Mark Richardson: Fleming a late convert

The ever-present critics will always find some angle to criticise and, when it comes to Stephen Fleming, that angle is so often his inability to convert 50s to 100s. However, nobody could fault his ability to turn 100s into 200s.

Of the nine times Fleming has reached 100 in test cricket, he has three times gone on to 200. In doing so, he is the only man in New Zealand test history to post three double hundreds. In five of those nine innings, he has scored at least 174.

I'm sure he will agree that he should have converted more of his half-centuries to centuries. Some of the shots he's played to lose his wicket once past 50, he would rather forget. But no one should now forget nor understate the test record he has crafted.

He is statistically New Zealand's most successful captain and highest test run scorer. He has the most double hundreds and, while the highest individual total eludes him, the way he bats once past 100 suggests, with time, he may give that one a good nudge, too.

From 0-30 Fleming looks a reasonable player, from 30-50 he looks classy, from 50-70 he looks composed, from 70-100 he looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, and from 100 he looks at one with the intricacies of the art of run scoring.

So it might scare a few teams when they realise that in his last 39 tests, his ratio of 100s to 50s reads 7:10. An ominous improvement from the 2:31 from his first 62 tests.

Fleming has played the major hand in New Zealand posting a formidable first innings total against South Africa but now he must take the lead in turning that into a match-winning total. However, there may be one thing that conspires against him as New Zealand push for a series-saving win - the rotation of the Earth and its orbit around the sun.

While rugby has no problem stealing more of summer, cricket does not appear capable of claiming more of winter.

Autumn is most definitely here. The oak trees that decorate Newlands have golden foliage preparing to fall, there is a nip in the air and All Blacks in the hotel bar (the Crusaders are in town to take on the Stormers). But the fact that the sun is low in the sky must concern the Kiwi skipper.

A watery sun means heavy dew that takes longer to dry and an earlier setting sun means bad light intruding into the hours of play, even on a clear day. These two factors conspire to ensure that the playing hours of this test get squeezed from both ends.

There is a better than even chance that this game will be shortened by at least five hours - an hour short a day - and that is the best-case scenario.

A match-winning score has been posted but time is not on our side.