Monday, July 21, 2008

Ten wicket win for south africa

LEEDS: An extraordinary 10th-wicket stand by young Stuart Broad and the shock choice England fast bowler Darren Pattinson forced South Africa to bat again — against all the odds — in the second Test at Headingley. They put on 61, beating a 56-year-old record for the last wicket.
The South African pace bowlers took all the second innings wickets . . . until Broad, without pressure but showing what an enormous future he has, led the way to a second innings total of 327.
That meant South Africa needed just nine to win with a day to spare, and reached its target in only seven balls to win by 10 wickets.
Despite his gallant innings, England will replace Broad who has bowled as if he must be tired and is carrying a foot injury.
Comfortable start
The fourth day had begun blissfully enough for England, which had a target of 320 to make South Africa bat again; Alastair Cook seemed to be in complete control as much as Ashwell Prince and de Villiers had been the previous day, and on a docile pitch the nightwatchman James Anderson batted 90 minutes.
The last 12 of those minutes undid all the good work he had put together in the third-wicket partnership of 59 with Cook. Two short-pitched balls from Dale Steyn did the damage.
The first hit him on the forearm and required attention from two of the England backroom staff. They had hardly reached the boundary rope when Steyn bowled a second ball that crashed into the side of the ducking Anderson’s helmet and sent him to his knees.
Not surprisingly, he was out in the next over to a well-pitched up ball from Steyn that trapped him lbw and made England 109 for three. Pietersen went in and hit three fours in the five balls he received. Off the fifth ball, the cunning Kallis pitched a ball up and cut it back. Pietersen edged it to Boucher who took his eighth catch of the Test.
Quick dismissals
At lunch, England was 130 for four and everything depended on Cook, who had not made an error, and Ian Bell, fresh from his Lord’s 199. Both were out in the course of five overs. Flintoff batted cautiously and Ambrose, needing runs for his place, stayed together until tea at 182 for six. The pair batted with greater freedom afterwards, but Ambrose became Boucher’s ninth victim. Flintoff was caught by Kallis at slip, so ending all the speculation about his ability to copy the Ian Botham heroics of 1981.
Monty Panesar was bowled for 10 before the Broad-Pattinson stand.

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