|
|
| September 9, 2003 | Tuesday | Rajab 11, 1424 |
Trescothick guides England to level series
LONDON, Sept 8: Marcus Trescothick added an unbeaten half-century to his first-innings double century as England won the final Test by nine wickets at The Oval on Monday to level the series and deny South Africa a slice of history.
The left-hander cracked a quickfire 69 as England raced to their target of 110 after lunch on the final day at Oval.
Trescothick, dropped at third slip off Makhaya Ntini when on one, hammered 12 fours in his 66-ball exhibition. Captain Michael Vaughan was the one man out, for 13.
Victory came in a flurry of boundaries as the England opener and Mark Butcher put on 63 runs in 60 deliveries.
Trescothick, who made a career-best 219 in the first innings to keep England in the game, stole the headlines from bowlers Martin Bicknell and Steve Harmison.
Both took four wickets on an excellent batting track to skittle the South Africans for 229 during the first hour.
A win had seemed unthinkable on day one, after South Africa had reached 290 for one and then 345 for two in their first innings.
Graeme Smith’s touring side, seeking their first series win in England since 1965, had resumed the last day on 185 for six, just 60 ahead and praying for another extraordinary rearguard action.
But Bicknell, aged 34 and recalled for the fourth Test after a decade on the sidelines, took two wickets in two balls in his second over to all but kill off South African dreams.
Harmison, finding a perfect length to go with his bounce, capped his best performance for England by removing Shaun Pollock for 43 and Ntini.
Harmison took four for 33 off 19.2 overs to Bicknell’s four for 84 on his home ground.
South Africa had come to The Oval 2-1 up, their all-round dominance prompting captain Smith to say he was more interested in extending the winning margin than looking for a draw.
With South Africa on 290 for one and 345 for two on the first day, few would have bet against him.
Seamer Bicknell, relying on accuracy while shaping the ball away from the right-handers, and strike bowler Harmison, the quickest at The Oval and at last making batsmen worry over whether to go forward or back, did the rest.
At Headingley, South Africa’s last three wickets had added 333 runs in two innings.
A line-up of Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall suggested England’s previously wayward attack might yet be frustrated again on the final day of the series.
Harmison and Bicknell, though, took off where they had begun on the previous day.
Boucher, drawn forward by a Bicknell outswinger, was caught behind for 25 before Hall chipped his first delivery off the hip straight to Ed Smith at midwicket to make it 193 for eight.
Hall’s last five innings of the series included three golden ducks.
Pollock, normally so expert at marshalling the tail, resorted to slogging two edges over the slips before inexplicably guiding a short Harmison delivery straight to gully, Thorpe taking the training-ground catch.
When Ntini was caught one-handed off Harmison by Smith, diving back at short leg, England marched off, the 40-year-old Alec Stewart leading the way in his last Test, knowing they were set to complete a famous win.
Scoreboard
South Africa (Ist innings) 484 (H.Gibbs 183, G.Kirsten 90, J.Kallis 66, S.Pollock 66)
England (Ist innings 604-9 dec (M.Trescothick 219, G.Thorpe 124, A.Flintoff 95)
South Africa (2nd innings) (overnight 185-6)
G.Smith lbw b Bicknell 19
H.Gibbs c Stewart b Anderson 9
G.Kirsten c Trescothick b Harmison 29
J.Kallis lbw b Harmison 35
N.McKenzie lbw b Flintoff 38
J.Rudolph b Bicknell 8
M.Boucher c Stewart b Bicknell 25
S.Pollock c Thorpe b Harmison 43
A.Hall c Smith b Bicknell 0
P.Adams not out 13
M.Ntini c Smith b Harmison 1
Extras (b-1, lb-7, nb-1) 9
Total (all out, 69.2 overs) 229
Fall of wkts: 1-24 2-34 3-92 4-93 5-118 6-150 7-193 8-193 9-215
Bowling: Bicknell 24-5-84-4, Anderson 10-1-55-1, Harmison 19.2-8-33-4 (nb-1), Giles 10-2-36-0, Flintoff 6-2-13-1
England (2nd innings)
M.Trescothick not out 69
M.Vaughan c Boucher b Kallis 13
M.Butcher not out 20
Extras (lb-4, nb-4) 8
Total (for one wicket, 22.2 overs) 110
Fall of wkts: 1-47
Did not bat: G.Thorpe, E.Smith, A.Stewart, A.Flintoff, M.Bicknell, A.Giles, S.Harmison, J.Anderson.
Bowling: Pollock 6-0-15-0 (nb-3), Ntini 8-0-46-0 (nb-1), Kallis 5.2-0-25-1, Adams 3-0-20-0.—Reuters
|
|
|
