Tag Futebol

Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details

Younis Khan picked up from where he left off against India earlier in the year with an assertive innings © AFP

As openings go, this one was out and out one-sided. One team rejoiced after an inspirational century and two vital fifties, under sunny skies on a featherbed of a pitch, and took control. Another side started the day with a selection conundrum and ended it with several other riddles to ponder over.Pakistan made the most of their fortune at the toss. They saw off the new ball, consolidated in the second session, and finished with a mighty flourish, shredding the bowling to bits. India, not for the first time in the last year, ran into a red-hot Younis Khan and wilted in ideal batting conditions in a half-full, yet joyous, Gadaffi Stadium. No greentop, no wintry conditions; simply one jolly run-fest. Welcome to Pakistan.If it’s India it must be Younis. Carrying on from his heroic efforts on the Indian tour series earlier this year, he displayed his array of flourishing twirls and spanking straight-drives against an attack that failed to summon too much incisiveness.Cheering his partners with customary vigour – applauding, smiling, wrist punching – he propelled Pakistan right through the day, reached his tenth Test hundred with a magnificent straight-drive and entered a blistering zone as the light began to fade. Shoaib Malik had lent solidity earlier this morning and Yousuf gave him company through the afternoon merrymaking and Pakistan were wrenching away the momentum too early, too well. Forget the rest. When Anil Kumble finishes the first day with none for 93, you know that it’s been tough going.Walking in in the third over of the day, after a wandering Salman Butt had been run out by Yuvraj Singh in one of few inspirational moments India could manage, Younis latched on to the full deliveries with glee, driving assertively to the straight boundary. The paddle-sweeps against Harbhajan Singh and the classy cuts off Kumble put them off their rhythm, before cute late jabs, when the ball went finer and finer as the day progressed, and macho swipes took over. Amid all this, though, was some canny scampering as the fielders found themselves scattered in various parts of the park. Having had an indifferent series against England, Younis couldn’t have chosen too many bigger stages to stamp his authority, with the most emphatic of opening salvos.Just like at Kolkata earlier this year, he found an able ally in Mohammad Yousuf, the touch artist, who as always, handled the spinners with ease – paddling, sweeping, pulling the long hops and dancing down the track – as the attack slowly began to lose its bite. Kumble’s long hops were dismissed over midwicket, Pathan’s wide ones caressed through covers, and Harbhajan’s flighted offerings creamed through, well, anywhere on the off side. Cruising to fifty off 72 balls, he delicately dismantled the Indian attack, sometimes even summoning the courage to dance down the track to Kumble. He offered a chance when on 90, flashing at a wide one from Agarkar, but was smiling again when Virender Sehwag, at gully, reacted a tad too late.The importance of the third big knock of the day shouldn’t be under-estimated. Malik, who was retained as an opener, bided his time against the faster men and executing the glide to a nicety. Playing with soft hands, mostly in control, he regularly found a gap between the three-man slip cordon and gully. The flick was also one of his favourites and was helped by the fact that the bowlers slid down the legside on quite a few occasions.He was in no mood to get bogged down by Harbhajan Singh, who extracted some turn in his opening over, and waltzed down the track in his second over, tonking him over midwicket for a superb six. He brought up his fourth Test fifty, his first in nearly six months, with a similar stroke and gradually began opening up at the end of the first session. His aggression probably got the better of him and he fell soon after the break, driving uppishly against Pathan only for Harbhajan to take a simple catch.Rahul Dravid juggled his bowling options around, and tried a few innovative field settings – including two close in on the leg-side for Malik – but it was tough going all day. With the ball not swinging too much in the air, Pathan and Agarkar lacked the incisive edge while the spinners, though extracting a bit of turn, found it tough against batsmen who read the length of the ball early.Ganguly, who was included in the side at Gautam Gamhir’s expense, also tried his hand, keeping it tight and not experimenting too much, and all the bowlers were forced to do the same as the day progressed. It didn’t matter. On a day such as this, when the ignition refuses to switch on, nothing, yes nothing, will work.

Salman Butt run-out (Yuvraj) 6 (12 for 1)
Shoaib Malik c Harbhajan b Pathan 59 (136 for 2)

Australia 9 for 239 (Martyn 43, Ponting 41, Gilchrist 40) beat Pakistan 208 (Youhana 51, Razzaq 47, McGrath 5-27) by 31 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Glenn McGrath dug a knife deep into Pakistan’s batting and then twisted it by dismissing Inzamam© Getty Images

Glenn McGrath ruthlessly dismantled Pakistan’s flimsy top order to set up Australia’s VB Series victory before sealing it with the late dismissal of the dangerous Abdul Razzaq at the SCG. McGrath forced his opponents’ chase to follow a similar path to the first match at Melbourne with a blistering opening spell, and finished with five wickets as Pakistan fell 31 runs short of Australia’s total of 9 for 239.Australia’s fine bowling, which followed another inconsistent batting performance, wrapped up the series on a tricky two-paced pitch. Pakistan were 4 for 27 at Melbourne, where they lost by 18 runs, and suffered similar damage as McGrath claimed three wickets from his first six overs. As Pakistan resisted with a potentially dangerous ninth-wicket stand of 48 between Razzaq and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, McGrath returned to add the final two wickets for figures of 5 for 27 and the Man-of-the-Match award.Yousuf Youhana restored Pakistan’s chances with a run-a-ball half-century, and when Razzaq and Shahid Afridi started racing, Australia were nervous. Afridi had sprinted to 30 off 20 balls in the 35th over, in which he belted Brad Hogg for two sixes, when he risked a second on Brett Lee’s accurate throw from third man. Gilchrist’s quick take was ruled successful by the third umpire (7 for 133). It was an important moment in a match where only Gilchrist and Youhana managed to score comfortably.”We haven’t been at our best in the two finals but we’ve bowled really well,” Ricky Ponting said before lifting the trophy. “Pakistan pushed us all the way in the two games but we were lucky to keep our noses in front.” Ponting also signalled out McGrath for special praise.More expensive than his opening partner Lee in their first spells, McGrath stayed two overs longer and caused the most damage. The dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq was by far the most important as the captain has led the middle-order resistance. Inzamam walked out to another rebuilding exercise after his top three failed again, but for the first time in the series he wasn’t able to help as McGrath’s off-cutter caught him in front third ball (4 for 38).Kamram Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez departed to similar shots from eerily similar McGrath deliveries. Television graphics showed the balls hitting the pitch millimetres apart on a length too short to drive, but Akmal edged his to Gilchrist and Hafeez struck to Michael Clarke at a specially ordered short point (3 for 38). As has been his custom over the past month, Lee, the Player of the Series, made an early incision when Taufeeq Umar, playing his first game of the tournament after replacing Salman Butt, top-edged a pull to McGrath on the fine-leg fence (1 for 13).Unfortunately for Pakistan it was mostly their bowlers who were willing to fight for the trophy with bat and ball, and their first-innings performance rattled Australia. After Gilchrist made sure Australia blasted off as he rocketed to 40 off 30 balls with six fours and a six, the visitors fired an impressive comeback with a steady flow of wickets.Boasting all-round bowling contributors, Pakistan withstood the initial blast – 50 runs in the first 6.4 overs – and then, through Rao Iftikhar and Razzaq, applied the brakes. But it was the spinners Afridi and Hafeez who took the most advantage of the pitch, which became harder to score on as the ball softened, with 20 brilliant overs. Afridi collected Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann and conceded 38 runs and Hafeez gave away 34 as the middle order folded. Following a summer of dominance the home side were in disarray and even had a Pakistan-style run out when Katich and Damien Martyn both landed at the bowler’s end (5 for 166). Andrew Symonds, missing after injuring his Achilles tendon at Melbourne, was a big loss from the line-up and his absence left Martyn to calm a falling run-rate with a hard-earned 43.Not only did Pakistan restrict their opponents in the middle stages, they also reduced the danger of the late-innings rush and Naved narrowly missed a hat-trick when McGrath squirted him to fine-leg.Razzaq, who returned to uproot Martyn’s off stump, started Pakistan’s first recovery with two maidens and the crucial wicket of Gilchrist, who popped a drive to Shoaib Malik at cover (1 for 55). However, Rudi Koertzen ordered Razzaq out of the attack after his second high full toss in the 49th over. Razzaq was also lost towards the end of the second innings during a match – and a tournament – where Pakistan required much more from their top order.

Shane Warne might be serving out a 12-month ban for using a banned diuretic, but his presence in the Australian team for the 2005 Ashes series is being keenly awaited in England. That’s the conclusion from a survey conducted by magazine.Seventy percent of respondents to the survey said Warne should be picked for Australia when he’s completed his 12-month ban. He might be the bane of English batsmen, but fans can’t wait to see the great leg-spinner back in action.John Stern, the editor of The Wisden Cricketer said, “People who love cricket want to see the big names and Warne is one of the greats. People will say [when] he’s served his ban, bring it on. Most English fans would love to see Warne play here again.”Not quite as many – 50 percent – believe England can win the series, with or without Warne, and slightly more than half would be happy if some on-field verbal conflicts were part of the entertainment.

Ben Smith’s story is an old one – as old as cricket. A lean spell breaks and at the most opportune moment and a player out of form reveals his true talent with a century.Not just a century but one which is redolent of class and technical excellence and one which has no vestige, no hint of the poor run of form that has preceded it.And the reasons ascribed by the player to his change of form are again as old as sport. Smith no longer has the cares of the captaincy, responsibilities which caused him to subordinate the needs of his own game to the needs of the team.But the greatest begetter of form and the oldest is hard work. Smith has addressed the shortcomings of his own game and, after overcoming a limited preparation, has come out of his slump stronger and more confident, has begun to harvest the fruits of his labours.There was the consideration today, as well, that Smith had a challenge in front of him when he came to the crease and that challenge provoked the competitor in him to bring out his best form.Central Districts were two for two when Smith came to the crease at 4.05pm this afternoon, replying to Canterbury’s imposing first innings of 428. They had lost both openers and there was not yet a run from the bat. Neither Richard Scragg nor David Kelly had scored – both were out lbw – and the only runs against Central’s name were from no-balls.Then Jamie How was out, also lbw, and Smith found himself alone – about to be joined by Glen Sulzberger – and Central were seven for three. This was a crisis. Central were yet 275 runs from the follow on and their top order was reduced to rubble.But Central found in Smith a man whose moment had come.Nor should Sulzberger’s contribution be under-rated. There was irony in the fact the Central captaincy has passed this season between Smith and Sulzberger. Smith had not asked to be relieved of the responsibility of leadership – though he felt the duties of captaincy had begun to impinge on his form – but the decision had been made to make Sulzberger captain in Smith’s place.Smith said that decision had been taken for sensible and understandable reasons – because he is an Englishman based here temporarily and because Sulzberger, relatively young and indisputably local, is likely to serve Central Districts for many years in the future.Smith believes he has a role to play for Central, not just as a batsman but in passing on the fruits of his experience to younger players. But he supports the decision to move the captaincy onto a man whose long term future is with the province, an association Smith has come from Leicestershire to serve.Smith was able to rise quickly above the crisis in which he found himself immersed when he came to the crease. He batted from the outset with fluency and confidence and as he prospered, so too did Central’s trial lessen.Smith reached his half century from only 53 balls – the fastest of the five half centuries the match has seen so far – and then to a century – a very satisfying century – from 132 balls.He reached his century, or at least he thought he had reached his century, when he hooked a ball from Wade Cornelius forward of square leg. Smith turned, even before the ball fetched the boundary, and raised his arms in triumph towards his team-mates gathered at fine leg.In fact, the scoreboard had overstated Smith’s total by one and he was only 99. There were no further alarms and he achieved his hundred in the scorers’ estimation from the following ball.”The fact is I didn’t have the best preparation for the start of the season and having the captaincy, while it offered me another challenge, didn’t always have a positive impact on my form,” Smith said.”I spent a lot of time thinking about that, about the needs of the team and I put my game to one side to help in other areas.”But I also put a lot of work in the off season at home into getting right back and getting right forward, to put it in a technical sense. I felt that had helped my game and it was a matter of time before it began to show.”Smith’s effort was to ensure he played both lengths decisively and he did so today. Many of his runs were scored in an arc between midwicket and backward square and that also reflected a change in his game, in his strokeplay, occasioned by study and hard work.Smith realised he had become a player who relied, for many of his runs, on width outside off stump and he recognised, equally, that bowlers had begun to take account of that fact. So he adjusted his game to be less reliant on that area and his success was revealed today in the success of his leg-side strokeplay.He began to work that arc most obviously when New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin, who bowled his first 10 overs consecutively from the city end, began to tire and to stray from a full length. Martin had taken the wicket of Scragg with the second ball of his first over.Warren Wisneski, who cut his teeth in Taranaki, took the two other wickets to fall – those of Kelly, who offered no shot to a full in-swinger and was caught on the back pad, and of How.Smith was 102 not out at stumps – Central were revived at 166/3 – and Sulzberger, who batted with the quaint seriousness of a captain come to the aid of his team, was 48 and batting with impressive soundness.Canterbury were earlier all out for 428, having resumed at 301/5. Chris Harris went from 46 not out overnight to 52 and was out when his innings had seemed full of promise. He didn’t recover the form today he had begun to show before stumps on the first night when he had six fours and three sixes.Paul Wiseman held together the tail of an impressive innings with 59, batting more than two hours.

• It was the 1496th Test match in cricket history.
• It was the 36th Test match between these two sides. The record now reads:West Indies 12, Pakistan 10, drawn 14.
• It was the 18th Test match between these two sides in West Indies.The record now reads: West Indies 8, Pakistan 3 and drawn 8.
• It was the 161st Test match on West Indian soil. The record now reads:West Indies 65, opponents 27, drawn 69.
• Umpire Rudi Koertzen was officiating in his 19th Test, while forEddie Nicholls it was his 11th match as test umpire.
• Ramnaresh Sarwan was making his Test debut. He became 234thWest Indian to make a Test match appearance. At 19 years 330days Sarwan became second youngest since Shivnarine Chanderpauland 10th youngest in all to play for West Indies. The following table has the details:

  Yrs-days Player Island Opponents Venue Date of Debut17-122 Derek Sealy Barbados England Bridgetown Jan 11,193017-245 Garry Sobers Barbados England Kingston Mar 30,195418- 31 Robin Bynoe Barbados Pakistan Lahore Mar 26,195918- 74 Jeff Stollmeyer Trinidad England Lord’s Jun 24,193918-173 Alfie Roberts St.Vincent New Zealand Auckland Mar 9,195619-213 S.Chanderpaul Guyana England Georgetown Mar 17,199419-242 Alfred Scott Jamaica India Kingston Mar 28,195319-285 Gerry Gomez Trinidad England Manchester Jul 22,193919-312 Elquemedo Willett Nevis Australia Bridgetown Mar 9,197319-330 Ramnaresh Sarwan Guyana Pakistan Bridgetown May 18,2000

• The match was 17th for Courtney Walsh, which takes him pastDesmond Haynes and Viv Richards’ tally of 16 matches againstPakistan. The record of making most Test appearances againstPakistan, is however held by India’s Kapil Dev – 29.
• The match was Wasim Akram’s 16th against West Indies, whichequals Javed Miandad’s tally. Now only Imran Khan (18) is ahead ofAkram for Pakistan.
• The five wicket haul in the first innings was Courtney Walsh’s thirdagainst Pakistan – maximum for West Indies. He was earlier at level withtwo such instances with Ian Bishop (in 8 matches) and Malcolm Marshall(in 12 matches).
• The catch of Chanderpaul in first innings was Moin Khan’s 23rd dismissalin ninth match as `keeper against West Indies, which makes him the most successfulPakistani `keeper against West Indies. Moin surpassed Salim Yusuf’s tally of 22 dismissals(19 catches and 3 stumpings) from seven matches. Incidentally Australia’s Ian Healywith 78 dismissals in 28 matches holds the record of making most dismissalsagainst West Indies.
• Wavell Hinds scored his maiden Test hundred in his fourth Test. His inningsis the second highest for West Indies against Pakistan at this venue afterEverton Weekes’ 197 in 1957-58.
• Ramnaresh Sarwan became the fifth youngest West Indian to score a maiden Test matchfifty. His innings is also the 18th highest by a West Indian debutant andfifth highest by a West Indian on his first appearance against Pakistan.
• The 219 run partnership for the first wicket between Mohammad Wasim and Imran Naziris the second highest for Pakistan for this wicket against West Indies – homeor away after the 298 run stand between Aamir Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed at Karachi in 1997-98.
• The partnership is,however, a new record for Pakistan on West Indian soilobliterating the 159 run partnership between Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas atGeorgetown in 1976-77 (though 219 runs were added for this wicket, it consistedof two separate partnerships, Sadiq Mohammad retired hurt and was succeeded byZaheer Abbas when 60 had been scored).
• The Wasim-Nazir partnership was the sixth double century partnership for firstwicket against West Indies. Interestingly four times this feat has been recordedon West Indian soil.
• Imran Nazir scored his maiden Test hundred in his second Test. His previous highestwas 64 on debut against Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1998-99.
• At 18 years 157 days Nazir also became the third youngest batsman to notch up amaiden hundred in Test cricket history. Only fellow Pakistani Mushtaq Mohammad andIndia’s Sachin Tendulkar had scored a Test hundred at a younger age than Imran Nazir.The following table lists the youngest Test centurions in cricket history. The details :

  Yrs-days Batsman (Score) Countries Venue Season17-82 Mushtaq Mohammad (101) Pak v Ind Delhi 1960-6117-112 Sachin Tendulkar (119*) Ind v Eng Manchester 199018-157 Imran Nazir (131) Pak v WI Bridgetown 1999-0018-328 Salim Malik (100*) Pak v SL Karachi 1981-8218-335 Shahid Afridi (141) Pak v Ind Chennai 1998-9919-26 Mohammad Ilyas (126) Pak v NZ Karachi 1964-6519-108 Mohammad Wasim (109*) Pak v NZ Lahore 1996-9719-119 Javed Miandad (163) Pak v NZ Lahore 1976-7719-121 Henry Vivian (100) NZ v SA Wellington 1931-3219-121 Neil Harvey (153) Aus v Ind Melbourne 1947-48

• Nazir also became the second Pakistani and 34th batsman to score a hundred onfirst appearance against West Indies. Hanif Mohammad ,with record 337 atBridgetown in 1957-58 ,is the only other to do so.
• The duck in second inning was Wasim Akram’s seventh against West Indies.He hasnow joined four other batsmen who have also recorded an aggregate of sevenducks in a career against West Indies: England’s Pat Pocock (in 10 matches),John Snow (in 14 matches) and Derek Underwood (in 17 matches) and India’s BishanSingh Bedi (in 18 matches). However it is an Australian who holds the record ofaggregating most ducks in a career against West Indies. Ian Healy’s 28 matchesfetched him 10 ducks against West Indies.
• Wavell Hinds became fourth West Indian to score a hundred and a fifty in the samematch against Pakistan. Others to do so are : Garry Sobers (125 & 109* at Georgetown in 1957-58), Roy Fredericks(120 & 57 at Port-of-Spain in 1976-77) and Gordon Greenidge (100 & 82 at Kingstonin 1976-77). Interestingly Hinds is the first West Indian to score fifty plusscores in both innings of a Test against Pakistan since Viv Richards who made 72 & 67 atFaisalabad in 1980-81.
• The catch of Wavell Hinds in second innings was 100th for Moin Khan in his54th match. He became the second Pakistani to do so after Wasim Bari (201 catches in 81 matches). However his tally includesone catch taken in the field, hence technically he is still one short of completing his century of catches as `keeper.

The prospect of Rangers losing several of their Premiership-winning squad from 2021 could be a ‘disaster’ for the club, according to journalist Chris Jack.

The Lowdown: Players out of contract at Ibrox

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side picked up a 1-0 win on Saturday as the title race in the league continues to be a tight one.

As the summer approaches, though, the Gers find themselves in a situation where some key players will be out of contract, including Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun and Scott Arfield.

It could be a crucial summer in that respect, with a core group of last season’s title-winning squad potentially moving on over the next few months.

[freshpress-poll id=“380435″]

The Latest: Jack worried about Rangers exodus

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jack admitted that losing a chunk of key players at once could cause a problem at Ibrox, both on and off the pitch.

He stated: “Goldson is fine. You can almost accept losing one of that title-winning squad on a free; to go and then lose three or four of them would be a bit a disaster for Rangers, financially and in football terms.”

The Verdict: Crucial summer at Ibrox

As Jack has hinted, it is only natural that some out-of-contract players will move on at the end of the season, but it is crucial that Rangers don’t lose several of them at the same time.

They have built up a strong winning mentality in recent years which would surely rub off on new arrivals around them at the club, while their experience would remain invaluable moving forward.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

In terms of the financial aspect, losing multiple players on free transfers could also be damaging, allowing no funds to come in for new signings and losing their on-field influence at the same time. Therefore, Jack is right to raise concerns over the contractual situation at Ibrox.

In other news, three Rangers players struggled in the win over Aberdeen. Find out who they are here.

Tillakaratne Dilshan had a few chances but his luck ran out when on 84 © AFP

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored a stylish 84 on his return to the Sri Lankan team, said he was under no pressure while crafting a 149-run partnership for the fifth wicket alongside Mahela Jayawardene.”I have been in good form these past three months both domestically and for the A-team and I was under no pressure when I was recalled to the team,” Dilshan said at the end of the second day’s play. “I played my natural game and was successful. I had been waiting for the past few weeks for an opportunity to get back into the side and when I did, I took full advantage of it.”Dilshan was run out while trying to help Jayawardene get his hundred before the tea break. “It would have been nice if I got a hundred. But that’s cricket.”Brimming with confidence when it came to his batting, he said: “I undertake any challenge that is thrown to me. Two and a half years ago when I received a similar recall to the team, also against England, I scored 60 and 100. If you score runs only you can remain in the team.”He also felt England’s negative attitude has given Sri Lanka a chance to win the third and final Test at Galle. “After one-and-a-half hour [of Sri Lanka] batting, England got into a negative mood and the fielders were down. Mahela and I took the advantage and while looking for singles, we hit the loose balls for four.”We were looking at something like 300-plus when play began today. To finish at 384 for 6 by the end of the day is a big bonus,” he said. “If we score around 450, we can close the door on an England victory. We hold the advantage and with Murali [Muralitharan] I think we can swing the game our way and win.”Dilshan admitted he received good advice from his captain while in the middle which helped him get to his score. “Mahela told me that I was scoring a bit too fast, had to control myself and to bat straight. I used the crease and stepped down a bit to cut down the swing and that made it easy for me to bat.”It’s not an easy wicket to bat. It’s a 50-50 wicket. The bowlers had the opportunity when they bowl in good areas as the ball is still moving a little bit and there is uneven bounce. With all that, all our batsmen put up a very good effort to get us to 384.”On the catches England dropped during the day, Dilshan said it could happen to any team. Dilshan was let off on seven and 54 and was given a reprieve on 64 when umpire Darryl Harper turned down an appeal for a catch with replays showing that Dilshan had gloved the ball to Matt Prior off Matthew Hoggard.

The full itinerary for the women’s quadrangular series in Chennai has been released at last. Concerns that there would not be enough rest days have been allayed with the original two-week squeeze extended to a more leisurely three.The top four teams in the women’s game – India, Australia, New Zealand and England – will take part in this competition which takes place every four years. The tournament takes place throughout late February and early March, culminating in a Final and third place play-off on March 5.Gill McConway, the ECB’s executive director of women’s cricket, said: “It’s a very exciting phase of the international touring schedule for women’s cricket. The quadrangular series was initiated in New Zealand four years ago and was such a huge success that all the teams signed up to continue with the competition every four years.”The first practice match is between England and Australia on February 18, and the tournament proper gets underway three days later, when England take on the hosts India.

An injury has ruled Jacques Kallis out of South Africa’s first warm-up game, and may act as a further hindrance to his play © Getty Images

Jacques Kallis, the South Africa vice-captain, may find himself ruled out of South Africa’s second three-day tour match after aggaravating a chronic elbow injury during a practice session at the WACA ground in Perth on Sunday.A scan on Kallis’s left elbow – first injured during South Africa’s recent tour of India – showed that there was a slight tear and some inflammation of a lateral tendon. The injury has already seen Kallis sit out a tour match against Western Australia, currently being played at the WACA. Shane Jabbar, the team physiotherapist, hoped Kallis would be fit for South Africa’s three-day tour match against a Western Australian XI, starting at the University of Western Australia on December 11.Kallis’s absence meant Mark Boucher, the wicketkeeper, took over as captain for the match against Western Australia with Graeme Smith also out with an injured finger.The first Test against Australia starts at Perth on December 16.

Close
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Hundreds for Andrew Strauss (top) and Marcus Trescothick as England got themselves in to a fighting position in the second Test© Getty Images

Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss both strolled to centuries as England gained an 88-run lead in a remarkable turnaround on the third day at Durban. England had started the day staring defeat in the face, but a majestic first-wicket stand of 273 gave them a real chance of chasing victory. Trescothick eventually fell to Shaun Pollock in the final session for 132, but England bossed the day and they have nine wickets remaining, with the obdurate Strauss, unbeaten on 132, set to resume tomorrow.Strauss and Trescothick batted cleverly throughout the day: they respected the metronomic Pollock, but took on the other bowlers, exploiting some defensive field placings along the way. Strauss continued in impressive vein, and his imperious timing and measured temperament were much in evidence throughout. It was also an important innings for Trescothick, whose record on tour (an average of 34) falls way below his home form, where he averages over 53. But here at Durban he grew in confidence throughout, creaming some silky boundaries and taking the attack to the left-arm spinner Nicky Boje. And it was Trescothick who brought up his century first, with Strauss following hot on his heels.But what a difference a day makes. After two days where survival for all batsmen – except Jacques Kallis – was extremely hard, the pitch turned docile overnight and offered almost nothing for the bowlers all day. Boje found some turn, as did Graeme Smith, but they were both punished as Strauss and Trescothick made hay.All of the bowlers worked hard, and aggressively, but largely without reward as Strauss prospered with 13 fours in his fourth hundred in nine Tests, and his second of the series. There were few alarms early on, as Strauss immediately went on the offensive, while Trescothick took his time to cast off the shackles. Dale Steyn bustled in with fire in his belly but was wayward and continued to be expensive, as he was taken for more than five runs an over.Smith brought himself on in the middle session and his part-time offspin found Strauss’ edge immediately, but the ball flew past first slip and on to the boundary. Pollock came back into the attack, and found a menacing line, as Strauss played and missed four short of his century. Makhaya Ntini found Trescothick’s edge on 98 – as Pollock had done earlier – but the ball sailed through the vacant second-slip area. Both batsmen survived the nervous nineties and moved on to their centuries in fine style.Then, at last, came the breakthrough. Pollock seized the new ball after tea, Trescothick probed at a good-length delivery and edged through to AB de Villiers (273 for 1). Trescothick’s fall kick-started a catalogue of near-misses, and England were lucky to not lose another wicket by the time bad light brought play to an close 45 minutes early. Strauss escaped after edging Ntini to third slip where Martin van Jaarsveld dived forward and clutched at a low chance. And the very next ball Strauss’s false pull shot nearly found glove as the ball sailed through to the keeper. Then Mark Butcher was made to sweat on an lbw shout from Pollock, but he survived and England’s lead grew bigger.If the second day belonged to Kallis, then this one was certainly Trescothick and Strauss’s. Their partnership of 273 was England’s fifth highest opening stand. And theirs was the first opening stand of 200 for England since 1991, when Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton shared 203 runs against Australia. They also broke the record for a first-wicket partnership at Kingsmead.But amid the clattering of records was a real sense of purpose, as they chipped away at the deficit, and South Africa’s confidence. It has been a fascinating contest and could still go either way in the last two days. England’s lead is slender and if South Africa can take early wickets tomorrow then they will very much be in the ascendancy. On today’s evidence, it’s a big if.