Lives in Cricket No 30 - MJK Smith

87 South Africa declared at 501 for seven on the second evening, after which England batted sedately through a third day notable for a delayed withdrawal from the crease by Barrington after the umpire had rejected an appeal for a catch by the wicketkeeper. Was this a retort to Barlow’s behaviour? Was it an act of sportsmanship or of discourtesy to the umpire? Had he technically retired, pedants wondered. 240 for four by the close, England had not hurried along. Defeat was still a possibility, but Mike, 13 overnight, proceeded to a chanceless 121, his third Test century. With Parks he added 117 and with Allen 70 to make the game virtually safe as the innings closed on 442. A wicket apiece for Price and Thomson before the close left England the likelier winners, but The Times headline predicted an unmourned draw and this was the outcome as the front-line spinners eventually rested to allow Boycott and Barrington to share six wickets. Comfortable wins against Border and Orange Free State led into the Fourth Test, for which the teams returned to Johannesburg. Mike now made what he readily admits was one of the more ill- advised decisions of his captaincy. A blameless pitch confronted the players and, after the tour committee had spent 20 minutes cogitating over a surface with no real tinge of green, Mike was persuaded that any help it might offer would come early on. Cartwright, now recovered from injury and fresh from a century against Border, was chosen in place of Allen. ‘You should be playing, not me,’ he generously confided to the deposed off spinner as his captain, on winning the toss, decided to field. With two wickets in the match for 196 in what was to be his only overseas Test, Cartwright fulfilled his own gloomy prognostication. Only the onset of rain contained South Africa’s batsmen as they closed on 192 for two. Next day England were fortunate that Pithey was occupying the crease as the seam bowlers, now including Boycott, were preferred to the leg breaks of Barber or Barrington. Attrition was the guiding principle and only Bland broke free for South Africa, who declared overnight at 390 for six. Lindsay, described at Cape Town as ‘a fielder wearing gloves’, had been replaced by John Waite, who now made a series of wicketkeeping errors that helped Barrington to 93 and allowed England to reach 297 for four at the close. England had come close to ending the day with one more wicket down. When he had scored five, Mike missed a ball down the leg side from Partridge and it was gathered by wicketkeeper Waite. ‘John Waite shovels it on to Peter van der Merwe at leg slip. I’m Triumphant in South Africa