Hardus nails it

December 2015. Nothing was going right for Hardus Viljoen. He had taken 20 wickets in two first-class matches on the back of three seasons in the top 10 on the first-class wicket-taker's list but, even though both Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn were injured, a national call-up eluded him. So he decided to take some time out in Mossel Bay, a town on the Garden Route.

Then this happened: "We couldn't catch a flight and our accommodation got cancelled so we decided we would just go and see some friends down the road."

And then this happened. "The moment we drove out the gate, I got a phone call from Mr Linda Zondi and I almost went over the pavement." But that didn't happen and suddenly it was almost January 2016 and everything was going right for Hardus Viljoen.

He was called up as cover for Kyle Abbott for the Newlands Test and, though Chris Morris was South Africa's debutant on that occasion, he used the time to "settle in and get to know the guys". A week later, at his home ground in Johannesburg, he knew he may not have that luxury. His reputation would require that, even though he was a rookie, he would really have to step up. And he did, in an unexpected way at first.

Viljoen hit the first ball he faced in international cricket, a poor ball admittedly, but one that was delivered by England's all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson, straight down the ground for four. "What a surprise! When you are facing a quality attack like Jimmy and Stuart [Broad] and to get a full toss upfront is a gift," he said.

Not nearly as good a gift as what came later. Viljoen took his first wicket in international cricket with the first ball he delivered, a poor ball admittedly, but one that removed England's all-time leading run-scorer and captain Alastair Cook. "Wow, it's still unreal. I had a bit of a claw [gripping the ball too tightly] the first ball. It was a dream start."

Of course it was. Only Matthew Henderson, a New Zealand international playing in the 1930s has managed that double - four off the first ball he faced and a wicket off the first ball he bowled - on debut. The only way Viljoen's dream would have been sweeter was if he had "nicked him [Cook] off on the off side, but every one counts."

Even though Cook has developed a noticeable tendency to get out down the leg side - he was dismissed in that fashion in Cape Town and also fell in a similar manner against Pakistan in the UAE - Viljoen denied that it had all been thought out in advance. "There was definitely no plan there," he said. "I was just glad he got some bat on it."

The rest of the day threatened to go just as well. Viljoen's first two overs were poison-tipped. He was aggressive, he asked questions with short balls that exploded off the pitch and he managed some late movement. Joe Root did not have a clue as Viljoen beat him with bounce and pressured with pace. Of all the sparring that has taken place in this series so far, those 12 balls were the most stirring.

The stage was set for it continue but lunch intervened. Viljoen didn't mind that: he has confessed to building muscle by ignoring the bench-press and helping himself to "all the good food - pap and boerewors".

The Wanderers caterers tend to stick to grilled chicken but, even if Viljoen ate his fill, he was not able to show what it amounted to immediately. Instead of being allowed to continue his spell after the break, he was replaced by Morris. On the other end, Kagiso Rabada, who had Alex Hales caught at slip in the fourth over and consistently beat the bat, made way for Morne Morkel.

Rabada had bowled a six-over opening spell which may have necessitated the change but he is a young, fit man who could have continued if AB de Villiers had asked him to. Instead, England got away. Morkel was wayward, de Villiers himself dropped a catch off Morris, Nick Compton and Root had the time to find their feet - Root mentioned struggling with his footwork before lunch - and the pressure popped.

Viljoen, who had bowled a marathon 14-over spell last month to win a match for the Lions against the Dolphins, had no say in whether he should have continued and not even South Africa's bowling coach Charl Langeveldt seemed to have an answer for why he didn't. "That's up to the captain," Langeveldt said. "He was going with the experienced guys."

What de Villiers should have known was that Viljoen is as experienced as they come on this ground and even though the opposition are of a different class to the ones he faces at domestic level, he knows the basics. "The main difference is that you are not playing on a slope in Test cricket and we often play on a slope in domestic cricket, but the slope doesn't play a massive role, the opposition does. A good delivery stays good, a bad delivery stays bad," Viljoen said.

The problem was that he went on to bowl a few too many bad deliveries when he got another chance. In desperation for more wickets, Viljoen threw all the extremes at England. Too short, too full, too wide and the dream debut dissipated.

Nevertheless, just being selected for South Africa at all is the fulfilment of something that almost wasn't. In April last year, Viljoen was considering leaving the country to further his career in New Zealand even though he knew he might have left it too late to quality as an international player. He believed nothing was going right, was frustrated by his lack of opportunity, was eager to improve his earning potential as the Rand slid, and had Fanie de Villiers advising him that "patriotism is out of the door". Then he decided to give it one more go.

"I don't want to have second best. You get brought up in your country to play for your country," he said. "I said I will give myself the right time and a fair time and a fair chance. It came quicker than I thought and I will never regret my decision to stay here." And so, no matter what happens, everything has gone right.