood out, Clarke's batting for his 151 in his first innings and Dale Steyn's bowling during the entire test match. Clarke's innings should be bracketed along with one of the finest knocks played in test cricket under adverse conditions, it was a pleasure to seem him bat with ease when the accomplished and best batsmen around him found it tough to even survive. It so reminded me of the vintage 'tugga' innings we usually see when the chips are down, the only difference was the elegance involved with clarke's batting which was usually missing in Tugga or Border's batting. On the other end it was Dale Steyn spitting venom with the cricket ball, the contest between Steyn and Clarke was excellent and was a pure exhibition of test cricket. Without arguments, Dale Steyn should be the best pace bowler amongst the current crop of fast bowlers, the control, speed and swing was great and he surely makes bowling an enjoyable watch. If a test cricket between Aussies and Proteas can end within 2.5 days, imagine how the second test is going to be fought, it is going to be hard cricket with both teams capable of making fighting comebacks.
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