England grab initiative on first day
DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) — England grabbed three wickets after tea to wrest control from South Africa on the first day of the second Test at Kingsmead yesterday.
South Africa were 175-5 when bad light stopped play with 29 overs remaining to be bowled.
The host nation looked firmly in command when their two most experienced batsmen, captain Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, put together a third wicket stand of 150.
But both batsmen were out for 75 in quick succession after tea. Kallis fell to off-spinner Graeme Swann before Smith was run out in a mix-up with AB de Villiers.
JP Duminy made only four before he was leg before wicket to Graham Onions shortly before the early close.
Smith and Kallis came together when South Africa were 10 for two. They needed all their skill and experience on a pitch that gave the bowlers some help, particularly in the first hour.
Smith, normally aggressive, had to struggle hard for his runs after winning the toss and deciding to bat in hot, humid weather, knowing that conditions would be tricky early on after rain and overcast skies in the days leading up to the match.
The South African captain scored only 10 runs off 62 balls before he struck his first boundary when James Anderson, in his second spell, allowed him enough width to hit a meaty square cut. It took him 138 balls to reach his half-century and he made his 75 off 186 balls.
The South African captain was struck on the left index finger by a ball from Anderson early in his innings, needing treatment on the field. He called for further treatment shortly before tea.
Kallis, who made a century in the drawn first Test at Centurion, was more fluent than Smith, although he posted his half-century in fortunate circumstances when he edged part-time bowler Jonathan Trott through a vacant first slip area for his fourth boundary. He took 94 balls to score his fifty.
Conditions changed dramatically as clouds came over the ground and the floodlights were switched on soon after the tea. With Swann bowling around the wicket, Kallis misjudged the line and edged a ball that went straight on to Paul Collingwood at slip.
De Villiers started confidently when he drove Swann straight for four but he was at fault when Smith pushed Onions into the covers. De Villiers charged down the pitch for an unlikely single.
Scoreboard
South Africa 1st Innings
G Smith run out (Cook) 75
A Prince c Swann b Anderson 2
H Amla lbw Broad 2
J Kallis c Collingwood b Swann 75
AB de Villiers not out 8
JP Duminy lbw Onions 4
M Boucher not out 1
Extras: (8lb) 8
TOTAL: (for five wickets) 175
Overs: 61
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-10, 3-160, 4-166, 5-170
Bowling: Anderson 12-2-32-1, Onions 15-4-40-1, Broad 10-1-28-1, Swann 19-1-44-1, Trott 4-0-19–0, Pietersen 1-0-4-0
Still to bat: Paul Harris, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini
Toss: South Africa
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Pakistan, and Steve Davis, Australia
TV umpire: Amiesh Saheba, India Match referee: Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lanka.