Five-star Anrich Nortje says it’s hard to think about Test milestones

Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who picked up another five wicket haul to help bowl his team into a strong position in the first Test against the West Indies on day two in Centurion on Wednesday, admitted that it was hard to think about milestones when they play such little Test cricket.

‘Hardly play’ Test cricket

“It is obviously a special occasion when we get an opportunity to take a five-for or reach one of those milestones,” said Nortje, who finished with figures of 5/36. “Playing just four Tests in a year you don’t really think much about them because you hardly play.

“It’s hard. You can’t compare what the greats have done for South Africa in the past. They played a lot of Test cricket, that was their main format, whereas now we have four games in a year and eight or 10 games in two years.

“It’s very limited. So when we do get an opportunity it’s really nice to come out and just focus on what we have to do.”

Nortje and his fellow bowlers good work during the West Indies’ first innings was undone somewhat by a top order collapse by the Proteas in their second knock.

After the Proteas were bowled out for 342 in their first innings on day two’s morning session on Wednesday, the Windies then responded with 212 all out, thanks in large part to Nortje’s fourth Test five wicket haul.

This gave the South Africans a big 130-run lead, only for their top order to fall apart spectacularly as the Proteas reached the close of play on 49/4 in their second innings, with an overall lead of 179-runs.

On both days the final session has produced a huge number of wickets.

On the first day the Proteas only lost one wicket in the first two sessions before seven fell in the day’s last session, while on day two on Wednesday five wickets fell between the Proteas and Windies in the first two sessions, before 11 tumbled in the final session.

‘A thing at SuperSport Park’

“I think it’s just a general thing at SuperSport Park. There are usually a lot of wickets late on in the day,” said Nortje after Wednesday’s action.

“Maybe it could be because of the sun and things happening a little bit more in the wicket. But it seems to be a regular occurrence over here.”

“I don’t really have an explanation for it. But like you could see here and there the ball was misbehaving a bit, and that possibly contributes to it.”