Australia?s triumph in the first test was so overwhelming that anyone who paid little more than scant attention would, understandably, have been convinced that there would be no resurgence by the hosts when the action reached Port Elizabeth. Like England at Brisbane, it was felt that the mental scars inflicted ran much too deep to be thrown off in just a matter of days. Further, the fact that three changes were made to the team that reported for duty at St. George?s Park, one of which was due to a concussion suffered by Ryan McLaren from a Johnson blow to the temple, could not have been helpful to team morale.
No matter what captain Graeme Smith and his players said, the momentum was with the visitors, and we had all seen how ruthless they could be. Australia?s boot was now firmly pressed on South Africa?s neck and chances of them breaking free were slim.
But break free they did. For a while, on the first morning at Port Elizabeth, it seemed that all would remain as it was. Two South African wickets were removed for just 11 runs, and though it was clear that Johnson?s short-pitched attack would be less fruitful, it seemed he could be almost as effective by employing a fuller length as he did at Adelaide during the Ashes. Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis added over a hundred, however, and showed that Johnson?s sting, highly potent in Centurion and still an irritant, could now be neutralized on a surface lacking in pace and bounce.
