SA Eng T 1 Day 5 Stumps: England Deny Hosts Draw With an Edge-of-Seat Final Wicket Save

Sreelata YellamrazuDec 20 2009

Test matches could not probably be stretched any further than this. To have a match finish on the very last possible ball of the five day match is incredible. For England, the draw will seem incredulous given the bizarre hour that finally ended the Test in a draw.

graham onions paul collingwood

This is not reliving the Ashes. But England would take heart from believing that it could be ominous. For South Africa, they will feel incredibly proud of their efforts post tea break to force a victory, once they get over the heartbreak of missing it by a wicket.

south africa scream

The match appeared to see saw from a possible victory for the hosts to a draw to an exciting possibility of the hosts going 1-0 in the series.

When South Africa managed to reduce England to three down for twenty-seven after getting rid of the nightwatchman, James Anderson, courtesy Friedel de Wet and Alastair Cook dismissed by Paul Harris for twelve.

But that was before lunch and Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott stuck together, forged a partnership that appeared unlikely to be dislodged by South Africa as the match headed towards tea.

South Africa did see hope though and KP himself gave them reason to believe. An outrageous run attempt saw the debutant de Wet sense the opportunity of a miscalculating KP, and headed in the direction of the emptied crease and prompted removed the bail, to show how KP had lost his concentration after having painstakingly made eighty-one in the attempt to give England a draw.

Opening the door at 172 for four was all South Africa needed and de Wet showed maturity beyond his years to use the new ball to devastating effect. England, who thought they were going into the final hour assuming this was one of those comfortable draws, were in for some edge of the seat ride.

Friedel de Wet bowled astoundingly well for his first match, to first have Trott dismissed on sixty-nine runs with a stupendous low catch by AB de Villiers in the slips. Ian Bell and Matt Prior followed soon after as de Wet strangled England hopes with Mark Boucher chipping in with at least one brilliant catch.

Stuart Broad's appeal against a lbw decision to Morne Morkel went in vain and England were gasping as South Africa had managed to snare one wicket int he last eight overs of the match and were about to attempt the final one in the remaining 3.2 of the eight overs.

But Graham Onions showed grit and calmness at the crease even as Paul Collingwood entrenched himself. Not all their plans to keep Onions away from the strike worked, with Onions have to face the final over, given to Makhaya Ntini by Graeme Smith in view of the former's 100th Test, but Onions managed to keep the ball out and thereby, gave England a draw, with a wicket to spare, reminding them of the first Test of the Ashes at Cardiff when James Anderson and Monty Panesar pulled off the unthinkable against Australia.

For South Africa, the reward for their hard fought match will be that they managed to push England to the edge of the cliff.

Boxing Day awaits to renew battles.

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