So like Cardiff we escape defeat again. This is a position we should have never been in. Andrew Strauss made a mistake from the start by putting South Africa in, although he may have misread the pitch or not put enough research into the conditions.
Strauss was not helped with some poor new ball bowling and that his bowlers failed in both inings to capitalise on good postions. Having the Proteas at 50/4 in the second innings, having them out for 150 was possible, but having benign conditions and an attack that has little bite allowed the South Africans to gain control of the game.
What worries me is the form of Cook, Bell and Prior. They all failed to make decent runs in this match, when conditions weren't that difficult. Kevin Pieterson does, what he usually does, worked hard to get the team in a good position and then threw his wicket away.
The only plaudits for this game belong to Swann and Trott who both equipped themselves well. There is a lot to work on for Durban.
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