Australia were convincing winners again, but the lack of depth in Test cricket is becoming more and more acute.
Steve Smith took the last wicket of the Boxing Day Test, gave a wry smile and turned around to collect his cap from umpire Paul Reiffel.to seal the series and all but guaranteed their place in next year’s world Test championship final, but the contest had been too uneven to justify an extravagant celebration. That would have been to flaunt it in South Africa’s face, and thankfully those days are past.
, twice warning Theunis de Bruyn. “Stay in your crease,” he said. “It’s not that hard.” Starc would have been within his rights to run him out in a third instance, but de Bruyn was out soon enough anyway.South Africa, by contrast, were remiss in the details. This was most obvious in their misjudgments or sloppiness in all three run-outs, sacrifices that they with their tissue-thin batting could not afford.
What has happened to the rest? South Africa actually began the year brightly, winning six of their first seven Tests, including an innings win over England at Lord’s. But they’ve imploded since, losing four Tests all by wide margins. Nine of their Lord’s 11 played in Brisbane, eight in Melbourne, so it’s not simply a loss of manpower. A malaise has set in.Getty Images
Meanwhile, South Africa reportedly are touring Australia without even a data analyst, an essential in any modern pro sports team, and it is showing in the naivety of some of their cricket. They must read about the broadcast money now on the table in Australia and weep.
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