There was stubborn pride and no little skill on show throughout a long, hot and occasionally fractious afternoon, and it looked for a time as though England would have to wait until the fifth day for victory. But when the fortress fell it did so quickly, as often happens in this unforgiving game, with England’s fast bowlers swarming and South Africa’s lower-order batsmen unable to withstand their menace. It was a fine evening — warm, with a blue, cloudless sky — for glory. There is a tendency to criticise England when beaten, and then turn our guns on the opposition whenever England win. There have been some of these overtones in certain quarters during this series, as the visiting side began to turn the screw

Source: The Times January 27, 2020 17:48 UTC