South Africa v England 1922-23

Each side having gained a victory, the third Test Match was naturally looked forward to with keen interest. Unfortunately the weather caused it to be left drawn. Winning the toss, the Englishmen found run-getting a difficult business against fine bowling and fielding, rain in the morning having made the out-field rather slow. At the drawing of stumps, the score was 256 for five wickets. Mead was not out 128, he and Fender having saved their side from disaster by putting on 154 runs together. Fender was actually batting nearly three hours for his 60.

On the following day, Mann, the other overnight not out, gave Mead such splendid help that the two batsmen carried the total to 381. Mann, who gave a couple of chances, was in his best hitting form, his 84 including two sixes and eleven fours. Mead's innings of 181 extended over eight hours and twenty minutes. He scored with great skill on the leg side, and his defence was impregnable, but he might have been easily caught at slip when he had made 131. In a bad light, against which an unsuccessful appeal was made, Catterall and Taylor opened South Africa's innings by scoring 70 together without being parted.

Rain made Saturday a blank and, the match being limited to four days, a draw became practically inevitable. Catterall was out at 110. but the English bowling never looked particularly difficult, and though Ling could not bat, South Africa stayed in nearly the whole of Monday. Taylor's admirable 91 was only marred by one difficult chance, and in their different styles Norse and Francois showed excellent cricket, Francois hitting nine 4's. England had only a few minutes' batting before the match was abandoned.