Ken Borland

England flyhalf Toby Flood used self-deprecating humour on Thursday to deflect the pressure of expectation that is on him to spark the tourists’ backline in the second test against South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Flood was on Thursday named as the starting pivot in place of Owen Farrell, who failed to use his backline to any great effect in the first test defeat last weekend in Durban.

“It will be pretty dull, I feel very old these days, it’s a struggle to get out of bed.

“The last time we played here on the highveld, we lost by 50 points in 2007 [55-22 in Pretoria] so anything less than that will be good,” Flood joked.

On a more serious note, the 26-year-old Flood said he would be using both kicking and his distribution skills to try and move the big South African side around the field.

“Going toe-to-toe with the Springboks is very difficult because they are very physical. But my point of view is to try and shift those big guys around and deny them that momentum which they can then expand on.

“The altitude will hurt us a bit, so we need to be aggressive and pragmatic. You don’t want to waste energy playing in your own half, plus Morne Steyn can kick goals from all sorts of places if you make a mistake.

“We want to manipulate the two Steyns [flyhalf Morne and inside centre Francois] and Jean de Villiers as much as possible. They’ll kick a lot and kick well, they have that ability, plus Pat Lambie and Ruan Pienaar off the bench are great kickers too. We need to nullify it, put as much pressure as we can on their kicking game, but also not narrow our game too much,” Flood told reporters in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“I don’t feel like there’s a heavy load of expectation on me, I’m just going to go out and enjoy myself. I’ll have a crack at some stage …”

Flood, who has not started a game since last year’s World Cup, said there was an exciting new atmosphere in the squad since new coach Stuart Lancaster took over at the start of 2012.

“From the outset, Stuart struck a chord with how he wanted us to go about our business both on and off the field. This is a very united squad and we want to continue to get better,” the Leicester Tigers star said.

Flood said he was excited by the chance to play with two electrifying centres outside him in Manu Tuilagi and Jonathan Joseph, who will make his first test start.

“It was more like a chess game last week, we always felt we were in the match, but suddenly we were chasing it in the last 10 minutes. That meant we were more expansive, and we can take the promise of those last 10 minutes into the second test.

“I can’t let Manu demand the ball every three seconds, but hopefully I can get him into the game more than last week. It’s Jonathan’s first real cap, but he looks sharp and I’ll just be trying to keep things light-hearted and relaxed. He has all the talent in the world, he just mustn’t over-think things,” Flood said.

Tuilagi’s opposite number is one of the bigger units in world backlines in the 1.91m, 100kg Francois Steyn.

“He’s an outstanding player and it’s going to be a huge challenge like last week against Jean de Villiers. He’s one of the best centres in the world,” Tuilagi said.

Tuilagi himself is no shrinking violet though at 112kg, the same weight as South Africa’s loosehead prop Tendai Mtawarira, the famous “Beast”.

The Samoan-born Leicester representative is looking forward to being more of a threat to the South African defences now that he has moved one place inside and is closer to the action.

“I feel comfortable at 12 and I’ve played a couple of times there this season, plus for Leicester against the Springboks in 2009. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting more ball at 12 and also being able to make more tackles,” the pocket battleship grinned.

That November 2009 freezing, damp evening in Leicester is certainly one the Springboks will remember as the Tigers tore into them with great ferocity up front and Tuilagi, then an academy member, announced himself as he bashed through their midfield. The 21-year-old is relishing the chance for a repeat performance.

The need for trophies and the No 1 Test ranking are driving Imran Tahir at the moment – and he’s heading for Johannesburg and Pakistan as a result.

Tahir announced on Wednesday that, tired of being beaten to the floor with the Dolphins, he will be playing his domestic cricket for the bizhub Highveld Lions from next season. The Lions are obviously delighted to have the services of one of the most successful domestic bowlers of recent times on a one-year contract.

“I want to be around more senior players and with a more successful team, I want to win trophies,” Tahir explained at the Wanderers on Wednesday.

“It’s hard when the team just relies on you – I was bowling 70 to 80 overs a game for the Dolphins, which is too much. It’s good when you’re 24 or 25, but I need more support,” the 33-year-old Tahir said.

“There’s a good environment here and players who can help me like Neil McKenzie, who I played with in Hampshire and we got along very well.”

While Tahir’s home for next summer is now sorted out, the legspinner also announced on Wednesday that he will be returning to Pakistan, the country of his birth, for some inspiration ahead of the winter’s major challenge – the three tests in England that will decide the No 1 ranked team.

The source of this hoped-for inspiration will be Pakistan great Abdul Qadir, the leg-spinning legend who performed miraculous deeds against England, taking 82 wickets in 16 tests against them between 1977 and 1987.

Tahir first sat down with Qadir in 2000 and is looking forward to reuniting with someone who has clearly been a role-model, their whirring actions and desire to bowl every variety of delivery being very similar.

“I did have offers from counties and I actually accepted one from Surrey, which I then turned down, because I’ve been working really hard on my fitness and I’m going to back to Pakistan to get some help from Abdul Qadir. I’m kind of a bowler like him and he’s been really helpful to me before, since the first time I met him in 2000.

“He’s a legend and he can help me big time… I just need to get him out on to the cricket ground because it’s 48 degrees outside!” Tahir said of the 56-year-old who took 236 wickets in 67 tests.

“It’s a very big series against England and if we can win it, it would be something special, one of the biggest achievements in my career.”

The weather in England is typically miserable at the moment and if it stays the same through to South Africa’s arrival in July, then Tahir will face an uphill struggle akin to David’s battle with Goliath on green seamers.

“It’s normally drier in July and August and I hope there’s a good summer for us, it will be harder for me if the pitches are like they are now. But the fact that most tests in England are now going into the fourth or fifth day is good for spinners,” Tahir said.

The exuberant leggie from Lahore tends to charge off around the park whenever he takes a wicket and his celebrations have attracted some unkind words from overseas.

“If I’m playing for my country, I try as hard as I can. I make sure I don’t relax because then I might lose concentration and bowl a bad ball. I like to try too hard!

“I just want to enjoy my cricket and the celebrations just come, I go with the flow. Even in club cricket in England I used to do it… I don’t know if I just lose myself,” Tahir said.

Sit back and enjoy the ride, is probably the best advice for anyone watching Tahir in action as he is the type of bowler who likes to attack and he is not scared to show his personality, which adds to the entertainment value of his mystical art.

The England team and their supporters have certainly been puffed up on airs of self-congratulation and pomposity since their ascension to the No 1 ranking, and Tahir has already been written off as a threat, his figures of just 18 wickets at an average of 37.05 in seven tests being used as justification.

Tahir is not one to trash-talk and he refused to counter with England’s miserable record against spin.

“They had one bad series against Pakistan but I would say they are good players of spin. I wouldn’t say they’re not good against it. We have to respect them to beat them and they are a good team, so it will be a good challenge. I’m sure everyone will be up for it because we want to take their place at No 1,” he said.

What critics of Tahir have conveniently overlooked is that those 18 wickets have come in some of the most pace-friendly conditions imaginable as South Africa hosted tests against Australia and Sri Lanka and they then travelled to the verdant pitches of New Zealand.

“There’ve been five tests in South Africa and three in New Zealand, and maybe one of those pitches took spin, so I had to have defensive fields,” Tahir pointed out.

That Tahir is a threat to even the strongest batting line-ups is borne out by comments made by England star Kevin Pietersen in late 2010 when they played together in the Dolphins team.

“He is in a different league. He spins the ball both ways and he’s got incredible control. If you can spin the ball both ways you get wickets.

“He does bowl the odd bad ball, but if managed properly and given lots of confidence, the man can bowl any team out,” Pietersen said.

Tahir is going to England full of hunger – he is definitely making up for lost time after only graduating to test cricket at the age of 32 – and he also has the knowledge of how to prosper there, having enjoyed successful stints with Middlesex, Yorkshire, Hampshire and Warwickshire between 2003 and 2011.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/domestic-cricket/news/120516/Tahir_heading_for_Joburg_and_Pakistan

The Ford Pumas stymied the MTN Golden Lions’ top-of-the-log ambitions and kept their own Vodacom Cup hopes alive as they beat their hosts 37-33 (half-time 17-20) at CocaCola Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The Lions often looked the better team and seemed to be pulling away from the visitors when their second try gave them a 20-10 lead with just three minutes of the first half remaining. But the Lions must have really resented the plucky Pumas’ ability to bounce back and the men from Mpumalanga were quick to strike after kick-offs in particular.

The opening 10 minutes saw the Pumas and Lions score tit-for-tat tries with flank Jaco Bouwer scoring for the visitors after a fantastic rolling maul and lock Hendrik Roodt charging over for the Gautengers after a fine take at the back of the lineout by eighthman JJ Gagiano.

The tightly-contested tiff also featured excellent goal-kicking by Pumas fullback Coenie van Wyk, who succeeded with all seven of his shots at goal, and Lions flyhalf Guy Cronje, whose only miss from eight attempts came off the post and led to a Pumas try!

In the 14th minute, a powerful charge by flank Stephan de Wit put the Lions on the front foot, leading to a penalty by Cronje (10-7). A high tackle on the impressive De Wit five minutes later led to another Cronje penalty (13-7) and the Pumas, who had scored their seven points in the first five minutes, were finally back on the scoreboard with eight minutes left in the first half when the excellent direct running and support play of their forwards earned Van Wyk his first penalty (13-10).

The Lions were quick to put the Pumas back under pressure, however, their good ball-retention eventually leading to the defence cracking as fullback Garth April joined the line and centre Bradley Moolman was able to go over in the left corner. Cronje’s good day with the boot was highlighted by his conversion from the touchline (20-10).

But the Lions spent the halftime break mourning a costly lapse in concentration as they failed to gather the kick-off, Pumas wing Deon Scholtz grabbing the ball and scooting over for a crucial try just befpre the interval (20-17).

Having battled gamely in their bright pink strips in the first half, the Pumas switched to grey in the second half and they were a new side. Ever quick to pounce on an opportunity, they took the lead four minutes after the break when a Cronje penalty attempt came back off the post and centre Tiaan Marx’s pace caught the Lions unawares. The former Leopards and KZN representative sprinted all the way into the Lions’ 22, Scholtz was stopped just short of the line, but the home side could not keep hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld from crashing over.

But after a strong run by Moolman, Pumas scrumhalf Shaun Venter did not show the necessary restraint at the ruck and Cronje’s penalty closed the gap to just one point (23-24).

The Lions clawed their way back into the lead in the 55th minute courtesy of another Cronje penalty (26-24), but the Pumas pounced again, counter-attacking off an up-and-under and earning Van Wyk another penalty (27-26).

With 13 minutes remaining, and with options both left and right from a midfield scrum in Lions’ territory, lock Rudi Matthee, always strong with ball in hand, made impressive ground before Bouwer reached over the ruck to score.

Van Wyk’s conversion gave the Pumas a healthy 34-26 lead, but the visitors were soon singing a different tune as the Lions came swarming back on to attack.

Some out-of-sorts basics by the Pumas put them under pressure and wing Ruan Combrinck finned his way down the right touchline for a top-class try. Cronje’s conversion was a formality and it was a one-point game (33-34) heading into the last 10 minutes.

But the Pumas once again showed that remarkable ability to strike back from the kick-off as they roared back into the Lions’ 22 and Van Wyk kicked a penalty that was enough of a buffer.

Some admirable defence in the last five minutes ensured that the Pumas’ victory was just that little bit more memorable.

Scorers

MTN Golden Lions – Tries: Hendrik Roodt, Bradley Moolman, Ruan Combrinck. Conversions: Guy Cronje (3). Penalties: Cronje (4).

Ford Pumas – Tries: Jaco Bouwer (2), Deon Scholtz, Torsten van Jaarsveld. Conversions: Coenie van Wyk (4). Penalties: Van Wyk (3).

A top-class spell by Faf du Plessis and a double-strike up front by Albie Morkel led the Nashua Titans to a comfortable 45-run victory over the bizhub Highveld Lions in the MiWay T20 Challenge final at the BidVest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/domestic-t20/news/120401/Titans_coast_to_T20_title

The two all-rounders shared seven wickets between them as the Lions crumbled to 142 all out after the Titans’ powerful middle-order batsmen had seen them to 187 for six.

The Lions beat the Titans in both their round-robin matches this season and must have fancied their chances of chasing 188 in good batting conditions. But this time they danced to the tune of the Titans bowlers as they lost three wickets in the first four overs and then another three in the space of nine balls midway through their innings.

Titans coach Matthew Maynard may have swum against the tide by leaving out all of his international stars, but his team remained a slick, efficient outfit on the field as they hunted down their second trophy of the summer after their success in the SuperSport Series.

Lions youngsters Jonathan Vandiar (0) and Quinton de Kock (17) could both perhaps be accused of going too hard too early as they both skied the ball into the outfield to be caught.

The dangerous De Kock had already hit two fours and a six off 10 balls but, with his captain Alviro Petersen falling just three balls previously for five as he edged Morkel and was brilliantly caught by Heino Kuhn standing up, he then tried a lofted drive and gave the Titans another wicket.

It was also another fine catch, Eden Links judging the steepler to perfection as he ran from mid-off to behind the bowler.

The Lions were 24 for three after four overs, but Neil McKenzie and Jean Symes provided a brief surge of runs as they added 50 off 34 balls.

But the home crowd’s cheers were soon silenced as leg-spinner Du Plessis came on in the 10th over.

His third delivery was the only one that misbehaved all day on another excellent Chris Scott pitch, keeping low to bowl Symes for 25 off 20 balls as the left-hander attempted a pull shot.

Dwaine Pretorius’s stay was brief. He hit his first ball from Du Plessis straight back over the bowler’s head for six and then tried the same shot two balls later, but was surprised by the googly and bowled middle stump.

McKenzie fell six balls later, bowled off the pad for 24 off 19 balls by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe that went straight on, meaning there were two new batsmen at the crease with the Lions needing a daunting 106 off nine overs.

Du Plessis carried on his destructive business by removing the last two hopes of the Lions – having Chris Morris caught by a diving Alfonso Thomas for 18 and then accepting a simple return catch from Thami Tsolekile (14). It left Du Plessis with brilliant figures of 4-24 from his four overs and the bowling award.

There was some late resistance from Aaron Phangiso (19 not out) before Morkel (3-28) had Ethan O’Reilly (7) caught behind by Kuhn off a bouncer to claim the Lions’ final wicket in the penultimate over.

BRILLIANT OUTFIELD CATCH

Farhaan Behardien had hit the ball high and handsome in the closing overs to lift the Titans to 187 for six and earning himself the batting award in the process.

Behardien, who scored an unbeaten 20 off 11 balls on Friday night on his international debut, continued to court the national selectors for a place in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad as his brilliant 42 not out off 26 balls gave the Titans a competitive total after they had been a dodgy 112 for five in the 14th over.

The Titans were sent in to bat and openers Henry Davids and Kuhn did a fine job of seeing them off to a good, fast start as they added 43 runs in three-and-a-half overs.

There had been some speculation that the Titans management would drop Davids for returning international Jacques Rudolph, but the former Bolander repaid their faith as he slashed 27 runs off 12 balls, with five fours and a six, hitting the ball beautifully through the off side.

The Lions were desperate for a breakthrough and all-rounder Morris, who has very much been their talisman this year, topping the SuperSport impact ratings, did the job by bowling Davids with the assistance of a deflection off his back pad-flap.

The Lions, with superb team-work between their focused bowlers and lively fielders, especially on the boundary, then kept chipping away as the Titans lost regular wickets.

Pakistan international Sohail Tanveer had Kuhn caught behind for 14 in the next over, and left-arm spinner Phangiso, playing against his former team, had Van der Merwe (7) well-caught by Symes on the deep midwicket boundary.

Du Plessis and Martin van Jaarsveld began to dominate in a fourth-wicket stand of 29 off 25 balls, but Morris then took a brilliant outfield catch, running in from cow corner and diving forward, to dismiss Du Plessis for 22 off a Pretorius full toss.

Captain Van Jaarsveld scored an impressive 32 off 21 balls but then drove Phangiso to Morris at deep extra cover.

The Titans had plans to dominate the 28-year-old Phangiso, but he certainly won his personal battle against his former teammates by finishing with outstanding figures of 2-14 in his four overs.

Van Jaarsveld was out midway through the 14th over and Behardien then dominated the last six overs as he slammed two fours and two sixes, the extra cover region once again being one of his main targets.

The Lions were badly disrupted by Dirk Nannes having to pull out with a hamstring strain and his replacement, O’Reilly, who has not played since the match against the Knights on March 7, had a torrid time.

Having conceded 31 runs in two overs against the Davids onslaught up front, O’Reilly returned to bowl the 16th over and was taken for 14 more runs by Behardien and the in-form Morkel.

Behardien and Morkel did the business in the closing overs as they added 42 off 27 balls; the left-hander fell to Tanveer in the 18th over for 21 off 15 balls, but Behardien batted through to the end, hitting a wonderful six over extra cover off the Pakistani in the final over.

David Wiese, another who had international rivals for his place, showed his big-hitting ability with 14 not out off seven balls, but it was the composure and brilliance of Behardien that carried the Titans to their highest total this season and the best against the Lions.

Phangiso was the obvious bowling hero for the Lions, with Tanveer, Morris and Pretorius the other wicket-takers, but all at a cost of more than nine runs an over.