The Hindu : Sport : Hall & Co. undermine hapless England's hopes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport

Hall & Co. undermine hapless England's hopes

Special Correspondent

Supremely calibrated swing bowling by South Africans makes England's middle-order come a cropper

Bridgetown: Having stalked England early, South Africa ambushed it between overs 33 and 38 in Tuesday's Super Eight match, a virtual quarterfinal in the 2007 World Cup.

England lost five wickets for ten runs in 4.3 overs — four of them to Andrew Hall's deceitfully slippery reverse swing — to be dismissed for 154 here at the Kensington Oval.

England won the toss, but South Africa, captained well by Graeme Smith, had its way. Openers Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan scored at a run an over in the first five — a period of supremely calibrated swing bowling.

Tight bowling

Age may have withered Shaun Pollock's action — the front leg collapses a notch, to bring the arm down lower and slower than it arrived in its prime — but Tuesday was a throwback. The bounce in the Kensington Oval pitch, cross-rolled on Monday, and the primacy of the match had wicketkeeper Mark Boucher holstering Pollock deliveries by his ribs.

Charl Langeveldt, in for Makhaya Ntini, engaged in battle with Bell.

Outswing's traditional opponent is the cover drive, but Bell, by shimmying across to off-stump, was manufacturing his personal leg-stump line. Thus deliveries that might have been played to cover were worked to mid-wicket.

The tactic wasn't without drawbacks — from such an advanced lateral position, Bell was tempted to play further and further away from his body at rapidly curling balls.

The excessive swing was a bit of a mystery. The clouds in the Bridgetown sky were scattered, nothing remotely overcast about it; and the breeze across the ground was unidirectional — how were Pollock and Langeveldt, from different ends, getting the ball to go opposite ways?

Vaughan, who had a session of comfort throwdowns with coach Duncan Fletcher on Monday, took 20 balls to get off the mark. But, it was the more settled Bell who was first dismissed. Garrotted by South Africa's opening bowlers, Bell picked a Langeveldt delivery that wasn't short enough to pull. Ashwell Prince was unsteady under the swirling top-edge; but, he kept his eyes on the ball.

Mini-revival

Bell's dismissal wasn't entirely a bad thing, for the arrival of the left-handed Andrew Strauss forced the bowlers to adjust their line.

The period of adjustment aided England. Vaughan crunched a pull of Langeveldt, and worked him off his knobbed knee.

Strauss was curiously fierce. A hooked six — a stroke Strauss has an unseemly yet justifiable fascination for — might have had Roy Fredericks slanting his intense eyes in acknowledgement.

Andre Nel, following Pollock's 6-2-8-0, struck with his second ball, a typically hustled, open-chested affair. Vaughan over-balanced — his head fell out of line with the angled-in delivery, as he was adjudged leg-before.

Pietersen bullied

Kevin Pietersen walked out as if he were a rock star; the crowd certainly greeted him like one with unmistakeable shrieks. South Africa was all over him — Nel bounced Pietersen to draw a thrilling, leaping leave; elsewhere fielders, nipping and yipping, were wolfing down his initial strokes.

Strauss hit out to buy Pietersen time — one never suspected Strauss of possessing the carve over cover; he is an excellent blend of the traditional and the modern, but postmodernism, one thought, was a stretch too far.

Pietersen departed, perhaps a victim of his ego. He hopped down the track to Nel, endeavouring to hatchet him to leg. Turned inside-out, all Pietersen managed was a leading edge. Smith fell forward at mid-off to pick a first-rate low catch. South Africa's celebrations were particularly boisterous.

Strauss and Paul Collingwood began the process of reclaiming ground, inch by cussed inch. The 58 they put on gave England hope, for the pattern at this ground has involved fortifying in the early to middle overs to launch a frontal attack later on.

England collapse

But, Jacques Kallis had Strauss chasing a wide ball to be caught at the lone wide slip — it's the kind of captaincy that looks spectacular when it comes off. Four runs later, Collingwood, who seemed to further shorten his backlift this innings, missed Hall's swing to be out leg-before.

Andrew Flintoff entered with his helmet tucked under an arm like a headless ghost. He left, bowled between bat and pad by reverse swing.

And when Paul Nixon edged Hall behind, England's innings had but one way to go. Ravi Bopara delayed the inevitable, before Hall returned to register career-best figures of five for 18.

SCOREBOARD

England: I. Bell c Prince b Langeveldt 7, M. Vaughan lbw b Nell 17, A. Strauss c Smith b Kallis 46, K. Pietersen c Smith b Nell 3, P. Collingwood lbw b Hall 30, A. Flintoff b Hall 5, R. Bopara (not out) 27, P. Nixon c Boucher b Hall 1, S. Mahmood b Hall 0, M. Panesar c Boucher b Nell 2, J. Anderson lbw b Hall 0, Extras (b-4, lb-4, nb-3, w-5) 16; Total (in 48 overs) 154.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-37, 3-53, 4-111, 5-115, 6-119, 7-121,8-121, 9-144.

South Africa bowling: Pollock 10-2-17-0, Langeveldt 7-1-38-1, Nel 10-3-35-3, Hall 10-2-18-5, Kallis 8-0-22-1, Kemp 3-0-16-0.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport