By Neil Hallam at Derby
First day of three: Derbyshire 337 v South Africa (88-2) SOUTH AFRICA'S coach, Bob Woolmer, did not quite say that leg-spinner Ian Salisbury holds no fears for them. You did not, however, have to search between the lines with a magnifying glass at Derby's windswept County Ground yesterday to appreciate that this was the import of his words as he discussed the possibility of facing the Surrey man who is strongly tipped to return to the England side for the fourth Test at Trent Bridge this week.
Salisbury has taken 34 wickets in first-class cricket at 18.61 apiece this season and Woolmer conceded that there are those who consider South Africa susceptible to the turning ball.
But he insisted: ``I cannot, to be honest about it, see Salisbury being more of a threat to us than Mushtaq Ahmed and Shane Warne and we've had a fair bit of experience against them fairly recently.
``Warne bowled us out in Sydney last winter but after seven trips to the sub-continent in five years we've got a pretty good idea about handling all types of spin in all conditions.
``We always expected to face Salisbury at some stage and we'll treat him with respect if he's chosen. But no, we do not have any qualms about leg-spin.''
South Africa could have been excused for having few qualms about facing Derbyshire when they saw a scorecard showing that Dominic Cork, Kim Barnett and Phil DeFreitas had been excused duty and that Adrian Rollins was absent through injury.
It did, indeed, look like becoming the gentlest of workouts for South Africa when Derbyshire, having won the toss and opted for first use of an easy-paced pitch, were listing heavily at 94 for six - but Michael Slater changed all that with a record-breaking 185 which turned one bowler after another into a victim of assault and enabled his side to reach 337 all out in 73 overs.
The Australian opener's previous best in first-class cricket for Derbyshire was 47 but he made a century off 87 balls in an AXA League game last Sunday and followed on in similarly buoyant mood to reach his century off 129 balls and pass 150 off 222, including a six over midwicket against Paul Adams and 23 fours.
Slater, nimble and quick- witted, passed his previous best outside Australia, the 152 he made against England at Lord's in 1994, and then reeled in the record for the highest score by a Derbyshire batsman against a touring side by overtaking the 164 of John Wright against the Pakistanis in 1978.
It was exhilarating stuff as Derbyshire rattled along at close to five runs an over and Slater found rather more durable support from the lower order than had been forthcoming from their supposed betters.
Michael May, who played an important part in Derbyshire's victory over the Australians last season, this time fell to his first ball, steering Shaun Pollock obligingly to cover, and Slater was in danger of being marooned when Robin Weston, Matt Cassar, Ben Spendlove and Karl Krikken all fell cheaply.
Glenn Roberts, with an enterprising 40, helped to put on 69 in 13 overs, Paul Aldred lent solid support as 70 was added in a dozen overs and Kevin Dean kept an end secure in a stand worth 80 in 20 overs before Slater's frolic was cut short by a top-edged cut against Makhaya Ntini. For once the shot was off balance. Otherwise Slater's footwork was an object lesson for England's fast-footed batsmen and there was more to admire in his keenness to turn ones into twos and twos into threes with hard running.
Pollock confirmed his recovery from a thigh injury with three wickets for 58 in 15 overs and there was more good news for South Africa from back home.
Lance Klusener, who also missed the third Test and flew back to Johannesburg on Friday, is to undergo a fitness test in the nets at Pretoria's Centurion Park tomorrow under the scrutiny of orthopaedic specialist Dr Fif Ferreira, the consultant who has also treated Pollock and Donald, after two injections and two scans on his injured ankle failed to reveal any serious damage.
Woolmer explained: ``Lance will bowl six or seven overs and if this suggests that the problem is simply a soft-tissue injury he will fly to England later in the day and be back here on Tuesday.
``He's an important part of our line-up. I wouldn't rule him out for Trent Bridge but we'll know more after Monday.''
Day 2: Cronje's century dazzles Derby
By Neil Hallam at Derby
Second day of four: Derbyshire (337 & 57-0) trail S Africans (453-9dec) by 59 runs
DERBYSHIRE's chances of beating a senior touring team for the fourth time in five seasons receded to the far horizon as Hansie Cronje's masterful 195 provided a daunting test for an inexperienced attack in which young seamer Trevor Smith took five for 88 in only his third first-class match.
With Dominic Cork and Phil DeFreitas rested, Andrew Harris a long-term casualty and an easy-paced pitch doing little to encourage seam or spin, Cronje suffered few alarms in becoming the sixth South African century-maker of the summer as the tourists cruised to 453 for nine declared in their final match before the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.
Derbyshire, who beat New Zealand in 1994, India two years later and the Australians last summer, cut a deficit of 116 by 57 without loss in the 16 overs remaining. But they are unlikely to repeat the success they enjoyed on South Africa's last appearance in the county in 1965.
A seven-wicket victory was achieved then, despite the fact that fast bowler Harold Rhodes was called for throwing. Six members of that Derbyshire team were there yesterday at the former players' luncheon to see Cronje dominate a day on which 421 runs were scored.
He escaped on 150 when a lofted drive against left-arm-spinner Glenn Roberts was spilled at long-off, but was otherwise without blemish in overtaking his previous best for South Africa, the 165 he scored against Tasmania last December.
A fourth-wicket stand of 138 in 19 overs established control for South Africa before Daryll Cullinan, who spent a season with Derbyshire in 1995, fell on 80 to a ball which seamed away and Jonty Rhodes was deceived by a clever change of pace which confirmed the good impression made by 21-year-old Smith. Roberts and Paul Aldred suffered under Cronje, but left-arm seamer Kevin Dean emerged with some credit.
Day 3: Surgery blow to Klusener Test hope
By Neil Hallam at Derby
Derbys (337 & 337-4) drew with South Africans (453-9 dec)
SOUTH African all-rounder Lance Klusener must undergo ankle surgery on Thursday and is not expected to be available for the start of the home Test series against the West Indies in November.
After bowling in the nets yesterday Klusener was told by orthopaedic specialist Dr Fif Ferreria that the problem was chronic tendinitis, exacerbated by loose footholds during the third Test at Old Trafford. No decision on a replacement for the present tour will be made until convenor of selectors Peter Pollock arrives in England today.
This news did nothing to lift South African spirits on an attritional day on which Michael May's 101 off 200 balls, including 14 fours, provided the ballast for Derbyshire to bat throughout and claim the draw at 337 for four, 221 ahead.
No innings from May could be a thing of grace and beauty. He is the wrong shape for elegance, stocky and bulky, and his strokes are stolidly functional rather than fluid and captivating.
He does, however, tend to avoid the worst consequences when technique fails and the ball beats or clips the bat - which was often yesterday.
There was much head-shaking from bowlers during May's occupation and only a minority of the South Africans were impressed enough to applaud his century or his departure to a miscued cut.
Five of May's 16 first-class appearances have been against touring teams, this innings taking his aggregate in these games to 450 for an average of 75 and providing the platform for Matt Cassar to frustrate the tourists further with an unbeaten 91.