It has been almost a week since Greg Smith won the support of his Northerns coach Peter Kirsten for inclusion in the South African side for the test series against the West Indies.
And there was agreement from Kepler Wessels, the form South African and now Griqualand West captain when he announced who he thought should be included in the side on the basis of early season form. There are those who may have felt their choice of the big left-arm Northerns bowler to be a sort of floating wild card which raised a few eyebrows.
But Smith showed why he has earned the backing of' the two former test batsmen by putting together an impressive bowling display at Centurion Park yesterday on the first day of the SuperSport Series match against Border.
While Border, with Stephen Pope leading a rearguard action, managed to reach a first innings total 259, Smith's figures of two for 58 may not quite be the sort of match-winning return many might expect from a prospective test candidate. But he was both economical and hostile and gave the Border batsmen a little to chew over during his 23.5 overs.
At the close, however, Northerns were in a little strife of their own at 32 for two with Roy Pienaar and Rudolf Steyn both out in swiftly fading light. No wonder Kirsten went down to ``chat to the umpires'' as they came off, no doubt wondering whether the light metre should not have been used from about the fifth over to monitor the light situation.
If Smith managed to put together the sort of pace and swing bowling display which can earn him higher honours this season, we should not ignore the efforts of David Townsend and Steve Elworthy. Townsend picked up the top three batsmen for a personal return of 50 in 18 overs. Economically it was a shade under three an over, and he seemed to bowl with more confidence from the West Avenue end of the ground than the Hennops River side where he seemed to have a problem with his run up.
As it is Northerns went into the game with Rudi Bryson being left out, no doubt to strengthen the batting which was so vulnerable against Eastern Province last weekend. Whether it was a wise decision only time will decide. When Border were 162 for seven, Gerald Dros, captain for the first time, must have felt pleased with his decision to send the visitors in. Especially as they are a fast bowler short with Makhaya Ntini being ruled out because of a bad bout of flu, a gift from his visit to Bangladesh.
It was at this stage, however, that Stephen Pope settled down and with due care and attention nursed the side to a more respectable total as well as four batting points which their skipper, Piet Strydom, had no doubt laughed off and chewing his nails while no doubt wondering if a total of 200 was possible.
Pope's innings of 44 lasted more than two hours and in the end, with a touch of extra application from Vasbert Drakes, Tyrone Henderson and Peter Emslie squeezed out a further 91 runs from a bowling attack which had patches which ranged from five star to indifferent.
Pierre de Bruyn picked up two wickets in his first over and then seemed to be a tad wayward at times. At least he helped Northerns collect four bowling points.
Day 3: Van Jaarsveld spares Northerns blushes
It needed a large dose of good old fashioned batting grit to spare Northerns blushes for a second time in as many days against Border as they face a second A Section defeat this season.
And while it was left to Martin van Jaarsveld to put his hand at Centurion Park yesterday to score his fourth SuperSport Series century, the near impossible task of scoring the 469 runs required to win the game looked to be well beyond the control of the stylish middle-order batsman.
Northerns, at 174 for six, were still 295 in arrears and well adrift of winning the game which was taken out of their reach yesterday through a swashbuckling maiden first-class century from Mark Boucher: just the sort of innings to satisfy the national selectors as the test series against the West Indies looms later this month.
It was Boucher's ability to bludgeon a century off 102 balls which enabled Border to declare at 325 for three which, apart from Van Jaarsveld, showed up Northerns' pitiful second innings batting display. Pierre de Bruyn and Grant Morgan apart,Van Jaarsveld received little to no support as the innings all but disintegrated around him.
There must be serious doubt, however, whether Dirkie de Vos touched the ball with Boucher claiming the catch. But Brian Jerling, the umpire, was as quick on the draw as Clint Eastwood ever was in his spaghetti western days.
Brandishing his broadsword of willow he went to his first three-figure score of the season with a six off the Border spinner Peter Emslie which was sent crashing over the bowler's head. It was the fifth six in an innings which has underlined the problems facing the coach Peter Kirsten with the game against Boland looming in Paarl and starting on Friday.
In terms of technique, if not application, the Northerns first innings was a disaster area; at times it was as brittle as a crunchy bar in the snapping jaws of a crocodile. There was any amount of poor shot selection although Rindel, fortunate to be dropped a couple overs earlier stalked off the field, ripping off his gloves. He found himself on the receiving end of a questionable umpiring decision when Border's captain Piet Strydom claimed a catch off his own bowling, no doubt on the basis that possession is 90 pc of the law.
Both umpires, Shahid Wadvalla and Brian Jerling, also seemed unsure otherwise why bother about a consultation, but Wadvalla gave the decision anyway.
And their elaborate pantomime when judging the light with the light meter towards the end of Saturday's play, when they placed it on the pitch, was the opposite to Friday night's debacle when the light, or what there was of it, was not even fit for a club match.
Yet there should be no excuses for Northerns scoring only 116 after allowing Border to achieve a first innings score of 259 and taking a lead of 143. It immediately put Northerns under pressure and the visiting openers, with tidy balance from which to work and on a pitch losing some of it's sting in what was appalling weather.
Craig Sugden and Brad White rotated the strike with care and attention, building the overall lead to 260 by the close and improving it to 282 before Sugden departed without adding to his overnight score. Just the sort of solid platform from which Boucher could take his cue to mount an assault. He was fortunate to escape a caught and bowled chance when 16 and attempting to drill the ball through David Townsend. The bowler put down the catch when seemingly to overbalance in his follow-through.
Steve Pope, who partnered Boucher in their rollicking partnership of 131 off 122 balls, was also put down. This time it was a regulation catch to Van Jaarsveld at square leg when he was 23.
But what a carve up it became after lunch when Boucher smashed 69 runs off only 33 balls: his second half-century off only 21 balls included four sixes. Just the sort of audacious tactics needed to take the game out of Northerns reach and give the young man plenty of confidence at a crucial stage of the innings.
It was also the sort of onslaught Steve Elworthy would rather forget. At one stage his figures had been an impressive 33 for one off 19 overs. He then conceded 37 runs the next 10 balls he bowled; a severe bruising amid the carnage which followed the chilly, noonday repast.