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Free cricket betting tips: South Africa and Australia seek advantage in Cape Town
Cricket expert Richard Mann is looking forward to the third Test match between South Africa and Australia and is backing AB de Villiers to shine again.
Recommended bets: South Africa v Australia third Test
1pt AB de Villiers top South Africa first innings runscorer at 11/4
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Amidst the flashpoints of Durban – the downright ugly spat between David Warner and Quinton de Kock – and the controversy of Port Elizabeth – Kagiso Rabada getting himself in hot water for making physical contact with Steve Smith in his follow through – this Test series between South Africa and Australia has produced some of the most absorbing cricket of recent times.
The two sides head to Cape Town on Thursday locked at 1-1, the beautiful backdrop of Table Mountain set to play host as the series ebbs and flows towards its crescendo in Johannesburg next week.
Australia were dominant winners in Durban, Mitchell Starc producing an exhibition of reverse-swing bowling reminiscent of another great left-arm fast bowler, Wasim Akram, and the hosts were left wanting.
They were quick to bounce back, though, Rabada’s 11 wickets in the second Test earning him a Man Of Match award to accompany a two-match ban.
As has so often been the case in recent years, there is very little between the two sides on their day and the series could easily see-saw again, though recent news that Rabada's initial two-match ban has now been overturned is a massive boost to the hosts.
Morne Morkel seemed likely to slot back into the side in Rabada’s absence but, as fine a bowler as he may be, he doesn’t have the x-factor of Rabada and more importantly, Australia don’t fear Morkel, or anyone else, the way they fear Rabada.
He is the big new South African fast-bowling hope – Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn and now Kagiso Rabada – and captain Faf du Plessis will be relieved to have his spearhead to call upon in Cape Town.
One of the most striking aspects of the series so far has been the sight of two high-quality pace attacks, admirably backed up by two impressive finger spinners, dominating these well-touted batting line ups.
The likes of Warner, Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith, in particular, were imperious in the recent Ashes defeat of England but only three fifties between the trio in this series so far is an indication of how well the South Africans have bowled.
The hosts own batting has found the going equally tough with Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins continuing to bowl with pace and control and it took a sublime unbeaten first-innings hundred from AB de Villiers to repel them in Port Elizabeth.
Given the context of the game, against an attack that good and with the ball reversing so violently, it was a century that will surely go down as one of de Villiers’ very best, if not the best.
It was an innings of rare genius - a master of his craft seemingly playing a different game to everyone else, against different bowlers, in different conditions, maybe even in a different world.
Contrast Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla’s painstaking, but hugely valuable, 88-run stand that lasted 46 overs to the sight of eight Australian fielders on the fence as Pat Cummins bowled to de Villiers, now past three figures, tells you just how well he played.
It was the sight of the Australians waving the white flag. It didn’t really matter that de Villiers was onto the delivery – a bouncer, approaching 90mph – in a flash and deposited it into the stands over midwicket.
As highlighted in the series heads-to-heads beforehand, de Villiers is the one man who can take the game away from Australia and 225 runs at an average of 112.50 tells you that visitors don’t yet have the remedy to stop him.
It is worth noting that he has only been dismissed twice in the series so far, one of those coming when run out and the other, the first by an opposition bowler, when victory was all but sealed in Port Elizabeth.
With that in mind, and the struggles of the other home batsmen in the face of such a high-class bowling attack, de Villiers must be backed at 11/4 to be the top first innings South African runscorer having comfortably obliged in that market in the first two games.
Cape Town might offer more pace and bounce than we have seen in the series so far, despite the recent dry spell, and only the best equipped players will cut it again.
Australian captain Smith, another of leading batsman in world cricket right now, hasn’t looked at his best since arriving on these shores but don’t be surprised if he shows his class in the next week and makes a notable contribution.
Smith is 9/4 with Sky Bet to be the top first innings Australian runscorer.
Posted at 1900 GMT on 19/03/18.