Strauss ton keeps England in touch

Andrew Strauss hit 147, his highest Test score, in the Fourth Test at Johannesburg to give England the initiative at the end of the first day's play, before three rapid evening wickets for South Africa eked out a chunk of light for the home side as England made close on 263-4, Makhaya Ntini taking 2-51.

Following on from South Africa's series-levelling victory at Cape Town in New Year Test, both sides saw changes to their number eleven position as the team sheets were exchanged before the toss of the coin at Johannesburg's Wanderers Stadium. James Anderson came into the England side at the expense of Simon Jones, whilst South Africa's Charl Langeveldt wasn't deemed fit enough having been hit on the hand by Steve Harmison at Newlands. Young paceman Dale Steyn came back into the side, whilst Hashim Amla's singularly unimpressive Test career was put on hold as Mark Boucher returned and took over the gloves from AB de Villiers, who was retained as a specialist batsman.

Michael Vaughan then broke with tradition, and won the toss on a pitch showing signs of a little moisture and the potential for early movement. It wouldn't have been a great surprise had the England skipper opted to bowl following the frailties shown by the batting at Cape Town. Shaun Pollock's line and length was, as ever, immaculate from the opening ball, and Marcus Trescothick in particular looked uncomfortable as England inched along during the first half hour.

It needed a change of bowler, however, before the hosts broke through and it was the recalled Steyn who accounted for Trescothick, never comfortable against either the speed or movement, with his footwork once again suspect. The ball, angled across the Somerset left-hander, moved slightly away from him and flicked the outside edge of a limply offered bat on its way through to Boucher. Makhaya Ntini then subjected new man Robert Key to a well-directed barrage of short bowling, but the Kent man held firm, and England reached lunch without further loss with the scoreboard ticking over to 77.

As the early life in the wicket deteriorated, Key and Andrew Strauss wrestled the initiative firmly into English hands with an array of boundaries on all sides of the wicket, off front and back foot. Key was inches from recording the first six of the day following a hook against Ntini, before Strauss reached his half-century with a brace of textbook on-drives. The introduction of Nicky Boje induced a misjudgment from Strauss, who was reprieved by Aleem Dar on the questionable basis of height following a confident LBW shout, and soon after dropped a sharp return chance offered by Key. The lesser pace didn't stem the flow for a sustained length of time, however, and Strauss increased the pace of the innings as he launched the left-arm spinner for a straight six to take him into the nineties.

Key brought up his fifty following a gloved hook that flew over Mark Boucher via the batsman's helmet before Strauss accumulated his way to his fifth Test century and second place in the all-time Test averages list, behind the Don. Following an afternoon session that yielded 110 runs, no wickets and an all-time Wanderers record second wicket partnership, Key recorded his first maximum of the day shortly after tea as he slog-swept Boje over square leg.

The partnership had reached 182, and Key 83, when the return of Makhaya Ntini to the South African attack paid dividend. A sustained burst of short bowling from both Ntini and Steyn unsettled Key sufficiently to induce a snatched drive to a slightly quicker, full and slightly wide ball with Graeme Smith clinging on at first slip. Michael Vaughan got off the mark with a pull shot, far better controlled than the indiscrete swing that cost him his wicket on the fourth day at Newlands, but Strauss continued on his inexorable way as Smith rotated his bowlers in the Johannesburg altitude.

The Middlesex man brought up highest Test score with his twenty-third boundary as he imperiously disposed of Dale Steyn over mid-wicket. Vaughan continued to look out-of-sorts, and was unconvincing as he hooked Steyn skywards over midwicket to take him onto five after an hour at the crease before the new ball was taken and entrusted to Pollock and the youngster Steyn.

Vaughan's reticence sapped the English momentum, and it was the veteran Pollock who made the vital breakthrough with the third over of the new ball. Around the wicket and slightly short of a length, the ball shaped fractionally away from Andrew Strauss (147) and as the left-hander drove uppishly, the ball sped off the outside edge to Jacques Kallis who held on at second slip as the ball came at him at pace.

With the wind in their sails, Makhaya Ntini's return nearly brought about the dismissal of Vaughan, as a bat-pad deflection dropped agonisingly out of Jacques Rudolph's grasp at short leg. As the clouds approached, Pollock produced a spell of mesmerising accuracy and no little movement, with Vaughan looking tentative and uncomfortable. Graham Thorpe then followed Strauss back to the pavilion as Ntini's bounce and away-movement induced an uninspiring, and off-balance fend into the slips where Boeta Dippenaar took a regulation catch.

Matthew Hoggard resisted three deliveries before umpires Dar and Bucknor's light meters brought a halt to the proceedings with four and a half overs remaining. The triple strike meant that the game was once again in the balance, and come resumption tomorrow morning, South Africa will be desperate to add further victims to their evening haul. Game on!

England 200-3
AJ Strauss 147, RWT Key 83
SM Pollock, DW Steyn

Posted by Neil