Maybe things seem equal heading into the 3rd test, but they're not. Signs look good for SA. Amla, Du Plessis and Duminy are back among the runs, Steyn is firing once again, Philander has found his line, Morkel has found his mongrel and of course De Villiers is in wonderful touch. Add in a fourth seamer (Abbott or Parnell) and SA's attack looks more relentless. I just don't see them collectively failing like they did in the first test. Since becoming number one, SA usually let their opponents give their best shots upfront, but as a team SA save their best for last.
Australia, on the other hand, rely far too heavily on Johnson and a single major batting performance from the top six to cover up their top order frailties. Now that the SA batsmen have shown that Johnson is not unplayable but just dangerous, Australia's other pacemen have to stand up. Harris looks exhausted and Siddle as usual lacks penetration. But switching your seam attack when they are not injured for the last test seems strange when you continually tout them as 'the best pace attack in the world'.
I see the 3rd test being a close affair, but somehow I don't think 1 or 2 star performances from the Aussies can beat the more consistent SA side.
