The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Magnificent century by Kallis

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Magnificent century by Kallis

By Ted Corbett

DURBAN, DEC. 27. Jacques Kallis might have been excused if he had run a flag-waving circuit of the Kingsmead ground after his magnificent century against England on the second day of the second Test. Instead he walked quietly off the ground as if he had just scored a pleasant 50 in a picnic friendly. Kallis is, in an era when footballers kiss, athletes cry and cricketers scream their appeals, a man with so little emotion that he appears not to understand his own greatness.

After such a great innings we must forgive him his lack of charisma. By any standards he has probably won this match by his technique, his patience and his willingness to take the odd single until the pitch offered a shot or two. Once it dried enough for his liking Kallis let fly as England, without spinner Ashley Giles, ran out of options.

He batted from the 21st over to the 102nd, six hours for his 162 and when he was out he had faced 264 balls, hit 21 fours and a six and never seemed in trouble. He was the only batsman to score more than 43 as South Africa built a lead of 193, surely enough to win any match. His innings will send him closer to the top of the world rankings where he now lies in third place.

It was a wonderful innings but if it had been played by Viv Richards, Greg Chappell or Rahul Dravid there would have been an extra glow, a moment of aggression or a triumphant gesture. That is not Kallis's way. He succeeds silently, smiles little and scores heavily. Is there any more to the elegant game?

Kallis not only played a chanceless innings on a pitch that still displayed moments of spite but he showed the rest of the South African batsmen what might be achieved by diligence and concentration. For the first two hours he did not try a difficult stroke, but simply showed a broad bat to England's quartet of pacemen as they strove to wrench the last scraps of venom from a pitch that had dried out, quietened down and refused to give the England bowlers the generosity it had allowed the home bowlers. Besides England's quicks bowled too short.

Kallis had to restart with a new partner as Jacques Rudolph was out to the last ball of the first day and at 70 for three South Africa was vulnerable. None of the next three batsmen inspired confidence but they filled the gap until lunch even if only 69 runs were scored, 37 to Kallis. Martin van Jaarsveld stayed for half an hour over one run, the much talked about Hashim Amla occupied the crease nine overs for his single and AB de Villiers hit two fours. They had done the job that was required in support of a knight who needed no squires. Andrew Flintoff bowled van Jaarsveld through the gap, Amla got one from Harmison which flew and de Villiers was caught head high at mid wicket.

The benefit came afterwards when Shaun Pollock joined Kallis in the first 50 stand of the match and was, after an hour and a half, unlucky to be given out caught behind on the legside off the bowling of Michael Vaughan, on duty because Ashley Giles was not fit following the body blows on Sunday which gave him a back spasm. The electronics registered nothing; umpire Hair was certain. That's modern cricket; for most of the first 100 years Test cricket was unfair but no-one knew. Now everyone knows except the umpire.

By tea, at 233 for seven, Kallis was three short of his 18th Test century and South Africa 94 ahead. Afterwards Nicky Boje was caught off Matthew Hoggard with the new ball at 249 for eight, Makhaya Ntini clubbed Hoggard for six, and Kallis hooked four to fine leg, pulled four to deep mid wicket and jogged a single to keep the bowling, all off Hoggard.

That last gesture upset Ntini who drove Harmison for straight fours three times in an over as if he might be dealing with a medium pacer in a 20/20 slog before he was caught at third man. He was hitting out when he was caught at square leg off Hoggard, another quiet man, who with three for 58 was England's best.

England made 30 without loss by the close but every signal points to a short match and a home win. Even though forecasters talk of rain.

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