Amla guides Proteas
19 Dec 2009
Hashim Amla’s century put South Africa in a commanding position as England require 353 runs for victory with nine wickets remaining on the final day at Centurion.
The hosts led by 62 after the first innings and started the day on 9-1, but got off to the worst possible start as they lost night watchman Paul Harris, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis before the half century was on the board. But Amla showed the technique and application lacking from the former trio, and ground his way to a well-deserved century.
When AB de Villiers joined Amla at the crease, England were right back in the game with the score at 46-4. But Amla provided the stability, while De Villiers made scoring look easy on a difficult pitch as he increased the tempo. The South Africans had a very profitable middle session as De Villiers reached 64, which included six fours and a six off Graeme Swann, in a match-altering 119-run partnership.
JP Duminy went cheaply, but Mark Boucher joined Amla and showed his value to the side with a half century at a strike rate of 87. While Amla was easing his way to the triple-figure mark, Boucher never allowed the innings to stall against a tired-looking English attack.
Amla has struggled to convert starts into meaningful scores but remained composed and the only way he could be removed was from a Jimmy Anderson delivery that almost rolled along the ground. That was a clear indication to the South African bowlers of where to bowl, and if they are disciplined on the final day, the visitors will be hard-pressed to chase down the required runs at nearly four an over.
Morne Morkel came in smashed 22* – including 18 off a Stuart Broad over – before the declaration came as Smith set England 364 for victory.
England had to see out six overs in the evening, and Morkel produced a brilliant ball to dismiss captain Andrew Strauss with his second delivery.
South Africa – 1st innings – 418
Jacques Kallis 120, JP Duminy 56, Mark Boucher 49, Graeme Swann 5-110.
England – 1st innings – 356
Graeme Swann 85, Paul Collingwood 50, Andrew Strauss 46, Paul Harris 5-123.
South Africa – 2nd innings – 301-7 declared
Hashim Amla 100, AB de Villiers 64, Mark Boucher 63*, James Anderson 4-73
England – 2nd innings – 11-1
Alastair Cook 4*, Jimmy Andersen 6*, Morne Morkel 1-6
South Africa lead by 352 runs and require nine wickets
Click here for a full scorecard.
49 Comments
19 Dec 2009, 11:14 am
Was really stupid to send in Harris last night. Just knew he would go out early this morning. A wasted wicket. Smith gone too on 12. We 3 wickets down now. Need Kallis, AB and JP to get some big runs.
England could win this. We need to bat smart today.
19 Dec 2009, 12:06 pm
SA 51/4 today. In trouble there I think.
Amla still batting. Should have come in last night and we would still have Harris to come in lower down.
19 Dec 2009, 12:43 pm
@Puma: #1 44. XhosaKid :
December 19th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
@WP_: The cricket guys do as they plaese, its like a boys club. Morne Morkel for all his talent needs someone to light up a fire under his arse, Smith/Arthur wont do it, he’s their mate. Its simply Smith must tell Morne that if he cant bowl at 150k’s and hitting batsman, he wont play ever again for SA for as long as Smith is captain, then he must drop his big mate Boucher, averaging 20 odd after 10years is simply not good enough!!!
This should be the SA Team:
1. Smith
2. Dean Elgar
3. Hashim Amla
4. Jacques Kallis
5. Ashwell Prince
6. JP Duminy
7. AB De Villiers
8. Morne Morkel ( with a red hot chillies up his crack)
9. Paul Harris
10. Dale Steyn
11. Parnell/Ntini
Head Coach: Fletcher
Bowling Coach: Alan Donald
Batting Consultant: Kepler
19 Dec 2009, 13:09 pm
@XhosaKid: Xhosa, I would have selected Parnell for this test. Not sure why they never really. He is bowling superb at the moment. Feel for Ash too, He is not a opener. Should open with Amla think he can handle opening better. Ash is better coming in at 3 or even 5 a great batsman. Then Ash, got that 150 last year opening at Newlands. So well you never know he may grow in tha position.
Then that pitch is falling apart now under the very hot sun.
We need to get at least 300 to keep England out. They have some good batsmen. Strauss, KP, Trott and Collingwood and let us not forget Swan…haha. Who would have thought he would bat so well.
Amla and AB need to bat well after lunch.
19 Dec 2009, 13:47 pm
@Puma: Parnell is a genuine all-rounder,seeing Swanny belt us all over the park only served to illustrate the meekness in the Proteas team, Morne should be bouncing people out and slogging the ball like Mitchell Johnson and Swanny but yet he doesn’t do either.
Why use Harris as a nightwatchman, when Morne Morkel has once openned an innings in Australia??
19 Dec 2009, 14:22 pm
@XhosaKid: Yip, I think that Parnell was very unlucky not to get selected. Bowling very well and like you say can bat a bit too.
Not sure about Morne to open. I saw him open that time but never done well. I am not for this nightwatchman thing. Just play your batsman in the proper order.
Look Amla is still in and batting well. He should have come in last night and not Harris.
Well Amla and AB are doing well at the moment. Think it will be a draw though. Rain for tomorrow up there they say. Well it was supposed to rain today but has not come. So let us see.
Not sure why Morne does not do that. Morne does not bat as well as Johnson. My feeling.
19 Dec 2009, 17:14 pm
Well done Amla on his 100 and Boucher for his 50.
Think we should declare now and give us some time to bowl them out. There will be some rain tomorrow. So should put them in tonight.
19 Dec 2009, 17:36 pm
SA declare with 8 overs to go.
19 Dec 2009, 17:46 pm
YESSSSSSSSS. Morne Morkel gets Strauss on 1.
Now to get another before close. Hoping.
19 Dec 2009, 17:48 pm
Morkel on fire here…
19 Dec 2009, 17:50 pm
Joe Maher/Xhosa kid: “blah blah blah drop Boucher blah blah blah”
Not gonna happen gents. Get over it. And while you are, get a clue.
19 Dec 2009, 17:58 pm
this is good stuff folks. Just pray the wet stuff does’nt ruin a good party tomorrow. i’d love to sample that xmas bubbly chilling in my fridge earlier than planned
19 Dec 2009, 17:59 pm
Anderson pooping himself. Don’t say I blame the boy. Last over nervy stuff
19 Dec 2009, 18:00 pm
**** and he gets a 4
19 Dec 2009, 18:02 pm
bugger this is test cricket as it should be. Enjoy gents because I am. Cheers
19 Dec 2009, 18:08 pm
great day. but declared too late…
Brilliant test cricket.
Drop Boucher? HAHAHAHAHA!
49 & 63* in this test mate!
19 Dec 2009, 18:27 pm
@WP_: its not even about the batting…. boucher is the leading keeper in world cricket and we have fools calling for him to be droppped??????
shows the lack of knowledge totally
a keepers first job is to keep wicket , then bat
19 Dec 2009, 19:28 pm
Must agree with sl. And to the advocates of ab de v as keeper, pls folks. He stated he wants to focus on batting first and foremost.
19 Dec 2009, 20:00 pm
Well done Amla & co.
So far so good.
19 Dec 2009, 20:54 pm
sharks lover.
sure mate, but there was lots of criticism levelled at his batting. He surely shut up those fools now.
Plus he is the best keeper in the world right now. Nobody comes close, no, not even Dhoni, in terms of keeping.
Plus bucket loads of experience. You have to be ignorant to suggest to drop him…
19 Dec 2009, 21:48 pm
Well batted Hashy! Terrific knock. AB and Bouch were superb too
19 Dec 2009, 22:57 pm
@WP_: His experience and game intelligence is probably his biggest attribute; outside of his keeping of course, which, as you say, is the best in the world by a very wide margin. He notices things the bowlers do not and works a lot of batsmen out by giving advice to our fairly inexperienced bowlers.
I really don’t know where or why the anti-Boucher-ness started, but it seems, sadly, really prevalent and glaringly unsubstantiated.
When has he ever given a bad performance? England and Australia would kill for a player anywhere near as good as Mark Boucher.
20 Dec 2009, 07:46 am
GO PROTEAS!
20 Dec 2009, 08:05 am
boucher is a LEGEND….
Harris must win this test for us today…
20 Dec 2009, 08:39 am
My test team would be :
1. Amla (captain) – Also Cricket SA to be forced to drop Castle as sponsor
2. Smith
3. Kallis
4. JP Duminy
5. Alviro Peterson
6. Aswill Prince
7. T Tsolikele
8. V Philander
9. Robin Peterson
10. M Ntini
11. D Steyn
Bowlers :
Steyn
Ntini
Philander
Kallis
Peterson
Duminy
20 Dec 2009, 09:00 am
That is a rubbish team, that would get slapped by all the big teams.
No AB! Haha pull the other one. Tsolekile, simply isnt up to standard.
Poor attempt at a joke
20 Dec 2009, 09:04 am
@WP_:
Funny as fark… Peterson, Peterson, Tsokilele would not even make the Randwick 3rd XV… what a chump…
20 Dec 2009, 09:40 am
Good luck Proteas. Now hope the rain does not come to spoil the last day.
20 Dec 2009, 10:13 am
27 bryce
Yeah exactly bud. Not funny
20 Dec 2009, 11:42 am
WP_ notice the attempt at smurfing your alias wpw_
20 Dec 2009, 11:54 am
37/3.
Come on Harris. Your best chance to get a 10 for in a match.
20 Dec 2009, 11:57 am
@WP_: #26
Do you know that Ray Jennings actually rates Tsolekile as the best glove man in the country. The other keepers put one over him with their batting though.
20 Dec 2009, 12:04 pm
really where did he say that?
20 Dec 2009, 12:08 pm
partizan dumb puz … i’ve been wpw over 2 years … not at work so i forgot my password ..therefor wpw with the _
20 Dec 2009, 12:09 pm
Tsolekile has the highest batting ave in Super Sport series …. Average is 97.
20 Dec 2009, 12:19 pm
what’s his first class average..
20 Dec 2009, 12:35 pm
@gunther:
Tsolekile’s first class ave is about 26; Boucher is at about 33.
20 Dec 2009, 13:50 pm
30 partizan
noted. Interesting.
Yeah Tsolekile isnt up to it. He has one big score 141* on the flattest pitch in the cricket (Same game Cook got 390) inflates his average a lot.
When he played test cricket he was found out horribly however.
Interestingly enough, amid those comments of him being the best keeper in the country, the only reason he is at the Lions is that he was dropped by the Cobras.
The reason? Shukri Conrad felt that Ryan Canning is a better gloveman. I agree with him.
20 Dec 2009, 13:54 pm
mate considering most of bouchers first class stats come from test cricket that is a pointless comparison..
20 Dec 2009, 16:59 pm
38
should be flattest pitch in the country
21 Dec 2009, 22:14 pm
I also dont agree with long beards in cricket.
I respect his religious views, but he’ll prob find that his scores even more runs (off the backfoot) when he shaves that beard.
One thing is for sure, it does not make him more devout.
21 Dec 2009, 22:26 pm
@Sheriff: …..should golfers wear their shirts tucked in or left out?
Do you have an opinion on this sartorial connundrum?
22 Dec 2009, 00:01 am
Why would he possibly score more runs with no beard?
It’s his own personal choice . He can do what he likes.
22 Dec 2009, 09:03 am
Jokes about people’s religion or beliefs are not funny and are in bad taste.
Amla is not the only cricketer to play with a beard.
SA is a diverse country and I think some of us will well to embrace that and celebrate it instead of taking pot shots.
22 Dec 2009, 09:04 am
Meant to say will do well…
22 Dec 2009, 09:56 am
@Jozi: Why?
There is nothing Holy on this earth, just stories full of holes.
I for one laugh at every holy cow.
22 Dec 2009, 10:36 am
I’m trying to grow a beard. Not as easy as I thought.
22 Dec 2009, 10:37 am
@Sheriff: Interesting theory about his beard and backfoot play. Please elaborate.
22 Dec 2009, 10:38 am
Do holy cows drink holy water?
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.