England look to the heavens for salvation after Graeme Smith’s century

When bad light came, South Africa were ahead by 35, Hashim Amla unbeaten on 73 and Jacques Kallis, the rock, on seven. Two overs before the storm, England had finally dismissed Graeme Smith, when he edged Ryan Sidebottom into Andrew Strauss’s midriff at slip, but not before this most redoubtable of leaders had amassed another hundred, his twentieth in Tests, and pushed his team into an almost impregnable position.

This was another remarkable performance from Smith, who, although he now plays his cricket in the Cape, learnt it in a suburb not far from this ground and at King Edward VII School near by, whose motto, “Strenue” (with zeal), cannot have been carried with more continuing authority by any alumnus. Smith has a habit of scoring important runs when they matter, a facility he possesses perhaps more than any present international batsman.

He was one of only two batsmen to fall on a day when England needed quick wickets if they were to stay in the game. The other was Ashwell Prince, who continued a poor series when he edged Stuart Broad to second slip after adding only four to his overnight total. Thereafter, Smith and Amla — contrasting of styles, background and personality — carried South Africa into the ascendance with a record second-wicket partnership for South Africa against England at this ground.

England toiled in conditions that, while still helpful, were more batsman-friendly than the day before. Strauss began, oddly, with Broad and Sidebottom, reducing his most potent threat, James Anderson, to bystander status. Broad responded with Prince’s wicket and Sidebottom might have had Smith’s, when England were convinced that he had edged behind in the fourth over of the day. Anderson, his knee continually strapped, may be feeling the effects of a long tour.

In truth, England’s attack lacked bite and with Graeme Swann neutered by a more positive approach from South Africa, Strauss was forced to turn to Paul Collingwood before lunch. Given England’s selection, there was much focus on Sidebottom, who, although accurate enough, failed to suggest that the selectors were right to prefer him to Graham Onions after a month on the sidelines. Red-faced and pouting, he gave the permanent impression of a kettle simmering, forever about to reach boiling point.

It was boiling point that England reached when Smith was given not out on review when he had scored 15. England, increasingly, feel aggrieved that the review system, far from being a neutral, automated process, has taken on a South African bias in this match. They felt that Alastair Cook should not have been given out on the first day, when Daryl Harper decided that a nanometre of Morne Morkel’s boot was behind the line and did not call a no-ball to overturn a leg-before dismissal, and yesterday they felt that Smith should have been given out caught behind.

In the absence of Hot Spot — at about $70,000 (about £43,000) for the tour, deemed too expensive by the host broadcaster, SABC — edges are very hard to detect on review, leaving the third umpire with only the sound to go on. England were convinced that Smith had edged the ball — although the South Africa captain, for his part, immediately shook his head and later confirmed that he did not think he had edged it. The sound on television replays seen shortly afterwards suggested an edge, except that Harper could not hear any sound on his instant replay (nor, it should be said, could the South African commentators).

Harper attracts controversy as a horse attracts flies — it was he in the Caribbean who was given a picture on a screen of insufficient width to show the ball — and it later transpired that he might not have had the volume turned up to the requisite level.

Harper is a poor umpire, and has been so for some time, but in the rush to condemn him, it should be remembered that the man in the best position to make a judgment, Tony Hill, who has had an excellent series, saw no reason to raise his finger initially.

All kinds of conspiracy theories sprang up: had a South African engineer turned down the volume? Is Harper hard of hearing? Whatever the truth — and Harper, as opposed to human, error seems the most likely answer — it is regrettable that technology has not been standardised and that the decision review system has promoted a feeling that man-made errors are no longer acceptable in the game. In the aftermath, nobody stopped to wonder whether Hill had made the correct call.

In any case, Smith would not be the first batsman to get a life and he will not be the last. The bottom line in this match so far, as for most of the series paradoxically, is that England have not been good enough.

Johannesburg scoreboard

England: First Innings 180 (D W Steyn 5 for 51)

South Africa: First Innings (overnight 29-0)
*G C Smith c Strauss b Sidebottom 105
A G Prince c Swann b Broad 19
H M Amla not out 73
J H Kallis not out 7
Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 5, nb 1) 11
Total (2 wkts, 63.2 overs) 215

A. B. de Villiers, J Duminy, †M V Boucher, R McLaren, M Morkel, W D Parnell and D W Steyn to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-201.

Bowling: Anderson 17-3-65-0; Sidebottom 17.2-4-49-1; Broad 16-3-52-1; Swann 9-0-35-0; Collingwood 4-1-9-0.

Umpires: S J Davis (Australia) and A L Hill (New Zealand). Television umpire: D J Harper (Australia). Match referee: R S Mahanama (Sri Lanka). Reserve umpire: J D Cloete.

Series details First Test: Match drawn (Centurion). Second Test: England won by innings and 98 runs. (Durban). Third Test: Match drawn (Cape Town).