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South Africa benefits from umpire's largesse

By Ted Corbett

LONDON Sept. 4. At last England has found someone to blame for its misfortunes. This time it is not one of its own numbers; it is, I am sorry to say since he is a fine umpire, India's Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who pronounced three lbw appeals not out when there seemed to so much in favour of him raising his finger.

As a result South Africa prospered. By lunch it had scored 111 for one off 29 overs, half way through the hot and muggy Oval day it was 163 for one and at tea 230 with the second wicket stand worth 167, a record.

At 138 Herschelle Gibbs had made the highest score by a South African at the Oval; 250 needed only 63 overs. England's hopes of squaring the rubber by winning seemed to be less than zero; miracles do not come easily to a side with as many injuries and as down in the dumps.

Its hopes of winning diminished the moment the selectors - consisting of Rod Marsh, a wicket-keeper, the coach Duncan Fletcher, an all-rounder, and David Graveney and Geoff Miller, both spin bowlers with input from the captain Michael Vaughan, an underused off-spinner, decided that they would depend on four quick bowlers and only one spinner for a match to be played on one of those pure white Oval pitches that shrieks `a mammoth score.'

They must have been just as upset to note the presence of Devon Malcolm and Phil Tufnell, both match-winners; both under 40 and both fit enough to bowl out a side. Even if fitness has always been a strange concept for the socially-inclined Tufnell.

South Africa's captain Graeme Smith won the toss and batted. What else would he do? Fish swim, birds fly, cats purr; captains bat at the Oval in the late summer. Smith and Herschelle Gibbs flew to 63 in 15 overs and forced Michael Vaughan to bring on Ashley Giles by the 13th over with 49 scored already.

Both bats looked so wide a fair-minded man might have called for a gauge but already Venkat had disallowed appeals against Gibbs at 28 and 38. I swear both were out. Believe me, I am an England-sceptic. He can be forgiven for the second as Gibbs stretched well forward but with his back foot half way between crease and stumps. One-day technology will tell us all these things in an instant; until then they will fool umpires like Venkat with 67 Tests behind him.

Smith's run out was part brilliant anticipation, part batsmen's error. Gibbs drove the ball into the offside, both men set off and Vaughan driving and diving under-armed a throw rapidly enough for Alec Stewart, cheered to the echo every time he moved, to whip off the bails.

Gary Kirsten began as if he had taken a brief rest in the midst of his Headingley triumphs and reached 6,500 runs in his first few minutes at the crease and by tea was close to a century. Then he too benefited from Venkat's dormant finger.

In truth the day belonged to Gibbs. His 50 came just before lunch and afterward he brought up 150 with a six off Giles.

As 200 came off the 53rd over Vaughan went on - with the gas holders at cover and extra, the London Eye peering over his shoulder - and was smeared away to mid-wicket for Gibbs' 20th four to complete his 10th Test hundred.

Next over he hit James Anderson, a tired, sad bowler, twice through the offside. You could see from the set of Anderson's shoulders that he wished he might still be bowling for Burnley third team as he was, aged 19, when Lancashire jetted him to fame.

Gibbs concentration went and he hit catches off Anderson's ninth over to Steve Harmison and Mark Butcher, who has dropped eight catches in this series. Fourteen runs and a leg bye also came off the over.

Anderson was promised adequate rest and instead he finds himself wilting as he gives away six runs an over while his pals concede four an over. At 21 he deserves better.

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