Mini-session Analysis 3rd test South Africa vs Pakistan, Centurion, 2012/13

Here is the final mini-session analysis for the third test between South Africa and Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion, South Africa

A mini-session is (normally) half a session, either between the start of the session and the drinks break or the drinks break and the end of the session. Occasionally a long session will have 3 mini-sessions where it will be broken up with 2 drinks breaks.

Mini-Session	Score	Winner
1-1a	South Africa 42/2 off 12	Pakistan
1-1b	South Africa 62/0 off 13	South Africa
1-2a	South Africa 54/1 off 15	South Africa
1-2b	South Africa 43/2 off 11	Pakistan
1-3a	South Africa 86/1 off 23	South Africa
1-3b	South Africa 47/0 off 11	South Africa
2-1a	South Africa 59/1 off 13	South Africa
2-1b	South Africa 16/3 off 5.2	Pakistan
	Pakistan 9/0 off 5
2-2a	Pakistan 47/2 off 13	South Africa
2-2b	Pakistan 35/2 off 11	South Africa
2-3a	Pakistan 41/1 off 10	Pakistan
2-3b	Pakistan 24/5 off 7.4	South Africa
	Following on 14/1 off 9
3-1a	Pakistan 42/1 off 14	draw
3-1b	Pakistan 31/0 off 14	draw
3-2a	Pakistan 27/4 off 49	South Africa
3-2b	Pakistan 62/0 off 13	Pakistan
3-3a	Pakistan 59/4 off 16	South Africa

Final update, click here
South Africa win the match by an innings, and the mini-session count 10 - 5

First drinks, Day 1: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 1-0

A great start for Pakistan. They have managed to remove both of South Africa's openers, and while they have gone for a few runs, they will certainly be happy with this start. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 1: The mini-session count is tied up, 1-1

The ability of Faf du Plessis to take balls from outside the off stump through the leg-side makes it very difficult to bowl to him. The Pakistani bowlers have probably bowled too wide of off-stump as a result. Part of that, though, was that they were forced to, because Amla and du Plessis have batted so well. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 1: South Africa lead the mini-session count 4-2

While Pakistan have competed well, South Africa have had a good day, and have pulled ahead in the match. They really are quite a team. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 2: South Africa lead the mini-session count 5-3

Pakistan have done well to pull this back. At 324/6 overnight there was a chance of South Africa going on to a massive score, but they have manage to keep them to 409. South Africa are still in a very good position, but Pakistan have a chance now. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 2: South Africa lead the mini-session count 8-4

Kyle Abbott has managed to ensure that Phlander won't equal George Lohmann's record for the fastest to 100 wickets. He became the third South African to take a five for on debut in the last 16 months.

Pakistan, however, look like they have no idea what they are supposed to do. South Africa are just too good. Even when Pakistan have had good sessions South Africa have still competed, but when South Africa have got on a roll, they really dominate. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 3: South Africa lead the mini-session count 8-4

Pakistan have very little chance of saving this game, and yet they are batting well. It's not easy to bat when there is very little hope of a positive outcome. The one hope that they have is perhaps that if they score 350, they may be able to run through South Africa with their spinners for a famous victory on the final day. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 3: South Africa lead the mini-session count 9-5

The question is no longer "will South Africa win this match?" It is now "How much will South Africa win by?" However the attitude of Sarfraz Ahmed and Saeed Ajmal is one to be admired. Cricket often reveals something of a players character, and theirs is to be admired. - Mykuhl

End of match, Day 3: South Africa win the match by an innings and the mini-session count 10-5

South Africa have wrapped up another match. In their last 15 matches, South Africa have 10 wins and 5 draws, with 4 innings victories. In the second innings Pakistan put up a reasonable fight, but South Africa took two bursts of wickets, 4 from overs 38 to 49 and then 3 from overs 64 to 70. It's their ability to tae wickets in bursts that has made them the best team in the world.

Mini-session Analysis First Test India vs Australia, Chepauk, 2013

Here is the final mini-session analysis for the first test between India and Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

A mini-session is (normally) half a session, either between the start of the session and the drinks break or the drinks break and the end of the session. Occasionally a long session will have 3 mini-sessions where it will be broken up with 2 drinks breaks.

Mini-Session	Score	Winner
1-1a	Australia 64/1 off 14.3	Australia
1-1b	Australia 62/1 off 19.3	Australia
1-2a	Australia 38/3 off 17	India
1-2b	Australia 51/0 off 15	Australia
1-3a	Australia 56/0 off 15	Australia
1-3b	Australia 45/2 off 14	India
2-1a	Australia 32/0 off 17	Australia
2-1b	Australia 32/3 off 21	India
2-2a	India 34/2 off 10	Australia
2-2b	India 50/0 off 12	India
2-3a	India 51/1 off 14	India
2-3b	India 47/0 off 16	India
3-1a	India 21/1 off 13	Australia
3-1b	India 60/0 off 14	India
3-2a	India 75/1 off 13	India
3-2b	India 33/1 off 13	Australia
3-3a	India 82/2 off 24	India
3-3b	India 62/0 off 12	India
4-1a	India 57/2 off 13.3	India
4-1b	Australia 34/1 off 16	India
4-2a	Australia 32/2 off 16	India
4-2b	Australia 62/2 off 17	India
4-3a	Australia 47/4 off 16.5	India
4-3b	Australia 57/0 off 18.1	Australia
5-1a	Australia 9/1 off 9	India
	India 50/2 off 11.2

Final update, click here
India win the match by 8 wickets and the mini-session count 16 - 9

First drinks, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 1-0

As there had not been a drinks break recorded, I decided the half way point in the session was after the fall of the wicket. Cowan and Warner were making an effort to keep the pressure on the bowlers. There's always a risk when you do that that you're going to either walk past one, or hit one straight to a fielder. Cowan did the former and as a result has looked like a bit of an idiot, but it was really a sensible risk to take. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 2-0

Australia lost a couple of wickets in succession, but they generally did well and stayed positive. If they had gone into their shells, and not looked to keep the scoreboard ticking over, the Indian bowlers may well have really tied them down. This match really rests on how well the Australian batsmen cope with the threat offered by India's trio of spinners. So far they have done quite well. - Mykuhl

Middle drinks, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 2-1

It appears that Australia's batsmen haven't really handled India's spinners very well at all. Well, at least one of them. While Jadeja has been tight he hasn't threatened much. Harbhajan Singh has - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 3-1

Moises Henriques has managed to bat through more than an hour of difficult conditions with his captain on debut. He needs 34 more runs to have the highest ever score by a Portuguese-born test cricketer.

I've heard that the average first innings here is 285. Regardless of that, this feels like a very good partnership. At 164/5 Australia were looking very shaky, but they now are close to a score that keeps the game alive. - Mykuhl

Final drinks, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 4-1

This is turning out to be another epic middle order partnership for Australia. Apparently the loss of Michael Hussey hasn't stopped this trend continuing. Australia are in the lead, but the 4-1 mini-session count isn't really indicative of the balance of the match, it feels more like 3-2. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 4-2

What an innings from Clarke. He has managed to carry Australia from the brink of disaster through to a respectable score. If he can put on another 85 runs with the tail, then Australia will be in a very strong position. - Mykuhl

Final drinks, Day 2: Australia lead the mini-session count 6-5

A much better day for India. They managed to knock off Australia's tail before lunch, and then have made steady progress with the bat. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 2: The mini-session count is tied up, 6-6

India are have shown a touch of the old and the new with these two partnerships. First it was Pujara and Tendulkar, then Tendulkar and Kohli. The three of them have restored the balance in the match. Australia are still probably slightly ahead, but this match could go either way tomorrow. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 3: Australia lead the mini-session count 7-6

A great period of pressure cricket from Australia. They managed to get rid of Tendulkar, and kept India to only about 2 an over. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 3: The mini-session count is tied up, 7-7

There's an old adage that batsmen should give the first hour to the bowlers, but they should make the most of the rest of the day. The Indian batsmen seem to have followed that advice. They were very defensive in the first hour, but then Dhoni and Kohli went mad and played like it was an ODI match. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 3: The mini-session count is tied up, 8-8

Very good aggressive batting from India. They are giving themselves a genuine opportunity in this match now. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 3: India lead the mini-session count 10-8

Australia came back good right after tea picking up two wickets before drinks but after that it was one way traffic as MS Dhoni switched gears and went into his T20 rampage mode to help put on 109* runs in just 25.4 overs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar who did his part and kept the ball out contributing 16 runs to the partnership. - poshin_david

First drinks, Day 4: India lead the mini-session count 11-8

An outstanding tail-wag from India have got them into a completely dominant position. The match was quite close when the 8th wicket fell. 166 runs later the match had only 2 possible outcomes: an Indian victory or a draw.

Dhoni has occasionally won man-of-the-match awards at home matches for seemingly spurious reasons. If he doesn't win it from here someone else would have had to have put in an absolutely magnificent performance. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 4: India lead the mini-session count 12-8

It was looking like a positive start from Australia, until the last ball before lunch, when Warner departed. The match is starting to head quickly India's way. - Mykuhl

Middle drinks, Day 4: India lead the mini-session count 13-8

The vultures are starting to circle the Australia team. While their bowlers are decent with the bat in home conditions, tail-enders are often significantly worse away than at home. Top order players from outside of Asia have averaged better in Asia than anywhere else in the past 5 years. However tail-enders in the last 5 years have averaged worse in Asia than anywhere else. Australia need to bat 3 of the 4 remaining sessions with their top 6. However they've already lost 3 of them. They need a very big partnership now. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 4: India lead the mini-session count 14-8

Australia's hopes are resting on the broad shoulders of Michael Clarke. They had a big partnership between these two batsmen in the first innings, and Australia will be hoping for a repeat dose. There is very little hope after Henriques. - Mykuhl

Final drinks, Day 4: India lead the mini-session count 15-8

The taking of a drinks break seems a little optimistic about the length of match remaining. Henriques will be looking for another 3 runs to become the top scorer in the innings. Nathan Lyon is capable of batting on a green top, but I'm not sure that his technique is as suited to a crumbling wicket. Australia need 17 more runs to make India have to bat again. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 4: India lead the mini-session count 15-9

What a fantastic partnership. Another 40 or so runs tomorrow and this is game on. More realistically there will be a wicket fall early and the the Indian batsmen will probably knock off the runs for the loss of 2 wickets. - Mykuhl

End of match, Day 5: India take the mini-session count 16-9

See previous comment. :-)

This was a commanding victory for India, but there were still some positives for Australia. Clarke and Henriques looked good, as did Pattinson and Lyon. But Australia still have a big mountain to climb. - Mykuhl

CricketGeek Player Profile: James Harris

James Harris

I recently had an interesting email arrive advising me to have a look at the newest addition to the English squad: the young Welsh bowler, James Harris.

When I first looked at his numbers they were not particularly impressive. However the English selectors have recently made a habit of picking players with poor domestic records, and those players being a real success. (for more info on that see this post on the The Declaration Game.) So I felt his numbers demanded looking at more closely.

As someone who occasionally enjoys cricket betting I like looking out for some patterns in players performance to see if there is anything that can inform my betting.

The first thing I looked at with Harris was to see if there was a positive trend in his performances. He started playing domestic cricket when he was very young, so I assumed that he would be improving. However, if anything, his performances have been getting worse as the batsmen have figured him out. Here is a graph of his 15 innings average and economy rates in T20 cricket.

These are hardly the sort of thing that suggest that he is going to set the world on fire. However sometimes there is more to a player than their average.

There has been a distinct pattern to his good performances and his bad ones. He is outstanding with the new ball, but not unconvincing with the old one. For example in the English PPP tour to India he took 3/19 off 7 overs when he opened the bowling (in a 50 over match), but 0/42 off 4 in the match where he came in later on.

Roughly 2/3 of his wickets have been against top 3 batsmen, and more than half of his wickets have been taken in the first 5 overs of a match. As a result he is far more valuable than his raw figures indicate, particularly in a team with a couple of batting all-rounders, who would allow his captain the luxury of only bowling him when he was most effective (at the start of the innings).

If I was betting on a match involving Harris, I would probably look to bet on him going for few runs early in the innings, but bet on him going for a lot at the end of the innings.

Additional research by Celia Roche

Mini-session Analysis 2nd Test, SA Pak, Newlands, 2012/13

Here is the final mini-session analysis for the second test between South Africa and Pakistan at Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa

A mini-session is (normally) half a session, either between the start of the session and the drinks break or the drinks break and the end of the session. Occasionally a long session will have 3 mini-sessions where it will be broken up with 2 drinks breaks.

Mini-Session	Score	Winner
1-1a	Pakistan 21/2 off 13	South Africa
1-1b	Pakistan 39/2 off 14	South Africa
1-2a	Pakistan 21/0 off 14	draw
1-2b	Pakistan 52/0 off 16	Pakistan
1-3a	Pakistan 57/0 off 15	Pakistan
1-3b	Pakistan 63/1 off 18	Pakistan
2-1a	Pakistan 46/3 off 12.3	South Africa
2-1b	Pakistan 39/2 off 13.5	draw
2-2a	South Africa 33/0 off 11.3	South Africa
2-2b	South Africa 32/2 off 12.3	Pakistan
2-3a	South Africa 40/2 off 17	Pakistan
2-3b	South Africa 34/1 off 19	Pakistan
3-1a	South Africa 51/1 off 14	South Africa
3-1b	South Africa 58/1 off 14	South Africa
3-2a	South Africa 77/2 off 101	Pakistan
3-2b	South Africa 1/1 off 1.1	South Africa
	Pakistan 25/2 off 8
3-3a	Pakistan 30/1 off 17.1	South Africa
3-3b	Pakistan 45/0 off 18.5	Pakistan
4-1a	Pakistan 35/1 off 14	South Africa
4-1b	Pakistan 22/4 off 12	South Africa
4-2a	Pakistan 12/2 off 5.3	South Africa
4-2b	South Africa 66/2 off 17	Pakistan
4-3a	South Africa 46/1 off 11	South Africa
4-3b	South Africa 50/1 off 10	South Africa

Final update, click here
South Africa win the mini-session count 13 - 9

First drinks, Day 1: South Africa lead the mini-session count 1-0

Another match at Newlands, another good hour with the ball for South Africa. If anything the ball has moved more in this match than it did in the first hour against New Zealand. The difference here is that the ball has missed the outside edge. As the pitch settles down, it may be even more difficult to bat here. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 1: South Africa lead the mini-session count 2-0

Other than the one over from Morkel, Pakistan batted quite well in this hour. Younis Khan looked quite solid. It was still South Africa's hour, as it usually is at Newlands, but this may be a slightly better match than the recent ones at this fantastic stadium. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 1: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 3-2

A fantastic fight back from Pakistan. Younis and Asad put together an outstanding partnership. Both batsmen had a couple of scary moments early on, but once they saw off the new ball they prospered. The match is very evenly balanced at this point. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 2: The mini-session count is tied up, 3-3

A good hour for Vernon Philander, who picked up yet another Newlands 5-for. South Africa seem like they are not far from wrapping up the tail here, but this partnership has been a very valuable one for Pakistan. These 31 runs could be the difference between a losing total and a competitive one. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 2: The mini-session count is tied up, 3-3

South Africa will be happy to have wrapped up the tail reasonably cheaply, but the 64 run 8th wicket partnership was massive in the context of the innings. - Mykuhl

Middle drinks, Day 2: South Africa lead the mini-session count 4-3

A couple of interesting things here. First we got to see Mohammed Irfan bowl, and he did seem to create some pressure. The key moment, however was probably Younis Khan dropping Graeme Smith on 0. That's already cost 17 runs directly, but also meant that Pakistan has missed out on the momentum that an early wicket would have created. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 2: The mini-session count is tied up, 4-4

Saeed Ajmal strikes again. Both openers back in the hutch. However, despite 7 overs being bowled by Ajmal, Pakistan have managed only 24 overs in these two hours. There have been two delays, but they really need to get through their overs quicker than that. - Mykuhl

Final drinks, Day 2: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 5-4

Another hour, another 2 wickets for Saeed Ajmal. The talking point here was the wicket of Kallis.

He was given out caught, and Kallis reviewed it, knowing that he didn't hit the ball. The replay showed that he didn't hit it, but that it was probably hitting leg stump. However it was umpires call for the lbw, and given that the umpire had not given the batsman out lbw, the umpires call was actually potentially not out for lbw.

The tricky thing here is that caught takes priority over lbw, so if the ball hits the pad plumb lbw, and then takes the bat and gets caught, the batsman is out caught, not lbw. The umpire doesn't have to rule on lbw if he feels the ball is caught.

What should have happened is once Bowden knew it was not out caught, he should have related that to Davis and asked if he felt it was lbw before looking at that. The rules do actually allow for that situation, but they were not totally applied correctly here. Kallis will feel aggrieved that he used up a review correctly, but was given out and lost the review for his team too. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 2: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 6-4

Another wicket for Ajmal, and now Hafeez is into the action too, bowling with his less favoured older ball. It will be interesting to see who Misbah goes to with the new ball (if South Africa make it that far). With the pitch taking turn, the option of Hafeez into the wind, and rotating the quicks in short spells from the other end is possibly an attractive option. Dean Elgar now has a chance to make his case for his spot in the team. He really needs to score big here to make the selectors decision between him and Duminy (once JP's fit) difficult. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 3: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 6-5

The role that luck plays is an interesting thing in cricket. AB de Villiers was dropped, then Dean Elgar got caught. As a result AB "did his job" by surviving the first hour, while Elgar "had another failure." - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 3: The mini-session count is tied up, 8-8

This game is turning into a stunning match. The mini-sessions are tied up, but Pakistan are probably in the lead, given that South Africa will have to play against Ajmal on a wearing pitch. However 2 quick wickets in the morning will change that completely. The Younis Khan wicket was a very big one for South Africa, but this partnership has restored the balance for Pakistan. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 4: South Africa lead the mini-session count 9-8

While South Africa won that hour, they didn't win it by much. Pakistan still have the advantage of Ajmal ready to bowl on the final day. The Misbah dismissal was a big one, as South Africa really need Peterson to fire, given that Morne Morkel is out. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 4: South Africa lead the mini-session count 10-8

If the first hour was close, the last hour was anything but. In the space of 13 balls the whole match changed dramatically. South Africa picked up 4 wickets and Pakistan were left hoping that Saeed Ajmal and Tanvir Ahmed can repeat their heroics from the first innings.

Pakistan probably need another 30 runs to make the run chase difficult, but they will also be aware that almost all the South African batsmen got starts, despite none of them going on to post a score. That is a pattern that's unlikely to happen twice in one test. - Mykuhl

End of Match, Day 4: South Africa Win the match by 4 wickets and the mini-session count 13-9

If Pakistan had managed another 30 runs, this match could have had a fantastic conclusion. The 3 over spell where South Africa picked up 4/5 was the turning point in the match.

It always felt like a spell like that was approaching, and it was always likey to include Philander. He has now taken 30 wickets in 4 matches at Newlands. If he can pick up 13 wickets in his next match, he will equal one of the oldest records in cricket, George Lohmann's record for being the fastest to take 100 wickets (15 matches). - Mykuhl

Sorry Kieron

watch Pollard's running between wickets.He's incredible, but nobody notices, because when he hits 6's they go a long way. #AusvWI

— Michael Wagener (@Mykuhl) February 6, 2013

That was the worst jinx ever.

— Michael Wagener (@Mykuhl) February 6, 2013

Mini-session Analysis 1st Test South Africa v Pakistan, Wanderers, 2012/13

Here is the final mini-session analysis for the first test between South Africa and Pakistan at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

A mini-session is (normally) half a session, either between the start of the session and the drinks break or the drinks break and the end of the session. Occasionally a long session will have 3 mini-sessions where it will be broken up with 2 drinks breaks.

Mini-Session	Score	Winner
1-1a	South Africa 27/0 off 13	Draw
1-1b	South Africa 41/2 off 12	Pakistan
1-2a	South Africa 57/1 off 14.4	South Africa
1-2b	South Africa 34/1 off 15.2	Pakistan
1-3a	South Africa 40/1 off 15.1	Pakistan
1-3b	South Africa 54/5 off 15.1	Pakistan
	Pakistan 6/0 off 2
2-1a	Pakistan 15/3 off 10.4	South Africa
2-1b	Pakistan 19/4 off 12.2	South Africa
2-2a	Pakistan 9/3 off 4.1	South Africa
	South Africa 45/0 off 9
2-2b	South Africa 28/0 off 10	South Africa
2-3a	South Africa 74/3 off 17	Pakistan
2-3b	South Africa 60/0 off 17	South Africa
3-1a	South Africa 68/0 off 9	South Africa
3-1b	Pakistan 47/1 off 14	draw
3-2a	Pakistan 26/2 off 26	South Africa
3-2b	Pakistan 31/1 off 14	South Africa
3-3a	Pakistan 45/0 off 19	Pakistan
3-3b	Pakistan 34/0 off 16	Pakistan
4-1a	Pakistan 50/3 off 14	South Africa
4-1b	Pakistan 35/3 off 11.4	South Africa

Last update, click here
South Africa win the mini-session count 11 - 7

First drinks, Day 1: The mini-session count is tied up, 0-0

An absorbing start to the test saw the South African openers survive, but they certainly didn't thrive. There were balls that went between bat and pad, and others that took the edge, but didn't carry. South Africa will be slightly happier than Pakistan, but only slightly.

Lunch, Day 1: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 1-0

It took 5 balls for Pakistan to take the lead in this match. South Africa was starting to look comfortable when they lost two wickets with the score on 46. However the second wicket brought Kallis to the crease, and at the moment he has looked as good as his record tells us he is.

Middle drinks, Day 1: The mini-session count is tied up, 1-1

South Africa had been looking comfortable, and Kallis in particular in control until inexplicably he played a loose shot and got out.

Tea, Day 1: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 2-1

After Amla fell to the "so bad it's good" theory of bowling, de Villiers and du Plessis decided to see how slowly they could bat. At one point de Villiers had 3 off 31.

Final drinks, Day 1: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 3-1

AB de Villiers has batted for 2 hour or more in the first innings of a match 29 times before this innings, but this is easily his lowest score of those innings. It's another case of a wicket falling right at the end of an hour. South Africa need to show better concentration if they are going to win this match.

Stumps, Day 1: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 4-1

The concept of a specialist new ball spinner is a fairly new one, but Mohammed Hafeez is probably the benchmark. He doesn't look particularly scary, but has the ability to get the ball to skid through quickly, and against tail-enders that is deadly.

Pakistan are well in the lead now. Everyone in the South African top 7 made it to 20, nobody made it past 50. Pakistan bowled well to create the pressure, but the South Africans can mostly blame themselves for their demise in that innings.

First drinks, Day 2: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 4-2

Dale Steyn is a special bowler. When he's in a mood like that, what are the batsmen expected to do? Philander has bowled 5 overs for 6 runs, while Steyn has bowled 6 overs and has 3/8. Morkel is looking positively expensive having conceded 5 runs off 10 balls.

There is a theory that swing bowling gets good batsmen out. I think that subtle swing bowling gets pretty much everybody out. Steyn hasn't swung many huge distances. In his entire spell there has only been one ball that was played and missed. The rest of them have taken the edge. The South Africans are masters at not doing too much with the ball.

Lunch, Day 2: Pakistan lead the mini-session count 4-3

While Pakistan might have won more hours, they are certainly not ahead in the match!

Since 1970 there have only been 5 teams bowled out for less than 50. Pakistan have a battle on their hands to stop that number increasing. Currently 2 of those 5 have been inflicted by Steyn, Philander, Morkel and Kallis. There is every chance that this group could add a third today. This really is a phenomenal South African side.

Middle drinks, Day 2: The mini-session count is tied up, 4-4

It's as though this match is being played on two different pitches. One when South Africa is batting, and one when they are bowling. But the truth is that the pitch isn't the thing that caused the Pakistani meltdown. It was fantastic bowling. Creating pressure, and bowling deliveries that ask questions. Cricket's a simple game when you're as good as the South African attack.

Stumps, Day 2: South Africa lead the mini-session count 6-5

South Africa are just relentless. There has been some controversy about the use of Hotspot in this match, but that really doesn't change how one sided this match is. South Africa are just playing at a different level at the moment, and when they click they are almost unplayable.

First drinks, Day 3: South Africa lead the mini-session count 7-5

Unless they bat very well, it's hard to imagine Pakistan being anything other than totally discouraged after this match. The difference between South Africa's approach in the two innings is summed up neatly by AB de Villiers. In the first innings he was in for 31 overs and scored 31 runs. In the second innings he was in for 35 overs and scored 103 runs. It's amazing what a change in match situation does to a batsman.

Stumps, Day 3: South Africa lead the mini-session count 9-7

While Pakistan are still in trouble, this is a very good partnership, and while they are still there there is still a (small) glimmer of hope.

First drinks, Day 4: South Africa lead the mini-session count 10-7

The difference that a new ball makes for South Africa is phenomenal. I'm not sure there's been a more potent trio of quicks in the history of the game. These three all offer something different, and all are suited to different conditions. If the conditions don't suit Steyn, they will probably suit Philander or Morkel. Today it looks like this new ball suits both Steyn and Philander, and that would be difficult for world class batsmen to survive. How much more so for tail-enders who have grown up on the sub-continent?

End of match, Day 4: South Africa win the match by 211 runs and the mini-session count 11-7

Another clinical performance by South Africa. While Roberts, Holding, Croft and Garner were more likely to injure batsmen, I fancy that this South African line up is more likely to get them out.

Pakistan didn't actually play too badly in this match. But they were completely outgunned by a South African side that didn't actually even look like they hit top gear.