Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who picked up another five-wicket haul to bowl his team into a strong position in the first Test against the West Indies on day two in Centurion on Wednesday, admitted it was hard to think about milestones while playing. that’s a little Test cricket.
‘Don’t play’ Test cricket
“It’s obviously a special occasion when we get the opportunity to take five-to reach one of the milestones,” said Nortje, who finished with a figure of 5/36. “Playing only four Tests in a year, you don’t think too much about it because you barely play.
“It’s really difficult. You cannot compare what the greats have done for South Africa in the past. He played a lot of Test cricket, which was the main format, whereas now he has four games in a year and eight or 10 games in two years.
“It’s very limited. So when we get the chance, it’s great to go out and just focus on what we have to do.
Nortje and his fellow bowlers did a good job as West Indies’ first innings was undone by the collapse of the top order by the Proteas in the second over.
After the Proteas were bowled out for 342 in the first innings on day two of the morning session on Wednesday, the Windies then responded with 212 all out, thanks in large part to Nortje’s fourth Test five-wicket haul.
This gave South Africa a wide 130-run lead, only for the top order to collapse spectacularly as the Proteas reached the close of the game at 49/4 in the second innings, with an overall lead of 179-runs.
In two days, the last session has produced a lot of wickets.
On the first day the Proteas only lost one wicket in the first two sessions before seven fell in the final session of the day, while on the second day on Wednesday five wickets fell between the Proteas and the Windies in the first two sessions, before 11 tumbled in the final. session.
‘A chapter at SuperSport Park’
“I think it’s just common at SuperSport Park. It’s usually a lot of wickets during the day,” Nortje said after Wednesday’s action.
“Maybe it’s because it’s sunny and there’s less going on in the goal. But it seems to be a regular thing here.
“I don’t have an explanation for that. But as you can see here, the ball was a little bit wrong, and that might have contributed.