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Ken Borland



Smith & Kallis lay the foundation 0

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Ken

LIVE UPDATES & FULL SESSION REPORTS FOR ALL SA CRICKET MATCHES on SuperSport.com

 

Centuries by veterans Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis were the foundation of South Africa’s commanding 268 for three on the third day of the first test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Friday.

Smith, a celebrated member of the gritty left-hander’s club, fought his way to 115, his 24th test century and a wonderful display of determination and his own highly-effective version of skill.

Kallis was still at the crease when stumps was called, having stroked his way to 107 not out. Together, the pair had added 200 for the third wicket in five hours and given South Africa a commanding lead of 233 runs with seven wickets in hand.

Smith was out eight overs before the close, when his previously sure judgement deserted him against the second new ball and he inside-edged Doug Bracewell back into his stumps.

Kallis notched his 42nd test century in the next over, needing 219 deliveries, 18 more than Smith, and he batted through to stumps and will lead South Africa’s efforts to set a target on the fourth day. On a pitch that is still good for batting, the visitors will be wanting some sort of insurance in the form of a target that allows them to keep fielders in attacking positions.

South Africa had begun their second innings trailing by 35 runs and were in trouble on 47 for two when Smith and Kallis came together. The runs would come at a measured rate as they built a crucial partnership, refusing to chase the many deliveries New Zealand tried to tempt them with well outside off stump.

The admirable Bracewell, who finished the day with three for 53 in 18 overs, had made the double strike at the top of the order by removing Alviro Petersen (25) and Hashim Amla (2) in the 12th over.

Petersen was driving at the ball with reckless abandon, but his good fortune was only on loan until he shovelled a full ball from Bracewell to Tim Southee at mid-off.

Amla fell to an outstanding catch by Martin Guptill, plucking the ball millimetres off the turf as he dived one-handed to his right at second slip, but New Zealand would have to wait a long time for their next wicket.

There were no frills to Smith’s innings, but he forced New Zealand to bowl where he wanted them to, the Black Caps seemingly having no alternative to their plan of bowling wide of off-stump to the beefy left-hander.

Kallis was coming off a duck and had a tricky start, but batted with an immense calm, stroking the ball to the boundary on 15 occasions and to all corners of the University Oval.

Trent Boult had begun the day by hammering Vernon Philander for 22 runs – three sixes and a four – from the last four balls of the second over to finish on 33 not out and give New Zealand a first-innings lead they could only have dreamed about on 135 for five shortly before tea on the second day.

The brilliance of Smith and Kallis has now consigned that awful start to the day to distant memory.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120308/Smith_and_Kallis_lay_the_foundation

Smith & Kallis go to centuries 0

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Ken

LIVE UPDATES FOR ALL SA CRICKET MATCHES (as below) on SuperSport.com

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.

All-round Kallis brilliance steers SA to win 0

Posted on January 06, 2012 by Ken

 

An immense all-round performance by Jacques Kallis carried South Africa to a series-clinching 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the third and final test at Newlands on Friday.

    Kallis, having scored 224 in the South African first innings, claimed three for 35 to end an obdurate Sri Lankan second innings on 342, leaving the hosts with a nominal target of two runs to win.

    Kallis, playing his 150th test, also took four catches to equal the South African record for the most catches by an outfielder in an innings as well as the mark of six catches in a test set by Albert Vogler in 1909/10 and matched by Bruce Mitchell in 1931/32.

    South Africa’s win brings to an end a run of four winless series at home dating back to 2008/9.

    They were held up on the fourth day by the determined Thilan Samaraweera, who scored a defiant 115 not out in 325 minutes, off 215 balls, showing fine technique and concentration.

    Angelo Mathews scored 63 and the tail-enders had some fun as well as they helped the experienced Samaraweera prolong South Africa’s time in the field to nine minutes after the scheduled tea break.

    Kallis, who had removed stubborn opener Lahiru Thirimanne for 30 on the third day, moved sharply to take a return catch from Rangana Herath (0), his record-equalling fourth catch of the innings and sixth of the test, and then bowled last man Chanaka Welegedara for 14.

    Sri Lanka appeared to be on track to take the game into a fifth day as Samaraweera and Mathews took Sri Lanka’s overnight score of 138 for four, still trailing by 203 runs, to 240 for four with their record fifth-wicket stand of 142 in 200 minutes. Sri Lanka’s previous best fifth-wicket partnership against South Africa was 121 between Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga in Moratuwa in 1993/94.

    But Mathews, who had shown plenty of strokeplaying ability, was trapped in front of the stumps by a Vernon Philander delivery that kept low in the fourth over after lunch and Dinesh Chandimal could score just a single before he edged the same bowler into the slips, where Kallis took a sharp catch.

    Sri Lanka were 248 for six with Samaraweera on 86, but the tail stayed in long enough for the 35-year-old to reach his 14th century in his 71st test and his second of the series.

    Thisara Perera (30) and Dhammika Prasad (16) both prospered briefly with some fairly reckless hitting to save Sri Lanka from an innings defeat, but not their ultimate fate.

    While the inspirational Kallis boasted the most impressive bowling figures, he was well-supported by Philander, who took three for 54 in 20 overs and has now taken 30 wickets in his first four tests.

    Leg-spinner Imran Tahir took three for 106 in 32 overs.

    South Africa’s innings is likely to feature prominently in future sporting trivia quizzes as Dhammika Prasad’s first delivery was a no-ball, which Alviro Petersen drove down the ground for the winning runs. It meant the innings officially lasted 0.0 overs.

Dilshan gives Sri Lankan reply promising start 0

Posted on January 04, 2012 by Ken

The flashing blade of captain Tillakaratne Dilshan gave Sri Lanka a promising start to their innings after the batting heroics of Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers had put South Africa in firm control of the third test at Newlands on Wednesday.

    Sri Lanka ended the second day on 149 for two – a deficit of 431 runs – after Dilshan scored a quickfire 78 to launch the innings.

    South Africa are still obvious favourites to win the final test and the series, however, after Kallis scored a career-best double century and De Villiers an unbeaten 160 as the hosts accumulated 580 for four declared.

    Sri Lanka’s two leading run-scorers – Kumar Sangakkara (35*) and Mahela Jayawardene (7*) – were at the crease at stumps after South Africa claimed the wickets of the two opening batsmen.

    Dilshan was quickly into his stride as he blasted 12 fours in his run-a-ball innings, before falling to leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

    Dilshan lofted a drive into the outfield, but the delivery was a googly that took the inside half of the bat, allowing Graeme Smith to run from deep mid-on and take a super diving catch.

    Lahiru Thirimanne had earlier been bowled through the gate, his attempted drive getting nowhere near a Morne Morkel thunderbolt, for 23.
Following Dilshan’s dismissal 11 overs before stumps, Sangakkara and Jayawardene batted with restraint to survive through to the close.
South Africa declared 40 minutes before tea after a memorable day for Kallis, who finished with 224, while De Villiers helped himself to 160 not out off just 205 balls, with 19 fours and two sixes.
Jacques Rudolph was with De Villiers up until the declaration, scoring 51 not out as he helped to add an unbeaten 127 for the fifth wicket off just 123 balls.
De Villiers and Rudolph were plundering runs at will when Smith declared. South Africa are hunting their first series win at home in three seasons, with this series currently tied 1-1.
Rudolph, having dropped down the order from opening to number six, made his first half-century since his return to the team after a five-year absence.
Kallis, who had resumed on 159, had not exceeded 200 in a test despite amassing 10,000 test runs until his 201 not out against India at Centurion in December, 2010. The 36-year-old needed just 65 deliveries on Wednesday to reach his second double century, in 394 minutes and 280 balls, with 29 fours and a six.
Kallis fell on the stroke of lunch when an attempted lofted drive went off the toe of the bat to Angelo Mathews, who took a tumbling catch at deep mid-on to give persevering left-arm spinner Rangana Herath his only wicket.
Sri Lanka were unable to make any other breakthroughs on the second day with De Villiers advancing to his 13th test century.
South Africa attacked the bowling from the outset, with de Villiers scoring 115 runs off 113 deliveries on Wednesday.
Kallis enjoyed some good fortune as two outside edges, on 171 and 183, managed to go through the hands of Jayawardene in the slips, off the bowling of Dhammika Prasad and Mathews respectively.

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    There is only one Christ and all things that are preached in his name must conform to his character. We can only know Christ’s character through an intimate and personal relationship with him.

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