Ken Borland

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Doctors are “cautiously optimistic” that Mark Boucher, the most prolific wicketkeeper in Test history, will regain sight in his left eye, his general practitioner said in a statement released on Thursday.

Boucher, who was hit in the eye by a bail in the first match of South Africa’s tour of England, underwent his second operation this week, but his doctors said it was still too early to predict how complete his recovery will be because he will need further surgery in the months ahead.

“While it is impossible to predict the long-term outcome of Mark’s eye injury, his medical team are nevertheless cautiously optimistic that he will have a reasonable recovery of the vision in his left eye. Over the next three to six months, Mark will undergo further surgery procedures in an attempt to improve his vision,” Dr Peter Sandell said in the statement.

Boucher was forced to announce his international retirement and the 35-year-old underwent a three-hour operation last week when the blood that had accumulated, due to the trauma suffered by his eye after the injury and the subsequent initial surgery, was removed.

Boucher played in 147 Tests for South Africa and completed 555 dismissals, a world record.

South Africa acquitted themselves superbly as they thrashed England by an innings and 12 runs in the first Test at the Oval in London on Monday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120723/SA_acquit_themselves_superbly_at_Oval

England, the official world number one, were bowled out for 240 in their second innings on the fifth and final day, making South Africa resounding favourites to win the three-match series and take that top ranking away from the hosts.

South Africa’s officials were adamant that the team had enough preparation leading into the Test, despite many pundits suggesting otherwise, and, apart from a first-day performance that lacked intensity and focus, they were always on top of the England team.

England began the final day on 102 for four and fought valiantly to save the Test before Dale Steyn, building up a wonderful head of steam with the second new ball, claimed three for eight in four overs midway through the afternoon session to break their resistance.

Steyn had begun the day by sending Ravi Bopara packing for 22, the batsman flashing at a wide delivery outside off stump without much conviction and dragging the ball back on to his middle stump.

But Ian Bell and Matt Prior batted with admirable tenacity and application, while showing solid technique and no little skill as they took England through to lunch on 177 for five.

Bell had survived two chances, AB de Villiers clanging a simple catch off leg-spinner Imran Tahir when he was on 20 and the wicketkeeper then missed what would have been a spectacular run out when Bell had 28.

Steyn, getting big reverse-swing, and Tahir, obtaining turn and bounce out of the rough, combined well after lunch to keep the pressure on England.

Tahir, who served his team well in the second innings with figures of three for 63 in 32 overs, provided a crucial breakthrough by removing Prior 11 overs after the break.

England’s wicketkeeper/batsman tried to sweep, but the bounce Tahir was getting always makes that stroke a very risky one and the safe hands of Jacques Kallis snaffled the top-edge at slip as it flew past De Villiers.

Prior had stuck around for 86 balls, scoring 40, a good effort for England and Bell, about whom much has been written as a strokeplayer, showed plenty of resilience, character and skill in scoring 55 off 220 balls.

The key wicket of Bell came in the second over with the new ball as the batsman followed an away-swinger from Steyn, second slip Kallis taking the catch, which came very quickly as the ball basically came off the face of the bat.

The wickets of Stuart Broad, caught behind for a duck gloving a leg-side lifter, and Graeme Swann, driving straight to cover-point, came quickly thereafter for Steyn, giving him superb figures of five for 56 in 21 overs.

After some brief resistance from Tim Bresnan (20 not out), Tahir then ended the innings by trapping Jimmy Anderson lbw for four with a delivery that basically rolled after it pitched in the rough.

The delighted South Africans, with their first victory at the Oval at their 14th attempt, are now calling the tune in the three-Test series that will decide the number one ranked team in the world.

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.

Hashim Amla laid down the law and the bowlers then made his effort with the bat count as they reduced England to 102 for four at stumps on the fourth day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Sunday.

It has been many a year since South Africa had such a memorable day on the cricket field, with Amla scoring their first Test triple century and ending on a magnificent 311 not out and Jacques Kallis making 182 not out, to add to skipper Graeme Smith’s hundred in his 100th test.

South Africa’s bowlers then backed up the extraordinary efforts of their top-order as each of them claimed a wicket to leave the visitors in sight of their first victory at the Oval in 105 years of trying.

England’s bowlers, meanwhile, will perhaps be phoning up the same Olympic lawyers who have somehow managed to trademark words like “gold”, “silver” and “London”, to lay a charge of fraud against the Oval pitch. The same 22 yards that had brought them to their knees as they conceded a mammoth total of 637 for just two wickets in 189 overs, had life and vicious turn and bounce for spinner Imran Tahir straight after South Africa’s declaration at tea.

England, needing to erase a deficit of 252 just to make South Africa bat again, were almost immediately on the back foot as Vernon Philander struck with his second ball.

Alastair Cook was drawn on to the front foot to defend a perfect-length delivery that then nipped away beautifully, and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers was on his toes enough to snatch a sharp catch. Cook, who England were relying on for a long innings, was gone for a duck after his first-innings century.

Dale Steyn again did not open the bowling but was brought on in the fifth over and the wicket of Jonathan Trott (10) followed soon afterwards.

Trott pushed away from his body as Steyn swung a fine delivery from close to the stumps away from the right-hander, De Villiers again claiming the edge for his seventh catch of the test.

OWN INTERESTS

It has been said that Kevin Pietersen is only concerned with his own interests rather than those of the England team (in the light of his recent withdrawal from limited-overs cricket), and he did little to disprove the notion as he played a short, shot-filled cameo of 16 off 17 balls but was then comprehensively cleaned up by Morne Morkel.

Pietersen had an aggressive response to the short-pitched barrage he received from Morkel, hooking three fours, although one of them was edged over the wicketkeeper. But as soon as the bouncer was outside off stump, he was in two minds and ended up playing an insipid waft at the ball. The edge went into both Kallis’s hands as he dived away at second slip, but unfortunately the ball didn’t stay in.

Never mind. In Morkel’s next over he sent the ball crashing into middle stump as he bowled full and straight and Pietersen, stuck in the crease, played all around the delivery.

Tahir looked extremely dangerous when he pitched the ball in the rough and he pulled off a tremendous coup for South Africa when he dismissed the dogged England captain, Andrew Strauss.

Tahir had really worked Strauss over with some wonderful bowling in the 27th over – exploding the ball out of the rough, turning it both ways – and eventually the left-hander cracked, trying to sweep and only succeeding in top-edging a dolly to backward square-leg. Strauss scored a gutsy 27 off 80 balls.

South Africa were now rampant, but Ian Bell (14* off 70 balls) and Ravi Bopara (15*) showed good character to survive and are at the crease overnight.

HISTORIC TRIPLE CENTURY

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