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Matt Coles, Charlie Shreck and Darren Stevens took three wickets apiece as Kent dominated the first day of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire

12-Apr-2012
ScorecardMatt Coles claimed 3 for 32 as Northamptonshire slumped to 132 all out after choosing to bat•PA Photos

Matt Coles, Charlie Shreck and Darren Stevens took three wickets apiece as Kent dominated the first day of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Northampton.The home side were bowled out before tea for a paltry 132, with Alex Wakely top-scoring with 33 and Coles, who hit a hundred at No. 9 against Yorkshire last week, taking the best figures of 3 for 32. A partnership of 83 between West Indies international Brendan Nash and Ben Harmison then helped Kent to 127 for 3 at the close.Northamptonshire won the toss but they lost opener Rob Newton for 7 in the fifth over when he edged Mark Davies to James Tredwell at first slip. It was slow going during a chilly morning session and Stephen Peters was the next batsman back in the pavilion after being trapped lbw by Coles.Kyle Coetzer crawled to 11 off 60 balls before he fell cheaply by smashing Shreck to Nash at cover and captain David Sales was to perish on 13 in the penultimate over before lunch when his edge off Shreck was superbly taken at second slip by Tredwell diving low to his right.Shreck then picked up his third wicket in the ninth over of the afternoon when he pinned Ireland wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien lbw for 12. James Middlebrook threw his wicket away when he launched Coles high into the air and Kent captain Rob Key took the catch at midwicket.Chaminda Vaas lasted just three balls without scoring before he became Stevens’ first victim when he nudged him to Geraint Jones. Wakely then fell to Stevens, caught leg before, and the same man bowled Lee Daggett two balls later.The innings was brought to an end when David Willey, who provided some resistance with 24, was well caught by Davies at square leg off Coles.In reply, Kent lost Key in the eighth over when he was trapped lbw by Brooks and Scott Newman followed for 26 two overs later when he slashed Brooks to Middlebrook at gully. Harmison played confidently before he ran himself out when he was sent back by Nash and Willey made a direct hit from point.Nash then survived the remaining four overs with nightwatchman Davies to ensure their side will start tomorrow in a strong position.

Samit Patel top-scored for Nottinghamshire but controversy attached itself to Stuart Broad’s first-ball dismissal on his return from injury

Jon Culley at Old Trafford02-May-2012
ScorecardStuart Broad was unhappy about the manner of his dismissal by Simon Kerrigan•Getty Images

The first County Championship match at Old Trafford since the square was rotated 90 degrees was hardly less eventful than the last one at its former angle, upon which Nottinghamshire clinched the 2010 title 17 months ago.The talking points all involved a different England player, and none of the storylines they generated was in any way contrived, which is not always the case. James Anderson suffered an injury scare, Stuart Broad landed himself in (another) potential disciplinary pickle and Samit Patel, who desperately needs some runs, managed to get some, shoring up an otherwise — all too familiar — dismal batting performance from Nottinghamshire.In the event, what was feared to be a broken right thumb for Anderson turned out not to be and, provided the X-rays did not lie, England’s principal fast bowler should be fine for the opening Test against West Indies, which begins on May 17. He had not played competitively since the second Test in Sri Lanka a month ago but bowled beautifully, sending down 17 exemplary overs that lacked only wickets.He left the field first at the end of his 10-over morning spell, having moments earlier winced in pain as he fielded a drive from James Taylor off his own bowling. After his trip to hospital, he bowled a further seven overs between lunch and tea before another bang, more or less on the same spot, precluded any further activity.”I felt I bowled really well and felt good so it’s good news there is no real damage,” he said afterwards. “It’s pretty sore but I’ll just have to man up and get on with it. If I carry on bowling like that the wickets will come.”Broad, whose enforced absence goes back six weeks to the calf strain that ended his Sri Lanka tour early, was also wicketless, but it was his one-ball innings with the bat that brought him unwelcome attention. Given out caught at short leg by Steven Croft as he attempted to sweep Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner, he made it absolutely clear he disagreed with the verdict.Broad is not without form, of course, in matters of dissent. He has twice been fined half his match fee for transgressions in Test matches and has gone close to being punished on other occasions.This time he was convinced the ball had hit the ground before Croft scooped it up. Lancashire celebrated en masse but Broad waited for umpire Stephen Gale to consult Rob Bailey, his colleague at square leg, before reluctantly walking off, appearing to aim words at both Croft and Gale as he did.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, believed Broad would escape censure on this occasion. He said: “Stuart has been to the umpires to explain his behaviour. He told them he felt it was not unacceptable and they have not come back to us to say that it was, so hopefully the matter is closed.”We have looked at the replay and you can’t tell [if it was caught cleanly]. You would like to go back to the days when Stuart might ask if it was a catch, Croft would tell him it was and he would walk off. But sadly I think those days have passed.”Gale encountered more dissent only minutes later when Graeme Swann, another England player making his first domestic appearance of the season, lingered in his crease after being given out leg-before to Kerrigan.At least Patel made his news by doing what he set out to do. His was the batting performance of the day amid another Nottinghamshire innings characterised by batsmen underperforming, the only difference from their previous sub-par returns this season being that Chris Read won the toss and chose to bat.With Glenn Chapple bowling as impressively as Anderson — and getting wickets — Nottinghamshire slumped to 16 for 3 and 50 for 4 as the veteran worked his magic. Even Read, normally their doughtiest fighter, succumbed to a poor shot. In this context, Patel’s four hours-plus at the crease was a valuable vigil. He applied himself with the conviction he has to show to stand a chance of pipping Ravi Bopara – or Jonny Bairstow – to a place in the first Test team, although he was suckered a little at the end, hitting Luke Procter for one six but fatally going for another as Chapple dropped back the field.The immaculate Chapple took 4 for 44, the hugely promising Kerrigan 4 for 45, although it is not all good news for Lancashire on the bowling front. Their allrounder Tom Smith who is playing his first match of the season after hamstring problems, pulled up after three overs with another injury of the same nature and will not bowl again in this match.Lancashire are in a potentially strong position, nonetheless. Their openers put on 48 before Paul Horton was leg before to Andre Adams to the last ball of the day.

Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach, admitted that Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from international limited-overs cricket has opened up a big hole

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston07-Jun-2012Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach, admitted that Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from international limited-overs cricket has opened up a big hole at the top of the batting order, but insisted it is not so huge that it cannot be filled. Gooch, England’s leading run-scorer in Test cricket, called Pietersen a “box-office player” but did not criticise the decision to step down from ODIs which has also led to the end of his international Twenty20 career.”Kevin is a superb player for England in all forms of the game. He is a great entertainer,” Gooch said. “He is a box-office player that excites the cricketing public not only in this country, but around the world. So before you ask me, is he going to be missed? Sure he is going to be missed. Any player who is capable of winning a match is going to be missed by a team. But he has to make his own decisions. He is the only one who would be able to give true insight into why he decided to retire from ODI cricket.”In a decision that caught everyone by surprise, Pietersen announced on May 31 that he was stepping away from ODI cricket (and, also, effectively Twenty20 as it is part of the ECB contract to be available for both formats) citing “the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body,” as one of the main reasons. Gooch did not want to be drawn into the issue of the schedules, which has become a talking point in the recent years with players deciding to give up one form of the game in order to extend their tenures in another version.What Gooch, though, was certain about was England needed to move forward and there were good batsmen ready to fill in the vacancy left behind by Pietersen. “Life moves on, one door closes and another one opens. So you got to look at from the team point of view as an opportunity for someone else to make his mark, to represent his country, to win games for his country,” he said. “I look it as an opportunity for another young player to grab that chance, to take that chance and achieve the highest honour of representing his country. I don’t look back, I look forward.”Gooch, himself an opening batsman, was a supporter of Pietersen opening in the one-day game which began at last year’s World Cup before resuming against Pakistan in the UAE where he struck back-to-back hundreds in, what ended up becoming, his final two ODIs. “I was always in favour of Kevin Pietersen opening the batting because I’m always in favour putting your best players in one-day and Twenty20 cricket top of the order; give them all the overs to make an impact,” he said.The England selectors will meet over the next few days to select the ODI squad to face West Indies and Gooch believes there are plenty of options on hand to replace Pietersen, picking out the likes of Craig Kieswetter, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler. “The selectors will be meeting probably in the next day or so and formulating who they think is the best option upfront. We have got some exciting young players around: Kieswetter, Bairstow, Buttler are the guys who have been in and around the Lions and the one-day team. They are not new names, but are the guys I see taking England cricket forward over the next few years.”Kieswetter, who started his England career as an opener, was part of the last ODI series England played, in the UAE, but came in as a middle-order batsman after Pietersen’s move to open. Buttler, a No.6 at Somerset, has played a solitary ODI (against Pakistan in UAE), but is known in the county arena for his innovative batting methods in Twenty20 cricket.Bairstow, who has six ODI caps, made his Test debut against West Indies at Lord’s but his fraught technique against the short delivery raised eyebrows about whether he was the right candidate to come in at No.6 in Tests. Gooch, one of the best players of fast bowling in the 1980s and 90s, said that it was too early to draw conclusions about Bairstow’s technique.”You don’t judge a player on just a few good balls,” he said. “I don’t think there is any player that has ever played Test cricket hasn’t punched one away in front of his face at some stage. Having been there myself, it is not a nice experience. You have to cope with that sort of bowling. I don’t think you make judgements on just a short passage of play.”Gooch did not entirely agree with the theory that Bairstow had not faced the likes of Roach in county cricket but highlighted the pressurised surrounds of the international game as a key difference. “One thing that is not there in county cricket you don’t get the tension you get in Test cricket, the feeling that you have to succeed because everyone is watching you and you are playing at the highest level. So the pressure is that much more at the highest level. That is something every top player, every top sportsman has to cope with: performing under pressure.”

South Africa’s batsmen have surged up the ICC Test rankings and occupy four of the top six spots after their colossal performance in the first Test at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2012

ICC Test rankings

• Batsmen: 1. Kumar Sangakkara (-), 2. Jacques Kallis (+2), 3. Hashim Amla (+3), 4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (-2), 5. AB de Villiers (-2), 6. Graeme Smith (+4)

• Bowlers: 1. Dale Steyn (-), 2. Saeed Ajmal (-), 3. Rangana Herath (+1), 4. Vernon Philander (+1), 5. James Anderson (-2), 6. Morne Morkel (+4), Ben Hilfenhaus (+1), Peter Siddle (+1)

• Click for ICC Test rankings

South Africa’s batsmen have surged up the ICC Test rankings to occupy four of the top six spots after their colossal performance in the first Test at The Oval. Jacques Kallis is at No. 2, Hashim Amla (3), AB de Villiers (5) and Graeme Smith (6). Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara remained No. 1, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul dropped two spots to No. 4. Kallis also unseated Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan as the No. 1 allrounder in Tests.Kallis’ unbeaten 182 in South Africa’s 637 for 2 moved him up from No. 4 in the ranking for Test batsmen. Amla, whose 311 was a South African record, rose three places while Smith climbed four places from tenth. De Villiers, who did not get an opportunity to bat in the innings-and-12-run victory, dropped two spots from third.Among the England batsmen, Alastair Cook moved from ninth to eighth because of the 115 he scored in the first innings at The Oval.There were significant gains for South Africa’s bowlers as well after they took 20 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series. Dale Steyn, who took seven wickets in the match, consolidated his place at No. 1 and is six points short of his career best rating – 902, which he achieved against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park in 2011.Morne Morkel’s five wickets lifted him from tenth to joint sixth with Australia’s Ben Hilfenhaus, while Vernon Philander rose one spot to fourth place.All of England’s bowlers, who took only two wickets in 189 overs, dropped in the rankings. James Anderson went from No. 2 to No. 5, Stuart Broad from third to ninth and Tim Bresnan slid one place to No. 15. Graeme Swann’s wicketless performance cost him three places from No. 8 and he dropped out of the top ten for the first time since August 2009.South Africa need to win the series by any margin to take the No. 1 Test ranking from England.

At England Under-19’s match against Australia in Townsville, the Overton twins, allrounder Craig and fast bowler Jamie, performed creditably in defeat

George Binoy in Townsville11-Aug-2012Caught C Overton bowled J Overton. A fielder-bowler combination that is almost certain to appear in many Somerset scorecards of the future. It appeared twice today, in England Under-19’s match against Australia in Townsville, where the twins, allrounder Craig and fast bowler Jamie, both tall and strong, performed creditably in defeat.Craig top scored for England, making 35 in tough conditions, and bowled 8.1 overs for 31 runs without a wicket. Batting at No. 4, he was in as early as the ninth delivery of the morning, after his team had slumped to 8 for 2. Under attack from Australia’s three quick bowlers, Craig watched the situation steadily get worse.”It did a bit early on,” he said. “So we had to battle through it and unfortunately today we didn’t do it. Not ideal losing the toss, but you’re never going to win a game batting like that. A disappointing performance really.”Craig battled 81 deliveries for his runs, playing the quicks with care and attacking when he could. “They bowled really well, made it a struggle for us to score runs. They never let us get away. I just tried to stay there, just to battle through it, bat as long as possible.”His resistance ended in the 27th over, by which time England were 96 for 7. Jamie managed 14 off 15 deliveries and England were eventually bowled out for 143 in the 39th over.Australia had a short period to bat before the lunch break and during that time Jamie did his thing, bowling at speeds approaching 150kph. With the equally impressive Reece Topley troubling the batsmen from his end, Jamie hustled and harried the Australians with his pace.”Even with [about] 140 we felt comfortable, we have a really good bowling attack and we felt we could have bowled them out,” Jamie said. “We probably would have liked to stay out there [at lunch], the way the situation was.”England had Australia at 54 for 4 but the next breakthrough never came. For his part, Jamie may have got carried away because of the pace and bounce in the pitch. In his first over, he had dug in a bouncer that soared over the keeper’s head. Later on, he began to pitch on the shorter side, as England’s desperation for wickets grew. He’ll be wiser for the experience.Jamie did find two edges, though, on either side of lunch, and Craig caught both at slip. “I rely on him quite often,” said Jamie. “He’s been in the slips often and I normally get quite a few edges [while bowling]. He doesn’t drop that many and has a good pair of hands.”After the backyard cricket when they were toddlers, where Jamie would bowl “little medium pacers at Craig”, the broken windows and the shattered vases, the twins started playing together in teams from the age of eight. They played together in Devon’s age-group sides, working their way up towards the Somerset Second XIs. Their progress has not always been simultaneous, but the twin behind never took long to catch up. The competition helped their growth.”Say I’ve gone ahead,” said Jamie. “He [Craig] has always tried to catch up with me. When he’s gone ahead, I’ve always caught up with him. We’ve always been really competitive with each other.””I did,” said Craig, when asked who made their first-class debut for Somerset first. “We were told that one of us wasn’t going to play. So we just knew that if one didn’t play, we’d support him as much as possible. That’s what we do, try and get each other going, try and get our performances going.”Craig made his Somerset debut against Lancashire in April this year. Less than a month later, Jamie was alongside him. “It made me want to get it more,” said Jamie. “Hopefully we’ll get a few more chances together with them [Somerset].”In the years to come, Craig and Jamie Overton may get chances with England’s Emerging Players and Lions. They probably won’t get it together, but the twin behind will strive to get there too, with the twin ahead hoping he does.

Cheteshwar Pujara, returning to the Indian side after a year and a half, says he is treating his comeback as a ‘second debut’

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Aug-2012Cheteshwar Pujara, recalled into the Test squad for the New Zealand series, is treating his comeback as his “second debut”. One of the impressive young batsmen to have come out in the last five years on the domestic circuit, Pujara was a popular choice to take a place in the Indian middle order once the top guns walked out of the game. And with two berths opening up after the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Pujara feels he is “motivated and passionate” while not being fussy about his position in the batting order.Pujara, who made a match-winning debut in Bangalore against Australia in 2010, played just two further Tests before a knee injury in IPL 2011 sidelined him for six months. Recovering from the surgery, he missed out on the home series against West Indies late last year, but was eager to get a ticket for the Australia tour. However, the selectors did not have enough confidence since Pujara, who plays for Saurashtra, had not had quality match practice.Pujara made just 200 runs during last season’s Ranji Trophy, but stronger performances on the recent India A tour of the West Indies, where he topped the run-charts, put him back in the reckoning. “I have been working hard on making a comeback. It has been delayed because there were not many games but I did whatever I could in domestic format and with India A. But I do not want to rush. I’m going to be calm and play my natural game,” Pujara told ESPNcricinfo immediately after being picked for the Tests.Making a comeback was never going to be easy. Pujara was hurt by some pundits questioning his fitness levels. But, working alongside his father Arvind, his driving force and mentor, Pujara made the finer adjustments to his batting. “When you come back after a six-month lay-off it is difficult to straightaway catch the rhythm. You need to start from the scratch. But once you cross those hurdles then you get mentally tough,” Pujara said. He knew he could not throw away a lifetime of hard work. “I am fully motivated. This is the moment I have always worked hard for. There is hunger and passion about playing at the highest level. It is once again a debut game for me.”Mentally adept and patient, Pujara, who is only 24, has blended those qualities with his batting skills which have remained sound and fluent from his age-group cricket days. Though the likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have made more headlines in the last year, Pujara has remained a favourite to take the important No. 3 slot vacated by Dravid. It was the same position he batted in the nets today in Hyderabad during the Indian training session, with Kohli at No. 5; the other two contenders – Rahane and S Badrinath – batted late down the order.However, Pujara does not want to be picky about his position in the batting order. “It is a team game so most of the time you have to see the comfort of the team, not your own. As a batsman I need to be flexible. I am a youngster who is making a comeback and not someone who is settled in the batting order so I should not be demanding. Yes, once I prove myself at a particular position then I can say I would like to bat at this number.”

In-form Durham finished their campaign with a fifth win in six games after beating Sussex by five wickets with a day to spare.

13-Sep-2012
ScorecardMichael Richardson’s half-century saw Durham home•PA Photos

In-form Durham finished their campaign with a fifth win in six games after beating Sussex by five wickets with a day to spare. Michael Richardson struck 58 and Ben Stokes a quickfire 45 as Durham chased down their victory target of 165 after dismissing Sussex for 180 in their second innings.Despite their superb form at the end of the season, Durham had to settle for a sixth-placed finish in Division One after a miserable start to the campaign which saw them fail to win any of their first 10 matches. Sussex, meanwhile, remain 10 points ahead of them and will hang on to the fourth-place prize money unless Nottinghamshire win tomorrow.Durham skipper Paul Collingwood, who took over the four-day captaincy in mid-season, hailed the spirit in his side: “I couldn’t have asked for anything more in the second half of the season. We were in a dire situation but the players have shown a lot of pride and determination. Every single one of them has made a crucial contribution at some point.”Durham seamer Chris Rushworth took the last four Sussex wickets in the morning to achieve career-best figures for the third time this season, finishing with 5 for 38. Luke Wells failed to add to his overnight 51, falling to the 16th ball of the day when he edged Stokes to Phil Mustard, who claimed his 500th first-class victim. Rushworth did the rest, swinging the ball both ways to claim two lbw verdicts and a gully catch before last man Monty Panesar lobbed a catch to mid-on.Durham needed 165 to win and Mark Stoneman got them off to a fluent start, but Keaton Jennings made only one before fending a steeply-rising ball from Lewis Hatchett to second slip. Hatchett also skidded one through Stoneman’s back-foot defensive shot to bowl him for 24 before Stokes emerged at 34 for 2 and immediately cracked him for three fours.Stokes made 45 off 49 balls before lifting Panesar to long-on, then Richardson took over. He pulled Hatchett for his fifth four to reach 50 off 123 balls just before Dale Benkenstein was bowled by Panesar with 27 needed.The target was down to 15 when Hatchett straightened one off the pitch to have Richardson lbw, but previous captain Mustard easily picked off the remaining runs in partnership with his successor Collingwood.”We had a bit of a chuckle as we came off,” Collingwood said. “Phil has been magnificent and the struggle in the first half of the season was not down to his captaincy. It was a blip and it was a shock to us all, but I think the future is very bright.”

Perth Scorchers players who misbehaved en masse on the team’s Twenty20 Champions League jaunt have escaped any further sanctions following an investigation by the WACA

Daniel Brettig31-Oct-2012Perth Scorchers players who misbehaved en masse on the team’s Twenty20 Champions League jaunt have escaped any further sanctions following an investigation into their conduct by the Western Australian Cricket Association.Instead, the WACA will commission independent review of cricket in the state, and also draft a new code of conduct and behavioural guidelines to provide a clearer policy for the players. There was also an acknowledgement from team management that the culture around the state team had to improve.Following the resignation of Marcus North as captain of both the state team and the Scorchers, and the dropping of Shaun Marsh from the state side for reasons of form, it was expected that others may have faced punishment following the conclusion of the WACA investigation.However the fact that all members of the Scorchers squad but one – Nathan Coulter-Nile who was ill – were present for Mitchell Marsh’s birthday dinner, which later deteriorated into the kind of night that affected training for the following two days, seems to have mitigated against any further penalties.”Fourteen out of the fifteen members of the playing group, as well as two support staff, attended a dinner on the night the team arrived in Cape Town,” a WACA statement said. “All except two players continued to a nearby lounge bar after dinner and were involved in the continuance of the evening to varying degrees.”Team management felt that after a late night and excessive alcohol consumption, some players were not in an ideal state to complete a training session the following morning, and a training session held the following day, that being the day before the Delhi game, was also compromised.”Our advice is there were no other incidents on the night. In light of this and that some players have already been addressed in South Africa, as well as the fact that the behaviour of players on tour aside from the night in question was appropriate, no further penalties will be imposed on individuals.”Problems surrounding WA’s performance have been long-running, prompting concerned comment from the national selector John Inverarity and the Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards in recent days. Having both played with distinction for WA in the past, Inverarity and Edwards expressed hope that the issues brought to a head in South Africa would be addressed.To that end, the WACA board has endorsed the setting up of an independent review of the game in the state.”Team management and the chief executive officer have identified some issues relating to the underlying culture within the Warriors and Scorchers,” the statement said, “and have recommended that steps be taken to ensure that we have a winning culture within all teams representing the WACA.”The WACA Board has approved a recommendation from management for a full and independent review to be carried out to identify underlying issues that may be impacting on teams representing the WACA. A code of conduct and behavioural guidelines will be developed with education opportunities identified and resources made available to both players and staff. There will also be an individual focus on counselling strategies as needed for members of the playing group.”The WACA will continue to examine its structures, processes and culture, and to raise our professional standards to the highest level. We will be judged by our actions going forward rather than our words.”

On a surface that even New Zealand’s tail made seem friendly, three of Sri Lanka’s big four batsmen could not manage better than single figures, and Kane Williamson said the value of those wickets could not be understated

Andrew Fernando at the P Sara26-Nov-2012On a surface that even New Zealand’s tail made seem friendly, three of Sri Lanka’s big four batsmen could not manage better than single figures, and Kane Williamson said the value of those wickets could not be understated, given the pitch remained good for batting.New Zealand amassed 412 on the P Sara surface, thanks in the main to a 262-run partnership between Ross Taylor and Williamson, which was almost chanceless beyond the first hour of their union. In reply, however, Sri Lanka were reduced to 12 for 3 inside the first six overs of their innings, with their most experienced men in the top order all falling to New Zealand’s opening bowlers.Angelo Mathews then joined Tharanga Paranavitana at the crease and the pair survived the remaining 11.5 overs until stumps, but two boundaries that Mathews ventured in one Tim Southee over suggested the wicket had plenty more runs to give. The New Zealand bowlers also had far less assistance from the conditions than in Galle, achieving only a fraction of the movement they had showed themselves capable of gaining in the first Test.”It’s great to finish the evening the way we did, getting those three wickets,” Williamson said. “I guess that makes our first innings total look a lot better, and there is a lot of pressure going on the Sri Lankan side tomorrow.
“But as Mathews showed towards the end when he started playing some shots, it is still a good wicket.”Few would have imagined New Zealand would be in a position to pursue a large first-innings total only a few days ago, after their batsmen had collapsed woefully in their second innings in Galle, recording their lowest total in an already bleak year. Williamson’s doughty 135 and a measured 142 from Taylor were the backbone of New Zealand’s innings and Williamson said time in the nets had been key to their turnaround, in the absence of adequate match practice. The limited-overs leg of the tour was ravaged by rain, and the match schedule did not allow New Zealand time to play a warm-up before the Tests.”It’s been tough not having time in the middle and batting in the one-dayers, the circumstances didn’t allow you to figure out whether you were hitting the ball well or not. I’ve been practising hard this week and it was very nice to put together an innings. I had a lot of time with batting coach, and hit a lot of balls.”Williamson’s century was the third of his Test career and his second in the subcontinent, but he had only passed fifty once since his last hundred, a match saving 102 not out in Wellington. He said encouragement and insight from his more experienced team-mates helped him overcome the dry spell.”I talked to Brendon McCullum and a few of the other batsmen, just to get my head around a few things because I hadn’t scored for a few Tests. They all helped out and the team were supportive. Having not scored in the first Test, it was good to get the word from them on how things played here and take that into this match.”Despite their terrific position, New Zealand must still take 17 more wickets on a surface showing few signs of wear, if they are to score an unexpected triumph. Thilan Samaraweera moved down the order after he received stitches on his hand for split webbing, but he is expected to bat in Sri Lanka’s first innings, and beyond the batsmen, the tail is one of the more capable Sri Lanka have fielded, with last man in Shaminda Eranga having made a first-class ton.”They’ve got some seriously good cricketers, and to bowl them out twice is not going to be an easy feat,” Williamson said. “We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves and we know we have to play good cricket each time we go out there.”

Hurried along at a cracking pace by Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, South Africa’s lead over Australia is already a vast 292 runs at the end of day two in Perth

Daniel Brettig01-Dec-2012South Africa 225 and 2 for 230 (Amla 99*, Smith 84) lead
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRicky Ponting was lbw for 4•Getty Images

When the critical moment of the series arrived, South Africa grabbed it with a ruthlessness entirely befitting the world’s No. 1 team. On the day they had hoped for a valedictory Perth century from Ricky Ponting to capitalise on a strong opening to the match, Australia were instead dismantled with the bat and run ragged in the field. Hurried along at a cracking pace by Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, South Africa’s lead is already a vast 292 runs.Dale Steyn joined Smith and Amla in turning in a command performance, and the hosts’ response was limp, with only the isolated batting resistance of Matthew Wade and a pair of startling catches standing out amid mediocre batting and worse bowling. Ponting’s rapid exit was a sombre subplot as South Africa’s bowlers clambered all over Australia’s batsmen, and Michael Clarke’s team were simply overwhelmed in the final session by the poise and aggression of Amla and Smith. Much like Steyn, they identified the time to strike with fearful precision.United when Alviro Petersen fell shortly after tea to Mitchell Johnson’s thrilling return catch, Smith and Amla tucked into poor spells from John Hastings and Mitchell Starc in particular. While Smith enjoyed a series of deliveries directed heedlessly at his pads, Amla toyed with Australia’s bowling and fielding placings by moving across the crease with impunity to flick to the legside or drive handsomely through the off. He finished the day only a run shy of a century in the final session.

Smart stats

• Australia’s total of 163 is their lowest in the first innings in Perth since January 1993, when they scored 119 against a West Indies attack of Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Courtney Walsh. In 19 Tests at the WACA between these two matches, Australia had never scored less than 200.

• For only the second time in the last 75 years, and the fourth time ever, each of Australia’s top seven batsmen scored less than 14 in their first innings of a Test.

• The 178-run stand between Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, which came off 153 balls, is the third-fastest 150-plus stand recorded in Test cricket.

• Dale Steyn is one of only two bowlers to dismiss Michael Clarke seven times in Tests. Ishant Sharma is the other. Clarke is one of four batsmen to be dismissed seven times by Steyn.

• Since the beginning of 2007, only once has Amla had a spell of more than four successive innings without at least a half-century in Tests.

• South Africa’s 414 for 4 in 2008 is the highest winning fourth-innings total in a Perth Test.

Smith too deserved a century, but was thwarted in his quest by a hook he did not quite control and another stunning catch, this time by Nathan Lyon. Whatever succour Australia took from this moment was to be greatly reduced when Lyon appeared to lose his footing and spilled a simpler chance offered by Jacques Kallis shortly after – the drop more representative of the hosts’ foggy approach to the evening’s play, which completed perhaps their worst day’s cricket at home since Clarke became captain.It was almost as though Australia’s players had been overcome by melancholy at the events of the morning. Granted an opening by David Warner’s poor stroke to Dale Steyn’s first ball of the day, the visitors produced bowling of the highest quality on a WACA ground pitch that had quickened overnight to rumble the hosts for 163.Quieter than usual for most of this series, Steyn pounced on what may come to be remembered as this series’ most pivotal day, moving the ball at high pace and conjuring arguably the ball of the series to find the outside edge of Australia’s captain and batting cornerstone Clarke. Vernon Philander contributed the wicket of Ponting, his skidding trajectory winning a second lbw of the innings on a surface not lending itself to such dismissals with its steep bounce.Robin Peterson extracted a measure of revenge for a pair of earlier sixes by defeating Wade after lunch, and the left-arm spinner added the wickets of Mitchell Johnson and Hastings to round up the innings and more than justify his selection.Resuming at 2 for 33, Warner and the nightwatchman Lyon were charged with setting a foundation for Ponting and others. Warner kicked his commission away however with a flat-footed swish at his first sight of Steyn, an edge clearly audible though the opener compounded his error by calling haltingly for a review. With no strongly contradicting evidence available on replays, Richard Kettleborough’s finger was raised a second time.Ponting nearly shovelled his first ball to midwicket, but found a sharp single to get off the mark in his penultimate Test innings. That brought Lyon on strike to face Steyn, and first ball he was turned around by a well-pitched outswinger and the snick was held in the gully.Willed on by a capacity crowd and countless television watchers, Ponting swivelled into one pull shot from Philander, the stroke looking attractive but not timed with the precision of his younger days. It was to be his only signature moment, as Philander whirred one down the line of middle and off to pin Ponting lbw. For what seemed reasons as much emotional as tactical, Clarke unwisely allowed Ponting to refer the decision, which confirmed the right call had been made, thus stripping the hosts of their remaining review.Dominant as he has been this year, an outstanding delivery was required to dismiss Clarke, and Steyn duly provided it. Angling into the stumps before bending away treacherously late, Clarke did well to edge it, and South Africa rejoiced Australia’s punch-drunk tally of 6 for 45. Wade and Hussey resisted for a time, the wicketkeeper taking the attacker’s role while the senior batsman tried to weather a hostile spell from Morne Morkel.Wade’s innings showed that runs could most certainly be scored, but he lost Hussey not long before lunch as he pushed indeterminately at a Morkel delivery from around the wicket and presented a slips catch to Smith. Hastings fought out the remaining minutes of the morning, and after lunch gave Wade some stout company.The stand was worth 40 when Wade miscalculated against Peterson, ending an innings that might have tilted the match had it been allowed to continue for another hour. Johnson’s defeat was the result of subtle variations in flight from Peterson and a not-so-subtle response from the batsman, while Hastings was last out when Petersen took a steepling chance and then regathered it after stepping momentarily over the boundary rope at long off.The opening overs of South Africa’s innings featured a couple of nervy moments for Smith in particular, but all 10 wickets remained intact when tea was called. Alviro Petersen would be lost shortly after the resumption when he popped up a bouncer off glove or bat handle that Johnson did wonderfully well to catch after an athletic chase and dive, but the rest was to be a procession. South Africa are not quite hoisting the ICC’s Test Championship mace yet, but after this day’s domination they may as well be.