A half-century from Sune Luus kept South Africa just-about in the game, though England lead by 145 runs at the end of Day 2 in the Test at Bloemfontein.
England (395-9 & 31-1) v South Africa (281) #ENGvSA 🏏
— CRICKETher (@crickether.com) 2024-12-16T16:21:08.392Z
Luus’ innings was one of marvellous mental fortitude – it is enlightening to compare her innings with Maia Bouchier’s yesterday: Bouchier faced 154 balls and scored 126 runs; Luus 148 balls for 56 runs. In other words, Bouchier scored more than twice as many runs in (roughly) the same number of balls. For players brought up on white-ball cricket, scoring runs is the easy bit – occupying the crease, as Luus did, is a much tougher ask. Hitting the balls that are there to be hit is what the modern white ball player does by instinct; leaving the balls that are there to be left goes against every grain.
Over the past few years, since Luus stopped bowling her leg-spin, I’ve sometimes wondered why South Africa continued to pick her; but she showed today what a crucial cog in the South African machine she can be, and I thought Global Cricket on Bluesky made a really interesting observation about her:
She scored an epic century against India when SA almost saved the game. It’s intriguing to think how modern women’s players would be viewed if they played more long format and less short format stuff, because some of them who aren’t elite T20 players might be seen much more positively.
— Global Cricket (@somuchcricket.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T12:50:23.537Z
But despite 3 half-centuries (Wolvaardt, Luss and Kapp) and a 40 from Annerie Dercksen, South Africa really didn’t get what they wanted out of the day; and once Luus was dismissed, they subsided from 259-5 to 281 all out – losing their last 5 wickets for 22 runs. Lauren Bell was the key beneficiary, taking 3 of those 5 wickets to finish with 4-49; but arguably Lauren Filer (2-53) and Ryana MacDonald-Gay (2-50) both bowled better.
Filer’s role today was her most effective one – basically “The Heavy” in a Mafia movie: go in; break stuff; leave before the police get there! It is noticeable that she really is only capable of bowling very short spells – she looks knackered after 3 overs; and although England justify this as an explicit tactic of “short, sharp bursts”, I suspect this is post-rationalisation and they’d really like her to be able to go on for slightly longer. If she can lift her fitness over the next couple of years, that really would take her to another level.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay is in some senses the anti-Filer – she hasn’t got much pace at all, so she has to be totally on-the-money, which means trying to bowl consistently hitting the top off off stump and waiting for the reward – a tactic which bought her both her wickets today – Marizanne Kapp bowled and Nadine de Klerk caught behind. Kate Cross, who she replaced in the XI, needs to be her role model; but my feeling is that she isn’t quite ready to fill Cross’s shoes yet, and the Australians will probably find her easy pickings if she plays at the MCG in the Ashes.
Marizanne Kapp admitted in the post-match that England were “a little bit” ahead in the match. I think it is more like “a lot bit”, but there is still a path to South Africa overturning the odds and winning this match, if they can bowl England out in the first session tomorrow. If they don’t, then they are going to find themselves batting to save the game on the last day, on a pitch that is visibly starting to misbehave. Incredibly, Heather Knight has never won a Test in 8 years as England captain – she may never get a better chance to change that than in the next two days.
