South Africa power towards huge lead against Pakistan

DUBAI: Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis powered South Africa to 239 for two in their second innings at lunch on the fourth day of the first test against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Amla reached the break unbeaten on 85 while Kallis weighed in with 90 not out as the Proteas went to the interval holding a formidable lead of 371 over their opponents.

South Africa resumed on 139-2 and Kallis and Amla looked relatively untroubled on a wicket which offered very little assistance to the bowlers.

The duo brought up their century-stand for the third wicket off 187 balls before stretching the stand to 163 off 50.1 overs by lunch.

The morning’s play was once again conducted in front of an almost non-existent crowd and Amla brought up his fifty shortly after the start of play off 104 balls.

Kallis was slightly more

Gul sparks South Africa collapse

DUBAI: Paceman Umar Gul produced an inspired spell of bowling as South Africa collapsed to 365 for nine at lunch on the second day of the first test against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

During the morning session Gul served up a spell of 3-19 off 8.3 overs as the Proteas suffered a middle-order collapse that saw them lose seven wickets for the addition of just 56 runs.

Gul maintained an excellent line just outside the off stump while he extracted just enough seam movement to trouble the batsmen as he ended the session with figures of 3-92.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal chipped in with a wicket while left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman claimed two wickets towards the end of the session as the Proteas threw away the advantage that

they had built up on the first day.

Pakistan’s performance in the field was made all the

Cricket-Evergreen Kallis leads South Africa to series win

DUBAI: Jacques Kallis turned in a fine all-round performance to lead South Africa to a 57-run win over Pakistan on Monday and a 3-2 victory in the one-day international series.

Kallis top-scored for his side with 83 to help his side to 317 for five and the 35-year-old completed figures of three for 30 off five overs as Pakistan were bowled out for 260.

Kallis also became only the sixth player to score 11,000 one-day international runs.

South Africa made full use of a pitch that held few dangers for batsmen and opener Hashim Amla blazed 62 off just 47 balls.

Kallis and AB de Villiers (61) shared a third-wicket partnership of 121 before the Proteas suffered a middle-order collapse in which they lost three wickets for nine runs.

But JP Duminy ensured that his team would have a sizeable target to defend with 59 not out off 41

South Africa survive fiery Roach burst to clinch series

BRIDGETOWN: South Africa survived a fiery spell of fast bowling to complete a seven-wicket victory over West Indies before lunch on day four of the third test on Tuesday and clinch the series 2-0.

Needing 47 to win, the Proteas limped to 49 for three after fast bowler Kemar Roach struck Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis on the helmet and the umpires had to intervene to keep the peace as tempers flared between the players.

West Indies resumed overnight on 134 for seven with Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 57. The Guyanese left hander ran out of partners and finished on 71 not out from 179 deliveries with seven fours and a six after Morne Morkel took three wickets to run through the tail.

Morkel sent Sulieman Benn”s off stump cartwheeling and Roach edged a wide delivery to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. The innings ended on 161 when last man Brandon Bess steered a short lifting delivery to Kallis at second slip.

Roach delivered a series of brutish short balls, one of which rocked the grill of Smith”s helmet and shook up the Proteas captain.

In Roach”s next over Smith (10) pulled another short delivery straight to Chanderpaul at mid-wicket.

Alviro Petersen, on six, attempted to drive through the covers and edged the ball on to his stumps and Hashim Amla”s poor series continued when he was caught at gully for 25.

AB de Villiers clinched victory with a four through third man off his first delivery.

Earlier, Morne Morkel too, wrapped up the West Indies innings in the first
hour, when he ended with three for 33 from 14.1 overs.

Morkel bowled Sulieman Benn for nine, had Roach caught behind for eight, and Brandon Bess caught at second slip for a first-ball duck, leaving Shivnarine Chanderpaul unbeaten on 71.

Johan Botha was named Man-of-the-Match for his match figures of seven for 102, and Dale Steyn was named Man-of-the-Series for his 15 wickets at 18.13 runs apiece.

Proteas complete clean sweep of ODI series with Windies

PORT OF SPAIN: Half-centuries from Jacques Kallis and J.P. Duminy helped South Africa complete a clean sweep of their One-day International series with West Indies, when they won the fifth and final match by one wicket here on Thursday.

The result meant that South Africa have now swept West Indies 5-0 in each of their last three bilateral ODI series.

Kallis, the Man-of-the-Match, hit five boundaries in the top score of 57 at better than a run-a-ball, and Duminy struck just one four in 51 from 75 deliveries, as the South Africans, in pursuit of 253 for victory, reached their target with just two balls to spare on a slow Queen”s Park Oval pitch.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe carried the Proteas over the threshold, when he slapped a wide delivery from Kieron Pollard through cover for four.

Like last Sunday, the Proteas ran into late trouble, when Charl Langeveldt was caught behind for six off the last ball of the penultimate over to leave the visitors needing eight from the final over.

But Roelof van der Merwe swung the first ball of the final over from Pollard over square leg for four to ease South Africa”s tension before Tsotsobe won it for them three balls later.

South Africa had bowled with discipline to restrict West Indies, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit the top score of 67 from 104 balls, and Narsingh Deonarine helped himself to a run-a-ball 53 to lead the Windies to 252 for six from their 50 overs.

The visitors then started their chase steadily, but Smith was caught behind of Dwayne Bravo for 12 in the ninth over.

The South Africans then stumbled, when Hashim Amla, who earned the Man-of-the-Series award for his 402 runs, which made him the most prolific batsman in the series, was run out for 45 in the 14th over, and A.B. de Villiers was caught at deep mid-on of Gayle in the 19th over.

Kallis and Duminy put the Proteas back on course for victory with a stand of 58, but Kallis was dubiously caught behind off Gayle in the 36th over, and Mark Boucher was caught at short third man off Pollard to leave the visitors needing 78 from the last 84 balls.

South Africa lost their way inside the last 10 overs, when four wickets fell for 35 runs from 34 balls, but their last wicket pair held steady.

The two sides now prepare for a series of three Tests, with matches in Trinidad (June 10-14), St. Kitts (June 18-22), and Barbados (June 26-30).

The South Africans start a two-day tour match on Saturday against Trinidad Tobago at the Frank Worrell ground on the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies.

Amla”s 129 propels Proteas to fourth victory over Windies

ROSEAU: Hashim Amla continued in his rich vein of form, and struck his third One-day International hundred to help South Africa shake off ”dead-rubber syndrome”, and win the fourth ODI against West Indies by seven wickets on Sunday.

Amla collected nine fours and two sixes in another sublime innings of 129 from 115 balls, as the South Africans, chasing 304 for victory from their allocation of 50 overs, reached their target from the very last ball in a thrilling finish at Windsor Park.

Amla reached his second hundred from 94 balls, when he guided a delivery from West Indies captain Chris Gayle, bowling his uncomplicated off-spin, to third man for three in the 30th over.

He shared 59 for the first wicket with the Proteas” captain Graeme Smith, 178 for the second wicket with Jacques Kallis, and 46 for the third wicket with A.B. deVilliers that anchored the visitors to victory.

“It was a great effort from us to chase over 300 runs, and we have to look at the positives from this performance,” said Smith.

“Hashim”s knock was an incredible innings, and the rest of the guys batted around him very, very well. But I think he must take the credit for a great run chase.

“We would have loved to have finished the game more comfortably in the last over, and maybe we got a bit conservative there in the end. But we successfully chased over 300 on a second game pitch, and we are happy.”

When Amla was dismissed, South Africa needed 80 from 76 balls, and J.P.

Duminy joined deVilliers to carry them the rest of the way in an unbroken stand of 80 for the fourth wicket.

In a dramatic finish however, the South Africans needed one run from the last delivery, following a sensational final over from Dwayne Bravo in which he conceded a single to deVilliers off the first ball, a leg bye to Duminy from the next, and then bowled three dot-balls.

DeVilliers however, formalised the result, when he swung the final delivery through mid-wicket, where Darren Sammy fumbled it, and then missed a throw at the bowler”s end, as the batsman scrambled to make his ground.

The victory handed the Proteas a 4-0 lead in the five-match series, after they won the rain-marred opening match by 66 runs, under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, two Saturdays ago at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, where they also won the second ODI by 17 runs last Monday, and the third ODI by 67 runs last Friday at this venue.

The series concludes this coming Thursday at the Queen”s Park Oval in Trinidad Tobago, where the visitors will be chasing a second successive ODI series sweep in the Caribbean.

Gayle was obviously, very disappointed by the result, although it came down to the very last ball of the match.

“Credit must go to Bravo for the way he bowled the final over,” he said.
“But to get 300 runs, and lose was not good.
“We should have scored at least 30 or 40 more runs based on the start that Dale [Richards] and I gave the team, but we were very disappointing in the middle overs again, too many dot balls.”
He added: “But South Africa are in good batting form right now, and they took the game away from us. We also missed a few catches, and this is the inconsistency. At times, we do well with the bat, and then turn up and do something completely different with the ball.

“I am very disappointed, and feel heartbroken for our fans, who turned up in their numbers for this match.”

Award-winning Swann feared England chance had gone

LONDON: Graeme Swann, England”s newly crowned cricketer of the year, had resigned himself to accepting his time in the international arena had long since been and gone.

The 31-year-old off-spinner, who has taken 99 wickets in 45 matches across all formats for England during the past 12 months, was named as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Brit Men”s Cricketer of the Year during a ceremony at Lord”s here on Monday.

He first toured with England as a 20-year-old in South Africa in 1999/2000.

But Swann”s distinctive sense of humour failed to impress then England coach Duncan Fletcher.

It was not until eight years later and a change of both coaching regime and county – the bowler joined Nottinghamshire, with whom he won the County Championship in 2005, from his native Northamptonshire, that Swann was back in Test contention.

By then Swann had more or less accepted his England career might be limited to a lone one-day international in Bloemfontein in January 2000.

“Maybe you don”t exactly give up, but you accept you”re not going to play,” Swann, set to be in the England team that plays in the first Test against Bangladesh starting at Lord”s on Thursday, said.

“You get to a point when, no matter how well you do, you see other people being picked ahead of you, that you assume you”ve missed your chance.”

Swann has become one of the mainstays of England”s attack and played an important role both in last year”s Ashes series win and the recent World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean.

He explained the realisation he”d been granted a second chance had led to a small but important change in his attitude.

“What it did mean was that when I did get the chance to play again it all seemed a bigger deal,” he said.

“The first time round it was a bit of a joke, a bit of a laugh, on tour with my heroes.

“Second time round, you think, ”Well, how am I going to make sure I stick with this?”.

“I found the only way to really enjoy it was to play with a massive smile on my face, so that”s what I”ve tried to do.”

Asked what the turning point had been, Swann replied: “Pretty obviously, leaving Northampton and going to Trent Bridge was probably the kick up the backside my career needed,” Swann said.

“It wasn”t so much that it improved me overnight, but it taught me to bowl on wickets that were more akin to Test cricket.”

Meanwhile Swann, who took 54 Test wickets in 2009, said his international success owed much to the fact that off-spin had come back into fashion.

“Cricket has a strange way of going round in big circles, and I”m sure within two or three years off-spinners will be back out of vogue.

“Certain things have gone in our favour – the referral system, a lot of left-handed players at the minute, fairly slow wickets and a lot that have turned

“It all adds up to this being the time for off-spinners.”

Swann won the award – voted for by members of the British cricket media – ahead of fellow nominees, Test captain Andrew Strauss, Twenty20 skipper Paul Collingwood and pace bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson.

“If you”d told me this three years ago, I”d have laughed at you and said ”there”s no chance”. It”s a nice bit of cherry on the cake,” Swann said.

Swann, along with the rest of the World Twenty20 squad, enjoyed a reception at 10 Downing Street, British Prime Minister David Cameron”s official residence, earlier on Monday.

“One of the perks of playing for England, doing well – especially winning World Cups – I expect the ticker-tape parade and meeting the Prime Minister,” Swann joked.

“I”m waiting for my audience with The Queen, but I”m not sure that one”s going to come just yet.”

South Africa hold nerve to deny West Indies unlikely victory

NORTH SOUND: South Africa withstood a late West Indies fight-back led by Darren Sammy to prevail by 17 runs in the second One-day International on Monday and take a 2-0 lead in the five match series.

The South Africans appeared to be coasting to victory, when West Indies, chasing 301 for victory from their 50 overs, slumped to 236 for eight in the 45th over.

But the Proteas came under attack from Sammy, whose unbeaten 58 from 24 balls contained two fours and six sixes, as he dominated a ninth-wicket stand of 47 with Ravi Rampaul.

South Africa were fortunate however, when fast-medium bowler Ryan McLaren skillfully fielded a drive from Sammy on his follow-through, and Rampaul was run out off the last ball of the 48th over backing up too far.

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, had the privilege of finishing the match, when Kieron Pollard, running for Nikita Miller, was run out off the first ball of the next over, with a direct hit by Smith at the bowler”s end from short cover.

“We weren”t at our best, and we let a few key chances go earlier, which probably could have gone on to cost us the game,” said a relieved Smith.

“Outside of our fielding, I think we controlled the game very, very well, and up to Sammy”s 58, we were in control, but our fielding, our catching in particular, we need to take another look.”

The third and fourth ODIs will be contested this coming Friday and Sunday at Windsor Park in the Dominica capital of Roseau.

South Africa conceded three half-centuries to West Indies, with Dwayne Bravo hitting the top score of 74 from 70 balls, and the newly-arrived opener Dale Richards 51 from 85 balls.

The Proteas put West Indies under early pressure, but Richards and Chris Gayle still gave the home team a steady start of 40.

South Africa tightened their grip, when they reduced West Indies to 119 for three, but Bravo added 63 for the fourth wicket with Pollard, as the hosts ran into deep trouble, and Sammy nearly carried them over the threshold.

“I have to commend the guys for the effort of chasing 300 runs, and in particular, Darren for giving us a bit of hope at the end,” said Gayle.

“The middle overs continue to cause our downfall because there are too many dot-balls in that period of our innings, and the run rate creeps up on us, and makes it difficult for the batsmen towards the end.”

Earlier, Hashim Amla continued his rich vein of form with 92, and Jacques Kallis supported with 85 to lead South Africa to 300 for five from their 50 overs.

Amla struck seven boundaries from 95 balls, and Kallis – playing his 300th ODI – hit four fours from 89 balls in a stand of 79 for the second wicket, after the South Africans chose to bat.

The Proteas benefitted from an opening stand of 89 between Amla and Smith before left-arm spinner Miller bowled the South African captain behind his legs for 37 in the 16th over.

Amla continued to grind away, and reached his 50 from 45 balls with a dab to third man off Bravo before he was caught at mid-wicket off Jerome Taylor in the 32nd over.

Kallis, who became only the second South African behind Shaun Pollock to appear in 300 ODIs, and the 15th player overall, turned Rampaul through square leg for a single to reach his half century from 59 balls.

A.B. de Villiers joined him to consolidate South Africa”s position with a stand of 71 for the third wicket with Kallis before he was caught inside the long-off boundary for 41 off Kieron Pollard in the 43rd over.

In the closing overs, Kallis was caught at point off Pollard in the 47th over, and Alviro Petersen was lbw playing across Taylor for one, as South Africa hunted quick runs.

New Zealand win toss and bat against England

GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat against England in a World Twenty20 Super Eights match at the Beuasejour Stadium here on Monday.

England, already through to the semi-finals regardless of this result following champions Pakistan”s 11-run win over South Africa, made one change to the side that beat the Proteas by 39 runs in Barbados on Saturday.

Ravi Bopara replaced Kevin Pietersen after the in-form batsman returned to London to attend the birth of his first child.

New Zealand also made one change to the team that beat Pakistan by one run in Barbados last weekend.

With the side struggling for top order runs, Aaron Redmond came in for fellow batsman Martin Guptill.

Victory for New Zealand in this final Group E fixture would see them into the semi-finals but a defeat would likely see them lose out to Pakistan on net run-rate.

Teams
England: Michael Lumb, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Ravi Bopara, Paul Collingwood (captain), Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, Michael Yardy, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Aaron Redmond, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Daniel Vettori (captain), Ian Butler, Nathan McCullum, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Simon Taufel (AUS), TV umpire: Aleem Dar (PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL).

Pietersen sets up England win over Proteas

BRIDGETOWN: Kevin Pietersen laid the platform for a commanding 39-run victory over his native South Africa as England took a giant stride towards the World Twenty20 semi-finals here on Saturday.

Man-of-the-match Pietersen”s high-class 53 was at the heart of England”s 168 for seven against the land of his birth at the Kensington Oval.

South Africa, in reply, suffered a dramatic top-order collapse against England spinners Graeme Swann (three wickets for 24 runs) and Michael Yardy (two for 26).

The Proteas lost four wickets for 19 runs as 34 for one was transformed into 53 for five. JP Duminy, the only batsman in the innings to score more than 19, made 39 but by that stage the game was all but beyond South Africa”s grasp.

He became one of a trio of wickets for Ryan Sidebottom (three for 23), who ended the match with an over to spare by bowling Morne Morkel as South Africa were dismissed for 129.

Victory left England with two wins from two second round matches after Pietersen made an unbeaten 73 in a six-wicket win over defending champions Pakistan on Thursday.

However, it is possible for three of the four sides in a pool that also features New Zealand to end the second round, which concludes for Group E teams in St Lucia on Monday, with two wins each.

If that is the case, net run-rate will decide which two teams go through to the last four. But if Pakistan beat South Africa, England will be in the semi-finals before their match against New Zealand.

South Africa”s slump against spin started when Herschelle Gibbs, on eight, top-edged a sweep off left-armer Yardy”s first ball and was brilliantly caught by a diving Sidebottom, running back at short fine leg.

Proteas captain Graeme Smith then holed out when his slog-sweep off Swann was caught in the deep by Michael Lumb.

Albie Morkel, who”d hammered 40 off just 18 balls in South Africa”s 13-run win over New Zealand here on Thursday, was out for a duck after a Yardy delivery turned past the outside edge and clipped the top of off-stump.

AB de Villiers did not last long either before skying Swann to England captain Paul Collingwood at midwicket.

Earlier, Pietersen shared a stand of 94 in just under 12 overs with fellow South Africa born batsman Craig Kieswetter, who made 41, after Collingwood won the toss.

The pair relished the pace of fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, whose combined eight overs cost a hugely expensive 90 runs.

Steyn, arguably the world”s leading quick, was treated with disdain in a four-over spell that went for an extraordinary 50 runs.

Pietersen struck a huge six over long-on off Steyn and then casually advanced down the pitch to drive him for four.

But former South Africa Under-19 wicketkeeper Kieswetter had made just seven when he guided Morne Morkel straight to third man only for the Proteas” joy to be cut short because the delivery was a no-ball.

It may not have been as expensive as the ”wicket” Morne Morkel took in the first round, when India”s Suresh Raina was on five before going on to complete a hundred, but it was an expensive mistake nonetheless.

Pietersen”s 33-ball innings, which featured a six and eight fours, ended when he top-edged an attempted sweep against off-spinner Johan Botha, who took an impressive two for 15.

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