SA fight for survival
9 Mar 2009
An unbeaten 164-run partnership between Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers has left South Africa with hope of saving the series.
The Aussies added 39 runs in 40 minutes to their overnight total and declared on 331-5, with Phil Hughes eventually out for a career-best 160.
In chasing an imposing target of 546, Neil McKenzie survived an early scare on three when he countered Billy Bowden’s lbw decision. TV replays showed it was too high and after the reprieve McKenzie soldiered on to a patient 31 in an opening stand of 63 with Hashim Amla, before Peter Siddle produced a seaming delivery to break the partnership.
Amla – forced to open due to Graeme Smith’s hand injury – once again looked at ease in his knock of 43 but threw it away due to a lack of concentration. Amla hasn’t struggled to get starts all summer against Australia, and this time he foolishly flayed at a wide ball from Siddle and edged straight to Ricky Ponting at second slip.
Immediately after Siddle then cut a dejected figure as Kallis was dropped first ball by Marcus North at slip.
This miss halfway through the second session proved costly as Kallis and AB de Villiers made the Aussies work for any further reward adding an unbeaten 164.
The new ball is due first thing tomorrow, and this will be the defining period if the hosts wish to save the series against a fresh-again Siddle and Mitchell Johnson.
Australia 352 (1st innings)
Phillip Hughes 115, Simon Katich 108, Michael Hussey 50, Dale Steyn 3-83.
South Africa 138 (1st innings)
JP Duminy 73*, Mitchell Johnson 3-37, Andrew McDonald 3-25.
Australia 331-5 declared (2nd innings)
Phillip Hughes 160, Ricky Ponting 81, Jacques Kallis 1-21.
South Africa 244-2 (2nd innings)
Jacques Kallis 84*, AB de Villiers 68*, Peter Siddle 2-39.
South Africa trail by 301 runs
Click here for full scorecard.
80 Comments
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9 Mar 2009, 17:54 pm
“…those sorts of players for someone…” wasn’t referring to JP but rather to bringing in youngsters to displace established players who have proven records.
It would surprise me if Arthur hasn’t thought of these things on how best to handle an enlarged squad system to ensure the development of backup openers.
I am praying that Kallis and de Villiers can bat for some time tomorrow. De Villiers wants to be known as a great… Well, there is no better opportunity to make your name than now, de Villiers!
9 Mar 2009, 19:51 pm
#50 masudvorajee: Is Imran Khan that Pakistan guy that now has SA citizenship? Not sure. If it is heard he is brilliant. Can bowl spin too.
Well done to Kallis and AB for keeping our hopes alive here.
At 3 they had 142 at 5pm it was 244. Putting on a 100 between them in 2 hours on those conditions was brilliant. If they can survive the first 10 to 15 overs tomorrow with the new ball we are in with a chance. These bowlers are now looking very tired. The heat and humidity will get to them if we can stay in. That pitch though looking like a lot of cracks there now. So hoping Kallis and AB can stay in for as long as possible with that new ball. If they do they could well be in until lunch time tomorrow.
Go Proteas.
9 Mar 2009, 20:17 pm
#52 Puma:
Nope, this Imran Khan was born and braught up in SA only. The guy you were talking about is Imran Tahir. Imran Tahir is a bowler but Imran Khan is a good batting all-rounder. He opens for Dolphins.
9 Mar 2009, 21:05 pm
Only a moron replaces his most economical test bowler (Harris) for a man (Botha) who has no test experience, has been called and stood down in the past for chucking, and who openly states that he prefers ODI to test cricket.
9 Mar 2009, 22:23 pm
Expect some sort of brilliance to spill forth from you Tackler. Im not going to type this again, if you want to see my reasonin, find my old posts. Only a does would keep a fat, slow, useless batsman and a bowler that hardly spins the ball unless the pitch has gone to **** in there team…
Yes he (Botha) openly states the he prefers the ODI, that doesnt mean that if he was given the opportunity to play a test he would turn it down.
9 Mar 2009, 22:47 pm
The South African test team will be strengthened in the next few months with the availablity of Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Imraan Tahir. Unfortunately neither can be selected for the 3rd test. The balance of the SA side is a bit of a problem … the tail starts at 8 and Boucher is not scoring runs. That is fine against mediocre bowling attacks or on the subcontinent but against Australia one needs a bit of insurance down the order.
For the next test my side would be:
Imraan Khan
JP Duminy
Hashim Amla
Kallis
Prince
De Villiers
Boucher
Albie Morkel
Dale Steyn
Morne Morkel
Makaya Ntini
Duminy and Khan to bowl spin
For the next series my side would be:
Smith
Khan
Amla
Kallis
Prince
Duminy
De Villiers (wk)
Steyn
Tahir
Tsotsobe
Ntini
10 Mar 2009, 00:16 am
Tackler, only a fool (aka your racist self) would overlook the claims of a spin bowler who takes wickets and can bat. Botha is the no. 2 test spinner in Arthur’s rankings and the no. 1 ODI spinner.
He has the ability to play test match cricket.
10 Mar 2009, 00:19 am
#55 Travelling Shark: McKenzie isn’t fat or useless – his record over the past calendar year (and since returning to international cricket) makes a mockery of that statement.
Harris did reasonably well in Australia and elsewhere. I just feel that Botha is superior in all facets of play to him.
10 Mar 2009, 00:59 am
I was surprised to find out that AB, Boucher and Graeme Smith are in the top 10 run scorers for South Africa. It’s surprising how few South African batsmen have scored more than 5000 test runs.
If Kallis and AB see us past Lunch then Jaque’s place amongst the greats will be even more assured.
I have a feeling that Kallis will be joined by AB and Graeme in the 10 000 runs group.
10 Mar 2009, 01:23 am
#57 Mike Brass: You pick the number one spinner first, if you need a spinner at all. (And you usually do). You don’t pick the number two spinner, especially if he is untested and unproven at test level.
If you really need another batsman, you pick a genuine batsman. Botha is not a genuine batsman or even a genuine all-rounder. He’s a specialist ODI orthodox bowler. Harris is a specialist test bowler.
10 Mar 2009, 01:27 am
#48 Travelling Shark:
Imraan Khan?
C’mon Shark, remove the provincial bias.
The reality is he made a century, on an absolute featherbed, against the Aussies in a warm-up match, where there was absolutely nothing at stake.
That deos not him a Test opener make, I’m afraid.
Jeez, some of you guys clutch at straws (Psycho included) without thinking. One decent innings on a dead track, against a group of players fresh off the aeroplane and keen to run out the jet-lag and he’s suddenly our answer at the top of the order.
Pathetic. I can think of half-a-dozen domestic openers with better records and form…and not one of them is bashing on the door for selection…Puttick, Petersen, Snijman, Bosman, Gibbs, the list goes on.
That’s our problem, we don’t have great openers…which is why we had to play McKenzie, a natural middle-order batsman, there. Considering all the above, he’s done remarkably well.
But yes, disappointed that he has faled to capitalise on his starts.
I say again, if you’re looking for under performer uber alles, there’s a chap behind the stumps, who has a propensity for uttering such inanities as “Aaaaaaah laaark uuut, Paul, aaaaah laaaark uuut.
But to the present…can we survive and draw, dream big and actually win?
Yes, if Kallis and De Villiers survive the second new ball, the first session; and Smith comes out to bat sooner rather than later. No point when he has tailenders at the other end, he needs to bat with other batsman if he’s to be of any use.
I’m no doctor but let’s get real, it’s a frigging fracture…pump him full of painkillers, strap the fractured finger and send him out if and when the next wicket falls.
No, if we don’t do the above.
Can we still win? Yes, but it would mean everything that needs to go right does. In our favour, the track looks most benign…and remember Kirsten’s heroics against England at Kingsmead, Trescothick and Strauss when following on in 2004.
Of course, history also says no.
And our batting stops at Duminy.
We’ll see…
10 Mar 2009, 04:06 am
As his career is already on the decline, it’s high time Kallis chimes in with his maiden double-ton. Racking up a spate of super-patient average-boosting fifties, sixties and seventies and then going out isn’t good enough.
10 Mar 2009, 04:38 am
#62 TheTackler:
Why would you care a jot about Kallis and his career?
You delight in putting the knife in whenever we falter, running for cover when some of your outrageous predictions blow up in your face.
10 Mar 2009, 04:50 am
#63 Joe Maher: Tackles makes perfect sense to me Joe in his statement above. This might not always be the case but IMO Kallis has been presented with the perfect opportunity to sit alongside the two batting greats of our time by delivering a massive performance to save a crucial Test.
10 Mar 2009, 05:21 am
Punter made a big mistake declaring so late… let’s hope the boys can show some moxie and enforce the draw…
10 Mar 2009, 05:50 am
#64 TASSIES:
I don’t doubt the sense of his statement. It is true that Kallis needs that big double ton to put the icing on a great career; more importantly to deliver a near-impossible victory.
My gripe is that Tackler cares little for his compatriots.. My wish is that if he hasn’t anything decent or constructive to say, he says nothing.
That’s wishful thinking, I know, but this constant crusade to belittle and trash everything South African is purile in the extreme.
10 Mar 2009, 06:35 am
#66 Joe Maher: The key words is great career ,/i> ! He has that already and the double ton will just add to it.
As for Tackles, he has calmed down a lot but I am sure is working his way up towards 2011…I wonder if he had any offers for his revamped caravan yet?
10 Mar 2009, 06:36 am
Oops, buggered that one up…
10 Mar 2009, 08:04 am
jeez! some holy cows are just never to be touched isn’t it.. how much more does neil have to play himself out of the team before some people here agree he has to go? yes he had a good 08 but what does it matter? 10 test innings just one score of 50.. and bar the ton in england what other score of significance has he really made against decent opposition? a coupla centuries against bangladesh dont count here.. as for boucher.. great servant of south african cricket over the years but he really has to score some runs..i would not drop.. but ‘rest’him and give ab the gloves and play prince. now why would anyone wanna drop our best bowler, second only to steyn, in harris i dont know.. and someone dismissed the imraan khan on th basis he scored runs supposedly on a flat track against a jet legged australia.. jeez! what is he supposed to do? not score? is he up for international cricket? i dont know.. but his form suggests he be given a shot
10 Mar 2009, 08:08 am
The Proteas have a opportunity to create history and should take it.
10 Mar 2009, 08:36 am
#69 all round.zn:
Rubbish, what form has Khan showed?
Eff all, he’s not even in the top six openers I’d consider as a replacement…and none of them are banging the door down.
So Mckenzie must go while useless Boucher should be given ‘a rest’.
Get real, another dropped catch yesterday, still no runs with the bat, zero form for the last how many years?
Get rid of the clown, now.
10 Mar 2009, 08:42 am
Actually, the obvious pick for our top order woes is Jacques Rudolph, but he has been so royally phucked around by Cricket SA that he’s now a Kolpak player.
Smith and Rudolph would make a very useful opening partnership, I believe.
10 Mar 2009, 09:42 am
joe.. you obviously didn’t get my drift about the ` rest` boucher statement .. i meant he should be dropped but him being a legend.. the word dropped sounds harsh so used the better sounding word.. but what it boils down to tho.. is him being left out of the team.. dude what do u have against imraan? he has scored a coupla 100s in the supersport series and a few fifties.. someone please get the stats out
10 Mar 2009, 09:52 am
rudolph would be great but then again so would be kp and rathbone and mike catt and all those other south african born sportsmen we cant call upon now.. point is he isn’t available now so we dont have him.. didnt rudolph bat at 3 anyway?
10 Mar 2009, 09:55 am
#53 masudvorajee: Thanks masudvorajee was not sure just saw the name Imran. Then I think if Imran can bat well and bowl thats what we need. A good all rounder. Maybe he should start in the next test.
Lets see how today goes. Hoping we can pull off a draw here.
10 Mar 2009, 09:56 am
#73 all round.zn:
Nithing against Imraan, it’s just that his first class average is in the mid-to-upper 30s.
Hardly compelling, you’d agree, especially when McKenzie’s is in the early-to-mid 40s and he’s being regularly slammed as our weakest link.
10 Mar 2009, 09:57 am
#74 all round.zn:
Rudolph started his career as an opener.
10 Mar 2009, 11:57 am
#77 Joe Maher:
FYI
Imraan Khan is the leading run scorer in Supersport Series cricket this season with 600 runs at an average of 60. He has scored 3 centuries and 2 fifties. In addition he has scored a century against Australia for the SA Presidents team. He was also the leading SA batsmen on the SA Emerging players tour of Australia last year. The reason his first class average is only 38 is because he started his career as an off-spinner batting down the order.
10 Mar 2009, 12:57 pm
58 Mike Brass
a fat, slow, useless batsman and a bowler that hardly spins the ball unless the pitch has gone to **** in there team… From my previous post was referring to Harris. Not McKenzie… Still think NM is not the man to open the side. Bring in Kahn
56 Psycho has the right idea. Perfect team, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Joe Maher. It has nothing to do with provicial bias when it comes to the SA team, grow up a bit…
Kahn may not be the answer and your other options are valid (Gibbs excluded, I dont feel like waiting 10 test for him to find his “form”) but if he is on the fringes on breaking into the team, what do we have to lose??
#78 lol, in your box Joe Maher!
10 Mar 2009, 20:14 pm
#79 Travelling Shark: That spinner “who hardly spins the ball” (as if spinning is a party trick) also happens to be the Proteas’ most economical bowler, conceding under 3 runs an over on a deck so spin-hostile that the best team in the world didn’t even play a spinner.
You really have to get over a fixation on the QUANTITY of spin and realise that it’s the QUALITY of the spin that matters most. Many top test spinners, like Dan Vettori and Anil Kumble also impart modest quantities of spin on the ball, but beguile batsmen with tight control of flight, length, placement and movement in the air to sow doubt in their minds and force hesitant strokes.
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