da roleta： After a day in which England wrested back the initiative, the South Africa coach Ray Jennings addressed the media on the third day of the second Test at Durban.
Andrew Miller28-Dec-2004
Ray Jennings insisted that his team were upbeat despite a long day in the field which yielded just one wicketGetty Images
At the start of the Test, it was England’s turn to put their coach beforethe press to explain away their bad day at the office. Today however, itwas Ray Jennings’ job to front up for South Africa, after they had beenput to the sword by Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss. And true toform, Jennings had plenty to say for his players and their performance.”Cricket to me is all about how you put the effort in, and what you getout of it,” he said, after his players had put in 80 overs of hard toil,and got the solitary late wicket of Trescothick as a reward. “The lack ofwickets, plus the perception that the wicket was flat, maybe affected ourperformance. There’s no such thing as a flat wicket, just as there’s nosuch thing as an easy catch.”But I’m not unhappy with the performance,” Jennings insisted. “Nicky Bojemaybe could have exploited the rough better, but in the last 45 minutes,we were full of energy and the wicket didn’t look at all flat. This matchhas been dominated by three batsman – Jacques Kallis and the Englandopeners – and it all depends on the mood of the game when they first getin. For the first 20 or 30 balls, any player can look out of nick on thiswicket.”By the close, England led by 88 with nine wickets standing, and despitetheir tough day in the field, Jennings had no doubt the match was still inthe balance. “Our guys are upbeat,” he insisted. “We were full of energyin the last 10 or 15 overs, and there was a positive rap in thedressing-room at teatime. It takes a lot more to get this South Africanside down. Not many sides would have handled the heat and the mindset ofhaving a lead and losing it like we did. We see 250 runs in 80 overs forone wicket as a positive.”A winning lead on this pitch could be anything from 150 to 400,” addedJennings. “It’s that type of game. The way Kallis is playing, he can chasethe target himself. I’m sure we are good enough to handle the pressure,and we’ll handle the conditions as well. There are still 180 overs to go,and I reckon we’ll be set about 300.”But with Andrew Strauss at the crease – again – South Africa have theirwork cut out if they are to claw their way back into the game. Jennings,naturally, had an interesting take on his instant impact on Test cricket.”I think Strauss’s youth adds value to the package,” he said, somewhatcryptically.”He’s young, he likes a challenge, he has freedom to play, and he’s happyand he smiles. It’s when you get older that the expectations increase, andyou become a bit bored of spending too much time away. That’s when the troublestarts. But he’s not thinking too much just yet. He’s in Phase One of hisTest career.”South Africa will be hoping he becomes a cynical old pro overnight.