All-rounder claims 100th Test wicket

Twenty minutes after play started on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council, dropped a press release that confirmed that Marco Jansen is officially Test cricket’s best all-rounder and the format’s best bowler.

In this series, Jansen is tied as the top wicket-taker (with Mitchell Starc on 12) and is the third-highest run-scorer averaging 49.80, with two half-centuries to his name.

The numbers don’t lie. His 52 on Tuesday’s day one of the decisive third Test was threatening to become another full-on rescue act like his 85 was at St George’s Park. It was ended by Starc’s high octane burst with the second new ball.

On Wednesday, he threatened again, this time with the wickets of Cameron Green and Matt Renshaw, within the space of three balls, ending a 126-run third wicket partnership that was dragging the game away from the Proteas. Green’s wicket, was also his 100th in Tests.

The spell wasn’t enough. Like Renshaw and Green did after Simon Harmer struck two crucial blows before lunch, so Alex Carey and Josh Inglis did after tea, hustling their team into a first innings lead.

Jansen’s efforts in the series are starting to wear him down physically.

Only Harmer with 124.5 overs has bowled more than Jansen, who has delivered 81.1 overs. He spearheaded the attack in Durban in Kagiso Rabada’s absence and looked overwhelmed at times by the demands of doing so.

But he’s never shirked the work. “Marco, he’s just a very, very hard worker, just absolutely focuses on what he has to do, from practise to when he runs in, and when he plays,” said Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha.

“It’s all about trying to just get the same rhythm all the time, trying to get the same sort of rhythm that he does all the time, and learn from other people. That’s how he learns, and all his confidence, all that he needs, he uses it.”

We always knew it was going to be a tough day, with the way the wicket’s playing.

—  Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha

Jansen will be asked to go to the well once again on Thursday, with South Africa facing a critical few hours as they try to rescue what at stumps on Wednesday was looking like a precarious situation.

“We obviously felt we could have capitalised more on the opening stand [between Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman on the first day], we played some shots, we maybe shouldn’t have played. And then the way the wicket played today, you definitely feel like we should have got more runs in the first innings,” said Botha.

While Botha couldn’t fault the effort of Jansen and the rest of the attack, he felt that they could have created more pressure through drying up the runs. All four Australian batters who reached 50, played busy innings, finding the gaps regularly, and running hard between the wickets.

“We always knew it was going to be a tough day, with the way the wicket’s playing. There was no lateral movement there, so it was always going to be about big effort. I can’t fault the effort. I thought the effort was there the whole day,” said Botha.

“Maybe if we are being critical, maybe we didn’t hit our lengths or the right lines long enough. Once a wicket plays like that, you’ve got to create some maidens and hopefully create a false shot, and if you do that, chances might come your way.”