Onions snatches another draw from the jaws of defeat... at the drop of a bat

OH the drama, the tension, the pure nerve-jangling horror of that last hour at Newlands today as England held on desperately for a miraculous draw in Cape Town.

And as the pulse rate slows, it’s official. Graham Onions is now the best No11 batsman in Test cricket, based purely on raw nerve. He can snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat at the drop of a bat.

Another fantastic Test match, more last-gasp drama... and England go to the Wanderers for the final clash on Thursday 1-0 up. Unbeatable stuff. And all watched by a record 79,375 over five ridiculously sunny days in Cape Town.

You lot back in the snow will live to regret that time in early December when you decided not to come out here and watch this series. What a team Andrew Strauss has got. More spine than anybody’s seen in an England side for a long, long time. And the drink’s cheap, the hotels are clean, the sun always shines. I digress.

After four hours of stoic resistance from Paul Collingwood (pictured) and Ian Bell, there were 17 overs to play when the Durham man was out for 40 after four hours and 37 minutes of quite heroic defiance.

Dale Steyn with the new ball today was quite simply magnificent – but the world’s No1 Test bowler was unable to waggle a wicket when it mattered with the new ball. Instead it was JP Duminy who struck to end the sixth wicket partnership, which lasted 127 runs and 57 overs. Duminy got one to turn and Jacques Kallis took the catch at first slip to a huge roar from another near-sell-out crowd.

I’d warned all day that Duminy was the real spinner in this team. Unlike their specialist slow bowler Paul Harris, JP actually turns the ball, and the groundsman here, Evan Flint, had said before play began this morning that this track would be a spinner’s wicket on the final day.

Duminy proved the point again two overs later, having Matt Prior caught at very silly mid off by AB De Villiers for four off just nine balls. Suddenly England were 278-7 with 15 overs to negotiate. Gulp.

Out strode Stuart Broad, and there I was reminding all the South Africans he’d been an England Under15 opening bat until he grew six inches in height and turned to pace bowling in his late teens.

Broadie survived his first over from Duminy. Just. His sixth ball from the local hero got stuck under the bat and popped into the hands of Harris at silly point. Up they went, wicket number eight – but no fickle finger from the umpire and on review it was inconclusive. Was it a bump ball or a half volley? Depends which country you support.

Broadie looked a little guilty but survived... and two overs later he was at it again, popping one up to the six-strong inner circle. Graeme Smith and Harris clashed heads in their efforts to get the ball in hand. Both were left on the floor. Broad grinned sheepishly and stood his ground.

But it couldn’t last. Harris eventually got him with a perfect ball which popped off a length and hit the glove on the way through to De Villiers. He stayed for a silly review of an obvious decision and departed to be replaced by his Nottinghamshire team-mate Graeme Swann with 20 balls left. Oops, 286-8. What a finish.

Swanny defused some of the tension by swatting a poor Harris ball for four. Yes, off his first ball. Two slips, two silly points, a leg slip, a leg gully and a short leg but off it went to the boundary. A sigh of relief. Swannie wouldn’t let us down, he’s had a hell of a series with the bat and the ball.

But at the other end, there was Bell, imperious, superb in the last two Tests after his stuttering start in the drawn Test at Centurion. In Durban, his 140 ensured victory by an innings. Here, he scored a vital first innings 41 and with four overs to come, he calmly put Harris to the fence to move to 78. What a man. How could we ever have doubted the Sherminator?

But then the big, big moment. Smith turned to Morkel for one last blast with three overs to play. And for once in 286 minutes, the Warwickshire warrior had a nibble at one outside the off stump – and it flew to a gleeful Smith. Gone for 78, 213 balls, but why did he play it?

In Centurion, the last pair were left with 19 balls to negotiate. Here it was 17. This time Graeme Onions came out to join a recently arrived Swann rather than a bedded-in Collingwood.

Surely they couldn’t make it again? Morkel charged in, Onions kept him out. Again and again. Then Steyn comes on from the other end, but pulls up with the old hamstring after his first ball. After a bit of treatment from the physio, he hurls another one down at Swann... who pushes him comfortably for two.

With texts and emails from all over the world hailing another fantastic Test between these two warring rivals, Swannie took another comfortable two off the next one. And then got a bouncer for his troubles. And another. Silly Steyn. Two wasted deliveries. Swannie’s plan entirely. At 296-9 we were still 170 short of the victory target, but that had been long forgotten.

Down to the last over from Morkel, who has been superb throughout this series. His 28^th over but he’s only showing 1-51 on the scoreboard. Been unlucky all day. Onions to face. Six balls from another glorious draw.

“Bunny” may have left the first. Or did it go right through him? Morkel raises his arms but no, no edge. Onions plays the second competently. Durham’s finest No11 bat has been here before. He looks calm, and digs out a perfect Yorker. Even the South Africans in the press box yell “well played”. Incredible.

Three to go. Slower ball this time. Yorker length. Perfectly played. He bats nine for Durham this lad, who told us in Centurion: “It’s not like oop north in the sun here”.

Drama on the penultimate ball. They all go up... except wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who takes the catch. The umpire is unmoved, so is Onions. Predictably, they ask for a review. Not out, touched his shirt on the way through. The South Africans are, as they say around these parts, having kittens.

Last ball. Can England do it again? Yes. It’s just outside the off stump. Onions leaves it, then turns to raise a clenched fist to the dressing room. Yes! A draw in our time! We go to Johannesburg unbeatable!

Captain Strauss said: “We started today outsiders to get the draw. Paul and Ian played exceptional innings, got us so close to the line. But just when we started thinking we’d got there, South Africa came back at us. Credit to them.

“Graham Onions is a legend. We keep asking our No11 to do it for us and he’s done it again. We didn’t come here to draw a series. We go to Johannesburg focused on winning the Test match. We’re delighted to get away with a draw.”

South Africa captain Graeme Smith got the man of the match award despite Bell’s efforts for England, for his 183 in the second innings. He said: “Look, I think it will probably take a day or two to get over that. We were under pressure going into this Test match.

“We really fought hard, played positive cricket. We just weren’t able to throw that final punch. Credit to Collingwood and Bell. It’s been a great Test but we never had the knock-out blow.

“Dale’s okay, bit of wear and tear. Friedel De Wet has a back injury and hasn’t recovered from that. But credit to the guys, they gave 100 percent. We just weren’t good enough to get over the line, we’ve done that twice in this series.

“Look, if we win the last Test, we’ll draw the series and still hang on to the trophy.”

In front of another huge crowd — the 17,000-capacity Newlands ground was sold out for the first four days and is 14,364 today for a record five-day tally of 79,375 — the tourists lost nightwatchman Jimmy Anderson (nine) and locally-born Jonathan Trott (42) in the morning session. But Collingwood and Bell survived everything the hosts could throw at them to guide England deep into the final session without further loss.

With time running out, England were 255 for five — 211 behind the hosts with an estimated 23 overs of this absorbing contest to come. They lost seven wickets in the final session in the opening drawn Test in Centurion when the new ball was used, so there were always lingering doubts.

Defeat here would have squared the series at 1-1 going into next Thursday’s final Test at the Wanderers high-altitude Johannesburg, making South Africa favourites to clinch victory in this fascinating 20-day tug-of-war. As it is, England will fly inland on Sunday knowing they can’t lose.
England’s so-called chase — they needed 466 runs off 146 overs when South African captain Graeme Smith declared yesterday before tea — was never really on. But with Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook falling after a promising century-strong opening partnership last night and Kevin Pietersen joining them soon afterwards, even the chances of surviving for a draw looked anorexcally slim.
Resuming at their overnight 132 for three, Anderson — out here for his first ever golden duck in the first innings — survived for 45 minutes.
But he fell to the eternally fortunate arris, the non-spinning spinner, whose awful full toss was kept down by Anderson but it came off the boot and was brilliantly caught by Ashwell Prince, diving one-handed to his right.
Anderson departed for nine, but he’d done his job, batting 52 balls and supporting Trott for an hour to leave England on 153 for four.
Collingwood arrived but almost suffered a quick exit. His first ball from Harris hit something and was snapped up in the slips. The entire South African cordon went up, demanding the departure of England’s most stubborn resistor.
New Zealand umpire Tony Hill gave it out but Collingwood immediately called for a review.
Without hot-spot technology or the snickometer stump microphone, there was no evidence of a touch as the ball went through to hit his hip. The decision went in Collingwood’s favour. Gamesmanship by the hosts? Did they really hear something? Hard to tell.
But in the light of their ball-tampering allegations that apparently orchestrated appeal wasn’t quite what you’d call cricket either.
Seven overs later, the world’s top ranked Test bowler Dale Steyn, now fully recovered from the hamstring injury which forced him out of the drawn First Test in Centurion last month, worked his 90mph magic.
Trott, on 42 from 99 deliveries full of fiddling and marking his crease, saw his off-stump go flying as Steyn produced a touch of nip from the seam and squeezed the ball between bat and pad to leave England tottering on 160 for five.
Bell then joined Collingwood and the pair began the arduous task of trying to steady the England ship surviving a testing period as the hosts reached 179 for five at lunch.
The Durham man, suffering from a bad back all tour and the left index finger he dislocated during the wonderful win in Durban last time out, reached the break scoring a mere eight runs off 51 balls amid echoes of Cardiff and Centurion, where he was integral in carrying his side to safety. At the other end, Bell was almost belligerent scoring 12 off 27 up to lunch to frustrate the South Africans.
Before Christmas, Bell was considered something of a liability. But that superb match-securing 140 in Durban followed by a careful 48 in the first innings here makes him the one of the form batsmen — and with South Africa stuck out in the sun all day, the chances of a courageous draw were growing by the over.
Seamer Friedel de Wet – controversially drafted in to replace Makhaya Ntini, the 101-cap legend of black South Africa — needed an injection in his buttock for a muscle spasm before play and was bowling well below his normal pace.

After lunch, South Africa turned to Morkel for the new ball. He has been head-and-shoulders above the rest of the attack throughout this series and took five in the first innings here. At the other end Steyn, bowling like an express train gave Collingwood a torrid work out.

On another day, with a little more luck, Steyn and Morkel might have blown half a team away. But somehow Colly and Bell survived the crucial 20 overs after the new ball, defying the odds and giving England a real glimmer of hope.

At one point, the pair put on just one run in 24 balls between the 84^th and 89^th overs and when Collingwood picked up a four off Harris in the 101^st over, it was England’s first boundary since Bell’s four off Steyn in the 83^rd over – a lean period lasting 108 nerve-jangling balls.

But survive they did, and when Harris came back on in the 95^th over, you could almost sense the relief. Steyn and Morkel had been magnificent, Kallis and De Wet less so. But the new ball had failed to produce the wicket South Africa so desperately needed.

In the final session, South Africa turned to twin-pronged spin, with JP Duminy joining Harris and finding some serious turn for the first time. But England’s heroic pairing simply adapted and Bell went to his 50 first, tucking Duminy away for four on the leg side after three hours and 134 balls. What a knock

At that point, with Steyn firing up again from the Wynburg end, Collingwood was on 32 off 156 balls and England were 249-5 with 26 overs to survive and looking comfortable – until the heart-stopping clatter of wickets began again with Colly, Prior, Broad and Bell. But not Onions. No, never Onions!

Ball tampering my foot... or is this just a massive leg pull?

THIS is it, the picture which has got the whole of South Africa in a lather. Stuart Broad's foot coming into contact with the ball on day three of the third Test in Cape Town.

The front page splash in the Cape Times decided to ignore the record temperatures, the packed crowds and South Africa's incredible 312-2 yesterday, choosing instead to run the banner: BALL TAMPERING FURORE.

Broad, not the most popular figure here, and Jimmy Anderson, the second-best wicket taker in the series behind Graeme Swann, both stand accused.

Broad for an innocent stop with his foot just before lunch yesterday, Anderson for picking at the quarter-seam. Images of both have been repeated again and again by the South African Broadcasting Association on television here and around the world.

While their captain Graeme Smith has just been out for a potentially match-winning, series-levelling 183 and the dominant hosts extend their lead to 366 with seven wickets in hand on another steamy morning here at Newlands, South Africa have now said they won't be making an official complaint to the ICC.

Instead, we await a statement after they "made clear their concerns" to match referee Roshan Mahanama.

Poor old England. They just can't win. First Kevin Pietersen gets wrongly accused of throwing beer at South African fans. Now they are hit with allegations of ball tampering on a day when South Africa seemed to cope rather well with anything Broad or Anderson threw at them. Between them they bowled 26 overs and took 0-103 yesterday. Neil Manthorpe, the British-born SABC frontman, raises the question: How did Broad get such great reverse swing in the last Test at Kingsmead and apparently they are going through the footage, checking for further fiddling. South Africa coach Mickey Arthur also asked the question after the spell which turned the second Test from a well-balanced contest into an innings and 98 run victory for England.

But the best comment on this subject comes from England coach, Andy Flower. The Cape Town-born Zimbabwean said simply: "This amazing amount of reverse swing gained from Stuart standing on the ball obviously hasn't worked today!"

Both captain Andrew Strauss and Flower are seething over this latest attack on England's integrity and Flower added: "The umpires or match referee haven't said anything to us. A lot of tall fast bowlers stop the ball with their boots so I don't see anything sinister in it at all."

Broad insists he stopped the ball with his boot because he couldn't be bothered to stoop for the ball in the near 40 degree heat which left the 7,000-strong Barmy Army bright red yesterday. They don't like him here, perhaps because his father Chris is a match referee or because he got a bit stroppy after his dismissal on review in Centurion.

Flower added: "I thought our bowlers were very skilful in the way they swung the ball at Durban. They did it a bit in the First Test at Centurion as well. Both sides know how to get the ball to reverse swing.

"It is a very well-documented skill. By shining the ball on your trousers you get a smooth side and that helps reverse swing."

Matt adds gloss but it's too hot for cricket. Too hot for England.

ENGLAND were finally dismissed for 273 on a burning-hot day three of the third Test in Cape Town this morning. South Africa will bat with a lead of 18 but the far greater advantage will be the 40-plus temperatures at Newlands as this series comes neatly to the boil.

Matt Prior ensured a brave last stand which lasted six overs this morning, ending with 76 not out off 118 balls and adding a couple of lusty blows to close the gap after England had resumed on 241-7 this morning.

It could have been a lot worse as Morne Morkel struck twice in the first over of the morning to register a magnificent five-fer. Graeme Swann lasted just three balls and Jimmy Anderson popped out and got a first baller. First golden duck of his Test career. Clearly he wasn't wearing sun-cream. The excellent Titans seamer Morkel, more at home at high altitude, had gone from three wickets to a magnificent five in four balls.

And England, just like South Africa on day two, have proved this strip is lethal in the early overs, even without the "table cloth" of cloud rolling over neighbouring Table Mountain.

Clouds? Not a sign of them today. We are talking 40-plus temperatures and it's not even 11am here. Serious sun-stroke territory.

And England, thanks to Swann and Anderson, have sentenced themselves to a long day in the sun here as they attempt to defend their 1-0 lead in this four-match series.

To be fair, Morkel has been bowling well all series. He deserves all the accolades. The ball that got Swann was unplayable, steepling off a length, catching a glove and flying to captain Graeme Smith at slip.

Anderson, who avoided a duck for 49 innings as a tail-ender and nightwatchman, got something very similar and Smith gleefully took his second catch in as many balls.

It was left to Prior and Graham Onions, who survived nine balls for four runs, to push England closer to the South African total of 291. This low-scoring match is headed for a result, and it may not be the one England were hoping for.

Still there are consolations. The two South African batsman pictured above by my faithful photographer (A Mrs Tracy Collins) will soon be with us.

Ashwell Prince (or the batsman formerly known as Prince) and JP Duminy (also known as Crash Test Duminy), both local lads, will have the heat on them today after a poor start to this series with the bat. They spent a considerable time in the nets yesterday.

But for England, this could well prove to be the endless day. Watching them warm-up (yes, warm-up in this heat!) several are carrying strapping and bandages.

Anderson's knee, Onions' calf, Paul Collingwood's back and finger, Stuart Broad's shoulder, Alastair Cook's leg... and we saw Kevin Pietersen getting treatment on has back in the middle on day one here.

These are worrying signs for a side about to face endless heat on a vital day.

And we could well end it with South Africa moving towards a result which will tie-up this series at 1-1 and send the sides to the Wanderers for a fourth Test decider on January 14.

Cook provides the vital ingredient, Bell left with a ding-dong battle

ALASTAIR COOK proved his match-changing century in Durban was no flash in the pan as he produced another unflashy but vital 65 for England in Cape Town today.

The Essex opener kept his head on an incredible morning when the sound of wickets falling echoed constantly off the dramatic cliffs of neighbouring Table Mountain. With England 1-0 up in the four-match series, the second Test is now back in the balance as we approach the end of a sizzling day two with day three threatening temperatures of over 40 degrees.

Cook, generally regarded as a future England captain, survived the loss of current leader Andrew Strauss, the fiddling Jonathan Trott and the reckless Kevin Pietersen before losing a fourth partner in Paul Collingwood with the score a wobbly 73-4.

But Cookie didn’t crumble and when he was joined by Ian Bell, another centurion in Durban, the South African attack hit the wall. Cook needed 14 balls before he scored his first runs – a four off Morne Morkel – and he produced his second scoring shot off his 37^th ball. Hardly sparkling stuff.

But they survived a torrid session before tea to frustrate the South Africans, who were skittled for 291 this morning. Cook was finally out – Morkel’s third victim – caught by Ashwell Prince off a weak pull shot after 136 balls and nearly four hours of resistance.

Bell (38), who had added 60 off 26 overs with Cook for the fifth wicket, was left to lead the resistance with wicketkeeper Matt Prior (6) at 133-5 and they had taken the score on to 154-5 without further loss midway through the final session.

But at least they had returned this Test to some sort of sanity. At the start of day two, South Africa lost four wickets in the first 17 balls for 12 runs to slump from 279-6 to 291 all out. Incredible. If all Tests went the way of this morning’s first four overs we’d see all four innings completed by lunch-time on day one with just over 100 runs on the board.

But Jimmy Anderson’s five wicket haul was soon forgotten as captain Strauss fell first over to Morkel for two. Trott stayed for 36 balls before he was bowled by Dale Steyn – the world’s top ranked bowler who doesn’t even open for South Africa any more – for 20.

The eternally disappointing Pietersen lasted just two balls before Steyn completed a neat caught-and-bowled duck. And when Morkel finally got rid of Collingwood, lbw, for 19 off 44 balls, England were in deep trouble at 73-4.

Cook showed them how to do it, refusing to nibble outside the off-stump and relying largely on the odd flick around the corner to add to his tally.

Just twice in 136 balls he actually played with any force on the off-side, and he had to wait until the arrival of non-spinning Paul Harris to slap two fours and raise the tempo with Bell often becalmed at the other end.

Kallis peaks in the shadow of Table Mountain

JACQUES KALLIS, the timeless rock of South African cricket, crushed the life out of England's hopes of first day domination at Newlands today.

Playing in his home town where he averages 65 in Test cricket, Kallis stood firm while all around him crumbled. But they're used to that in Cape Town. It's his sixth Test hundred here.

With his side 1-0 down in the four-match series, Kallis alone kept the huge New Year Test crowd from collectively jumping over the edge of Table Mountain next door, just has he had in the opening Test at Centurion.

Without him they might have been humiliated like Australia were in their New Year Test in Sydney, skittled for 134 by Pakistan.

Kallis, 34 but "still playing my best cricket" as he told us two weeks ago, went to his 100 off 175 balls, crashing Kevin Pietersen's occasional off-spin to the fence. Magnificent. After 133 Tests and 10,000 Test runs at an average of over 50, the man just keeps on going, despite fracturing a rib last October.

By the close for bad light, he had scored 108, just as he had after the first day at Centurion. If he stays in, with the promoted bowler-batsman Dale Steyn providing capable support, the South Africans stay in the series. They were 51-3 and 127-5. But now they're 279-6. Honours even after a bizarre day.

To my right, the towering cliffs of Table Mountain are partially obscured by the vast containers of the South African Breweries factory next door to the cricket ground.

There are 16,867 fans here who have paid thousands for the privilege of attending the third Test of a finely balanced series between England and South Africa. And yet, after approximately 48,312 lagers they're as quiet as church mice.

And out in the middle, at 5.15pm in the middle of the African summer, the floodlights are on.

None of it makes any sense. Men in long white trousers battling away for five days in the rain or sweltering heat... and then the umpires take them off because it's getting too dark but everyone can see perfectly.

And Graeme Smith, their captain, walked off at lunchtime having a furious argument with Kevin Pietersen, England's South African-raised batsman. They went to school in different cities but share so much in terms of attitude and aptitude.

Perhaps he was angry because he'd won the simple toss of a coin which decides so much in Test cricket just once in 11 attempts.

And every so often we all stop to watch the television contradict the umpires, with the new decision review system adding further confusion to the modern game.

And out in the middle now, as we approach the close of the rain-delayed opening day, nobody can really so who's winning.

First it was England, when Jimmy Anderson ripped out Ashwell Prince, caught behind for nought, in his first over. Graham Onions that had Smith dropped by the otherwise perfect Graeme Swann an over later at 1-1. England, unchanged despite Paul Collingwood's dislocated left index finger, had won the toss and elected to bowl. It looked like the right decision under heavy skies which delayed the start by half an hour.

South Africa were crawling back when Hashim Amla was trapped lbw by Onions before lunch. Then Graeme Smith went the same way after lunch.

Jacques Kallis and AB De Villiers were pulling South Africa back in the game, but when they'd taken their nation from 51-3 to 127-4, AB had a rush of blood and Swann was back as captain Andrew Strauss took the catch at silly mid-on. A ball later it was all England as JP Duminy suffered his second successive golden duck and Swann took his 16th wicket of the series.

Kallis alone kept South Africa going, staying first with Mark Boucher and then Steyn, adding over 50 with both. This one is in the balance. But what a bizarre balance it is.