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| December 27, 2001 | Thursday | Shawwal 11, 1422 |
Proteas run into trouble on rain-hit first day
MELBOURNE, Dec 26: South Africa stumbled to 89 for three after less than three hours play were possible on a rain-interrupted first day of the second Test against Australia Wednesday.
Jacques Kallis, shaping as the key to South Africa’s first innings, was still there after being dropped in the slips on six and at fine leg on 11.
The all-rounder was not out 22, ending the day by hitting leg-spinner Shane Warne for six over long-off in the 40th and final over. Neil McKenzie was 14 not out.
Only 44 minutes of play were possible in the first session and 14 minutes in the second after South Africa were sent in to bat by Australia captain Steve Waugh.
Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath (2-28) removed openers Herschelle Gibbs for 14, caught at third slip by Ricky Ponting, and Gary Kirsten for 10 when he played on.
Brett Lee (1-38) dismissed number three Boeta Dippenaar for 26 when Matthew Hayden took a spectacular diving catch in the gully in the 31st over.
World number one team Australia lead the three-match series 1-0 after a 246-run victory in the first Test in Adelaide earlier this month.
Kallis has been nicknamed Don Bradman by the Australia players after stating that when he was batting, he felt as if no bowler was good enough to dismiss him. He scored 65 not out in South Africa’s second innings of 128 in the first Test.
Kallis, on six, edged Andrew Bichel to Ponting at third slip and he dropped a sharp chance with the score on 59 for three.
Kallis moved to 15 before he top-edged a hook off Bichel in the 36th over.
Lee made ground to his right at fine leg but despite getting two hands to the chance, he was unable to hold it.
Shaun Pollock’s Proteas struggled to build the foundations for a sorely needed big first innings.
South Africa looked to veteran fast bowler Allan Donald to instill some confidence into the team, dropping Makhaya Ntini to make way in the only change to the team.
That was even though Donald had appeared troubled by a foot injury in a tour match in Sydney last weekend.
The Boxing Day Test is regarded as the showpiece of the Australian cricket calendar but it has a history of abysmal weather and a crowd of almost 62,000 once again endured the worse of it Wednesday.
Play will start half-an-hour early on Thursday and finish 30 minutes later to make up some of the lost time.
Up to tea only 59 minutes of play was possible as Melbourne’s fickle weather frustrated attempts for prolonged periods of play with the ground’s floodlights switched on.
The recall of Donald was interpreted by some commentators as a gamble given the 35-year-old’s battle with fitness in recent years.
Donald, cleared to play after a session in the nets on Christmas Eve, left the field against New South Wales in Sydney last weekend after bowling two overs in the second innings. He later bowled two more overs to finish with 0-27 — and 1-191 on tour.
Andy Bichel came into the Australian team for injured paceman Jason Gillespie.
It is Bichel’s sixth Test appearance and in the corresponding Boxing Day Test last year against the West Indies the wholehearted Queenslander took 5-60 in the first innings.
Scoreboard
SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings):
H.H. Gibbs c Ponting b McGrath 14
G. Kirsten b McGrath 10
H.H. Dippenaar c Hayden b Lee 26
J.H. Kallis not out 22
N.D. McKenzie not out 14
EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-1) 3
TOTAL (for three wkts, 40 overs) 89
FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-36, 3-59.
TO BAT: L. Klusener, M.V. Boucher, S.M. Pollock, C.W. Henderson, A.A. Donald, M. Hayward.
BOWLING (to-date): McGrath 13-4-28-2 (1nb); Lee 16-6-38-1; Bichel 10-4-15-0; Warne 1-0-6-0.
AUSTRALIA: M.L. Hayden, J.L. Langer, R.T. Ponting, M.E. Waugh, S.R. Waugh, D.R. Martyn, A.C. Gilchrist, S.K. Warne, B. Lee, A.J. Bichel, G.D. McGrath.
UMPIRES: D.B. Hair (Australia) and E.A. Nicholls (West Indies).
TV UMPIRE: R.L. Parry.
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).—Reuters/AFP
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