The Hindu : Sport : Graeme Smith scores timely century

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Graeme Smith scores timely century

Ted Corbett

Smith and McKenzie set record
England bowlers struggle

— Photo: AP

DEFIANT KNOCK: Graeme Smith led South Africa’s fightback with a fine hundred.

LONDON: Graeme Smith, the captain and most durable of the South African batsmen, and his opening partner Neil McKenzie broke the record for the most runs by opening batsmen following on as they tried to dig their side out of trouble in the first cricket Test at Lord’s.

At one time it look as if they would bat all though the day, a feat that has happened only once in this country in Test history when Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh defied England for a full day at the beginning of the fifth Test of the Ashes series in 1989.International cricket has changed beyond recognition in the past 19 years but fighting spirit as displayed by Smith and McKenzie is still one of the important factors in the make-up of any side and it is clear that the South Africans have it in abundance.

Smith was not out until Anderson bowled the second over with the new ball when he tried to belt the ball into the outfield, a foolish shot in most circumstances but unbelievable by the skipper of a side trying to save the game. Smith merely succeeded in getting a top edge to the ball and Kevin Pietersen, running in, took the skier with ease.

Dropped catch

Tim Ambrose, the wicket-keeper who is having a long run of failure with the bat, put down a catch two overs earlier, but apart from that slip England toiled hard on a pitch without wear as the pair put on 204 of the 346 needed to make England bat again.“We must find a way to dig ourselves out of this,” said Smith in a London newspaper before the day’s play began and until his rush of blood there were no signs that he was willing to do anything except put up a strong fight for survival.

With a second Test due at Headingley on Friday there was a lot to be gained by halting the England victory drive that began when it forced South Africa to follow on.So it was “form the wagons into a circle and don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” – a form of cricket South Africa have perfected down the years. By lunch 67 were on board, only 61 were added before tea and it took Smith nearly three hours to reach fifty.

At the other end McKenzie was reminding English pundits of their stonewaller Chris Tavare but then he has already given one instance of his stickability. At Chittagong in February he batted throughout the day to prove the selectors who brought him back to open the innings were right to trust him.McKenzie had crept to 85 when Smith was out mainly by refusing to play at any ball remotely wide of the wicket but he needed another 45 minutes to reach a century off 307 balls in more than six hours.

England’s struggles with the ball will renew calls for Andrew Flintoff to return at Headingley and there may be a place for a new wicket-keeper in place of Ambrose. None of the England bowlers was impressive on a pitch without heart but although Michael Vaughan tried every mixture of his considerable set to tricks the breakthrough never came.

It means that South Africa has plenty of batting power in hand if it wants to embarrass England late on the final day.

SCOREBOARD

England — 1st innings: 593 for eight decl.

South Africa — 1st innings: (in 93.3 overs) 247.

South Africa — 2nd innings: G. Smith c Pietersen b Anderson 107, N. McKenzie (batting) 102, H. Amla (batting) 20, Extras (b-4, lb-5, w-3, nb-1) 13; Total (for one wkt. in 96 overs) 242.

Fall of wicket: 1-204.

England bowling: Panesar 33-8-70-0, Pietersen 6-1-19-0, Sidebottom 18-6-23-0, Anderson 19-4-52-1, Broad 15-3-55-0, Collingwood 5-3-14-0.

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