The turning point of the game came when Jean-Paul Duminy and Colin Ingram joined forces in a solid, counter attacking alliance that not only resurrected South Africa, but also put them on top. Till that point, Ireland held the upper hand distinctly. The bowlers maintained a tight line right from the start and were rewarded deservedly. Boyd Rankin, Trent Johnston and John Mooney kept things extremely tight at the start, frustrating the South African top and middle order. Even George Dockrell and Paul Stirling supported them exceedingly well as Ireland built up the pressure with some excellent fielding as well. Soon, the results were there for all too see. Even the South Africans panicked as their main men skipper Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis felt to brilliant pieces of fielding courtesy run outs. Even the persistent Hashim Amla struggled in the wake of the Irish challenge and succumbed. And, if not for the Duminy-Ingram partnership, Ireland might well have managed to pull off the upset they so desperately wanted to.

The feature of the association between Duminy and Ingram was their positive intent. No, they did not slog their way out of trouble, but ensured that the free flow of runs never stopped. They were severe on all the bowlers as they went about their rescue act. Impressively, unlike the previous batsmen, none of the two looked in any sort of trouble during their counter attacking partnership. And, they never looked like getting out as well at any point of time. By the time that they were dismissed, the South Africans had wrested back the advantage conceded earlier in the day. Former skipper Johan Botha too played his part with a pleasing cameo. The only bitter part about it all was that Duminy missed his well deserved century by just a solitary run. But, all credit to the left-hander, who went for the big shot and sacrificed his wicket for the team’s cause, leaving aside personal glory.

Once South Africa had posted a challenging total, they were always going to have the upper hand. However, Ireland still had a slim chance to surprise them if someone could come up with a Kevin O’Brien type magical knock. Unfortunately, nothing of that sort was on offer as the penetrative South African bowlers stream rolled past the Irish batting line up and, in the process, progressed into the quarter finals. If Dale Steyn made all the difference against India, it was his partner Morne Morkel turn to shine against Ireland. He claimed both the openers in quick succession with his pacy deliveries and not soon after it began, the Irish challenged had derailed.

The South Africans would also have been mighty pleased with the fact that Kallis got among the wickets. He was due for some and it came against Ireland. In the spin department, left-armer Robin Peterson impressed yet again. He is turning out to be a real asset to this South African outfit and has even managed to replace Botha as the first choice spinner thanks to his better batting abilities. Having said that, Botha too has been doing a commendable job whenever given the opportunity. In short, all seems well in the South African bowling machinery and all they need to do now is to get their act completely right with a bat. They have a faltered on a couple of occasions, but someone or the other has thankfully put their hands up and rescued them from trouble. Smith, first and foremost, needs to get among the runs. And Morne Van Wyk, while he has looked impressive, needs to register bigger scores if he going is bat up the order. The good thing is that they still have one match left against Bangladesh to put things in order. Rest all seems fine for the South Africans as they now wait to know who they play in the quarter finals.

For the Irishmen, the tournament has been a clear cut case of what might have been. In every game they had opportunities to create an upset, but they only managed to pull it off in one game, with that superb chase against England. That said, the fact that they have managed to compete in each and every game in the tournament so far is that good thing in itself. Irish cricket is at a stage where they are learning new things with every passing match. And with the kind of ability and determination they possess, they can pull off the odd upset like the one against England at Bangalore. In hindsight, the win against Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup was no fluke. Irish cricket has a long way to go, but there are no two ways about it that they are on the right track. With experience and exposure they will only get better if they keep performing with the same spirit and enthusiasm. The good news for Ireland fans is that they have one more game left to make an impression.

South Africa

AB De Villiers: AB de Villiers did set the world on fire the last time he was here. He played beautifully all round the wicket and was one of the few batsmen on their debut tour to India to perform so well. He announced himself into world cricket with a very timely and aggressive century.

He’s been in pretty good knick in lead up to the series. He’s been getting pretty decent start but how would he love to convert one of ‘em into a century. He is a mainstay in the South African middle order along with Jacques Kallis and the proteas will be heavily reliant on the duo to provide some stability in the middle order. De Villiers is a brilliant fielder and must be kept an eye on—the man pulls out catches from absolute thin air.

Jacques Kallis: He has now turned 34 and with his medium pace is one of the best all rounder’s the game has ever seen. Kallis will be keen after a certain lay off and would love to grind (that’s the sort of character he is, isn’t he?) his way out of India with some runs and wickets under his belt. Now that he has returned to full fitness his bowling will come in handy for South Africa. With his slightly round arm action he should be a handful especially with the old ball where he would be able to reverse swing the ball in these conditions.

Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn: Steyn had a wonderful tour the last time he was here. Both Morkel and Steyn are more than capable of bowling a 150 kmph per hour and a swinging ball at that pace especially with a relatively inexperienced middle order (barring Sachin) against them. The Indian batsmen certainly do have their work cut out.

Morkel earlier mentioned that he would be looking to bowl a quite a few short ones considering the Indian batsmen problems with the bumpers. Steyn said “I’ve said many times before, a 150 or 145 km Yorker is absolutely no different whether you bowl it here in Nagpur, Chennai, Johannesburg, Perth. It’s the skill behind the delivery that is what counts at the end of the day”. The Indians would have to be wary of the duo see of the new ball and take it from there.

India

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir: The duo are just over 200 runs short of becoming India’s most successful opening combination (in tests) statistically. Often in the recent past its been the opening pair of Sehwag and Gambhir that has given the middle order batsmen the platform to step upon. Their contribution is invaluable and they seem to complement each other pretty well with Sehwag being the aggressor. It wouldn’t be too surprising if they duo do have a good series (been the trend in the recent past) India should be in good stead to take the series from there.

Sachin Tendulkar: The more said about him the less it is. Sachin with his record has already made us expect from him. He being the senior man in the middle order with Dravid and laxman doubtful. He needs to shoulder the innings. The old man should do well and if he does so India goes with him.

Zaheer khan: He’s the only pace bowler who seems guaranteed of a place. His new ball bowling and more importantly his reverse swing will surely be one to deal with. If India has to win they need to come up with a very good bowling performance and if that has to happen Zaheer khan has to be at his best.

It’s India VS South Africa. Its world number 1 VS world number 2. It the clash of the champions—the world championship of cricket— promises to be an enthralling series.

The series will, in particular, be remembered for Graham Onions’ two-match saving efforts with the bat, wherein he played out the final over of the game in a composed manner to peeve the Proteas. It epitomized the English fightback, though they collapsed in the final Test.

South Africa had just one atrocious innings with the bat, and it pretty much cost them a series victory. However, one still has to credit them for the way they fought back in the final Test and demolished the Englishmen. Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn bowled splendidly and the batting was led admirably by skipper Smith. Even with an in-form batting line-up, England could do little and Andrew Strauss had to end up sharing the series trophy with Graeme Smith.

Throughout the four Tests, there were exceptional performances from either sides. Graeme Swann was without an iota of doubt the star of the series from the English point of view. Rarely have spinners done well in South Africa and rarely have England produced quality spinners in recent years.

But, Swann is different and his success story on this tour is ample proof of it. An off-spinner in the traditional mould, his capability of beating the batsman in the flight was a sight for cricket lovers, who are fans of the aesthetic components of the game.

Add to it, the valuable contributions he made with the willow throughout the series, which benefited England in a major way and you have a sureshot match-winner. If the visitors still struggled in the bowling department, it was because the others like James Anderson and Graeme Swann weren’t as consistently effective.

England did rediscover a few batting heroes though, none bigger that Paul Collingwood. He was the man who stood between South Africa and victory in thorn and flesh. Not the most artistic of players. Collingwood did his job of staying at the crease for long durations, blocking deliveries using all his batting resources.

It was his undying efforts that went a long way in ensuring that England saved two Tests. Ian Bell was another grafter who rose to the occasion, with a match-winning hundred and a match-saving half-century in consecutive Tests. Opener Alastair Cook also made vital contributions at different points in the series.

South Africa, on the other hand, owe a lot to Steyn and Morkel, who won them the final Test. That said, the contributions of Mark Boucher as both keeper and batsman as well as those of Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis cannot be overlooked. The captain Smith himself showed the team the way forward in crunch situations. At the end of the day, it was only just that the teams shared the spoils.

The one common factor in all the three close shaves that England managed to survive has been Paul ‘rock solid’ Collingwood. There have been plenty of times in Collingwood’s career when he has been on the brink of elimination. But, each time he has come back with greater vengeance. And his efforts in recent times stand testimony to his never-say-die spirit and complete commitment to raise the level of England cricket.

The nerve-wracking battle against Dale Steyn on the afternoon of the final day at Cape Town would have undoubtedly been amongst Collingwood’s toughest in his entire career. With each and every moving delivering posing uncomfortable questions in front of him, Collingwood could have nicked any and been back in the pavilion. But, he stayed put, leaving alone the deliveries he could. And there was a divine soul up above who realized that here was man who needed his blessings to survive. Not that Steyn didn’t deserve it, but it was just that Collingwood’s efforts were way too indomitable to be ignored.

It wasn’t just Collingwood whose effort stood out though. Another under fire England batsman stood up to the cause. Ian Bell hasn’t done justice to his potential till date. Hopefully, this series might prove to be the making of Bell. Having already registered a century earlier, Bell had a tougher task on hand after Collingwood’s departure, to see the team through to safety. And boy, did he put up a brave front. If Collingwood had weathered the storm, Bell ensured that the danger bells did not ring in England dressing room, holding his own against Morne Morkel – the first innings hero for the Proteas – and the less effective Jacques Kallis as well as left-arm spinner Paul Harris. Both bowlers tried their level best, but while Kallis’ lack of pace hurt him, Harris’ limitations also came to the fore. He is a trier no doubt, but one can’t see him running through oppositions too often.

In the end, a frustrated Graeme Smith had to turn to JP Duminy. And the magically talented cricketer provided yet another twist in the tale. Following his breakthrough, there was another familiar England lower-order collapse. However, Graham Onions once again stood in the way of victory and South Africa. It was his second fairy tale effort, but it was undoubtedly the Paul and Bell show that saved England’s skin.

However, they have a tendency of blowing away great opportunities and that should inspire the South Africans coupled with the fact that they have an excellent record at Newlands. So it is only fair that we expect a tight contest for the decider.

Most of the pre-match discussions surrounded the poor form of veteran Makhaya Ntini and his possible exclusion. Of course, it will be an extremely tough decision.

But, now that it is clear Friedel de Wet’s omission despite his noteworthy debut at Centurion was a mistake, the decision might be easier. Still, don’t expect de Wet to repeat his debut act. This will be a bigger Test for him as the Proteas will be under greater pressure.

Pace spearhead Dale Steyn too needs to get his act right. He hasn’t had a great time against England. As such a lot will depend on how Morne Morkel performs. He has been the most consistent and threatening of the pacers for South Africa. Meanwhile, Paul Harris has been doing a commendable job as a spinner with good support from JP Duminy.

While the bowling wasn’t at its best at Durban, South Africa also suffered big time due to their uncharacteristically toothless batting effort. Only Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis made valuable contributions before the tail helped the home side get close to 350 in the first innings.

However, in the second innings, the batting was a complete disaster and South Africa crumbed to an ungracious defeat. The batters will have to put the disappointment of last week behind them and start afresh.

England, on the other hand, would look to consolidate on their magnificent effort at Durban. They would be hoping for the in-form Paul Collingwood to be fit else Michael Carberry might have to be drafted it.

That apart, most of their problems seemed sorted out in the second Test. Alastair Cook and Ian Bell struck centuries, which would have delighted the England management no end.

If the seniors like Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen can come up with similar efforts at Cape Town, the visitors would be in with a great chance of achieving a series victory considering their potent bowling attack.

Spinner Graeme Swann has been South Africa’s biggest nemesis in the series so far. His match 9-wicket haul at Durban was a richly-deserved one. Add to it, he has been more than useful with the bat lower down the order.

A decade since his tumultuous exit from international cricket, Swann has truly come of age. The pace trio of Anderson, Onions and Broad has been doing a good job at the start, getting the early breakthroughs. If they can maintain the same intensity and discipline at Cape Town, there is no reason why England can’t pull off another victory.