After the extraordinary First Test in Cape Town – where the two teams were bowled out for 47 and 76 respectively – cricket watchers would have been forgiven for expecting a less dramatic encounter in Johannesburg but, if anything, the drama was turned up a notch.
Australia began the day on 142-3, chasing 310 to win the match, but quickly lost captain Michael Clarke. They made slow progress through the afternoon and after losing Ricky Ponting – in possibly his last Test – and Mike Hussey, they were matched at 15 to win, still needing 95 to win with just four wickets in hand.
A solid partnership between Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson – who played some excellent shots down the ground – saw the pendulum swing back to the Aussies, only for two quick wickets (Haddin, Siddle) to give the Proteas a sniff, the away side still needing 18 to win, with only two wickets in hand.
The fall of wickets was causing chaos in the Betfair market, with the seventh seeing South Africa – matched as low as 1.39 at one point – plummet from 17.5 to 5.8 in one fell swoop. The spectre of bad light also saw the price for the draw shooting all over the place, matched as low at 1.3 at one point in proceedings.
However, Australia backers were left breathing a sigh of relief as another boundary from Johnson sealed the win, and made it 1-1 in the (criminally short) two-match series.
Betfair’s cricket ambassador, Michael Vaughan, summed up the feeling neatly on Twitter: “Great Test match in Joburg…Test cricket at its best.. 1-1 and now time for the Aussies to go home.Why oh why only a two-Test match series?”
