South Africa v England Day 1 Roundup
Jacques Kallis hit his 32nd Test hundred to put South Africa in a commanding position as they finished the opening day on 262-4 at Centurion.
Kallis was in imperious form and will resume tomorrow on 112 with JP Duminy providing good support at the other end on 38.
This was the all-rounders sixth hundred against England and puts him joint fifth with Steve Waugh on the all time centurions list.
Earlier, England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and chose to bowl on a pitch that looked like it didn’t have much for the seam bowling attack of Anderson, Broad and Onions.
The visitors, after much deliberation, decided to go with the extra batsman in the starting XI, with Ian Bell in a No. 6. Graeme Swann recovered from a knock to start in the four-man attack.
Graeme Smith was dealt a huge blow before the game when Dale Steyn was ruled out with a recurrence of a hamstring injury during the warm-up. This meant Friedel de Wet made his South African debut.
Jacques Kallis was passed fit but he is only included as a specialist batsman due to his rib injury still hampering his bowling. Makhaya Ntini wins his 100th cap for the Proteas and Ashwell Prince opened the batting with Smith.
This test series also sees the referral system being used, whereby both sides get two unsuccessful referrals per innings, which should help add to the drama.
And England made the perfect start in the second over when Stuart Broad took the prized wicket of the South African captain Smith for a seven ball duck. He nicked a hip-high delivery which keeper Matt Prior gratefully clutched.
Graeme Onions was the pick of the bowlers early on and he got his reward in the 20th over. His wide delivery was slashed by Hashim Amla towards the slips where he was caught by a stunning low dive by Paul Collingwood. Amla departed for 19 to leave the hosts at 51-2.
We saw the first use of the referral system half way through the morning session when Ashwell Prince was given out, LBW, off the bowling of Onions by umpire Davis but the third umpire decided the ball was going over the top and Davis was forced to change his decision and look like a clown.
Graeme Swann then came to the party by taking the wicket of the dangerous Prince, who fell on 45 to a ripper of a ball that Prince edged to the predatory slip fielder Collingwood, who gobbled up the catch to leave SA 93-3.
Swann took his second wicket in the penultimate over before tea when his flatter, quicker delivery was edged by AB deVilliers to Alastair Cook and he departed for 32 to leave the hosts 159-4.
But Kallis and Duminy steadied the ship to put the hosts in a very strong position going into the second day. England will need early wickets to shift the momentum in their favour.
By Gary Taylor
