Heavyweights trade early jabs

Australia landed the first blows through Justin Langer before South Africa’s Claude Henderson struck a few of his own to leave the first Test of the world championship series between Australia and South Africa evenly poised after the first day.

With his third hundred of the season, Langer threatened to take the opening day away from South Africa in a second-wicket partnership of 102 with Ricky Ponting before the latter’s costly run out for 54 at 182/1 changed the course play. From a position of confidence, Australia slumped again to lose 6/64, as South Africa reversed an ordinary start with some restrictive bowling in the last session.

Steve Waugh, playing his 100th Test alongside twin brother Mark, won a useful toss and elected to bat, ensuring Australia would not have to bat last when the bounce is predicted to be inconsistent.

The Australians selected an unchanged line-up as expected, with Waugh revealing that the selectors had insisted on playing four frontline bowlers, ending any thoughts of including MacGill as a fifth bowler and dropping a specialist batsman. Allan Donald was South Africa’s significant omission, not deemed match fit, which enabled Ntini to be selected to avert any political problems. The Proteas also persisted with their established team, meaning they decided not to include rookie batsman Jacques Rudolph as had been anticipated, leaving Kallis at No. 3 with Dippenaar in the middle order.

Pollock and Hayward opened the bowling, with the latter pushing into the high 140k range in just his first over. At the toss, Waugh had said he expected there to be a little in the pitch in the morning, and that it was all about getting through the first session. For its part, the pitch was an unusual motley colour, and featured some alarmingly low bounce early in the session and occasional variation through the day. At times early in his first spell, Pollock struggled to get the ball through to Boucher.

What seam movement was available was not exploited by Pollock and Hayward, with Pollock bowling a full length outside off that mostly allowed the openers to leave, or saw Langer slam him through the covers when he overpitched. Hayward was less accurate than his skipper and an eager Langer, in particular, was quick to seize on anything he found to be loose with confident driving.

In fact, the openers were relatively untroubled in the first half hour, beaten only twice and usually either scoring runs or allowing the ball to pass, rarely made to lay bat on ball defensively. Langer, the dominant batsman, was troubled more by the straighter deliveries tucking him up on his pads than those full and wide of off, from which he scored prolifically against Hayward.

With Pollock and Hayward having produced few deliveries of genuine menace, Makhaya Ntini was introduced after an hour and his first three deliveries were all half-volleys despatched to the short cover boundary by Langer, prompting Pollock to have a chat with his wayward quick. Ntini’s next over was a maiden, but after being pulled for consecutive fours by Hayden in his third, was consigned to fielding duties in favour of Klusener.

Kallis had also come on in a double change with the openers flourishing in what was beginning to become a surprisingly easy batting picnic. Through more than an hour, the famously disciplined Proteas had done nothing to stem Australia’s typical scoring rate, as Langer and Hayden were going at 4.5 per over. Just when it seemed that South Africa’s attack might be exposed as over-rated, though, they displayed their imposing depth with the job performed by Kallis and Klusener.

Kallis easily swung the ball more than any of his team-mates, striking Hayden on the pad with one that came back, Hayden’s massive stride forward the only thing that saved him. Soon after, however, it was Klusener who made the breakthrough, having Hayden caught at mid off for 31 to make Australia 80/1.

It was an embarrassingly soft dismissal for a top order batsman, as Hayden appeared to simply get through his drive too early in lobbing a simple catch off the outer edge of the bat to Ntini at mid off. Kallis and Klusener had been more disciplined, though, and the wicket was South Africa’s reward.

They should have made it two when Gary Kirsten put down a straightforward catch off Ponting just three minutes before the break. Pollock persisted with Kallis when he might have considered bringing himself back, which should have proved the right move as Ponting, lunging hard at the ball off the front foot as he does too often too early than is prudent for a consistent top order batsman, got a thick outside edge to third slip where the ball went right through Kirsten’s hands.

The score was 88/1 and that was the way it stayed at lunch, with Langer 44 and a reprieved Ponting on 7.

Ponting remained unconvincing but his edginess was mitigated by an apparent back injury he carried into the match. It seemed to hinder his movement and running between wickets, and he did back stretches between overs before being treated by the physio.

Following his regimented bowling strategy, Pollock returned in tandem with Hayden after lunch, with the skipper having adjusted to bowling a little shorter and straighter, making Langer play forward defensively more often. Australia reached 100 at a rate of 3.17 per over and Langer reached his fifty by cutting Hayward to the rope, before almost being run out in a moment of madness.

Langer pushed to off and decided to take on the deadly arm of Gibbs swooping from cover. Despite the desperation dive, he would have been out had the throw not gone over the top of the stumps. No Australian batsman would surely want to test Gibbs a second time, despite the favour he once gave them with a certain dropped catch in the World Cup.

Hayward, consistently bowling in the 140s, was replaced by Klusener, who immediately beat Langer with an off-cutter. It was Pollock, however, who should have had a wicket when he had Ponting caught off a no-ball. With the score at 126/1, Ponting was rushed into an uncontrolled hook against an accurate bouncer, the top edge flying to the man placed at deep square leg. The no-ball call by rookie umpire Simon Taufel was marginal in the extreme, yet it was Pollock’s 6th no-ball and had to happen eventually. South Africa had spurned their third opportunity, albeit unluckily, but those are the kind of chances which have to be taken to topple the No. 1 team at home.

Left-arm spinner Claude Henderson was introduced midway through the session and both batsmen showed an eagerness to use their feet against him. Though batting under duress, Ponting was still fluent, and after South Africa had gifted him a start he and Langer loosened the tourists’ grip with fluid strokeplay. A tiring Klusener was relieved by Kallis and Langer cut boundaries from both, as he and Ponting raised their hundred partnership.

Australia were progressing comfortably and with increasing confidence when tragedy struck in the form of a terrible call by Langer. In the 90s, Langer played Henderson defensively to cover and madly took off, giving Ponting no chance. Ponting responded immediately but Dippenaar’s pick up and throw to Boucher was clean and accurate, with only confirmation from the TV umpire needed. Entirely Langer’s fault, Ponting was gone for 54, leaving Australia 182/2.

Nantie Hayward was brought back to bowl at Mark Waugh with his sharp lifters but first Langer reached his century, leaping down the pitch to blast Henderson over the mid wicket boundary for six. It was a brilliant way to raise the milestone, his fourth hundred in five Tests since his reincarnation as an opener.

The celebrations were short-lived, as South Africa capitalised on Ponting’s run out by removing Mark Waugh for 2 three minutes before tea. With his weight on the back foot, Waugh leaned back and aimed to play an ambitious cut against Hayward, but could only nick behind to Boucher. It was a loose shot, leaving Australia 199/3, and Steve Waugh only had time to show Mark how it was done with an authoritative back foot drive before tea was taken at 203/3, with Langer 104 and S. Waugh 4.

Pollock and Hayward opened the last session with their best combined spells, maintaining a tight line that allied with Australia’s determination to keep wickets intact, saw a dramatically slowed scoring rate. Hayward tried going around the wicket to dislodge Langer and predictably tested Waugh by bowling short at him with a leg gully, but neither had an immediate affect as both sides settled in to a grim battle.

Waugh was denied freedom to play shots and with Australia focussed on defence, Pollock shifted tactics by bringing Henderson on for Hayward. The change had an instant impact, as Waugh was dubiously caught at silly point to put Australia on the back foot at 211/4.

Henderson sent down a looping delivery that drifted to leg, Waugh missed an attempted flick to the on side and the ball ballooned up from his shirt to McKenzie in close. Waugh thought nothing of the appeal and was clearly displeased to see umpire Venkat’s finger go up, as there had been no edge.

The loss of Waugh saw Australia, with the run rate spiralling down, dig in even further against a testing Henderson and an improved Ntini as the momentum shifted back to South Africa. Just 17 runs were scored in the hour as the Proteas, with a containing field, successfully closed down the runs with the kind of restrictive effort that had been expected earlier. Not only did it cut off the runs, it brought wickets, too.

With Langer and Martyn reduced to scrambling occasional singles, it seemed South Africa, through Ntini and Henderson, wanted to maintain a holding pattern until the second new ball became due and they attack again. But unexpectedly, it was the spin of Henderson that proved the most productive form of attack.

With just four balls until the second new ball, the hitherto patient Langer succumbed to frustration. Shaping to cut a Henderson delivery short of length outside off, the ball bit off the pitch to spin back sharply over the off stump, and Langer edged a cramped cut to Pollock at slip as he backed away. With Langer gone for 116, Australia were a vulnerable 238/5, and in the middle of another slump after being 182/1 before Ponting’s pivotal run out.

Fan favourite Gilchrist got an eager reception and began expansively with a cover driven four before becoming Henderson’s third victim for just 7. Looking to pull, the delivery was not short enough for the stroke and he could only lift it to Hayward set back at mid wicket. The Australian middle order, again showing a damning lack of resolution, had collapsed to reduce the hosts to 246/6. After a relative lack of discipline earlier, South Africa had tightened up considerably and made the most of their chances.

Captain Pollock, who had delayed taking the new ball after Henderson’s strikes, had his hand forced when Ntini strayed again and Martyn took 14 from an over. In six overs from Pollock and Hayward, Martyn and Warne held firm to see the hosts to stumps at 272/6.

After a jostle for position which saw first Australia and then South Africa with the ascendancy, the first match of the world championship, as might have been expected, is wide open.

Match report: Day 2
Scorecard: Australian 1st innings | South African 1st innings
Images: Day 1 | Day 2

More Columns

Mail Daniel Laidlaw