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Day1: Donald's pace too hot for England

Johannesburg For weeks it had been billed as the Donald and Atherton show, but the way Allan Donald, alias White Lightning, struck at the Wanderers yesterday, England were also no doubt wondering if there had been a grain of truth in the fitness theory as well.

For a man of whom many wondered might not be sitting out this opening Test of the five-match series, his response was a blistering attack and scorched earthy policy and a six wicket- haul to edged him closer to the 300 wickets mark he hopes to achieve this season.

With Shaun Pollock acting as the pace attack's senior lieutenant, the South African duo produced the fast bowling fire power which not only routed England for a first innings score of 122 in a matter of 41.4 overs. It left the tourists pondering their own philosophy as South Africa, at 61 for one at the close were 58 runs adrift after day one.

Donald and Pollock had done the job their captain, Hansie Cronje, had expected after winning the toss: taking the10 wickets available between them with the first hour's play dripping with more drama than a Shakespeare play.

The theatre stage, better known as the bullring was humming as was the noisy crowd said at a mid-afternoon head count to reach almost 12 000. After all, England, in a matter of 17 deliveries had been reduced to two for four and the series had barely started with Atherton's off-stump ripped out of the ground by a delivery which jagged back to beat the so-called broadest bat in England.

Not since the morning of the Test against India in November 1992 had an innings lay in such ruins: South Africa's top-order laid waste at 12 for three and later 48 for five before the revival. This was different though. Seven years ago it had been Manoj Prabhakar and Kapil Dev who sowed the early seeds of destruction. Yesterday it was Donald and Pollock. South Africa were also in trouble against Bobby Simpson's side at 58 for five in the first Test of that series on day one but bounced back to win that one.

Yesterday, though, not even the noisy Barmy Army chorus could raise the English spirit. There have been worse starts in a Test: India against England in 1952 was one with Fred Trueman making his debut. New Zealand against South Africa at Ellis Park in 1953-54 was another with Neil Adcock firing them in.

Yesterday we had Donald, motoring in and delivering balls anything between 135 and 138 kmp/h, on a surface made for fast bowling and with four wickets down and only two runs on the board England's batting efforts resting on the shoulders of debutants Chris Adams and Michael Vaughan.

Not at all a comfortable feeling for any tourist, but Donald was all fire, all zip and all go, the ball skating around and seaming about at an alarmingly fast pace for the first hour.

Had he been caught driving his car at such speeds Donald would have been fined; in the cauldron that is a Test match, the only protection the batsman has is a bat, his helmet and abdomen protector.

At one stage the scoreboard displayed the story: a single to Mark Butcher followed by five naughts propped up by a solitary leg bye. Not the sight anyone in the England camp would have enjoyed and Nasser Hussain's pre-match prophecy starting to dig unpleasantly in at the midriff; the sort of uncomfortable elbow jolt to bring home the facts of the harsh realities of what a Test is all about.

Donald letting loose a barrage of bazooka shells supported by Pollock's rocket propelled missiles tearing apart the defences.

There was that dramatic delivery to Atherton: the ball skating around off the pitch and scything through the air: luring the batsman forward, Donald, the war paint white stripe across his nose, throwing arms aloft to the glowering heaven and turning to his captain, Cronje, signalling his moment of triumph. Round one of the Donald-Atherton duel to the fast bowler: it did not even get down to a one on one struggle, just a tester then the armour-piercing rocket which left the batsman in no man's land as he pushed forward; and it was only the sixth ball of the day, the first dramatic over of the series.

Six balls later it was Pollock's turn: a lifter kicking up at Hussain and the England captain standing a moment before the Indian umpire, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, signalling the long walk to the pavilion as the small, vocal crowd joined in.

Butcher, the left-hander, edging a catch to give Mark Boucher the first of his bag of five and Alec Stewart trapped in front the next ball; high drama and long before high noon. The now ball skating around on a surface designed to aid cut and seam as well as pace and found England's top-order unable to cope with the aggressive South African approach.

Adams started the rallying call and Vaughan followed his example in a brash, gutsy display with Andrew Flintoff deciding that attack was better than perishing meekly. The result was a 52 runs partnership. Alan Mullally had his moment of glory when he hoisted Donald for six, pulling the ball into the arc and watching in sail over the boundary.

It was Donald though who won the battle: his career best of six for 53 against England with Pollock's impressive four for 16 in 14.4 overs taking him past the 150 Test wicket mark. The boyhood heroes had won the day for South Africa.

Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten then rubbed it in as they took hold of the England bowling attack and adopting a positive attitude saw the score to 61 for one with Gibbs, who had looked so much in control in the nets ending on 28 not out and Jacques Kallis undefeated with six. There were times Gibbs drove with purpose, timing and confidence and made the England attack look ordinary.

When bad light stopped play with 16 overs remaining South Africa had taken control of the match which has four days remaining and Cronje no doubt confident of further success.

Day2: Cullinan batting sparkles in record century effort

Johannesburg - Daryll Cullinan does not believe in the brash modern trend of wearing diamond ear studs to signify it being a personal trademark, putting together a century of memorable strokeplay is more his style.

He did that with remarkable alacrity at the Wanderers yesterday and entered his name not just in the record books but also helped South Africa establish, with Herschelle Gibbs, firm control of the this first Test of the series against England.

With no chance of bad light cutting short the second day, the large noisy afternoon crowd was treated to some of Lance Klusener's swashbuckling, World Cup style, batting tactics and South Africa at 386 for six led England by 264 runs.

Yet it was that Cullinan sparkle which provided us with the day's major moments of entertainment. And after doubts about his form from two innings against Zimbabwe and the match against the tourists at SuperSport Park last weekend, his form yesterday was as glittering as any of the chips left lying around off the Cullinan diamond when it was cut up.

His ninth Test century was not just a matter of style or perfection, either: it saw him equal those of Dudley Nourse and Gary Kirsten who also have nine and at some stage in this series either Cullinan or Kirsten should become the record-holder.

Not that joining the ranks of those two trailblazers was on his mind when he joined Gibbs, it was, at the start establishing form of domination, a matter helping South Africa grind down the opposition the way the Australians have turned it into an uncomfortable habit for the hapless opposition.

While Gibbs batted in his own comfort zone and looked accomplished with it as well, Cullinan showed off his style from the first boundary, a handsome drive off Andrew Caddick which had that glittering stamp of approval from the Bradman School of Batting technique.

None of the fancy, airy-fairy stuff which had the selectors wondering about their man enough to "rest him" for the slogs in Kenya.

Here was the sort of vintage Cullinan whose maturity in style and the need to work the run rate up a notch or two found a willing partner in Gibbs during their partnership of 96 which did so much to push the South African innings into the ascendancy as the England bowlers toiled on a pitch which had lost its bite.

One thing about Gibbs, he always looks comfortable with his stance: it gives him the ability to time the ball and there were times yesterday when he had as much on his mind about South Africa belting out an impressive lead as scoring his own century. It would have been his third until chipped the left-arm seamer Alan Mullally into his stumps, departing for 81 after facing 222 balls.

Yet when you compare Gibbs taking 164 balls over his 50 and Cullinan taking only 103 balls it is easy to see why South Africa needed an anchor role to allow the two batsmen rotate their strike rate and build the total.

The left-handed Klusener reached his third Test half-century with a vicious square-cut off Mullally the ball after he had been grassed by Michael Vaughn with the boundary his eighth off 60 balls, which not only took the game out of England's reach but emphasised yet again the strength of the South African lower-order.

What a position to be in: Klusener, Shaun Pollock and Mark Boucher at seven, eight and nine in the order, it demonstrates the depth South Africa have in their side.

There were times when England were waiting for the second new ball that the support trio of Andy Flintoff, Gavin Hamilton and Michael Vaughan were going through the motions and doing a holding job. And if England had hoped for quick wickets with the new ball they were in for a disappointment: at 196 for three it seemed a good choice open to Nasser Hussain.

Cullinan cracked the first delivery from Caddick through the covers for four to bring up the 200 and send further ominous signals to England that their bowling plot had become threadbare.

Day3: Stewart almost defies the Donald and Pollock onlaught

Johannesburg - Five years ago it was "Stewart of Barbados" yesterday it was almost "Alec of the Bullring" as the Surrey batsman did what he could to hoist the banner of St George and rescue England yet again.

Only this time the heroics during an innings of guts and determination and courage was not quite going to be enough to help the tourists withstand another blistering attack from White Lightening, better known as Allan Donald.

As South Africa last night stood on the brink of going 1-0 up in the five match series as the first Test struggled into a fourth day, England at 188 for seven were still 93 runs adrift of South Africa's first innings total of 403 for nine, declared.

And while the theory that is going to be Donald's match with 11 wickets for a cost of 105 runs, it is no so much that old label of "Duck, here comes Donald which counts but the quality of support he has had at the other end from Shaun Pollock. It was Pollock's opening spell which did much to destroy the top order of England's second innings.

Bowling fuller than Donald and balls which "exploded" on their way through it is hard to fault the man whose strike rate has lifted him to top of the Test bowling rankings. The delivery which removed Mike Atherton for a pair in this match was as good as any we are going to see in this series. Atherton's two visits to the crease have been all of three balls; not quite what England had been hoping.

Hansie Cronje took the opportunity of the 57 minutes break in play for light and drizzle to declare the innings closed and give his bowlers a second chance at England. Especially the way Darren Gough had been zipping the ball around and claiming two wickets: on the brink as it were for a second hattrick in his career. He is not the sort to harbour grudges or feel miffed at Cronje's decision not to expose Paul Adams to the subtleties Yorkshireman's of swing and seam.

With Atherton gone first ball of the second over, well caught by Boucher, and Nasser Hussain squared up and his middle stump ripped out of the ground, by Pollock, England at 31for two were facing an innings defeat and the match wrapped up in three days.

Michael Vaughan came and went in 43 minutes, also lbw to Donald, but then came the touch of bravado and Stewart deciding that attack was the only option open to him. He started his innings with a six off Pollock and drove a couple of boundaries to post his intentions early on and, with his Surrey teammate, Mark Butcher, dragged England towards respectability.

Butcher anchored the innings and allowed Stewart to blaze away: a cruiser with battle colours flying and guns booming a message of grit and defiance. Not quite the Atherton trench warfare of four summers ago; more the bayonet charge than the grinding out of defence, an innings of heroes to bring a few smiles to the travailed among the British visitors, which included a large chunk of the Barmy Army on the open eastern terrace.

The fall of both batsmen soon after tea after they had pulled together a partnership of 104, spelled the end for the tourists faint hopes of avoiding an innings defeat, which will be the third in succession for South Africa.

First Butcher was cut down, cruelly so, to a lbw decision favouring Donald and wrung out of India umpire on the ICC panel, Srinivas Venkataraghavan; anyway the ball had pitch outside leg and looked to be going over the top. There was everything wrong with it and it opened up the other end, leaving Stewart the lone survivor of a wrecked top-order and, after the decision which had shot out his England and Surrey partner, wondering if his heroics were going to be of any use.

The end came for Stewart as swiftly as one of his cuts, caught at point by Jonty Rhodes who executed a catch of brilliant timing to give Donald the fourth wicket of the innings and his 10th of match, the third time he has taken 10 wickets in an innings during his Test career. It also saw him equal Hugh Tayfield's record of 75 Test wickets against England.

Stewart's departure at 166 was the beginning of what is the inevitable end of England's spirited challenge and watched by Keith Medlycott, the former Northerns coach and now Surrey's man in change, was also unimpressed. He agreed that England had not had a fair rub of the green. Take nothing away from Pollock or Donald's abilities, South Africa were a seamer light, which is just as well.

But a fair contest would have seen a more evenly balanced game at least as England, for all the brittle look of their top-order, are a far better side than this game has shown them to be.

South Africa began the morning comfortable in the knowledge that they had the advantage of stretching their lead from the overnight lead of 264 to just about whatever they wanted as long as they did not lose quick wickets. We had Klusener carrying on in the same aggressive mood for 12 minutes: punching two fours with all the intent of a blacksmith hammering a misshapen horseshoe into place.

While Gough may have slotted the ball into the right place and moved it nicely off the seam, Klusener's "power of one" was too much for a stressed out fielding side. A straight drive cannoned into the fence from a greasy surface before anyone had moved and there was the humiliating experience of a cover drive as pure as anything out of the Tony Lewis MCC coaching manual. Fair to say though, it was done more with a Natal twang than a Welsh lilt and the comment of "got that shot right" without the "boyo" explained the South African connection.

Then he tried to do too much. An elaborate attempt to drive found him pushing the bat down the wrong line and the ball nipping through the gap to rearrange the stumps and ending the partnership. Mark Boucher arrived, potted around and watched Pollock depart 26 balls later, Gough's second wicket of the morning and followed by Donald's the furniture knocked over as the Yorkshireman grinned: one more for the hattrick.

It was not to be, though, bad light and then light drizzle and Paul Adams walking out and then off again and the declaration during the 57 minutes hold up as the sullen skies held sway and England faced a first innings deficit of 281 runs.

Day4: Test gift-wrapped before lunch

Johannesburg - It was a matter of turning up for the inevitable with a free lunch thrown in, although the wine was not quite as vintage as Andrew Caddick's batting style, and to see whether Allan Donald would beat his best match analysis.

After 70 minutes it was all over. South Africa 1-0 up in the series before the routine post-match media post mortems were also out of the way and you were allowed to put on your best bib and have a glass of a 1998 merlot which needed a further10 years to mature.

By which time, if we are to believe the prophets of doom, Ian Botham in particular, the limited-overs slogs will also be under threat from some other form of gimmickry known as the super max. A Kiwi invention, is has neither the flair nor the character to be called a game except for anyone but the woolly minded soccer or rugby fan whose attention span has a problem handling an over delivered by either Allan Donald or Shaun Pollock.

Caddick's rustic batting charm saw him cut, scythed and belt out a career best 48 off 72 balls. We were treated to seven fours and a six and we were even allowed to glimpse a rarity in the match: a 50 partnership by England with Andrew Flintoff and Caddick for the eighth wicket. While it was in progress and Donald and Pollock were being tucked around the ground a thought surfaced that with a little more care and attention to batting basics, the game might even stretch beyond lunch and into the afternoon.

Why, South Africa may have been required to bat again which in itself these days is becoming a even rarer event. Such foolish dreams though were soon given a serious elbow jolt as reality returned. A partnership of 52 looked very handsome on the scoreboard, but it was not going to last.

Flintoff then came unstuck: Paul Adams, with his twist and shout bowling routine, forced the big Lancastrian into attempting a leg-side glide onto to get a leading edge for the left-arm wrist spinner to collect his 84th Test wicket.

It was then left to Pollock to blow away the tail: first Caddick, half yorked with the new ball only 20 balls old and after being tested by a delivery which he gloved over slips for his seventh four which took him past his previous best: 45 against New Zealand in the recent series.

Alan Mullally lasted two deliveries before edging a catch to Jacques Kallis at second slip.

So there it was, victory by an innings and 21 runs; an accomplished fact and the third in a row; South Africa celebrating in moderation, England glumly preparing for the next phase of the tour, a limited-overs slogs against a Gauteng XI in Lenasia on Wednesday before heading for Durban and a four-day match, starting on Friday against KwaZulu/Natal.