Thursday, January 06, 2011

...Meanwhile in Cape Town

South Africa 362 (J Kallis 161, H Amla 59, S Sreesanth 5/114) & 341 (J Kallis 109, M Boucher 55, Harbhajan Singh 7/120) v India 364 (S Tendulkar 146, D Steyn 5/75): T3/3 D4/5 at Newlands, Cape Town.

India need 340 runs, or South Africa to take 10 wickets on the last day to win the series 2-1.

Overlapping the last rites of the Ashes series, South Africa and India have been contesting the decider of a 3 Test series.

With a day to go a draw seems likely: if anyone is to win it will be South Africa. India will rue being unable to polish off the Proteas when they had them 6/130 in the second innings.

As in the first innings, where his 161/291b (19x4) was the backbone of his team's 362, Jacques Kallis kept the Indian attack at bay with with his second century of the match. a determined 109*/240b (8x4) made all the more impressive by having to cope with an injured rib. I don't recall seeing better confirmation of the old cliche "beware the injured batsman".

The Fox Sports report has a link to video highlights which will give you a brief idea of how he pulled things around.

Can South Africa bowl India out in a day? Harbhajan Singh's 4/10 at one point suggests the pitch is taking spin, yet, as his final analysis of 38-1-120-7 indicates, determined batting can cope with that. Paul Harris is no Harbhajan, but Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are top class (and IMO Lonwabo Tsotsobe has bowled better in this match than his figures suggest) but India should be able to hold out for a draw.

The first session at least should be worth watching.
If Sachin Tendulkar, whose first innings of 146/314b (2x6,17x4) mirrored Kallis', or Virender Sehwag are on song another late night may be in order.

Scorecard

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