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King Kallis Reigns Supreme In Milestone Test

Legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis celebrated his 150^th test appearance in style, recording a career best 224 in front of his beloved Newlands faithful. As well confirming Kallis’ rightful place within the historical elite, the ‘King’s’ majestic knock ensured South Africa clinched both test and series victories against Sri Lanka, bringing an end to the baron run of home series wins the Proteas have endured since 2008.

Just a week ago, no one could say that this outcome to the series was a certainty as the Kingsmead crowd in Durban witnessed Sri Lanka level the three match series at 1-1 and Kallis himself collected his first international test pair. Many fans would have been forgiven a feeling of de ja vous as South Africa once again surrendered a series lead to seemingly inferior opposition.


Though by no means a certainty, the likelihood of South Africa winning the series became a whole lot greater after the toss when Dilshan took the bewildering decision to bowl on what looked a pretty harmless wicket, already being smothered in sunshine. In fairness to the Sri Lankan captain early wickets did fall, that of Smith and Amla. But the visible anguish with which Graeme Smith greeted his own demise pointed to the prevailing truth that this was the best batting track to be seen in the whole series. 


Queue Jacques Kallis. If anyone was to expose the limitations of the Sri Lankan attack coupled with the abhorrent decision to bowl, it was him. Like all good stories, the tale of Kallis' 150th test comes with its fair share of adversity. Fresh of a pair, he had received a waft of criticism in between tests for his playing of the short ball. So, understandably, Kallis started his milestone innings a little shaky. It looked as though Kallis wasn't going to die wondering as he offered chances to the Sri Lankan field with a few imperfectly timed pulls. Despite it presenting chances, this early period provided Kallis with quick runs, supplying a firm base from which to launch his record breaking innings. 


Soon after this exhibition of 'anything goes' stuff, Kallis adopted a manner of batting which reflected the innings significance both to him and his team. He looked imperious in defence as his strike rate gradually slowed to a less frenetic, but still speedy 100.00. Rarely before have I seen a batsman look so assured in defence that he may as well have been playing with a barn door. All the trademark Kallis drives were evident, however, as the first day ended with him on 159*.


From this position, Kallis and indeed South Africa never looked back. On day 1 of this test recalled Alviro Petersen had already notched up 109, but it was the arrival of AB De Villiers who joined Kallis that really signalled the end for Sri Lanka. These two put on the kind of partnership that had been lacking in Durban and both innings were as stunning as each other if not as historical. With Kallis eventually falling for 224, De Villiers drove home the Proteas advantage, making 160*. His last 60 runs coming off just 29 balls as South Africa stepped on the gas before making the attacking move of declaring on 580/4 half an hour before tea on the second day.


It is testament to Kallis' innings that this decision was made. Kallis had amassed his runs in quick time, not allowing the sight of personal milestones to detract from the ultimate goal of a series win. But the great man should be allowed now to reflect on what was a superb innings and a fitting way to mark 150 international test appearances. 


His role in this Test match didn't stop there though. Although he didn't bowl in Sri Lanka's reply, Kallis took some typically sharp slip catches as Sri Lanka were almost inevitably made to follow on. In Sri Lanka's second innings, Kallis took 3 wickets and a couple more world class catches. As if his home town fans couldn't be any more proud. 


Sri Lanka did in the end make South Africa bat again, though this amounted to the bowling of one no ball as the batsmen found themselves in the enviable position of chasing 2 runs to win. So the series was settled 2-1 and Jacques Kallis had a 150th game to cherish. No praise would be too high for this South African as he stands quite clearly as one of the best all-rounders the game has ever seen and remains a very real threat in the here and now to any opposition.







  

  

Jacques Kallis celebrates passing 200 for 

only the second time in an illustrious career.

Aussies triumph in series opener

No one can doubt the Australian’s ability to entertain in 2011. Their Test performances have been as exhilarating as they have been inconsistent with drawn series’ against South Africa and New Zealand producing some of the most enthralling Test cricket for years.

The 122 run victory over India in Melbourne will come as welcome relief from this X Factor style entertainment. The face behind the cushion moments of being skittled for 47 in South Africa and losing to New Zealand at home have been replaced by a familiar Australian competitive streak.

James Pattinson led an impressive seam attack which obliterated the dangerous Indian batting line up in the fourth innings, leaving the tourists 122 runs short of their 290 target.

Throughout the series opener, the Australian seamers served up a moving ball, one which the master batsmen of India were unable to cope with. Pattinson was in good company with club mate Peter Siddle and the recalled Ben Hilfenhaus all impressing and sending the Indians into a relapse of their tour of England.

Cheered on by his home crowd, Pattinson looked assured in what was only his third Test. He finished with match figures of 6/108, which underlines his ample ability and promise. It appears that Clarke has been able (in this Test at least) to harness the raw pace and movement of his younger bowlers and get them to bowl effectively to a plan: in this case full and straight.

The emergence of Pattinson has been of great comfort to a nation trying to replace the legends of yester year. Alongside the 18 year old Patrick Cummins, Pattinson tops the long list of emerging international bowlers in 2011, returning 5fors as well as signalling a return to the chirpy nature of the Australian frontline.

It is still clear that this Australian side isn’t a great one. But what is clear is the potential they hold and with such a prestigious recent history to aspire to, a comfortable win over India may just give them the confidence to kick on in this series and into 2012.

Solid batting displays from Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey point to the fact that Australia are still reliant on facets of this fading golden generation. Without their contributions, it may well have been a different story. Although debutant Ed Cowan scratched around for 68 in the first innings, his dismissal in the second innings reeked of inexperience at this level. Moreover, Twenty20 specialist David Warner looks like he needs more time to adjust to the challenge of batting time that a Test match demands.

Despite these misgivings this victory at the MCG is a huge improvement on the performance in last year’s Boxing Day Test. The Santa’s were back in place of the empty seats which decorated this venue last year against England, a sign indicative of public support for this bullish, busy frontline attack.

Australia will take a lot from this performance, not least a 1-0 lead in what promises to be a keenly contested series. They finish 2011 a million miles from where they started, but will need to demonstrate more of the same confidence and will to win in Sydney if this upturn in form is to continue.

It is not like Australia haven’t played well this year in places. Patrick Cummins’ inspired performance in Johannesburg led them to victory over what the second best Test nation in the world. However, this was surrounded by much less noteworthy team performances and remains the exception in 2011, rather than the rule.

As the circus moves onto Sydney, Clarke will know that he needs a repeat showing to convince a sceptical Australian public that this performance signals the new dawn, not another false one.

Alistair Cook

Too tall to ever be considered elegant, Alistair Cook is a left-handed opening batsman that defies convention. Many who have gone before and just as many today have given the left-handed opener an artistic persona, one defined by elegance, grace and ultimately in most cases, fragility. Cook, for better or worse, is none of the above. For every boundary that David Gower stroked through the covers, or for every time Phil Hughes goes about warming second slips hands, Cook has grabbed a leg-side single off his pads: tenfold.

Safe to say then that Cook has his own style. A style which is characterised a lot more by strength of mind than flicks of the wrist. One which is far removed from any stereotypical notion of the left-handed batsman that the mind conjures. However astonishing it may seem, Cook still appears to collect more than his fair share of criticism for this. I have heard pundits describe him as gangly, slow and even boring. Despite this the facts remain: Cook is the second youngest batsman ever to reach 5,000 test runs and looks set to break yet more records as he is still only 27.

766 of his 5,000 odd runs came in the 2010-11 Ashes series at an average of 95.75. We will all do well to remember that Cook was by no means first on the team sheet for this series. Perhaps it was only the lack of a suitable replacement that guaranteed his inclusion after relative failures during the summer of 2010. But if there was ever an example of a boy becoming a man, this was it. Against an albeit dubious Australian attack, Cook imposed his own brand of opening, batting literally for days on end in some cases and notching up plenty of his self styled ‘daddy hundreds’. With his wicket growing in significance, Cook only got better, refusing to quench his thirst for runs. His return in this series was no more than he deserved. Mechanically beautiful.

The expression ‘machine’ seems to be banded around the sporting world quite liberally these days. Often, I find myself sniggering at such a metaphor, Imagining Wayne Rooney as a Dyson DC04 or Ding Jun Hui as some sort of virtual pet. But in the case of Cook, I can think of none better. Whether he is building a meaningful opening partnership or wickets are falling around him, Cook continues to mechanically construct his innings like a finely tuned classic car engine.

Maybe this solidity goes some way to explaining much of the criticism levelled at him. Some may see this approach as one dimensional and inflexible. Indeed, some may view him as an engine without a gearbox, chugging along and incapable of stepping up his run rate when needed. To me however, this is fanciful. Cook is surrounded by the likes of Bell, Pietersen, Morgan and Prior who can all be relied upon to return a strike rate knocking on 150.00 and Cook bats with this in mind. To keep with the metaphor – if it aint broke, don’t fix it.

In the week that Virender Sehwag has just walloped 220 in 149 balls in an O.D.I it may not be in vogue to suggest that Cook is just as valuable in this arena as he is in his sanctuary of a test match. He has proven he can return a strike rate of 100 in this format, both home and away and avoided much of the flack England rightly took for their grounding whitewash in India earlier this Autumn. His captaincy of the O.D.I. side is bringing out the competitor in him and this can only be good with sterner tests awaiting both Cook and England.

We wait with anticipation for the Test Series against Pakistan from the U.A.E. Cook must be in good company salivating over flat tracks which offer little for the seamers over there. But I can’t help my attention drifting toward the South Africa 2012. It will be a test which is sterner than most but I am confident Cook will continue to enthral.