http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jason-Fred-Brown-c66434 steak that tastes good - Part 1 - Opinion
Triumphant, victorious and buoyant was the South African outfit which prevailed over http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 in the Investec Series of 2012. Their ruthlessness on the field, potency with the ball and penchant for scoring runs was a dramatic shift from being labeled as chokers.
That tag bit South Africa hard enough for them to contemplate over match winning weapons that they could deploy with good effect. Their bowling proved to be the WMDs which were instrumental in dethroning England. The quartet of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Morkel-c73528, Vernon
Philander and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JH-Kallis-c1692 pierced their way and made significant inroads into the English batting line up throughout the series. Yet this was a Test series in which Amla’s mammoth 311 at the Oval, along with his incredible century at Lord's, threatened
to overshadow other feats by quality players. Nevertheless, South Africa had the ability to win and develop a http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Neil-Killeen-c79132 instinct in the end, which could be attributed to the efforts of one man. That man was Vernon Philander.
The 27-year-old from Bellville was considered by many experts to be a handful on the seaming wickets of the UK prior to this series. His paltry average of 16 went hand in hand with his unique achievement of being the second fastest bowler to reach 50 wickets
in Test cricket's history. Regardless of his reputation, Philander bowled with the same nagging line and length that made his predecessors proud in the commentary box. Tweaks in the box by some of the most erudite commentators such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Michael-Anthony-Holding-c75756 and Mike
Atherton came in light of Philander picking up yet another wicket in crucial spells for his team. His tally of 12 scalps in three matches meant that Philander became the second highest wicket taker for his side, behind Dale Steyn. Yet unlike Steyn, who combines
charisma with chutzpah on the field, Philander struck in times when his team needed a breakthrough. His ability to do that with utmost ease helped in overturning the number one rank in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757’s favor.
Yet Philander’s stats are impressive, but not boast-worthy. He only managed one five-wicket haul in the series, which stands in stark contrast to his prior achievements in bilateral encounters with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 on home soil. Despite this, Philander
struck by trapping key batsmen LBW and finding the outside edge with regularity in moments when the opposition could have easily taken the game away from South Africa. For a side that has a history of failing when pressure hits them, Philander’s bowling was
divinely ordained and helped in ensuring that distinct yet familiar possibilities were well and truly averted.
The first Test at the Oval for example, saw England batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026 register a magnificent hundred in the first innings which helped England pile up 385 in their first innings. With South Africa posting a monstrous 637 for 2 in reply, Philander dislodged
Cook in the second innings for a low score, which acted as the catalyst for the host’s demise in that innings, the Test match and the games to come. Key wickets on key occasions helped ensure that South Africa gained the early advantage in the second Test
as well, and despite Kevin Pietersen’s heroics at Headingley, Philander’s burst with the ball ensured that the hosts would hang on and eventually settle with a tame draw in the end.
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