CRUNCH TIME
England must take chance, says Cook
THIS is the moment of truth. The most searching examination of an England team who appear on the brink of something special if they can just follow up their storming win in Durban by breaking through South Africa’s Newlands fortress.
If England can win at this breathtaking ground in one of the world’s great cities for the first time in nearly 60 years, then they look set for a significant series victory and a rapid rise back towards the top of the world rankings.
Lose and they will have let South Africa, under enormous pressure here, off the hook and failed to conquer the inconsistency that has been their constant companion over the last two years.
The stage could not be more perfect for a second Test that is as big as anything outside the Ashes and will be played out in front of a packed crowd, with Table Mountain proving the most picturesque backdrop.
It will be refreshing to see a full house for an overseas Test outside the Ashes and motivation will be provided for Alastair Cook and his team by the thousands of England supporters who have crammed into Cape Town.
England know exactly how big this game is against a South African team who appear in an even worse state than England were when everything conspired against them on their last visit to Australia.
The sight of Graeme Smith helping South Africa with their batting yesterday hinted at desperation, not least in its attempt to stop their much-missed former captain criticising from the commentary box.
And the suggestion from South Africa captain Hashim Amla that either Faf du Plessis or JP Duminy will make way for a new keeperbatsman rather than Temba Bavuma, who looks patently out of his depth at Test level, smacks of political interference in the make-up of the home side.
If Australia were South Africa’s opponents today, then nothing would be more certain than that they would go two up with two to play because they are always ruthless when their opposition are at their most vulnerable.
The question is: can England be as single-minded now this chance has presented itself to them against what is still rated the best Test team in the world on their own patch?
‘It was great to finish a year when we were up and down a lot with a performance like that, a real relentless display pretty much from ball one,’ said Cook.
‘Can we do it again? Can we have a fortnight like we had at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge last summer in Durban and Cape Town? It’s a case of whether we have the same hunger as we showed in Durban.
‘It took a lot out of us to win there. We had to come through some tricky situations but each time we dragged it back through absolute determination and skill. We’ve got to set the same standards as we did in Durban and we’ll be OK.’
Whether the ridiculously short two-day turnaround that the International Cricket Council granted South Africa, so that they could attract holiday crowds to Newlands, aids or hinders England’s quest for consistency remains to be seen.
‘I haven’t got to the bottom of why we’ve been so inconsistent as a side over the last 10 months or so and this is another test of us,’ said Cook. ‘Have we, as a side, learned? Can we be more consistent and harder to beat?
‘It will be really disappointing if we carry on not being able to back up our performances. In Durban we set a benchmark. To be 1-0 up in this series is fantastic but to be 2-0 up would be even better.’
Even injuries are going England’s way at the moment, with Jimmy Anderson set to be fit to return in place of Chris Woakes, while South Africa were forced to concede that Dale Steyn can play no part here.
Only if Anderson’s right calf reacts adversely to his full role in England’s New Year’s Day practice session will he miss out but Cook admitted that his lack of bowling so far on this tour makes his selection a gamble.
‘If he’s fit to go then he’ll play,’ said Cook. ‘You want your best players playing but we have to make sure he’s right. We don’t want to hinder ourselves by causing an injury that could have been prevented.’