South Africa v England, 2015-16

At Centurion, January 22-26, 2016. South Africa won by 280 runs. Toss: South Africa.Test debut: S. C. Cook.

Kagiso Rabada placed a broad and much-needed smile on the face of South African cricket with a remarkable match haul of 13 for 144 to gloss over their series defeat. It served as a consolation which had seemed impossible in the days before the match, and prompted Alastair Cook to predict "a very bright future". England were made to pay for a dreadful bowling performance in the first two sessions, and an embarrassing capitulation on the final morning, when they lost seven for 43 in 65 deliveries after Cook promised they would "show some fight".

Following events at The Oval five months earlier, it seemed dead games were not for them.Just as England had done throughout the first three Tests, South Africa won the decisive moments, capitalising on the tourists' poor start, adding 139 for their final three wickets,then dismissing Cook and Root for 76 apiece when both looked set to minimise the lead. A first-innings advantage of 133 was always likely to be crucial on a surface full of character, which cracked and deteriorated at the perfect rate. Amla narrowly missed the chance to emulate Jacques Kallis's feat of twice scoring two centuries in a Test, but the contrasting natures of his 109 - his 25th Test hundred - and 96 perfectly illustrated the change in conditions.

Silky,entertaining and fluent on day one, with cover-drives and pulls aplenty, he was hit on the body and hands half a dozen times three days later, when grit and courage replaced panache and flair.Despite Amla's artistry, it was the 33-year-old Stephen Cook who had dominated the initial exchanges. Son of the prolific Jimmy - whose own Test debut in November 1992, at the age of 39, had been delayed for different reasons, but produced a diamond duck - Stephen warmed the hearts of his many admirers, and all those to whom the "past it" label has been unfairly attached, with an emotional century.

At least, it was emotional for everyone else; for Cook, it looked like just another day at the office. A heavy scorer at domestic level, he succeeded where so many international debutants fail: he played his own game.His demeanour commanded Test member-ship from the start, when he left the ball expertly, through to the time he spent in the nineties, unfazed by England's tactics. He could wait - and did, acknowledging the moment with no more than a quiet removal of the helmet and a smile. "That's his nature,"said Jimmy, who had cancelled an overseas coaching trip to be at Centurion. "It means the world to him, but he'll never show it.

Cook's precision clips and tucks, checked drives and low-risk singles to cover were classic fare for an opening batsman. That was in stark contrast to de Kock, who had recovered from his dog-walking injury to replace Dane Vilas behind the stumps, and arrived with South Africa - having stumbled from 237 for one to 273 for five - in danger of wasting a dominant start. De Kock was one of five changes they had made after their humiliation at the Wanderers, with Stiaan van Zyl, Faf du Plessis, Chris Morris and Hardus Viljoen joining Vilas in exile; Cook's debut, plus recalls for Duminy, Abbott and Piedt completed the set.

England made only one change, bringing back Woakes after Steven Finn had picked up a side strain. De Kock was positive from the outset. He looked to score from every ball, despite defensive fields and negative bowling, and often jumped outside off stump to take advantage of the spaces on the leg side. More than happy to hook with a deep square leg in place, he displayed the fighting confidence South Africa had lacked. His maiden Test century came from just 104 deliveries, and convinced many seasoned observers there were more to come.

He put on 82 for the ninth wicket with Piedt, though he was helped by a blundering performance in the field, not least when he edged Woakes between the motionless Bairstow and Cook on 80.England's two highlights, other than four wickets for the persevering Stokes, were tellingly fleeting. The first was another extraordinary catch at short leg by Taylor, in the game's 11th over. Following his two logic-defying grabs in Johannesburg, he now produced an equally jaw-dropping snaffle following a firm clip by the left-handed Elgar.

By maintaining his position, Taylor was aware of the ball's whereabouts, but unable to react in conventional fashion with his hands. Instead, he enveloped it with his body,trapping it between his thighs, before rolling over and retrieving it from behind, as if he had laid an egg. Luck or brilliance? Most agreed a bit of both, with the emphasis on brilliance. The second highlight was Broad's dismissal of de Villiers, taken in the slips second ball after sparring at a stunning leg-cutter. It was the tenth time in Tests Broad had dismissed him, four more than any other bowler.But England's reply to South Africa's 475 never delivered on its promise. Hales drove tamely to cover, and Compton received a shooter from Rabada. At 177 for two, though,with their two biggest names at the crease, there was hope of parity. But Alastair Cook's assured innings (and his only score above 43 in the series) was ended by a vicious delivery from Morkel, and Root was undone ten overs later by movement at extreme pace from Rabada.

Taylor played a shot a ball in a curiously hyper innings, Bairstow couldn't get his glove out of the way. England, had lost three for three, and staggered into lunch at 211 for six. Stokes briefly threatened to take over after the break, before Rabada struck again,eventually finishing with seven for 112. Without Ali's assured 61, the deficit would have been worse than 133 Anderson finally made an impact, removing South Africa's first three with only 49 on the board - including de Villiers, trapped by an inswinger for a four-ball pair. Having endured just four ducks in his first 173 innings, he had now made three in a row. For Anderson, the moment was sweet: before the game de Villiers had suggested some of England's bowlers had "lost pace", a comment widely interpreted as a dig at Anderson,who now had 433 Test wickets, seventh on the all-time list.

But Bavuma removed any doubts about South Africa's superiority with an unbeaten 78 which showed a level of courage and skill not required during his ground-breaking century at Newlands. Sceptics who felt he had benefited there from a flat pitch and a flatter attack were put in their place by an innings of real character.An hour's rain after tea on the fourth afternoon hastened the declaration, leaving England 21 overs and a day to make 382. It was never on the cards. Hales was lbw to a searing Rabada off-cutter, before Cook gave a one-handed return catch to Morkel, when a delivery held up on one of the many cracks, leaving him just 36 runs adrift of becoming the first Englishman to reach 10,000 in Tests. Compton edged Rabada to the keeper, and bizarrely wasted a review, but Root and Taylor survived with determination until the close.Possessing almost unprecedented batting depth, England clearly believed they could bat out the final day from 52 for three.Their heart, though, wasn't in it. Next morning, Taylor gloved the final ball of the third over, from Morkel - an act of self-defence rather than a cricket shot - and the rest of the innings played out like a highlights package. De Villiers, curiously, did not introduce Rabada into the attack for the first 20 minutes, even though he had nine wickets in the bag.But, after Root edged off-spinner Piedt to slip, Rabada was held back no longer.

He soon had Bairstow caught by de Villiers at second slip - only for the third umpire to confirm he had overstepped. The horror lasted as long as it took Bairstow to edge the very next delivery to de Kock. Stokes had just been painfully felled by a Morkel delivery which crashed into his hip,and soon heaved the same bowler to deep square leg, before Rabada obliterated the tail.That completed South Africa's first win in ten Tests, and a performance which will livelong in the memory. The only bowler younger than Rabada to take at least 13 wickets in a Test was Indian leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani, who was 19 years 89 days when he claimed 16 for 136 on debut against West Indies at Madras in 1987-88. More importantly, Rabada's heroics could play a crucial role as South Africa continue to grapple with the need for role models in an unapologetic agenda of what CSA's chief executive Haroon Lorgat has called "aggressive transformation".
Man of the Match:K. Rabada.
Man of the Series:B. A. Stokes