Monday, December 18, 2006

When Sreesanth rocked at the Wanderers: For the record, Day two

From Johannesburg, December 16
A maiden but brilliant five-wicket haul by fast bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth led to South Africa being dismissed for 84 and put India firmly in control of the first Test on Saturday.
South Africa, replying to India's first innings of 249, were skittled for their lowest total against India. Their previous lowest score against India was 105 in Ahmedabad in 1996-97.
With 20 wickets tumbling on the second day the visitors reached the close on146 for five in their second innings, a lead of 311.
The display would have come has a huge relief to the Indians after they were whitewashed 4-0 by South Africa in the one-day series. The only silver lining for South Africa came when Shaun Pollock become the first South African to claim 400 test wickets.
The seamer went into the match with 395 wickets and after picking up four wickets in India's first innings, he reached the landmark with the prized scalp of Indian captain Rahul Dravid (1) in the second innings.
Saurav Ganguly had earlier justified his recall to the national side following an 11-month exile with a gritty half-century in the first innings. Former captain Ganguly, who was making his test comeback after being dropped following the Pakistan series in January, top scored for India with 51 not out.
Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini struck the first blow when Pollock pulled off a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Mahendra Singh Dhoni for five. Ganguly struggled to find support until he was joined by number 11 VikramSingh after Indian had slumped to 205 for nine.
The last pair added 44 off 35 balls in a bright partnership in which the free-hitting Singh smashed six fours in his 29. Sreesanth put India into the driving seat by maintaining a probing length and found movement off the seam to take five for 40 from 10 overs.
With four batsmen failing to add any runs, Ashwell Prince top scored for South Africa with 24 as their innings lasted just 25.1 overs. Prince and Andre Nel (21) added 39 for the eighth wicket, the most lucrative partnership of the innings.
Captain Graeme Smith (5), Hashim Amla (0), Jacques Kallis (12), Mark Boucher (5), Pollock (5) all failed to handle the pace generated by Sreesanth.
South Africa suffered their first setback with the 12th ball Smith was trappedin front with a delivery from Sreesanth that straightened after pitching.
Four balls later Herschelle Gibbs edged a drive off left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan and was well caught by Virender Sehwag in the gully for nought. South Africa crashed to five for three in the fourth over when Sreesanth found the edge of Amla's bat and had him caught by Vangipurappu Laxman at second slip.
Leg-spinner Anil Kumble hastened the end of the innings when he had Prince caught behind by wicketkeeper Dhoni and bowled Ntini for nought with consecutive deliveries.
India also struggled when they went out to bat for a second time and slipped to 41 for three after Nel had opener Sehwag caught by Gibbs in the gully for 33, and the visitors were 61 for four when Sachin Tendulkar was bowled for 14 after dragging a Pollock delivery on to his stumps.
Laxman and Ganguly (25) stabilised the innings with a stand of 58 that was ended just before the close when Ganguly edged a ball from Ntini to wicketkeeper Boucher.
Laxman continued to bat patiently and was 42 not out with Dhoni on 17.

India 1st innings (Overnight: 156-5)
W. Jaffer lbw b Ntini 9
V. Sehwag c Boucher b Pollock 4
R. Dravid c Smith b Kallis 32
S. Tendulkar c AB de Villiers b Kallis 44
V. Laxman c Boucher b Ntini 28
S. Ganguly not out 51
M. Dhoni c Pollock b Ntini 5
A. Kumble c Kallis b Nel 6
Z. Khan lbw b Pollock 9
S. Sreesanth c Amla b Pollock 0
V. Singh c&b Pollock 29
Extras (lb-15 nb-6 w-11) 32
Total (all out, 79.5 overs) 249
Fall of wickets: 1-14 2-14 3-83 4-110 5-156 6-167 7-188 8-205 9-205 10-249
Bowling D. Steyn 10.1 - 3 - 26 - 0 (nb-2), M. Ntini 18 - 1 - 57 - 3, S. Pollock 17.5 - 7 - 39 - 4, A. Nel 18.5 - 5 - 45 - 1 (nb-1 w-1), J. Kallis 15 - 0 - 67 - 2 (nb-3 w-2)
South Africa 1st innings
G. Smith lbw b Sreesanth 5
H. Gibbs c Sehwag b Khan 0
H. Amla c Laxman b Sreesanth 0
J. Kallis c Laxman b Sreesanth 12
A. Prince c Dhoni b Kumble 24
A. de Villiers c Sehwag b Khan 6
M. Boucher b Sreesanth 5
S. Pollock lbw b Sreesanth 5
A. Nel c Khan b V. Singh 21
M. Ntini b Kumble 0
D. Steyn not out 0
Extras (b-2 nb-1 w-3) 6
Total (all out, 25.1 overs) 84
Fall of wickets: 1-5 2-5 3-5 4-21 5-33 6-38 7-45 8-84 9-84 10-84
Bowling Z. Khan 10 - 3 - 32 - 2, S. Sreesanth 10 - 3 - 40 - 5 (nb-1 w-2), V. Singh 3.1 - 0 - 8 - 1 (w-1), A. Kumble 2 - 1 - 2 - 2
India 2nd innings
W. Jaffer c Smith b Nel 4
V. Sehwag c Gibbs b Nel 33
R. Dravid c Boucher b Pollock 1
S. Tendulkar b Pollock 14
V. Laxman not out 42
S. Ganguly c Boucher b Ntini 25
M. Dhoni not out 17
Extras (b-2 lb-7 w-1) 10
Total (for 5 wickets, 35 overs) 146
Fall of wickets: 1-20 2-37 3-41 4-61 5-119
To bat: A. Kumble, Z. Khan, V. Singh, S. Sreesanth
Bowling M. Ntini 9 - 0 - 56 - 1 (w-1), A. Nel 11 - 2 - 38 - 2, S. Pollock 9 - 2 - 24 - 2, J. Kallis 6 - 2 - 19 - 0

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