That green top didn't turn out to be anyhere near as green and spicy as the players themselves, coaches, journalists and commentators as well as my most humble self expected, all thanks to a bright and sunny Wednesday in the Tron. Had there not been a thick cloud cover this morning, who knows, maybe the toss-winning captain would've been tempted to have a bat first.
While New Zealand were surely rather pleased with being only two wickets down at lunch, looking at the state of the wicket, they should've scored more runs than the 62 they've managed to come up with. And they certainly shouldn't have lost their openers to a wide delivery a toddler would've left alone (Nicol) and to yet another fugly, dragged-on, pseudo-defence shot (Guptill).
Personally, I believe NZC would be much healthier and play much better cricket, if journalists, commentators, ex-players and current players alike, would just get out of Ross Taylor's and Brendon McCullum's backsides, and stopped praising them like God's gifts to New Zealand (or even world) cricket for basically only doing their jobs - and throwing their wickets away.
Yes, players like Guptill and Williamson aren't the finished products just yet (and they're both well aware of that), but listening to the gentlemen Doull, Richardson and McMillan hack away at them while salivating over every single thing McCullum and Taylor did, praising accidental shots like they were of a Vivian Richards quality just because they ended up going for a boundary, is more than just infuriating.
But then again, what do I expect of people who don't know how many runs Rahul Dravid has scored, who are unable to read a graphic telling them that Jacques Rudolph hasn't scored that many Test runs between 2006 and 2011 because he wasn't playing any Test cricket during that time, who think that because they weren't nine wickets down at lunch the Test is as good as theirs, and who call Williamson's technique "unorthodox"?
Watching New Zealand just wouldn't feel right without a good New Zealand collapse, and the boys certainly didn't disappoint. Going from 133-2 to 133-7 and ultimately 185 all out is quite the achievement, but also shows the quality bowling attack South Africa have on display, who despite a slightly underwhelming first session, clawed their way back in and applied themselves. A foreign concept to New Zealand batsmen since 1832.
New Zealand have always accepted the fact that they effectively only have nine wickets in hand, but it remains to be seen whether they can afford a tail that long plus Chris Martin plus the absolutely bizarre dropping of Trent Boult (a left-armer more than capable with the bat, at his home ground). Not that I was expecting them to win anything during this Test series, but surely "Oldest Possible XI" isn't a viable tactic, no?
New Zealand 185, South Africa 27-2, Smith and Steyn the dismissed batsmen.
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