Ian Chappell: Battle between Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada makes for compelling cricket

SO often Test series are lop-sided because one team possesses an artillery of fast bowlers only to be challenged by a seam bowling pop-gun attack.

SO often Test series are lop-sided because one team possesses an artillery of fast bowlers only to be challenged by a seam bowling pop-gun attack.

The Australia versus South Africa series has been compelling because both sides are armed with excellent pace bowling and hence the see-sawing nature of the cricket.

Two of the most exciting proponents of pace are the youngest members of their attack, Pat Cummins of Australia and Kagiso Rabada from South Africa.

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It was Cummins who single-handedly kept Australia in the pivotal third Test and in producing an electrifying spell of pace bowling he reminded me of Dennis Lillee. Not so much in the way he bowled but in his never-say-die thought process.

Australian bowler Pat Cummins celebrates the dismissal of South African batsman Temba Bavuma in the third Test.

South Africa seemed to be on the way to a crushing first innings score on a pitch that will get more difficult to bat on as the game nears conclusion. Typifying Lillee’s “we can win this game” spirit, no matter what the scoreboard says, Cummins crashed through the South African middle-order like a battering ram at the drawbridge gate.

In a belligerent eight over spell, Cummins collected four wickets for just 12 runs thereby shoving his team back into the contest. Asked afterwards about the long spell of bowling, the once injury prone Cummins responded; “I don’t think he [captain Steve Smith] could’ve got the ball out of my hand.”

As captain I was often accused of over-bowling Lillee and my response was; “Have you ever tried to take a bone from a Doberman?” Like Cummins at Newlands, Lillee was always the last player in the team to believe that victory couldn’t be attained.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada is rated the No.1 bowler in the world.

On the other side of this fascinating battle was Rapid Rabada, similar to Cummins in that they are both tearaway fast bowlers with a good cricket brain. Rabada was fortunate to be in this particular contest since his fiery nature has seen him make too many trips to the judiciary.

However, on this occasion I think the judicial commissioner made the correct decision in concluding Rabada’s brush with Smith in Port Elizabeth was not deliberate. If you apply running between wickets etiquette, as long as the bowler stays on his [follow through] line, then it’s the batsman’s job to avoid contact. Rabada didn’t alter his follow through line and Smith should have given the bowler a wider berth.

Rabada made the most of his reprieve and won an important, “it’s him or me” heavyweight battle with David Warner. Like all excellent fast bowlers, Rabada has that special ability to rise to the challenge of confronting the best opponents and he won this contest in convincing style.

Earlier in the day it appeared that the Australians — with Smith at the forefront — had gotten carried away with trying to punish Rabada for his appeal and over-exploited the short-pitched bowling. This resulted in a valuable lower-order partnership with the obstinate opener Dean Elgar that produced priceless runs in a premium contest.

Kagiso Rabada celebrates bowling David Warner on Day 2 of the third Test.

Nathan Lyon then responded in kind for Australia to continue a trend in this series where just when one team seems to be taking control, the other hits back with a classic counter-attack.

Australia will require more heroics to win the Test as this is a pitch where batting will only become more difficult.

The last thing Australia wants is a large fourth innings target.

Originally published as Ian Chappell: Battle between Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada makes for compelling cricket