da bet7： "An epic!" declared Michael Vaughan, as he strode in to face the mediaafter the second Test at Durban had ended in a nailbiting draw
Andrew Miller30-Dec-2004
End of an epic: Vaughan walks off in the half-light© Getty Images
"An epic!" declared Michael Vaughan, as he strode in to face the mediaafter the second Test at Durban had ended in a nailbiting draw. In theend, it was bad light that saved South Africa from probable defeat and soprevented England from extending their winning streak to a record ninematches, but Vaughan had few complaints about the outcome."To be honest it was pretty dark out there," he admitted, "and when wewere batting on the third day we were offered similar light at a similartime, and accepted it. One slight query is that the umpires didn’t give usan opportunity to bring on our spinners, because with an over or so ofwarning, I’d have brought myself and Ash [Giles] on. But it’s not a realcomplaint. I’d have done just the same."By the time play was suspended, the floodlights were piercing the gloom inthe middle and, in hindsight, the spinners might have been an optioninstead of the new ball. "But hindsight is a funny thing," added Vaughan."To be honest, I was expecting a bang-bang from Steve Harmison, but theclouds came from nowhere. But it’s swings and roundabouts with thesethings, though. We can’t control the weather, only our performance."After the start that England made to the match, Vaughan might have beengrateful to walk away with a draw. But the manner in which they turnedthe game around was so emphatic that, by the end, the boot was firmly onthe other foot. "It was South Africa who got out of jail," declaredVaughan. "Obviously I’m slightly disappointed not to be 2-0 up, but it’sbeen a great Test match, and our comeback over the last three-and-a-halfdays has been extraordinary. We’ve dug deep and taken our performance tonew heights. After a dodgy two days, it’s been a great effort."I’d rather be in my shoes than Graeme Smith’s," added Vaughan. "I thinkthe South Africans will be sat back in their dressing-room thinking they have taken a lot out of the game, but if they dig deep into their performance,they’ll accept they were right on the back foot by the end. JacquesKallis’s innings was one of the best that has ever been scored against us,and they should have nailed the game with a 200-run lead. But the teamthat finished on top was England."The other slight downer for England was the end of their run of eightconsecutive victories. "It’s disappointing," Vaughan admitted, "but to go13 matches unbeaten is an amazing achievement. This series has been playedbetween two tough, closely matched teams and in the right spirit, andwe’re delighted to be 1-0 up."This side has one hell of a lot of character, and a tough fightingspirit," Vaughan concluded. "We’ve now got to make sure than 2004 hasn’tjust been a lucky year. We need to continue our success into 2005, and goto Cape Town to play in similar fashion to the last three-and-a-halfdays."