Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts

Prince reigns for Proteas

Ashwell PrinceEngland in trouble after taking just one wicket on the second

South Africa lead by 119 runs after losing just one wicket on a rain-shortened second day against England in the second Test at Headingley.
Ashwell Prince batted throughout the day to reach an unbeaten 134, his second ton of the series, and help extend the tourists' first innings to 322-4, a position of complete dominance.
Prince shared an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 179 with AB de Villiers, whose contribution was a more sedate 70 from 183 balls.
England's only success was a maiden Test victim for Darren Pattinson in the morning, although that came courtesy of a dubious lbw decision against Hashim Amla.
Andrew Flintoff (1-57) was by some distance the pick of a bowling attack that otherwise failed to give Michael Vaughan any penetration or consistency


Cautious:

Amla and Prince resumed on 101-3, still 102 behind, and initially took a cautious approach during a morning session that got under way 15 minutes late due to a brief passing shower.
England's hopes of early wickets foundered on the inability of their four-strong seam attack to generate any sideways movement, a cause not helped by the lack of cloud cover, which had been a constant feature of the first day when 13 wickets tumbled.
Amla failed to make the most of his reprieve yesterday evening when he was called back after television replays prompted doubts about the validity of Michael Vaughan's catch to dismiss him at mid-off.
The elegant right-hander was greeted by a bouncer barrage from James Anderson (2-83) and Flintoff, but it was a full toss that claimed the wicket.
Debutant seamer Pattinson, who had bowled just three overs with the new ball yesterday, persuaded umpire Daryl Harper to uphold an lbw appeal after Amla (38) had failed to make contact with a slower ball that thudded into his pad without bouncing.
It was a poor decision as the ball would have missed the leg-stump although the Grimsby-born, Australian-bred Pattinson (1-62) cared little about that as he celebrated his first top-level wicket.


Acceleration:

De Villiers joined Prince to see South Africa to lunch at 158-4 and the fifth-wicket pair then upped the tempo in the second session.
Prince dispatched two straight sixes in consecutive overs off Monty Panesar (0-36). The first of those maximums brought up his half-century and, from that point, the left-hander started to dominate, his driving through the off-side a particular highlight.
He had a century to his name before tea, his ninth in Tests, from 194 balls with 11 fours to go with those two sixes.
And de Villiers gradually grew in confidence after a nervy start to register 126-ball half-century containing five fours.
The final session was curtailed by a rain-delay of just over an hour, the players heading back out for a further 21 balls before another shower brought proceedings to a permanent halt.


Source: Sky Sports



Freddie ready for comeback

FlintoffAll-rounder set to pull on England shirt again in second Test

Andrew Flintoff insists he is fit and ready to resume his England career in the second Test against South Africa at Headingley on Friday.

Flintoff has been missing from Test cricket for the last 18 months due to two ankle operations followed by a side strain.
The 30-year-old was called back into the set-up as part of a 12-man squad to take on the Proteas at Headingley after impressing for Lancashire.
Peter Moores is expected to throw the all-rounder straight back into the action, with Paul Collingwood the leading candidate to miss out.
Flintoff admits that it has been a tough time for him on the comeback trail, but feels that he has now had enough cricket to be fit enough to pull on the England shirt once again.


Tough:

"Its been a tough one with all these rehab programmes and injures and operations and I'm just looking forward to getting back onto a cricket field - to getting the Three Lions on my chest and on my cap and trying to make a difference to the side," Flintoff said on Sky Sports News.
"Before the first Test I'd not played a great deal of cricket what with the side strain - I'd just had one game against Sussex.
"I got another Championship game against Hampshire last week where I bowled a lot of overs, got some miles in my legs, and I'm hitting them pretty nicely as well - a couple of runs in the Twenty20 and the second innings down at Hampshire.
"I'm in a good place at the moment and ready to go into Test match cricket."
Although not quite back at full throttle just yet, that will only come with bowling overs and Flintoff's extra wicket-taking ability will make him a big asset for England.
"I don't think I'm at my best but I'm going in the right direction and showing signs of that," said Flintoff, who believes he can get even better than he was.


Improve:

"As for the fitness, I've got no worries. I'm like everyone else I can get injuries, as can every other bowler.
"I've always improved the more I bowl and have a better understanding of it as well.
"With the bat as well, you see batsmen peak in their early thirties and that's what I'm looking to do as well.
"I've done all right in the past and I think I can do better."
Although Lancashire players do not traditionally get the best welcome at Yorkshire's home base in Headingley - with an England shirt on Flintoff expects the Leeds crowd to be kind.
"As and when I do come on to bowl, I'm sure there might be a little bit of excitement here at Headingley - the Lancashire players refer to it fondly as Galatasaray, but I think in an England shirt it's a different game," he said.
"Hopefully the crowd will get behind not just me, but the rest of the team."


Source: Sky Sports

Smith: Terrific feeling

Graeme Smith South Africa skipper revels in fighting century

Graeme Smith admitted it was important to lead from the front as South Africa fought back on day four of the first Test against England.

Smith and fellow opener Neil McKenzie batted for more than two sessions - both scoring hundreds - before the Proteas skipper was out after tea, the only wicket to fall in the day's play.
The left-hander revealed the team were told some home truths after a disappointing first three days and was delighted to show the way forward with a determined display of batting.
"Today is a terrific feeling to bounce back and show a bit of character," said Smith, who was recording his 15th Test century.
"In terms of the preparation I've had going into this Test, I think it's got to be one of my best when you look at the situation and the pressure we were under.
"We had a really tough chat last night as a team. We were honest, because we've been out-performed over the last three days and we really needed to fight and get ourselves back in this game.
"We've obviously done that - and as a captain, if you say one or two things it's always important to lead."
Source: 'Sky Sports'

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