|
Hostile Makhaya wrecks the Kiwis
with yet another fifer |
May 5, 2006 (Click to see the
Scorecard)
 New
Zealand’s hopes of squaring the 3-Test Series
against SA seems to have been zeroed as Makhaya
Ntini and Dale Steyn with their ferocious speeds
and movement off the deck ripped the Kiwis’
batting to bowl them out for a paltry 119 after
Graeme Smith put the visitors to bat first on a
greenish Wanderers wicket in the 3rd and final
Test Match. South Africa, then worked well to go
past the New Zealand’s total but they lost 4
crucial wickets in doing so. But 119 is too low
a total for any side to defend and the Kiwis
will need some incredible bowling performances
on the morning of the 2nd day’s play to make any
sort of comeback in this Test Match.
The Kiwis lost three wickets for
just 2 runs on the board and all the three
batsmen who got out – Jamie How, Michael Papps
and Scott Styris were all gone without opening
their accounts. The first blood was drawn by
Dale Steyn, who bowled a sensational delivery
that pitched on middle and squared up Jamie How
completely with the late away swing and the
slips were kept in the business since then. Poor
Jamie How, who replaced Peter Fulton in this
match could just face two deliveries before
getting out. Ntini then got his short delivery
to climb up steeply onto Michael Papps and the
right hander uncomfortably chopped it onto his
stumps. Styris was soon softened by short stuff
and then was out to a sucker delivery driving a
wide and full delivery outside his offstump off
Makhaya Ntini. The New Zealand Skipper, who is
fresh from his 262 fought his way in the middle
along with Astle and the two put on a nice
50-run partnership for the 4th wicket. This
partnership was helped by the fact that Ntini
and Steyn had to be rested after their long
spells and the second combination of Hall and
Pollock was working towards getting their
rhythms right. New Zealand went into lunch at 50
for 3 in 22 overs, but they could have easily
gone in at 50 for 4 but for the regulation slip
catch being dropped by Jacques Kallis off the
last ball before the lunch break with Dale Steyn
being the unlucky bowler.
The promising partnership between Fleming and
Astle was broken by Steyn, who produced yet
another gem of a late outswinger that forced
Nathan Astle to push at that one and nick it to
the slips. The New Zealand Skipper was the next
to go out to a poor decision as Umpire Hair gave
that out caught behind with Fleming hit on the
left thigh! Makhaya Ntini was lucky to get this
wicket. The Black Caps lost the wicket of
McCullum two balls later, as the adventurous
McCullum shuffled across his crease to work
Ntini across the line onto the onside and in the
end got a leading edge that went straight to the
bowler. It was then matter of time before the
Kiwis’ innings folded and the only resistance
that came was from Jacob Oram and James
Franklin, with both of them playing some
classical drives. Andrew Hall and Shaun Pollock
also chipped in with a wicket each, but in the
end it was once again Makhaya Ntini hogging the
limelight by capturing a 5-wicket haul for the
14th time in his Test Career.
The South African reply began with Boeta
Dippenaar shouldering arms and allowing a Chris
Martin’s inswinger to knock his stumps. But
Skipper Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla steadied
the ship with some sensible batting and took
South Africa very close to New Zealand’s total.
It was Graeme Smith, who was out with South
Africa just 1 run short of a hundred and Smith
was done in by the one that drifts in from the
natural angle created by a left arm swing bowler
and the edge was produced as Franklin got it to
shape away in the end. Lights were soon on and
South Africa lost Kallis all of a sudden as
Chris Martin got one to climb onto Kallis
awkwardly and the batsman got out in a similar
fashion to that of Papps. New Zealand did manage
to take one more wicket before the light was
offered to SA and that was the key wicket of
Hashim Amla, who was surprised by a well
directed short one from the medium pace of Scott
Styris.
So end of Day 1, South Africa have taken the
game ahead by a good distance and if they can
stretch their first innings for some more length
of time, then it would be much more difficult
for the visitors to crawl back in the game.
There has been something in the wicket for the
seamers throughout the day, whether it has been
the extra sting off the wicket or the lateral
movement. Batting isn’t that easy and it’s all
about waiting for the loose ones from the
bowlers and converting them into runs. Both
Smith and Amla had latched onto the bad
deliveries bowled by the New Zealanders and they
have cashed in well to make useful half
centuries. So far New Zealand have been too full
in their length and their bowlers lack the extra
sting that a Ntini or a Steyn has.
Top of the Page |
