Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson claimed his career-best match figures as he bowled his team to a crushing 281-run win over South Africa on the fourth day of the first Test at SuperSport Park on Saturday.
|Last Updated: Feb 15, 2014, 08:48 PM IST|Source: AFP
Centurion: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson claimed his career-best match figures as he bowled his team to a crushing 281-run win over South Africa on the fourth day of the first Test at SuperSport Park on Saturday.
Johnson followed up his seven for 68 in the first innings with five for 59 as South Africa were bundled out for 200.
As he did in the first innings, Johnson took a wicket in his first over and dismissed both South African opening batsmen cheaply to leave the hosts struggling.
AB de Villiers, who made 91 in the first innings, again provided the only significant resistance to the Johnson-inspired bowling attack, hitting 48 before driving Johnson to short cover where Australian captain Michael Clarke held a stinging catch.
Johnson`s match figures of 12 for 127 bettered his previous match best of 11 for 159 against South Africa in Perth in 2008/09.
It was a match dominated almost entirely by Australia, who thoroughly outplayed the team currently ranked number one in Test cricket.
Given the performance of Johnson in particular, it will be difficult for South Africa to come back in the two remaining Test matches.
South Africa have not been beaten in a series since Australia beat them, also in South Africa, in 2008/09.
As he did in the first innings, Johnson took a wicket in his first over, having Alviro Petersen caught behind for one.
It was Johnson`s 250th Test wicket in his 57th Test match.
South African captain Graeme Smith, who was Johnson`s first over victim in the first innings, hit a four off a thick outside edge in Johnson`s second over but then fell to a superb catch by Alex Doolan when Smith clipped the ball firmly to short leg.
Faf du Plessis was the third man out, with the total on 49, falling victim to a ball which shot through low from Peter Siddle and trapped him in front of his stumps.
Hashim Amla made a solid 35 before he was caught at first slip off Ryan Harris.
Johnson, who took seven for 68 in the first innings, completed the third ten-wicket haul of his Test career when Doolan made another outstanding catch at short leg, snapping up JP Duminy.
There was a hold-up shortly before the tea break when a Johnson bouncer hit the earpiece of Ryan McLaren`s helmet, with the batsman needing treatment on the field before continuing.
McLaren was caught behind off Johnson soon after tea and an early finish was inevitable after De Villiers was dismissed, although lower order batsmen Robin Peterson and Vernon Philander both hit some lusty late blows.
Clarke declared Australia`s second innings closed at 290 for four after only 3.2 overs when Shaun Marsh was caught behind off Dale Steyn without adding to his overnight score of 44.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.