South Africa beat England in first Test
South Africa on Monday took a one-nil lead in the three-match series
against England, beating the hosts by an innings and 12 runs and
securing their first win at the Oval after a masterful display of
top-order batting.
Hashim Amla’s unbeaten 311, ably supported by 182 not out from
veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis and 131 from Graeme Smith took the
Proteas to 637 for 2 before they declared, setting England a target of
252 to make them bat again.
But with England resuming on 102 for four on the final day, the hosts
were always facing an uphill battle to save the game and, despite some
resistance from Ian Bell (55) and Matt Prior (40), the task ultimately
proved impossible.
England, however, had managed to survive the first session virtually
unscathed, moving to 177 for five at lunch, with the only wicket to fall
that of Ravi Bopara, who was bowled off an inside edge by Dale Steyn for
22 in the seventh over.
Steyn bowled an accurate spell at the start of the day but his wicket
came off a short, wide ball, which Bopara tried to punch to the off
side, only to get a thick inside edge which caused the ball to crash
into his stumps.
Bell was dropped by stand-in wicketkeeper AB de Villiers off
leg-spinner Imran Tahir when he was on 20, with De Villiers failing to
hold a thin edge in Tahir’s first over of the day, shortly before the
morning drinks break. Bell and Bopara put on 50 for the fifth wicket and
Bell found another useful partner in Matt Prior as the pair added 86 for
the sixth wicket.
Both batsmen were caught by Kallis -- Prior off spinner Imran Tahir
and Bell off Steyn, making it only a question of time before South
Africa ran through the tail end.
AFP |