There is a voice distinct to a particular flavour of Joburger‚ a timbre steeped in hard‚ dirty work done in blue overalls and the raw talk of dodgy bars. It boomed out of the morning sunshine that toasted the lightly populated Unity Stand on the last day of the fourth Test between SA and Australia at the Wanderers on Tuesday. "Morkel warm up!" Morné Morkel was already doing as he had been told‚ wheeling his albatross arms as he walked towards the boundary at the Corlett Drive End. As he did so he passed Vernon Philander‚ who was on his way back to his mark to bowl another delivery in a dazzling spell of 32 balls that had earned him six wickets for three runs. Australia were 100/9. The remaining four balls of Philander’s over were devoid of the snap‚ crackle and pop that had made him unplayable until then. Perhaps because No11 Josh Hazlewood had suddenly learnt how to bat… Perhaps because Philander had suddenly forgotten how to bowl… Perhaps because a fine bowler and a bloody good bl...
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