S. Africa crawls to 197 for live against Australia

By Vic Mills

SYDNEY (JP): The strain of back-to-back Tests was clearly evident on the first day of the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as South Africa crawled to 197-5 against a lackluster Australian attack.

Hansie Cronje won the toss on a hot and humid morning and had no hesitation in electing to bat.

As expected, the Proteas' made two changes with Hershelle Gibbs coming in for Daryll Cullinan and left-arm unorthodox spinner Paul Adams replacing Lance Klusener. The Australian selectors made one change with all-rounder Michael Bevan preferred to Michael Kasprowicz.

The game was half-an-hour late starting due to the over- watering of a nearby pitch the previous day. The minutes leading up to play were taken with a presentation ceremony to mark Steve Waugh's 100th Test appearance. A landmark reached by just 16 players in Test history and by only two other Australians, Alan Border and David Boon.

When the game eventually got underway, Gary Kirsten and Adam Bacher made a watchful start as the Proteas' set themselves to capitalize on the toss with a large score.

The only drama in the opening overs was a close leg-before shout by Paul Reiffel against Kirsten and a risky Bacher single to Ricky Ponting who came within a whisker of hitting the stumps.

The opening partnership had added a solid 25 when Kirsten (11), somewhat surprisingly, edged a regulation catch to Mark Taylor at first slip after failing to get behind a ball from Paul McGrath that moved off the seam.

Mindful of the corresponding game four years ago when Shane Warne picked up 7-56 on the first day, Taylor brought his leg spinner into the attack after just 50 minutes.

There was slow turn for Warne, but nothing to unduly perturb the batsmen as Bacher (30) and Jacques Kallis (3) took South Africa to lunch at 47 for one wicket.

Taylor opened with Bevan after the interval, but the slow pitch negated any turn the left-arm spinner might extract from the Randwick End. At the Paddington End, an out-of-sorts McGrath bowled four disappointing overs before giving way to the military medium of Greg Blewett.

The gamble paid immediate dividends as Bacher (39) shuffled across his crease to Blewett's second ball and was adjudged leg before.

Three balls later, Kallis (16) was run out at the bowler's end as an electrifying piece of fielding by Ponting saw the young Tasmanian collect a push to mid wicket from Cronje and throw the stumps down. A careless piece of cricket and one that reduced South Africa to 70-3.

Advantage

That Australia was unable to press home the advantage had as much to do with events in Melbourne as Sydney. For neither Warne or McGrath looked to be bowling with the same energy or appetite of a few days earlier. As a result, Cronje and the inexperienced Gibbs were under little or no pressure as they set about rebuilding the innings.

Taylor continued to ring the changes throughout the session, eight bowlers were used in all, but without success. With the innings back on course, Cronje (25) and Gibbs (43) had taken their partnership to 70 at tea with South Africa 140-3.

The Proteas', rather curiously, went on the defensive after the break and ultimately paid the penalty.

A becalmed Gibbs (54), having brought up his maiden Test 50 in a cautious 149 minutes, aimed an expansive off drive at Bevan and succeeded only in edging to Ian Healy behind.

The dismissal of Brian McMillan (6) shortly after, the score having limped to 174, summed up a disappointing day of Test cricket as he pulled a waist-high full toss from Bevan to Matthew Elliott at mid on.

Cronje brought up his second consecutive Test 50 late in the day off 189 balls in 221 minutes; statistics that suggest the tourists missed out on a benign pitch and against a lightweight Australian attack. At stumps, South Africa was 197-5 with Cronje (56) and Shaun Pollock (1) the not-out batsmen .