Smith, Petersen set up lead

Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen shared a century opening stand as South Africa moved towards a commanding lead on the second day of the first Test at SuperSport Park on Friday.

South Africa were 236 for two at tea, a first innings lead of 100 after India were bowled out for 136 in the first over of the day.

Smith and Petersen put on 111 for the first wicket before Smith was caught behind for 62 off Harbhajan Singh in the last over before lunch.

Petersen went on to make 77 and added 55 with Hashim Amla for the second wicket before he fell to a bat-pad catch off Harbhajan.

South Africa continued to dominate, however, with Amla (50 not out) and Kallis (42 not out) putting on an unbeaten 69 for the third wicket. Amla reached his half-century off the last ball before tea.

It took South African fast bowler Morne Morkel just three balls to wrap up India’s first innings at the start of the day. Morkel trapped Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leg before wicket for 33 as India failed to add to their overnight total of 136 for nine. Morkel had Test-best figures of five for 20.

Although Sree Sreesanth conceded six runs in the first over of the South African innings, including a wide, only three runs were scored in the next five overs as Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma bowled steadily, while the batsman were content to draw the sting from the attack on a pitch still helping the bowlers.

The first fifty partnership of the match took 81 minutes and 96 balls of careful batting but the second fifty came at a run a ball as the batsmen started to take control. South African captain Smith looked in fine form as he reached his personal half-century off 72 balls when he cut off-spinner Harbhajan for his ninth boundary.

Harbhajan conceded 32 runs off his first four overs, including a swept six by Petersen off the first ball he faced from the spin bowler. But the veteran spin bowler made the breakthrough when Smith tried one cut too many and edged the ball to Dhoni. AFP