Ken Borland

There was no lack of intensity from South Africa on the second day as they reached stumps on 86 for one in the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Friday.

Having rebounded superbly with the ball, claiming England’s last seven wickets for 118 runs to bowl them out for 385, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla ensured there were no further alarms after the early loss of Alviro Petersen for a duck as they batted South Africa through to the close.

Both batsmen looked as solid as concrete against a probing English attack that was eventually backing off and setting defensive fields. Smith, playing his 100th Test, finished the day on 37 not out off 118 balls, with four fours, while Amla was on 47 not out, off 97 deliveries, with six fours.

South Africa’s bowlers had given little evidence of their passion and desire on the first day, when Alastair Cook cruised to a century and took England to 267 for three at the close of play.

But when Vernon Philander began troubling Cook from the outset, it was clear that England’s batsmen would not have nearly as easy a ride as on the first day.

It was Dale Steyn who sparked the South African comeback when he removed Cook for 115 and Ravi Bopara for a duck in successive overs.

Cook’s footwork was still sluggish when he went hard at a drive off Steyn and, when the ball swung back in nicely, it found the inside edge and cannoned into the stumps. The left-hander had played many fine strokes in collecting 11 fours and a six (his leaves were also impressive!) and his 295-ball innings was a mighty effort to give England an early head-start in the highly-anticipated series.

The unfortunate Bopara, still trying to cement his place in the side, tried to pull out of a hook shot at the fired-up Steyn, but withdrew the bat too late, the edge going through to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers.

Philander had been the perfect foil at the other end, just eight runs coming from the five overs he bowled at the start of the day, and he was unlucky not to get the reward for beating the bat several times. The introduction of Jacques Kallis saw the pressure on England increase if nothing else, as the great all-rounder’s first four overs were all maidens and he picked up the key wicket of Ian Bell (13).

PUGNACIOUS PRIOR

Bell, seeing the ball swinging away nicely, was then bemused as he left a delivery which swung in and just clipped the off-bail, causing it to topple and the in-form 30-year-old was bowled.

Matt Prior’s wicket was the one that really mattered though.

Even though South Africa were on top at lunch, leggie Imran Tahir spinning out Tim Bresnan, who dragged the ball into his own stumps, for eight to leave England on 326 for seven, Prior prospered in the afternoon.

South Africa’s bowlers were guilty of losing a bit of focus and there were enough bad balls for Prior to hammer nine fours and breeze to 60 off 90 balls. Early on he had been like a man stumbling in the dark without a lamp, and England’s innings could have been truly wrecked if a couple of half-chances had been taken.

He was reprieved when Petersen made a great save in the slips but couldn’t throw down the stumps with both batsmen in the middle of the wicket, and Jacques Rudolph dropped a sharp catch, lunging low to his right in the gully, off Morne Morkel when Prior had 17.

South Africa will rue those lapses, but will be happy they limited the dangerous Stuart Broad to just 16 as he was bowled by a tremendous Philander delivery that he had little hope of keeping out – from over the wicket, the ball came back miles to bowl the left-hander through the gate – and that Morkel wrapped up the innings with two wickets in the 126th over.

Prior’s pugnacious innings off 60 off 90 balls came to an end when he edged an expansive drive away from his body to De Villiers, and Jimmy Anderson (2) joined him back in the pavilion four balls later when he flapped at a leg-side, short-pitched delivery from Morkel, the catch behind giving the wicketkeeper five in the innings.

Morkel did not have the best of days with the ball, overdoing the short delivery, but his final figures of 4-72 were a just reward for his efforts on the first day.

Steyn had, crucially, recaptured his mojo in the morning, but his poor spell after lunch left him with figures of 2-99 in 30 overs. Kallis was also superb and his figures of 2-38 in 19 overs underestimate his value, his wickets being the key ones of Bell and Kevin Pietersen, and both at crucial times.

Philander again worked well in partnership with Steyn (perhaps they should have been used together more on the first day) and deserved better figures than 1-79 in 27 overs.

England had 11 overs to strike back with the new ball before tea and Anderson managed to get his 10th ball to go like a boomerang, swinging back into Petersen and hitting him on the back leg to trap him lbw for a duck.

But Amla was a grimly determined Smith’s able co-pilot as they negotiated the best England could throw at them, and a 106-minute rain delay straight after tea, to ensure South Africa go into the third day on even terms.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120720/No_lack_of_intensity_by_SA_on_2nd_day

The day was South Africa’s as they finished the second day on 86 for one in the first test against England at the Oval in London on Friday.

34th over – Medium-pacer Ravi Bopara comes on and nearly makes the breakthrough! Hashim Amla, on 40, drives hard off the back foot, there is extra bounce and Andrew Strauss, at first slip, moves late, perhaps waiting for wicketkeeper Matt Prior to go, flings up his left hand but gets only fingertips to the ball as it races to the boundary.

30th over – Tim Bresnan tries to bounce Graeme Smith, but the South African captain is on to it quickly, hooking the ball through square-leg for four.

29th over – Jimmy Anderson strays on to the leg side and Amla flicks him neatly through midwicket for four.

24th over – Back of a length and straight from Tim Bresnan but Amla shows great skill as he punches the ball to the right of mid-on for four runs.

20th over – Stuart Broad comes around the wicket to Graeme Smith and presents him with a full delivery, angling in, and the left-hander clips the ball easy-as-you-like through wide mid-on for four.

12th over – Just a single over from Broad is possible after tea as rain starts to fall heavily. A trademark work off his hips gives Smith two runs and takes South Africa to 27 for one. Play resumes after a delay of one hour, 46 minutes.

Afternoon session

Graeme Smith was clearly desperate to succeed in his 100th Test as he steered South Africa to 25 for one at tea on the second day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Friday.

11th over – Lovely batting by Hashim Amla as he punches successive deliveries from Jimmy Anderson through the covers for four.

7th over – Dark clouds hovering about and some spittings of rain … umpires confer but decide play can continue. Anderson beats Smith outside the off stump … But the focused left-hander celebrating his 100th test then whips the swing bowler from middle-and-leg to fine leg for four!

6th over – Typical Smith as Stuart Broad pitches on middle-and-off and the left-hander shovels him through midwicket for four!

3rd over – WICKET – Anderson makes the early strike with a superb in-swinging delivery that comes back a mile to hit Alviro Petersen on the back leg and trap him lbw for a duck.

South African fast bowler Morne Morkel ended the England first innings on 385 when he took two wickets in an over on the second day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Friday.

126th over – Morkel wraps up the innings in his second over back. WICKET – Matt Prior drives away from his body again, but there is extra bounce and he ends up edging the ball to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. Prior scored 60 off 90 balls, with nine fours – nicely played, and a very handy innings for England. WICKET – Jimmy Anderson is out for two as he flaps at a short-pitched, leg-side delivery from Morkel, getting a scratch through to give De Villiers his fifth catch.

125th over – Imran Tahir is back but Graeme Swann handles him well, a well-struck sweep shot bringing him four runs.

123rd over – Good shot by Swann as Dale Steyn drops short and he pulls him through midwicket for four. Two balls later, Swann drives, ball under the eyes, through extra cover for another well-played boundary.

120th over – Prior brings up a crucial half-century for England as he punches Vernon Philander beautifully straight down the ground for his ninth boundary. The wicketkeeper/batsman has been at the crease for two hours and faced 75 balls. WICKET – But Philander then produces a superb delivery that comes back a long way from over the wicket to bowl Stuart Broad through the gate for 16, the ball again just clipping the bail.

119th over – 350 up for England as Broad stands tall and drives a back-of-a-length delivery from Steyn, off the back foot, through the covers for four.

118th over – Prior has come out after lunch full of attacking intent and he forcefully drives Philander off the back foot, wide of gully, for four more runs.

117th over – Steyn is back on from the Vauxhall Rd End but Prior drives him square of the wicket for four – a fine, compact shot with great timing.

116th over – Play is delayed for 10 minutes after lunch by light rain and Philander ends the first over after the break by over-pitching and being driven crisply through mid-off for four by Prior.

Morning session

South Africa stated their intentions clearly with the ball as they reduced England to 326 for seven at lunch on the second day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Friday.

115th over – Well that’s a waste of the final review. Stuart Broad pushes forward to Imran Tahir, the leg-spinner turns the ball into the front pad and appeals confidently for lbw. Broad has surely been struck outside the line though, which the replay confirms.

114th over – Wow! Broad powers a drive on the up, through the covers for four off Vernon Philander.

112th over – Philander returns and swings the ball back into Broad, striking the left-hander in line with leg stump. The appeal is turned down by Asad Rauf, South Africa call for the review, but the replay shows the ball is only just clipping leg stump – fair decision.

111th over – Tahir is brought on and breaks the threatening partnership in his first over! WICKET – Tim Bresnan (8) tries to slash a short delivery turning away from him, but can only bottom-edge the ball into the ground and back on to his stumps.

110th over – Short and wide from Morne Morkel and Matt Prior dispatches it handsomely through the covers for four.

109th over – Jacques Kallis dishes up the full away-swinger and Bresnan accepts the invitation to drive, lambasting the ball superbly through the covers for four. After four successive maidens and 27 balls, those are the first runs Kallis has conceded today!

108th over – Dropped! Prior, on 17, drives Morkel off the back foot, but the ball comes off the outside half of the bat, flying to gully, where Jacques Rudolph drops a sharp chance lunging low to his right.

106th over – Morkel has overdone the short ball today and Prior hammers a pull over midwicket for four.

101st over – Kallis replaces Dale Steyn after an outstanding burst of 5-2-8-2. And the great all-rounder strikes with his fourth ball! WICKET – Ian Bell (13) has faced a couple of away-swingers and now he leaves another delivery, but this time it’s the in-swinger and it just trims the off-bail, causing to gently topple from the stumps …

100th over – This time it’s a genuine edge for four between the slips and gully for Prior as he drives at Philander.

99th over – Prior has just survived a probing over from Philander and now he flashes Steyn through backward point in rather flamboyant fashion for four. He repeats the stroke to the next ball and immediately sets off for a run, but this time Alviro Petersen has made a brilliant diving stop at third slip. Both batsmen are stranded in the middle of the pitch, Petersen has a shy at the stumps but misses!

95th over – WICKET – Steyn has a close lbw appeal against Ravi Bopara turned down, but the next ball is a bouncer, the batsman shapes to hook, then tries to withdraw the bat, but is too slow and the ball finds the edge and goes through to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. Bopara out for a duck!

93rd over – WICKET – Alastair Cook’s footwork is still a bit sluggish early in the day and he goes hard at a drive off Steyn. The ball swings back in, finds the inside edge and rockets into the stumps! Cook bowled for a mighty fine 115 off 295 balls.

92nd over – Encouraging signs for South Africa as Philander gets some early movement, rapping Cook on the pads, but it’s too high, appeal turned down.

Opener Alastair Cook was in complete control as his unbeaten century put England in a strong position on 267 for three at stumps on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at the Oval in London on Thursday.

Having suffered the shock of losing his captain Andrew Strauss in the first over, Cook compiled a superbly-controlled 114 not out to put England in control against a South African attack that lacked energy and spark – their limited preparation being the obvious bearer of the guilt for that.

It had all started so well for the tourists when Strauss, having initially been reprieved by umpire Steve Davis, was condemned by the review which showed Morne Morkel had trapped him lbw for a duck with the fourth ball of the day.

But South Africa’s response to the breakthrough was lax – Dale Steyn was only introduced in the 11th over and there was a glaring lack of interrogating, hostile fast bowling.

Cook and Jonathan Trott steadied and then rebuilt the innings, taking England to 70 for one at lunch. They batted through the second session, Cook reaching his fifty first in 137 minutes and 98 balls, with Trott following an hour later off 190 minutes and 127 balls.

Trott was impressive as he played the ball late and worked anything back-of-a-length through the leg side to good effect.

He eventually fell in the fifth over after tea as he was drawn into a drive at Morkel, who had found the perfect length and gained a bit of away movement to find the edge, presenting wicketkeeper AB de Villiers with an easy catch. Trott had made the South Africans work hard for his wicket, scoring 71 off 162 balls and he stroked nine boundaries.

Cook had shared in a key second-wicket stand of 170 off 348 balls with Trott, and he would bat on through to stumps, collecting 11 fours and a six off his 283 deliveries.

Kevin Pietersen replaced Trott at the wicket and kept the momentum going England’s way as he breezed to 42 off 72 balls. But his team would have loved the controversial former South African to bat through to the close; instead he got himself out in the over before the second new ball was due.

There was very little pace and bounce in the sluggish pitch for the fast bowlers, but the admirable Jacques Kallis really bent his back and dug in the 79-over-old ball, Pietersen went for the hook and will be filthy with himself for just lamely gloving a catch to De Villiers.

Ian Bell (10*) survived nine overs of the second new-ball with Cook and South Africa will be desperate to remove the in-form ginger and the brilliant left-hander early on the second morning.

Cook, compact and simple in his approach, left the ball brilliantly and punished anything loose with aplomb.

Morkel was the most successful of the South African bowlers with 2-44 in 18 overs, but the performances of the underdone Steyn and the loose Imran Tahir were disappointing.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120719/Cook_England_in_control

Alastair Cook brought up his 20th Test century to steer England to a dominant 267 for three at stumps on the first day of the first test against South Africa at the Oval in London on Thursday.

85th over – Ian Bell gets underway with a marvellous, controlled push through the covers for four off a Dale Steyn away-swinger. Three balls later, Steyn tries to bounce Bell, but the batsman gets well on top of the ball and hooks for four more runs.

80th over – WICKET – What a wicket for Kallis to get and with the new ball available at the end of the over! The great all-rounder with the golden arm really digs in a bouncer, Pietersen goes for the hook but is cramped and can only glove a catch to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. Pietersen’s 42 off 72 balls kept England’s momentum going … and threatened to take the day well and truly away from South Africa.

76th over – Stand and deliver from Pietersen as he lashes Kallis straight back down the ground for four.

73rd over – Imran Tahir drops short again and Pietersen bashes him over wide mid-on for a one-bounce four.

71st over – Cook goes to 99 with a cut for two runs off Tahir and there is still a huge gap in the covers for him to just push a single off the next ball and reach his 20th Test century, in just over five hours, from 222 balls. Pietersen then gets a couple of runs behind square-leg to bring up the fifty partnership off 81 deliveries.

69th over – Rubbish from Tahir as his long-hop is swatted through wide mid-on for four by Cook.

68th over – Impressive from Pietersen as he crunches a pull off Steyn with great power and timing, beating deep midwicket for four.

66th over – Four more for Cook as he clips Steyn crisply off his legs, with sweet timing.

64th over – A bit of width from Steyn and Pietersen throws the bat at the ball, edging it over the slips and away for his first boundary.

63rd over – A lovely shot by Cook as his on-drive goes past the left-hand of bowler Vernon Philander and scurries away for to the boundary.

58th over – WICKET – Morkel hits the right length, drawing Trott into the drive, but he’s reaching for the ball, not to the pitch, there’s a bit of away movement and the edge goes through to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. Trott made his former countrymen toil for his wicket, scoring 71 off 162 balls.

56th over – A long-hop from Morkel and Cook cuts it away for four.

Afternoon session

England surged to 158 for one at tea on a pitch that held no surprises on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at the Oval in London on Thursday.

52nd over – Too short again from Imran Tahir and Jonathan Trott swats it from outside off stump, through wide mid-on for four.

51st over – Full and wide from Jacques Kallis and Trott latches on to it with a lovely square-drive for four.

46th over – Trott reached his 11th Test 50 in the previous over and now he celebrates with a magnificent off-drive for his sixth four, Dale Steyn being the bowler.

39th over – Tahir drops his googly short and Trott whips it through square-leg for four.

31st over – Tahir is back, but starts with two horrible long-hops, the second of which is also a no-ball which Alastair Cook heaves over wide mid-on for four, bringing up his fifty in 137 minutes, off 98 balls, with seven fours and a six.

29th over – Super batting by Cook as he starts the Steyn over with successive boundaries – a super square-cut followed by an immaculate back-foot push straight down the ground.

28th over – Too short from Vernon Philander and Trott dispatches a front-foot pull over wide mid-on for four.

25th over – Cook gets going after lunch with a superb cover-drive for four off Steyn.

Morning session

South Africa struck early but then bowled a little too wide of the stumps as England reached 70 for one at lunch on the first day of the first Test at the Oval in London on Thursday.

21st over – Frustration for Dale Steyn as he catches Jonathan Trott on the pad, the appeal is turned down and one leg-bye then becomes five as AB de Villiers’ rather wild throw to the bowler’s end eludes Morne Morkel backing up and goes to the boundary. The next ball goes for six as Alastair Cook top-edges a pull shot over deep backward square-leg!

18th over – Neatly played by Trott as he tucks a back-of-a-length delivery from Jacques Kallis off his hips, through midwicket for four – super timing.

16th over – Fifty up for England as Trott drives Kallis handsomely off the back foot, through the covers for four.

14th over – Kallis joins the attack, but his second ball is a wretched delivery, short and wide, and Alastair Cook slaps it through the covers for four.

11th over – Steyn is brought into the attack and Cook slashes the last ball of the over through gully for four.

9th over – Another excellent review system decision by South Africa as Morne Morkel slants a delivery into Trott, who misses his flick to leg and is struck on the pad. Umpire Steve Davis turns down the appeal and South Africa decide not to ask for the review. It’s a good call as the replay shows the ball just clipping leg stump and South Africa woul have lost one of their two reviews.

5th over – Cook’s first boundary is also streaky, reaching for a drive as Morkel continues from around the wicket, the ball holding its line and being edged through gully towards the shed which the bowler so famously walked into after being dismissed in his previous test at the Oval!

4th over – Four more runs for Trott, but via the outside edge between the slips and gully, but all along the ground, off Vernon Philander.

3rd over – Oh-uh … A tidy second over from Morkel, but with two no-balls …

2nd over – Philander surprisingly takes the new ball ahead of Steyn and Cook pushes a delivery outside leg stump through midwicket to get off the mark with three runs.

1st over – Not the greatest start by Morkel as umpire Steve Davis has a word with him after his first ball, bowled from around the wicket, for running on the pitch. His second ball is way wide down leg, well-taken by AB de Villiers behind the stumps. WICKET – Now it’s a great start as Morkel angles a delivery back into the left-hander, Strauss plays across the ball and is struck below the roll on the front foot. Morkel’s half-hearted appeal is not enough to convince Davis, but De Villiers and captain Graeme Smith behind the wicket decide to review and England’s skipper is out for a duck! Trott comes in, takes his time to get ready as usual and Smith tries to put him under pressure by complaining to the umpires. Nevertheless, Trott drives his first delivery, full and angled in, beautifully through mid-on for four.