Email Us Forum Mail Article Print Article

Kallis 200 for South Africa

Sunday, August 31 2003

A maiden double hundred by Jacques Kallis was the undoubted highlight of a rain-spoiled game between Derbyshire and the South Africans at Derby this week.

Day 1 was a non-event. Leaden skies following overnight rain left the home side and the South African tourists alike kicking their heels. Mercifully, following several inspections, the umpires gave the players the afternoon off to enjoy the delights which only Derby on a wet Thursday can offer.

Friday, and with the contest now effectively reduced to one of just two days, Derbyshire's big guns (some would say only guns), Michael Di Venuto and Dominic Cork, were conspicuous by their absence. The South Africans selected a few of their lesser lights but Graeme Smith was still leading from the front.

It was a surprising name who opened the bowling for Derbyshire with Kevin Dean - one Paul Havell, Australian by birth although English-qualified, veteran of a single game for Sussex almost three years ago, more recently seen languishing in Derbyshire's second XI. It was even more of a surprise when he sent Graeme Smith back to the pavilion for a mere 9.

Wickets fell regularly through the early part of the day - mainly to Havell - until Derbyshire were stopped in their tracks by Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher who added 161 for the fifth wicket, Boucher eventually being dismissed just 11 short of a century.

Kallis ended the day on 141* but it was Havell, 23, a deceptively quick left-arm seamer who shared the honours with 4-77 at the end of a day he will remember for some time.

For the second time this season, Derbyshire's Dominic Hewson was rushed to hospital suffering from heart arythmia which failed to respond to his usual medication, a situation which was thankfully corrected overnight by defibrillation.

Bright sunshine bathed the County Ground for once as South Africa continued to bat on the final day. Jacques Kallis progressed serenely past 150 but should have been dismissed on 166 when Andrew Gait failed to cling on to a chance at slip.

Kallis and wicketkeeper Thame Tsolekile proceeded to take their partnership past 150 and in the process Kallis took his own score to 200 for the first time in his career with a neat sweep off Nathan Dumelow. The young off-spinner had his revenge, though, having Kallis caught at cover by Bassano from his next delivery.

Tsolekile continued with his own batting practice in search of his maiden first-class hundred but fell ten tantalising runs short to the same combination of bowler and fielder. The declaration came immediately afterwards, allowing the South African bowlers their own opportunity for a run-out in the afternoon sunshine which predictably changed to a more typical Derby-like gloom.

Willoughby and Pretorius shared the new ball and soon made inroads into an unfamiliar Derbyshire upper order. Kallis demonstrated that his success with the bat today to go alongside his match-winning bowling at Headingley are not his only strengths, picking up three slip catches to leave Derbyshire four down with just 86 on the board.

Steve Stubbings held out for a while with a fine 44, but it took a rescue by captain Luke Sutton to add a degree of stability to the Derbyshire innings with an unbeaten 46. As the clock ticked by 5.00 pm, the Derbyshire declaration came on 136-4 and the game was drawn.

South Africa 460-7 dcl (Kallis 200, Tsolekile 90, Boucher 89, Havell 4-129)
drew with
Derbyshire 136-4 dcl (Sutton 46*, Stubbings 44, Willoughby 3-31)

Posted by Eddie