da betcris： Alternating between dropping short and pitching too full, it was a most uncharacteristic display from Bryce McGain whose greatest strength at domestic level is his control
Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town20-Mar-2009
Bryce McGain had the worst economy rate for any bowler in a Test innings © Getty Images
Bryce McGain said last week that there are worse things than being12th man for Australia. He might have just discovered what one ofthose things is. At the end of his second day of Test cricket, McGainhad already taken an unwanted record: the 102 that his 11 overs hadcost left him with the worsteconomy rate of any bowler in a Test innings.It’s a fluid figure and he could slip down the list on the third daybut what won’t disappear is the pain of being mercilessly slappedaround the Newlands stadium by the centurions Ashwell Prince andJacques Kallis. There were a couple of overs that went for 13 each,two that cost 14 and one particularly nasty one that earned the SouthAfricans 18 runs.The South African spinner Paul Harris is famous for thrusting hishands up after nearly every ball, even if it has been defended off themiddle of the bat, seemingly trying to convince the batsman that heescaped a thunderbolt. McGain appeared unable even to persuade himselfthat he was a threat.After waiting three hours to be handed the ball on the third day,McGain was driven edgily over gully by Prince first ball. Had it flownto hand things could have been so much different. Instead, the batsmenkept attacking and McGain lost confidence, alternating betweendropping short and pitching too full.It was a most uncharacteristic display from a man whose greateststrength at domestic level is his control. Not usually an enormousturner of the ball, McGain strangles batsmen through constant pressureand, though it’s hard to believe from his figures in Cape Town, is atough and restrictive one-day bowler for Victoria.”He was under pressure that whole time,” Australia’s coach Tim Nielsensaid. “The scoreboard’s ticking over, he can see the runs up againsthis name and I think the pressure just got a bit much today, it was apretty hard initiation to Test match cricket.”He didn’t bowl anywhere near as consistently as he would like, hebowled both full and short. I think a pretty good indication was whenhe bowled a couple of overs to Kallis and all of a sudden he had adeep midwicket and he took out one of the attacking players on the offside, which to a legspinner would be normally where you would like tobe getting them to hit. He was probably trying to defend his badball.”Were it a young legspinner trying to make his mark on Tests, it couldhave been devastating. McGain clearly was not jumping for joy but at37, he has learnt to stay calm and for the most part his body languagedidn’t give away the angst that must have been running through hismind.But as the camera zoomed in on his red face following anotherexpensive over, and he deliberately avoided looking up at the bigscreen, he must have been wondering if this was it. After nearly twodecades of club cricket, was he to become a one-cap wonder? Was anAshes tour slipping from his grasp?Nothing has gone right for McGain on this trip, from missing the planeback home and arriving in South Africa after his team-mates, to beingbelted on a flat pitch in the warm-up game in Potchefstroom, to goingdown with gastro on the eve of the first Test in Johannesburg. Nielsensaid McGain would not necessarily have played in Cape Town had MarcusNorth not fallen ill on the day before the match.The challenge is for him to put the disastrous day behind him andprove on the third day that he can be a Test-class bowler. He is goodenough to do that but only if his confidence hasn’t taken a fataldive. Seven South African wickets remain and with the strongpossibility that they may not bat again during the match, it could bethe most important day of McGain’s career.”He’s got a bit of learning to do,” Nielsen said. “He’s had a toughday today. The real test will be to turn up tomorrow morning and tryand learn from today and not run away from the challenge. He needs toreally present himself and bowl those overs in the first session so wecan thump away with our quicks and hopefully get a couple of earlywickets.”