Runs and Records galore

South Africa continued their domination of the Second Test at Lord's today, ending up 380 runs ahead and with only 8 more wickets to take.

Graeme Smith continued his one man domination of the Series by notching his 2nd consecutive score in excess of 250, a feat only previously achieved by Don Bradman, and he then proceeded to take his score to the highest by an overseas player in the history of Test Cricket at the home of Cricket.

The English bowling was again in the main ineffective, and its incompetence matched by terrible catching that saw Giles and Butcher waste easy chances.

Smith and Boeta Dippenaar were happy to take runs at will early on, as their partnership was extended to 123 before England finally removed the South African captain. His score had reached 259, and he had been batting for just over 9 and a half hours when Anderson induced an inside-edge that took the ball into his stumps. The third wicket to fall was also the third batsman to play on.

In times like this, it can be tricky for a player that had probably had his pads on for more than a day to come in and bat, and Jacques Rudolph seemed to be struggling for runs. He still batted for an hour and half for his 26 before Andrew Flintoff, who bowled tirelessly in a straight spell of 10 overs for 29 and this wicket, got a faint edge through to Stewart.

Stewart had experienced a hard day, and it summed the whole situation up when Giles got one to pitch in a foot-hold and the ball flew up into his face. Cruel watchers called it a missed stumping, but Stewart was in pain, and had to retire for a while to the safety of the pavilion. With Marcus Trescothick nursing a fracture, Anthony McGrath took the gloves, but it was a great relief to all when Stewart returned after lunch.

Dippenaar continued to accumulate runs, and was unfortunate to miss out on a century by 8 runs when he hit Giles straight to Butcher, who finally held onto a catch.

The wicket of Rudolph had brought in Mark Boucher, and he played a superb little cameo, smashing his way to 68 from just 51 balls with 12 fours and one of the biggest sixes in living memory. Both Giles and Gough were hit all over the park and it came as a relief when Anderson bowled him, ending a stand with Pollock of 42 in 28 balls. In the 59 minutes that Boucher was in, 92 had been added in 82 balls, and the highest score by a South African side ever overtaken.

Smith continued to bat for 10 minutes or so after tea, before finally declaring at 682-6, with only Flintoff of the bowlers emerging with any real credit.

The 509 deficit was the biggest on first Innings ever faced by an English side, and with 2 days and 36 overs to survive, England needed a rearguard action to outdo anything they've ever achieved before.

Vaughan and Trescothick started well, and with the field up, runs were fairly easy to come by. They were going at nearly 4 an over, until the first mistake happened. Attempting an expansive shot, Vaughan got an edge to a ball from Hall that flew to Pollock at first slip, and onto the boundary, as the fast-bowler dropped it. That brought up the team's fifty and with such a let-off, one expected the England captain to bat sensibly for a while.

Far from it. Just 2 balls later he attempted a similar shot, and this time Pollock made no mistake. Vaughan gone for 29, and the uphill battle got steeper.

It was even steeper 3 overs later as Paul Adams took a fine catch to remove Trescothick for 23 off Ntini's bowling. Another poor shot meant another gifted wicket -would they never learn?

Ex-captain Nasser Hussain, who desperately needed a big innings here now he didn't have the Captaincy to guarantee his place, joined Mark Butcher, and twice early on did his best to get out. Both balls didn't go near enough to fielders though, and the pair began to take control of the situation, as they added 69 in 20 overs before the close.

For South Africa, Ntini was expensive, conceding 71 from 13 overs, but Pollock was his usual brilliant self, bowling his 7 overs for just 9.

It's a long way to safety though, with 2 full days to go...


Posted by Marc