Undercooked South Africa's all-time low

Desperate times call for desperate measures... but so desperate as to call up a bowler who only made his first-class debut 24 hours earlier to open the attack in a Test?

The first of the Test matches, taken in conjunction with the startling failure against Lancashire at Old Trafford, went far to prove that the South Africans had no chance of beating England

The second Test match made it clear that, whatever their merits, the South Africans had no hope, under normal conditions of weather and wicket, of beating England

Played at Leeds, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, July 12, 14, 15.- The third of the Test matches decided the rubber, England winning by nine wickets

Played at Manchester, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, July 26, 28, 29.- England having already won the rubber, interest in the fourth Test match was naturally discounted and, as things turned out, the game was utterly spoilt by rain, cricket being

There is no getting away from the fact that South African cricket suffered a severe set back last summer

Played at Kennington Oval, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, August 16, 18, 19.- The rubber having been decided so decisively weeks before, it was not to be expected that the last Test match would excite vast amounts of interest