GQEBERHA, South Africa, Oct 21 : Everything went South Africa’s way on the fourth day of the second test against Australia at St George’s Park on Wednesday, but a positive mental approach was also key, fast bowler Marco Jansen said after a dream outing for him and his teammates.
The 26-year-old has been a central figure in South Africa’s revival as they clawed their way back from 110-6 after two rain-affected days to build a 326-run first-innings lead over the tourists.
Jansen scored 85 runs on Tuesday in his second-highest test score and followed that up on Wednesday with 5-33 in 11 overs to help dismiss Australia for 99 and force them to follow on.
“With the two days of rain we had to try and bowl them out as quickly as possible, and I’m just very, very happy the way it turned out and just happy that we could capitalise on the wickets and the new ball,” Jansen told reporters.
“I thought the guys bowled really, really well with a lot of intent and energy. But it’s one thing to bowl well, but it's another thing to be backed up by your fielders as well. They took some stunning catches with just everything, basically, going our way.”
Jansen said his batting and bowling had much to do with a strong belief in his ability.
MENTAL APPROACH
“For me personally, it's all about the mental approach. I'm not technically the most sound or beautiful-looking batter, but I like to think from a personal perspective, I can trust my hands.
“I know that I can, if just from a mental point of view, think in a positive way, then I'm already giving myself the best chance to execute whatever shot I’m trying to play.
"In the past, there was a bit of doubt in terms of the way I wanted to go about it, and I went through a bit of ebb and flow when it comes to that. And also playing innings like that, you need a bit of luck now and then.”
Jansen said bowling conditions were better than in Durban, where South Africa were handed a 214-run defeat in the opening test.
“The ball got a bit more bounce and a bit more seam, and fortunately for me, it just got the edge. We bowled in better areas for longer periods and stuck at what we thought was going to work at this wicket,” he added. "Test cricket is all about resilience coupled with consistency."
South Africa need six wickets on Thursday to win and level the series, with Australia 156-4 in their second innings and still 170 runs adrift.