Cordon conundrum leaves Australia in trouble and Steve Smith in world of pain | Andy Bull

Vice-captain fractured finger with drop at slip to give Temba Bavuma another life and South Africa controlSlip has turned into a silly position this week. And because cricket is such a contrary sport, this means it’s become a very serious business indeed. Old salts say there’s no such thing as an easy catch in there, and there have been some hellish difficult ones at Lord’s. Most of them have been taken, too; there have been a cupped handful of brilliant catches in the position. But as the World Test Championship final has gone on, more and more edges have been falling short, and the two teams have started creeping closer, and closer, and closer to make sure they can have a shot at every last chance. It’s as if they’ve been playing Grandma’s Footsteps with the batters.It’s a game of diminishing returns. At a certain point you’re so close that you’ve no chance at all. By the time South Africa were batting in the fourth innings, Steve Smith at first slip was standing well in front of the wicketkeeper, Alex Carey, and had decided he needed to wear a helmet. He wasn’t the first man to do it – Aiden Markram had been wearing one too during Australia’s second innings – but it still looked unusual. Smith had practised catching in one on the outfield for 15 minutes first thing in the morning, which tells you in itself that the unfamiliarity must have been a bit disorientating. Continue reading...

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