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Prince, Steyn and
Styris shine on the final day of the drawn Test |
May 1, 2006 (Click to see the
Scorecard)
New Zealand will go to Wanderers for the 3rd
Test match against South Africa and the Black
Caps are still trailing in this series 0-1. Well
that has been the plight of the New Zealanders,
who were forced to draw this Test Match despite
knocking 593 runs on the board. Their Skipper
Stephen Fleming scored a tall one making 262
runs but the reply from South Africa was
adequate to force a draw. Hashim Amla, who is
relatively young in the international circuit
led South Africa with a solid 149 and South
Africa’s job of saving this Test Match was also
well supported by Ashwell Prince and Jacques
Kallis.
Ashwell Prince got to his 4th
century in Test Match Cricket this morning and
it was a different morning for the bowlers today
taking up 4 wickets in the 1st session. James
Franklin got the ball to move, both the old ball
and the 3rd new ball with which he picked up 3
out of those 4 wickets. With the old ball he had
got Boucher out in the slips as the South
African Wicket Keeper got a bottom edge to a
short one that was seaming away. Franklin in the
very next ball wrapped up Nicky Boje in front of
the stumps but then missed out on a hat-trick.
Daniel Vettori then got the ball to drift and
turn to get Dale Steyn stumped out and Franklin
then ended the first session by getting his full
inswinger to strike Andre Nel lbw. After lunch,
Makhaya Ntini was run out as Ashwell Prince at
the non striker realizing that it was the last
ball of the over from Vettori, decided to park
his vehicle and relax. Poor Ntini who had pushed
that delivery from Vettori to the right of mid
on, thought it was an easy single and took off
only to meet Mr.Prince at the non striker’s end
and with that the South African innings closed
at 512, falling 81 runs short of the NZ first
innings total.
In the New Zealand 2nd innings, the new ball was
seaming around for Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini
and the two sent the Kiwi openers back in the
hut to prove their domination. Steyn was superb
in getting the ball to angle in and then
straighten once it hit the seam to the right
handers, he had got a few edges off Papps’ blade
which ran away through the slip cordon. Kallis,
who was brought in to bowl along with Andre Nel
struck by bowling a well shaped outswinger that
pitched on the middle and moved away. Nathan
Astle was looking to work that delivery off the
backfoot to the legside and got a big inside
edge which went up in the air and then into the
hands of Smith at covers. After this wicket, the
bowlers found no joy with the ball becoming old
and the lateral movement minimized. Nicky Boje
did get the ball to turn but since he doesn’t
have a good arm ball, the batsmen didn’t find it
tough to play him. Scott Styris grabbed the
opportunity to score a meaty half century which
was a power packed one with 9 thumping
boundaries. Jacob Oram was the man who was
giving him company and the left hander played a
patient innings – most of the time leaving
deliveries outside the offstump. Once again bad
light came in play and the players had to walk
off once Ntini was reintroduced into the bowling
attack. Stumps on Day 5 was soon called and that
was it, the match ended up in a tame draw. The
Man of the Match award went to the New Zealand
Skipper for his big double century.
The two teams now clash for the 3rd and the last
time in this series at The Wanderers. South
Africa still look the favourites because of
their impressive pace attack led by Makhaya
Ntini and Dale Steyn and add to the fact that
their most experienced bowler Shaun Pollock
might be coming back after injury.
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