Cow Corner Blog

Patience is a virtue

Sun Jul 13 09:05AM

South Africa 242-1: STUMPS The new ball is gradually losing its shine - and with it goes interest in today's action. Nothing more to tell you about as the day's play comes to a close with South Africa on 242-1, a grand total of 104 runs behind England. It certainly makes for an interesting day tomorrow. Or not, as the case may be. See you then.

South Africa 233-1: McKenzie reaches 100! Well played! That might not have been the most scintillating innings ever, but it has been patient and calm - just what South Africa needed this morning. The job is still only half done though and his muted celebration says as much.

South Africa 224-1: Anderson is enjoying the new ball, which he's firing up into the vicinity of Amla's beard. The South African survives and boosts his confidence in the next over with a lovely half-volley drive for four off Broad's bowling.

South Africa 213-1: Sidebottom is finding a bit of swing with the new ball and new batsman Amla looks a little troubled by the movement. Meanwhile, today's exertions have finally taken their toll on McKenzie, who hits the deck with cramp at and asks for the trainer. He makes a speedy recovery though and soon gets the scoreboard ticking over - he's on 92 now.

South Africa 204-1: WICKET! Finally! Smith loses concentration for one mad, rash moment and skies an attempted hook shot off Anderson's bowling. Pietersen races in to take it and Smith departs for 107! The new ball, only an over-and-a-half old, is already reaping benefits.

South Africa 200-0: McKenzie clips Pietersen off his legs to bring up the 200. Two balls later there's a chance! A chance! But Ambrose puts it down after the ball found the edge of Smith's bat. And the crowd slouch back into their seats.

South Africa 194-0: KP is brought into the attack. Oh dear, he's bowling in his shades - and the sun's not even out. Smith shows his contempt by planting his front foot way down the pitch and smacking him to the boundary.

South Africa 187-0: DRINKS. Makes ours a gin and tonic. The shadows are lengthening and still England search for a wicket. Smith flicks one off his legs to bring up his 15^th Test ton - and he duly milks the applause from the thoroughly bored Lord's crowd.

South Africa 167-0: Broad digs a few in short now, but McKenzie and Smith swat the ball away without any fuss. At the other end, both batsmen appear happy to pad the ball away from Monty's bowling, as long as their bats are raised high enough out of the way. The tourists trail by 179.

South Africa 163-0: Stuart Broad is brought into the attack in a bid to spice things up. The crowd like it, but Smith edges a slower ball for four and England's frustration grows.

South Africa 155-0: Now steady on just a minute. McKenzie threatens to inject a bit of excitement into proceedings with another pulled boundary (the second in two overs, nonetheless), this time off Panesar. And then the crowd come to life with ironic jeers at Strauss after he makes a total hash of what he thinks is a clever tactic - making an early slide as the ball approaches the boundary to fool the batsmen into not taking another run - only to sell the dummy to Pietersen instead and allow it to run through for another four. Understandably, Monty's far from pleased.

South Africa 138-0: Despite a slightly more upbeat approach from the England attack following a spot of light refreshment in the pavilion - Collingwood actually breaks five miles per hour on his run-up to bowl - McKenzie soon dampens their enthusiasm by pulling for a rare boundary. Still no wicket.

TEA: A cup of weak tea, salmon paste sandwiches with the crusts cut off and a slice of three-month old Battenburg cake is the order of the day for Cowers.

South Africa 128-0: TEA. Collingwood is into the attack, attempting to show that he has all-round qualities...unfortunately, he is faring about as well with the ball as he has recently with the bat... Another session for South Africa...

South Africa 114-0: Smith and McKenzie have managed to bat through an entire day's play before - although it was only against Bangladesh. In Chittagong in February this year, they went on to set a world record opening stand...

South Africa 104-0: McKenzie's scoring rate is just 24.39 at the moment. Boycott-esque. Still no sign of a breakthrough, and you can sense the growing frustration in the England camp. Anderson has a few words to say to McKenzie when the batsman mis-times a cut. 

South Africa 97-0: Two half-chances in the space of an over! First McKenzie edges low past Ambrose, the ball bouncing just before passing the glove of the diving England keeper. Then Smith drives in the air through cover, perfectly disecting two England fielders placed strategically for that very shot. 

South Africa 88-0: Smith brings up his half-century, his 23rd Test fifty, 106 balls and six fours. The run-rate is just hovering above two, which is hardly thrilling for the crowd. 

South Africa 75-0: Anderson is still getting a little reverse swing, but Smith and McKenzie are very watchful. 

South Africa 67-0: The afternoon session is underway with a Panesar maiden. England are complaining to the umpires about the ball, trying to get it changed. Bowden is having none of it. 

South Africa 67-0: LUNCH: South Africa are unbeaten in the morning session, although they have only added 54 runs at a run-rate of 1.93. 

South Africa 51-0: Sidebottom has found some reverse swing, which has encouraged England a little. He has a decent LBW shout rejected by Umpire Billy Bowden, who saw enough doubt that the ball had come back enough to the right-handed McKenzie. Vaughan is creating some very unorthodox fields, but still there are no chances to speak of. 

South Africa 49-0: Just ten runs have come from the last ten overs, but there is no real sense that England are managing to increase the pressure on Smith and McKenzie. Panesar has got plenty men around the bat, but it is all quite serene at the moment. 

South Africa 45-0: The first chance of the morning....but it's a slim one. Smith gets an inside edge on a Panesar delivery as he attempts to drive on the off-side, but Ambrose doesn't have time to react behind the stumps and the ball cannons off his pads.

South Africa 42-0: There hasn't even been a sniff of a wicket this morning. It is a very good day for batting; conditions are perfect. It's times like this that the prospect of getting Flintoff back into the side is very appealing. 

South Africa 39-0: No sign of Panesar yet this morning. Most of the chat was that he was going to be a key player in this second innings, but Vaughan is attempting to give his seamers the chance to make the breakthrough. 

South Africa 22-0: With the tourists having little incentive to attack, England have got to make the batsmen play more than they are doing at the moment. Far too many deliveries are being left alone by McKenzie and Smith.

South Africa 19-0:  Sidebottom and Anderson have the ball at the moment. Vaughan is experimenting with a couple of interesting field placings, including a man in at silly mid-off for McKenzie.

South Africa 13-0: The South African openers make their way down the steps to join England and the umpires in the middle...and we're underway.

10.48 Just ten minutes away now. England have a nice new ball to attack Smith and McKenzie with...you can bet that Vaughan won't be throwing it to Monty and KP again... 

10.29 Lord's is filling up; it really is a beautiful day out there, although perhaps not as warm as it appears. I bet the England bowlers slept well last night after a day in the field yesterday - but have they recovered their energies enough to muster a similar effort on a flat, slow wicket again today?  

10.18 Some pessamistic chat on the messageboards, with mjprescott72 and tony_villiers predicting a eye-gougingly dull couple of days, with South Africa prodding and leaving their way to a draw. Crickey, friends - let's hope not. The thought of 180 overs of stout defence leaves me ready to tear off my own fingernails in frustration.

10.00 grammarman2001 believes England should forget about "has-beens like Flintoff". True, he hasn't scored many runs for England in the last two years - but it's difficult to score runs when you haven't played a Test match for 14 months.

9.49 The weather, meanwhile, is perfect over Lord's. Plenty blue skies, and no threat of rain for the next couple of days. 

9.38 Meanwhile, Andrew Strauss uses his Telegraph column to damn some of his team-mates with faint praise:

"The key to winning this series, though, and probably next year's Ashes as well, is likely to lie with our bowlers. You need 20 wickets to win a game, and although we don't possess quite the pace that South Africa offer, our bowlers will definitely ask questions of their batting line-up. The combination of Ryan Sidebottom, who has been a revelation, James Anderson and Stuart Broad has not been fully tested yet, but it has the makings of a well-balanced attack, with a left-arm swing bowler, a skiddy right-arm swinger, and a hit-the-deck bowler.

"They may not strike real fear into the opposition ranks, but if they can combine the New Zealanders' nagging accuracy with their natural swing and a little hostility, then they should be a match for anyone." 

9.22 baobabjim is up early this morning, with the first contribution on the messageboards. Bad dream, my friend? Perhaps workmen on the road outside? Or did you have to get up to take the dog for a walk? Do tell. 

9.20 The newspapers this morning are lapping up England's efforts like a mangey moggy over a bowl of Tip Top. David Gower, in the Sunday Times, has been mulling over the possible return of Andrew Flintoff, "the folk hero from Lancashire".

"If Paul Collingwood keeps his place, who goes? Sadly it might have to be Stuart Broad, who has done almost everything that has been asked of him. It sounds highly ironic to be talking about leaving him out when he has been making runs more easily than the man I have just kept in but we have to keep in mind the main tasks allotted to each individual.

"Broad’s runs have been impressive and very welcome, especially with the paucity of runs from the men immediately above him in the order, but his main job has been with the ball. Again he has been very good, persistent, lively and accurate but the problem is that Flintoff offers the same but with added clout - what they call in the trade a "heavier ball". For the rest of us, it means he bowls quicker than Broad. "

Seems harsh to drop Broad, doesn't it?

9.00 Good morning, cricket fans! Welcome to our coverage of the fourth day of the first Test from Lord's. England thrilled yesterday, but face another long day in the field today after enforcing the follow-on.

There are crumbs of comfort for South Africa. The wicket is, basically, very flat and even-paced, and the weather is unlikely to offer any extra assistance to England's seam bowlers over the next couple of days.

Also, two years ago, England racked up 551-6dec in their first innings here against Sri Lanka - who had admittedly not been foolish enough to invite their hosts to bat - before dismissing the tourists for just 192 for a 359-run first-innings lead.

Sri Lanka were left with an unlikely two-and-a-half days to bat for a draw. But, inspired by captain Mahela Jayawardene's 119 they did it, reaching 537-9 before the handshakes were offered.

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