Ken Borland

Centuries by Cody Chetty and Morne van Wyk carried the Dolphins to 339 all out on the first day of their four-day domestic series match against the Warriors at Buffalo Park in East London on Thursday.

The Dolphins won the toss and elected to bat first, but were off to a shaky start as Andrew Birch took two early wickets that reduced them to 102 for four shortly after lunch.

But Chetty and captain Van Wyk then combined to add 144 for the fifth wicket, before Chetty fell to the off-spin of Simon Harmer, the best of the Warriors bowlers, for a fine 120 that showcased the 22-year-old’s talent.

LEAVE IT TO ME, SKIPPER: Cody Chetty showed fine judgement in his 120

Van Wyk went on to bat through the rest of the innings, finishing with 104 not out as Harmer and seamer Rusty Theron worked through the Dolphins lower-order, bowling them out on the stroke of stumps.

Harmer was the most successful of the Warriors bowlers with four for 85 in 24.3 overs, while the pacemen – Birch, Basheer Walters and Theron – each finished with two wickets.

At Boland Park in Paarl, the Cape Cobras gained the upper hand late in the day against the Titans, as Yaseen Vallie and Dane Vilas added 145 for the fifth wicket to take the home side to 345 for five at stumps.

Vallie and Vilas were the producers of the best batting of the day as they blunted a Titans comeback with the ball which had seen the Cobras slip to 189 for four after winning the toss and electing to bat.

The left-arm swing bowling of young Vincent Moore had sparked the comeback as he claimed the wickets of Andrew Puttick (9), Justin Ontong (21) and Stiaan van Zyl (71).

But he lacked support in the final session, with Junior Dala, on loan from the Highveld Lions, the obvious weak link in the attack as he conceded 103 runs in 17 wicket-less and maiden-less overs.

The Cobras had shrugged off the early loss of Puttick, caught behind off Moore, with a second-wicket stand of 114 between Omphile Ramela (59) and Van Zyl.

The left-hander needed 142 balls for his 71 and struck seven fours, taking him past 600 runs in the 2013/14 campaign, at an average of 65.60.

The 23-year-old Vallie took the fight to the Titans in a composed innings which showed impressive shot-selection.

His 80 and the return to form of wicketkeeper/batsman Vilas, who ended the day on 62 not out, ensured the Cobras finished the first day in control.

The first day of the match between the Highveld Lions and the Knights at the Wanderers was abandoned due to the pitch being too wet for play after the recent torrential rain in Gauteng.

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Centuries of enormous composure by Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith led South Africa to 403 for two and froze England out of the game on the third day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Saturday.

   – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120721/Amla_Smith_freeze_England_out

Starting the day on 86 for one in reply to England’s 385, Smith and Amla batted with cool assurance and, with Jacques Kallis adding 82 not out at the end of the day, the Proteas completed one of their proudest days in many years.

Smith, with the pressure of expectation in his 100th Test adding to all the other burdens he bears so splendidly, marched to his century two balls before lunch, after four-and-a-half hours and 201 balls at the crease. South Africa’s captain and pride became just the seventh batsman to score a hundred in his 100th Test, joining the illustrious club of Colin Cowdrey, Gordon Greenidge, Javed Miandad, Alec Stewart, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ricky Ponting.

The left-hander went on to 131, working the bowlers into his favoured leg side with enormous skill, but also playing some wonderful strokes through the off-side to thoroughly frustrate an England team that did not know where to bowl to him.

Smith eventually fell five overs before tea when he contrived to play a delivery from Tim Bresnan with his usual closed face of the bat on to the back of his front leg, from where the ball rebounded back on to the stumps.

But Amla continued to hold court, punishing anything loose with ruthless timing and placement as he made it to stumps on a magnificent 183 not out. Amla was highly effective when on the back foot, his punches through the off side being absolutely sumptious, but he was also majestic on the front foot, driving beautifully.

With Amla in the zone and in such masterful form, Kallis just got on with things quietly at the other end and had gone to 82 not out by stumps with no fuss at all.

It was most definitely not the day England had planned at all and their attack was reduced to powder-puff ineffectiveness by the end of the day.

Jimmy Anderson was troubled by the footholds and bowled 19 wicketless overs for 63 runs on Saturday. Graeme Swann, the other leader of the England attack, was utterly frustrated as Smith, who had been tied down by him initially, turned the tables and scored freely off the off-spinner after the first hour. Despite plenty of rough to work with, Swann finished the day with none for 99 in 42 overs.

It was a day when South Africa’s top-order were soaring high, without trying anything fancy. Just tremendous skill and concentration.

It is England who will now have to perform some special aerobatics to get back into the game.

The magnificent centuries of Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, in his 100th Test, put South Africa in obvious control as they reached 403 for two at stumps on the third day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

133rd over – Stuart Broad floats up a long, wide half-volley to Jacques Kallis and the maestro hammers it through the covers for four to take South Africa to 400.

129th over – Another sumptious punch off the back foot for four through cover-point by Amla, this time off Tim Bresnan, and South Africa are now in the lead.

128th over – Part-time off-spinner Kevin Pietersen is on and his second delivery is short and wide and Kallis cuts it through the covers for four.

126th over – Kallis gets on top of the bounce nicely and steers Jimmy Anderson through gully for four.

121st over – What a pinpoint throw from Andrew Strauss! Sadly it is into his own sunglasses which flipped off his head as he dashed in from midwicket to try and prevent a quick single by Kallis off Graeme Swann. Strauss was leaning backwards when he threw and managed to spear the ball straight into his glasses which were descending in front of him! They are totally demolished and the England captain dashes off to the changeroom at the end of the over to get another pair. He returns empty-handed however! Sponsors will have to help out …

115th over – Swann is spitting mad as he bowls a full toss to Amla, which is dispatched through the covers for four. It is his 39th over though … must be getting tired …

114th over – Neatly played by Kallis as he steers Ravi Bopara through backward point for four.

112th over – Four more for Amla with a majestic cover-drive for four off Bopara … even deep cover can’t stop the boundary.

106th over – Scintillating batting by Kallis as he ends the Bresnan over with two impressive boundaries. He leans back and pulls emphatically to the midwicket fence and then strokes an imperious drive through extra cover.

105th over – Over-pitched from Swann and Amla drives the off-spinner beautifully through the covers for four to go to 150 for the fourth time in his Test career. Amla has been the crease for just over seven hours and faced 294 balls, stroking 19 fours. A really fine innings, especially considering the pressure when he came to the crease.

98th over – Kallis heaves a sweep over midwicket for four off Swann.

Afternoon session

Hashim Amla was left to carry on the good work as South Africa went to tea on 277 for two on the third day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

92nd over – Tim Bresnan strays down leg again and Amla sends the ball skipping down to the fine leg boundary for four.

88th over – WICKET – Graeme Smith’s tremendous innings comes to an end in fairly freakish fashion. The left-hander looks to play Bresnan into the leg side with his usual closed bat-face, but this time the ball comes off the bat and into his front leg, from where it ricochets back into the stumps! Smith bowled for 131 off 273 balls, with 20 fours. Jacques Kallis gets going with a boundary as Bresnan strays leg-side and the batsman works the ball to the fine leg boundary.

85th over – Amla is a bit early on the drive off Jimmy Anderson and the ball flies straight back down the wicket, but the bowler can’t get a hand to it and away it runs to the boundary, bringing up the 250 partnership off 493 balls.

84th over – Smith thick-edges Stuart Broad through gully, but he was well in control of the shot and gets four runs. He runs the next ball down to the third man boundary as well, past the despairing dive of Graeme Swann at third slip. Broad now goes straighter and Smith works him off his hip to fine leg for a third successive boundary!

83rd over – Amla has been driving and driving the second new ball without any reward, but now he gets one out the screws off Anderson, sending the ball racing through the covers for four.

82nd over – Stuart Broad is back with the second new ball, but strays down leg and Amla glances him fine for four.

74th over – England, in their desperation, have now wasted a review after Bresnan’s appeal against Smith for lbw was turned down. The paceman straightened a delivery into the left-hander, but HotSpot picks up a tiny scratch of bat on the ball. It also pitched outside leg stump and would probably have gone over the stumps!

72nd over – Amla edges a steer off Anderson past third slip for four to go to 99 and two balls later he steers the ball with far more control to third man for a single and his 15th test century. There’s no denying his sheer class either, this hundred coming in 282 minutes, off 199 balls and showcasing his great temperament and skill. Anderson’s next delivery, to Smith, is leg-side and flicked away for four by the South African captain.

69th over – Wonderful skill from Amla as he collects two boundaries in the Swann over – wristily flicking a ball from middle-and-off through midwicket, and then getting a sweep from outside off stump ridiculously fine for his 12th four.

67th over – Anderson starts after lunch with a 7:2 offside field, but his last delivery gets a bit of reverse in-shape, on to the pads and Amla flicks the ball through backward square for four.

Morning session

Graeme Smith brought up his century just before lunch which South Africa took on 187 for one on the third day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

65th over – Successive boundaries off Tim Bresnan take Smith to his 25th Test century just two balls before lunch. The left-hander steers the ball through gully and then cracks a crunching cut shot behind point for his 16th boundary. Smith becomes the seventh batsman to score a century in his 100th Test, after Colin Cowdrey, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Alec Stewart, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ricky Ponting, and he needed four-and-a-half hours and 201 balls to reach the landmark. His 2nd fifty took just 41 balls! One of the all-time greats, there’s no denying!

64th over – Smith comes down the pitch to a well-flighted delivery from Graeme Swann, makes it a full toss and whips the ball through wide mid-on for four.

57th over – Ravi Bopara replaces Swann and again finds an edge, but this time Smith’s drive flies through gully for four.

56th over – Four more for Smith! Stuart Broad again drifts too straight from around the wicket and Smith whips him, straight out of the middle of the bat, through square-leg.

55th over – 21 runs from Swann’s last two overs as Smith collects two more boundaries. First he comes down the wicket again, driving crisply wide of mid-on for four; Swann then fires in a delivery on leg-stump and Smith tickles it fine for his 10th four, four of them in the last three overs!

54th over – Smith lashes the first ball after the drinks break through the covers with a classic cover-drive for four. Bowler Broad helped by bowling around the wicket and angling the ball into the left-hander, and by over-pitching, but that was a magnificent stroke by the South African captain.

53rd over – Swann has rather tied Smith up this morning, but the South African captain now breaks the shackles. He comes down the pitch to the first ball of the over and flicks the off-spinner through square-leg for three runs, bringing up his fifty. Coming off 160 balls, in 208 minutes, it’s the slowest of his 33 Test half-centuries. Two balls later, Smith reaches far down the pitch and sweeps very well, past backward square-leg for his seventh boundary.

52nd over – A wonderful cover-drive for four by Hashim Amla off Broad, perfectly-placed, hardly a fielder moved!

44th over – England are targeting Smith outside off stump today but this time it’s a touch short from Jimmy Anderson and the left-hander steers the ball expertly through gully for four, bringing up the hundred partnership off 246 deliveries.

43rd over – Full and on middle stump from Swann and Smith covers the turn and clips the ball firmly through midwicket for four.

42nd over – Amla gets the first boundary of the day with a superbly elegant back-foot drive through the covers off Anderson.

41st over – Amla completes a wonderfully composed half-century, in 152 minutes off 110 balls, as he drives off-spinner Swann to mid-on and steals a single.

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South Africa took control with both Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis going to centuries as they reached 268 for three at stumps on the third day of the first test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Friday.

88th over – Jacques Rudolph has looked in great nick in going to 12 but has a reprieve when Doug Bracewell swings a delivery back into the left-hander and traps him lbw, umpire Aleem Dar giving him out. Rudolph, seemingly more in hope than anything else, calls for the review and Hawkeye says the ball pitched outside leg stump, by an inch or two. Dar cannot believe it, shaking his head as he recalls Rudolph. Will the umpire be fined for dissent? In his defence, there was something dodgy about that Hawkeye replay …

85th over – Lovely placement from Rudolph as he strokes Chris Martin through the covers for four.

83rd over – Kallis has his 42nd test century as he pushes Martin into the covers for a quick single, getting five runs as the shy at the stumps hits his legs and runs away to the boundary. The great Kallis has batted for just over five hours and faced 219 balls, stroking 15 fours in a wonderful innings for his team.

82nd over – WICKET – Bracewell strikes with his first delivery with the second new ball! He pitches the ball on the stumps, from over the wicket, angling across Smith, who inside-edges an awkward push right across the ball. Now if New Zealand had only stuck to that line earlier! Nevertheless, Smith’s 115 off 234 balls in just over six hours is a fitting reward for his determination and skill. Rudolph surprisingly comes in ahead of AB de Villiers, perhaps to keep the left-hand/right-hand combination going, and is off the mark second ball with a superb push off the back foot, through the covers for four.

81st over – Martin returns with the second new ball, but Kallis stands tall and whips the ball off his pads for an imperious four through midwicket that takes him to 99.

80th over – A wide half-volley from Daniel Vettori drifts further away from Smith, but he creams it through the covers for four.

77th over – Kallis has been stuck on 90 for 17 balls but then unveils a glorious cover-drive for four off Tim Southee.

71st over – Smith steps down the pitch and works the probing left-arm spin of Vettori through the packed leg-side field for a single that brings up his 24th test century! Coming off 201 balls, in five-and-a-quarter hours, it’s a fitting reward for a magnificent effort by the captain. How can anyone not want him in the team?

70th over – Too full from Southee and Kallis crunches the ball through the despairing dive of mid-off running to his left for four more runs. Kallis collects his second boundary of the over as he square-drives the seamer, Trent Boult trying hard to stop the ball on the deep backward point fence, but just failing.

64th over – Sweet timing from Smith as he strokes left-armer Boult through the covers for four.

63rd over – Smith jumps all over a short ball from Doug Bracewell, pulling with tremendous power to midwicket for four.

60th over – Masterful from Kallis as Boult drops a fraction short and the great batsman sends a short-arm pull rocketing to the midwicket boundary.

59th over – Bracewell is wide outside off stump to Smith and the left-hander lashes the ball through gully for four.

57th over – Kallis leaves the first four balls after tea alone as they travel harmlessly by outside off stump. So Bracewell tries to bowl straighter, drifts on to the pads and is tucked away for four to fine leg by Kallis. A great example of how the two batsmen have forced the New Zealand bowlers to bowl where they want them to …

55th over – Too full from Chris Martin and Smith works the ball through midwicket with great timing for four.

52nd over – Part-time off-spinner Rob Nicol is on, but he bowls a long-hop which Smith smashes through extra cover for four.

49th over – The 150 is up with a superb shot by Kallis, stroking Tim Southee straight down the ground for four. Kallis collects another boundary two balls later as he drives smoothly through a sloppy fielding effort at mid-on by Martin.

46th over – Kallis completes his 56th half-century as he goes back and turns left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori for a single to fine leg. Kallis reaches the landmark in 147 minutes, off 106 balls, with seven fours.

41st over – Successive bouncers from Tim Southee … and successive hooks for four in the most emphatic fashion by Kallis.

40th over – A bit edgy from Smith as he slashes Trent Boult through the gully for four. Smith ends the over with a superb shot, striding forward and driving the left-arm seamer from outside off stump and through mid-on for four more.

36th over – Another excellent effort by Smith as he completes his second half-century of the match, with a trademark push off his pads for a single to backward square-leg off Doug Bracewell. Smith has dug in for 163 minutes, faced 107 balls and hit five fours.

35th over – A bouncer from Martin angling across Smith, but he deals with it comfortably, fetching the ball from outside off stump and pulling it through wide mid-on for four.

34th over – And now the hundred is up as Smith drives Bracewell confidently through extra cover for four.

33rd over – The fifty partnership is up as Kallis drives Martin imperiously through the covers for four.

32nd over – A good start for Smith after lunch as he chops Bracewell neatly through backward point for four.

26th over – Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori strays a little bit leg-side and is swept powerfully for four by Kallis.

23rd over – Tim Southee digs the ball in, but it doesn’t get up and Kallis plays a beautifully-controlled pull shot, with excellent placement between the two men back on the boundary and his second boundary.

19th over – Kallis, on a pair, has taken a while to get settled, but collects four runs with a superb back-foot square-drive, beautifully timed, off Trent Boult.

12th over – A double strike by Doug Bracewell in his second over rocks South Africa! WICKET – A dreadfully loose innings by Alviro Petersen comes to an end. The opener has been playing a series of expansive, risky drives and, having driven the first ball of the over just over cover, Petersen then shovels a full ball too mid-off, where Southee moves sharply to take the catch. Petersen is out for 25. Hashim Amla collects a couple of runs through midwicket but is out to the last ball of the over. WICKET – Amla pushes firmly at a good ball from Bracewell that shapes away, Martin Guptill taking an outstanding catch, plucking the ball low off the ground as he dived one-handed to his right at second slip. Amla stuck around, but the third umpire did not give him the benefit of the doubt.

10th over – Smith puts South Africa in the black in marvellous fashion as Bracewell over-pitches and the left-hander punches him straight down the ground for four runs, erasing the 35-run first-innings deficit.

9th over – Petersen edges a slash at Chris Martin, it flies high to second slip, where Martin Guptill doesn’t pick the ball up at all. It flies over his head for four.

5th over – Full and outside off stump from Martin and Petersen drives it beautifully through the covers for four.

4th over – Left-armer Boult straightens a ball back between Petersen’s bat and pad, the ball flicking his back leg before being taken by a diving Kruger van Wyk. New Zealand are insistent that Petersen’s out and unsuccessfully attempt to overturn Aleem Dar’s not out decision.

2nd over – Boult gets a touch too straight and full to Smith and is driven through mid-on for four.

1st over – Petersen survives a very tight lbw call as Martin jags a delivery back into him, but then punches the veteran seamer sweetly down the ground for four.

The astonishing hitting of Trent Boult boosted the New Zealand innings to 273 all out on the third day of the first test against South Africa at the University Oval in Dunedin on Friday.

89th over – Dale Steyn ends the fun as Chris Martin prods a shortish delivery straight to Hashim Amla at short-leg.

88th over – Vernon Philander looks un-warmed up and stiff, is down in pace and pays the price as Boult lashes 22 vital runs off the last four balls of the over. Having turned down an easy single to deep point, Boult clears the front leg and slogs Philander for six over long-on, four over mid-off and six over midwicket. Philander’s last ball of the over is a bouncer and Boult is outside leg-stump, but he manages to hook it for another six!

87th over – Five runs for Martin, which is like 50 for him! He pushes Steyn’s second ball of the day into the covers in an effort to get off strike, Amla rushes in, but slips as he shies at the bowler’s end, missing the stumps and leading to four overthrows.