England seal series triumph

England survived a late scare on the final evening of the d'Oliveira Trophy to win in South Africa for the first time in forty years. Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers both made centuries, but the South African scoring rate was far too slow to give themselves enough time to bowl England out, win the game and level the series.

Resuming overnight 53 runs behind, with de Villiers and Kallis at the crease, South Africa faced the imposing task of overhauling the England lead and then bowling England out in a very short space of time in order to square the series and retain the d'Oliveira Trophy. On a wicket remaining predominantly true barring the occasional crack and a rough patch outside the left-hander's off stump, few could see a way that ten English wickets would fall.

A rapid run-rate was a necessity if the South Africans were to set a target that could either tempt a rash English run-chase or skittle an England side playing for a draw as Matthew Hoggard had done at Johannesburg. Kallis and de Villiers both played an array of shots, Kallis driving and deflecting in equal measure, whilst the opener combined well-timed drives and smartly hit pulls, one of which off Hoggard sailed into the advertising boards over the midwicket boundary to wipe out the England lead.

Kallis caressed Simon Jones down the ground to bring up his half-century shortly afterwards and de Villiers, with a square drive, followed around twenty minutes later as England brought Ashley Giles over the wicket to stem the South African run-rate. Both batsmen survived edges dropping significantly short of Marcus Trescothick at first slip, and Simon Jones was unfortunate to see a strong LBW appeal against Jacques Kallis that looked to be missing leg and off stumps by equal margins, turned down by Aleem Dar before the two batsmen broke the SuperSport Park record third wicket partnership as their stand exceeded 140.

Giles' leg-stump line applied the brakes onto the hosts' progress, but 20-year-old de Villiers was equal to it - using his feet nimbly to advance well outside the line of the ball and drive inside-out to the cover boundary as the Proteas progressed to the lunch break at 212-2. Kallis brought up his twentieth Test century, second only to Gary Kirsten (21) in the annals of South African Test history with a slashing square cut off Simon Jones, before de Villiers, on 94, chopped a pull off Steve Harmison down off a bottom edge, the ball spinning back but only glancing the off stump and not removing the bail.

Following his first-innings 92, trapped LBW sweeping Ashley Giles within touching distance of his first Test century, the nineties were once again nervous for de Villiers. In the after-lunch spell, he struggled to find the same middle of the bat that had been seemingly second nature earlier in the day, finding it difficult to collect runs off either Jones nor the indifferent Harmison as England ratcheted up the pressure on the youngster. Whilst de Villiers scratched, Kallis was little more aggressive as pundits and fans alike were baffled by the apparent lack of urgency shown by the hosts, yet the South African dressing room remained relaxed. What on earth was the gameplan? De Villiers' century, off 164 balls, came in a similar way to his partner's - cutting Simon Jones to the man on the cover ropes.

The first sign of any extra aggression came from de Villiers, as he tried to swing Jones over midwicket, but only found a very thick outside edge on its way in the air, high and long to Matthew Hoggard who took a comfortable catch at third man. Graeme Smith entered at five, and following a brief verbal joust with Michael Vaughan, Kallis played out a maiden from Harmison as the home balcony remained as calm as at any point throughout the day. England were content for their hosts to coast, apparently rudderless, and South Africa showed no desire to do anything else.

The monotonous progression of the afternoon was interrupted when Smith aimed a footwork-free smear at Steve Harmison, skying the Durham paceman to his friend and team-mate, substitute Paul Collingwood holding on to the skier at extra cover to break Harmison's fifty-over wicketless streak and bring Jacques Rudolph to the crease as the spectators did their utmost to understand the passage of play and contemplate the meaning of life, the universe and everything.
Rudolph's dismal series continued as Harmison struck for the second time in the space of three overs, with arguably his best delivery of the tour. Pitching outside the left-hander's leg stump, it seamed away and kissed the top of the off bail. Mark Boucher made an equally uninspiring contribution, aiming Matthew Hoggard over cow corner, only to find Michael Vaughan at mid-wicket, finally pre-empting the South African declaration with the score on 296-6, and Jacques Kallis unbeaten on 136, his highest score at SuperSport Park.

The eventual English target was 185 off 44 overs, a run rate of 4.20 - but what would be the English approach? To attack the target, to block out for the draw, or to ease through the afternoon and re-assess come the last hour? Ray Jennings' patent name and hat-related selection decision making process saw Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini opening the bowling in place of Shaun Pollock, and Ntini struck with his second ball as Strauss edged to Jacques Kallis to a wide second slip. Steve Bucknor called the third umpire to decide whether the ball had carried, and despite replays proving utterly inconclusive, Strauss was given out.

English nerves frayed as Trescothick squeezed Andre Nel aerially, inches past the bowler's outstretched hand, but through mid-on to get off the mark, and Robert Key squirted the same bowler - who also beat his bat on more than one occasion - to the gully boundary off a thick outside edge as the asking rate steadily climbed and an England win became a much less credible proposition. Key planted his foot across Shaun Pollock's nip-backer off the first ball of the twelfth over, trying to play it to leg, and was trapped palpably leg-before. Sixteen for two, plus a required run rate up to 5.15, equalled one run-chase postponed indefinitely.

Michael Vaughan then, in the process of getting off the mark and avoiding his pair, became the 26th Englishman to record 4,000 Test runs when he cut Pollock for four past point but, before any further runs were added, Marcus Trescothick completely misjudged a straight, pitched-up delivery from Makhaya Ntini and saw his off-stump cartwheeling backwards. With 29 overs remaining, England were suddenly three wickets down, hearts were in mouths and for Graham Thorpe it was first-innings deja vu.

Graeme Smith instantly brought himself on in an attempt to capitalise on the Surrey left-hander's previous struggles against his part-time off spin, and the South African captain immediately found extravagant turn and bounce from the rough but, despite the bounce becoming ever more erratic, Thorpe and Vaughan ground their way to half-distance in terms of overs, England's scoring rate even edging below one run per over before Vaughan cover drove Hall to the cover boundary to briefly relieve the shackles.

As the last hour started, South Africa turned to a twin-pronged spin attack in an attempt to maximise the number Vaughan added a boundary through midwicket off a Smith full toss to move onto 17, and take England to 40. His spell lasted all of one over before Ntini returned, first enticing an edge off Thorpe through fifth slip to the third man fence, before getting his man next ball as another edge found the hands of Herschelle Gibbs at an advanced third slip. Andrew Flintoff was reprieved soon after by Jacques Rudolph at short leg off Andre Nel, but this was the last South African chance before the 42nd over saw the offer of the light and the conclusion to the Test.

The draw ensured English victory - their first in South Africa since MJK Smith's tourists of 1964-65, and was on reflection a fair result as England were, for the most part, the better side. Aside from the aberration at Cape Town and the motions of the final afternoon today, they won twice and were denied a third win as the Durban clouds denied them. South Africa's reticence and circumspect morning and afternoon approach epitomised their negative approach in the series, and they have only themselves to blame for not allowing themselves enough time to bowl England out for a second time to seal an unlikely victory.

The two sides now break for five days before the seven-game One Day International series kicks off at the New Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday. With England missing Flintoff, their balance is questionable and the hosts will be favourites. However, the prize that mattered this winter was the d'Oliveira Trophy and no matter what outcome in the ODIs, England's winter will be deemed a success - becoming only the second country (after Australia) to win a series in South Africa since readmission, and cementing their grip on second place in both the ICC and CricketWeb Test Rankings. South Africa host Zimbabwe in the coming weeks and follow that glorified match practice with a trip to the West Indies. With no wins in four series, Ray Jennings will be under pressure to attain results in the Caribbean.
For England, meanwhile, it's Operation Ashes.

South Africa 247
AB de Villiers 92, JA Rudolph 33
A Flintoff 4-44, SP Jones 4-47
England 359
GP Thorpe 86, A Flintoff 77
A Nel 6-81, SM Pollock 2-30
South Africa 296-6
JH Kallis 136*, AB de Villiers 109
A Flintoff 2-46, SJ Harmison 2-59
England 73-4
MP Vaughan 26*, A Flintoff 14*
M Ntini 3-12, SM Pollock 1-9

Match Drawn

{b]CricketWeb Player of the Match[/b]
Andrew Flintoff - 77, 14*, 4-44 and 2-46

[b]CricketWeb Player of the Series[/b]
Andrew Strauss - 656 runs @ 72.88
3x100, 1x50, HS 147, 5ct

England win the Series 2-1

Posted by Neil