SA lay down the law with innings win
South Africa lay down the law in no uncertain terms as they hammered England by an innings and 12 runs on the fifth day of the first test at the Oval in London on Monday.
97th over – Tim Bresnan bashes a well-flighted delivery from Imran Tahir through the covers for four. WICKET – But Jimmy Anderson has to face the last ball of the over and a leg-spinner scuttles under the bat from out of the rough, trapping the left-hander lbw for 4.
94th over – Bresnan glances Morne Morkel down to fine leg for four runs.
89th over – Dropped! Jimmy Anderson’s forceful square-cut off Dale Steyn goes through the hands of JP Duminy diving full-length at point and runs away to the boundary.
87th over – WICKET – Five wickets now for Steyn as Graeme Swann drives straight to cover-point and is out for 7.
86th over – Swann reaches a thousand test runs as he drives Vernon Philander uppishly through cover-point for four.
85th over – WICKET – Steyn strikes again with the first ball of his next over as Stuart Broad fends at a lifter down leg and gloves it through to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. Umpire Asad Rauf gives it not out, but South Africa are convinced and call for the review. Although HotSpot doesn’t provide much evidence, it is clearly out and Broad is on his way for a duck!
83rd over – WICKET – Steyn strikes with his second delivery with the new ball, Ian Bell following an away-swinger and steering it straight to Jacques Kallis at second slip. Bell showed plenty of resilience, character and skill in scoring 55 off 220 balls.
78th over – Bell strokes a full delivery from Kallis superbly through the covers for four.
77th over – WICKET – The steep bounce Tahir has been getting finally brings reward! Matt Prior goes for a sweep, the ball climbs steeply and he can only get a top-edge. The ball flies past AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis takes a sharp catch high to his left at slip. Prior stuck around for 86 balls, scoring 40 – a good effort for England.
74th over – Bell goes to 49 as he tickles a Kallis delivery on to his thigh pad and then away to fine leg for four runs. His slowest test 50 is up at the end of the over as he pushes the seamer square on the off side for a single. It’s taken Bell four hours and 189 balls to reach it. He’s England’s key man.
68th over – Big inswing from Steyn, but Bell gets the ball away to fine leg for four runs.
Morning session
Ian Bell and Matt Prior were determined people as they carried England to 177 for five at lunch against frustrated South Africa on the final day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Monday.
66th over – Bell ends a strong session for England on an emphatic note as he steps out to the last ball of the morning, meets Imran Tahir on the full and drives him straight down the ground for four.
63rd over – Oh no, AB de Villiers has missed another chance but this one would have been spectacular! Prior pushes Jacques Kallis into the covers and sets off for a foolish single. Ian Bell is scrambling, Jacques Rudolph’s throw is just over the stumps, De Villiers, rushing in, dives to take the ball but can’t get it back on to the stumps as he tumbles hard into the ground! Bell has another life on 28.
59th over – Kallis is on for the first time in the innings but Prior plays a lovely shot, driving him off the back foot through the covers for four. The wicketkeeper/batsman collects a second boundary in the over off the last ball as he turns Kallis off his legs with lovely timing to the fine leg boundary.
58th over – 150 up for England, the deficit just 102 now, as Bell thick-edges a steer off Vernon Philander between the slips and gully for four.
56th over – Super shot from Prior as he strokes Philander wide of mid-off for four runs.
49th over – Dropped! De Villiers has not been totally convincing keeping to Tahir in the second innings and he now he drops a clanger! Bell, on 20, pushes forward to a perfect leg-spinner that turns just enough to get a thin edge, the ball goes straight into De Villiers’ midriff, but he can’t hang on!
47th over – Prior is off the mark with two boundaries in three balls off Dale Steyn. He flicks a short ball down leg away to the fine leg boundary and then punches firmly off the back foot, through cover-point, as the fast bowler offers some width.
46th over – Morne Morkel has been erratic this morning and now he strays on to Bell’s leg stump and is glanced away for four to fine leg.
45th over – WICKET – Not the sort of shot you want to play when trying to save the Test. Ravi Bopara flashes at a wide delivery outside off stump from Steyn, there is a bit of extra bounce and he drags the ball back into his middle stump! Bopara is out for a defiant 22 off 55 balls.
44th over – Bopara turns a short delivery from Morkel to square-leg for a single to bring up the fifty partnership with Bell off 106 balls. Sticking in there well.
43rd over – Bopara leaves a delivery from Steyn that jags back off the pitch and keeps low, missing the off-stump by an astonishing 0.8mm according to Hawkeye! Surprising that the turbulence of the fast bowler’s delivery didn’t knock off the bail!
41st over – Steyn drops short and Bopara slaps him to the square-leg boundary with an excellent hook shot.