South Africa v England 1922-23

Played at Cape Town, January 1, 2, 3, 4. England won by one wicket. The Englishmen won the second Test match, but they only just scrambled home by one wicket after a desperate finish. Russell being all right again, they were able to take the field at full strength. Everything went well for them on the first day, as after they had - thanks largely to Fender's bowling - got rid of South Africa for 113, they left off at the drawing of stumps with their own score at 128 for four wickets. However, on the second day the match underwent a startling change. Blanckenberg bowled with such effect that the England innings which lasted, in all, about three hours and a quarter, was finished off for 183, no batsmen obtaining the least mastery.

Going in for the second time, South Africa made a bad start, Hearne playing a ball on to his wicket with the score at two, but Catterall and Taylor batted wonderfully well, taking the total to 134 and being still together at the close. On the following day, the game underwent another transformation. Catterall was bowled at 157, and from the time he left Macaulay and Kennedy, bowling very finely, were masters of the situation. At one point, Macaulay had sent down five overs for nine runs and two wickets. South Africa's innings of 242 extended over nearly five hours and a half. The Englishmen required only 173 to win, but Sandham and Mead alone played Hall's bowling with any confidence and things looked very bad indeed, when, at the end of the afternoon, the score stood at 86 with six wickets down.

The finish on Thursday was exciting to a degree. Mann, not out 12 overnight, made a great effort, and was so well backed up by Jupp that the seventh wicket put on 68 runs. At lunch time, with three wickets to fall, only 19 runs were wanted. However, Mann fell to a splendid catch in the slips at 167, and with a single added, Brown was run out, the wicket being thrown down from deep point. With five runs still required, Macaulay, the last man, faced Kennedy. The latter brought off a boundary hit on the leg side and a single by Macaulay finished the match. The result might easily have been different, Mann and Jupp being both let off during their invaluable partnership. Hall, whose bowling so nearly won the game for South Africa, was carried off the field shoulder high.