England lost the wicket of Alastair Cook before rain brought about an early lunch when the score was 80 for one on the third day of the second Test against South Africa in Leeds, England, yesterday.
England, replying to 419, resumed on 48 without loss at Headingley and found conditions difficult with ball beating bat frequently in the gloom.
Captain Andrew Strauss was 33 not out and Jonathan Trott was on six when a rain storm came in an hour into the first session of play.
Photo: AFP
Cook was LBW to seam bowler Vernon Philander for 24, with England unsuccessful in their review of umpire Steve Davis’ decision.
Strauss was almost a second wicket when he edged Philander toward Graeme Smith at first slip, but the ball bounced just short of him, although a dive may have given the South Africa captain a chance of the catch.
South Africa, 1-0 up in the three-match series, remain in a commanding position after their imposing total came having lost the toss.
However, the unsettled weather forecast for the rest of the match may hamper the tourists’ push to win the series in Leeds.
England are seeking to avoid a series loss in order to hold on to their top test ranking and prevent South Africa from taking over.
On Friday, England made a solid start to their reply after South Africa stretched their first innings to 419 on the second day of the second Test at Headingley on Friday.
England were 48 for no wicket when bad light ended play with 22 overs still due to be bowled.
“It’s pretty even,” said Stuart Broad, who took three for 96 to be England’s most successful bowler. “Being none down tonight was vital. We have one job and that is to bat as big and as long as we can. We need one of those 600 knocks and to put South Africa under pressure on the last day.”
Strauss and his opening partner Cook batted confidently, aided by some wayward bowling by the South Africans.
South Africa’s innings lasted until shortly before the tea break. Alviro Petersen made a career best 182 as South Africa ground out an imposing total, casting doubt on England’s decision to pick an all-seam attack and send them in.
Broad admitted that the prospect of rain ahead of the match had influenced England’s decision.
“The forecast was so bad for the weekend that our best chance was to bowl South Africa out on day one,” he said.
Petersen injured his right hamstring toward the end of his innings and did not field when England batted. Assistant coach Russell Domingo said he had gone for a scan, but a preliminary assessment was that he might be out of action for up to 10 days.
After Petersen’s marathon innings ended in mid-afternoon, J.P. Duminy hit an unbeaten 48 as the last three wickets added 66 runs.
There was irony for England when part-time off-spinner Kevin Pietersen took his side’s first wicket of the day after Petersen and Jacques Rudolph had batted most of the morning in a stubborn sixth wicket stand of 59.
England left out front-line spinner Graeme Swann, opting for four specialist seam bowlers.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
RSS