SINCLAIR STANDS BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND A ROUT

At stumps on the first day the tourists were 206 for seven after being sent in by Shaun Pollock, and although the pitch offered nowhere near the help South Africa might have anticipated, the home side had still had much the better of the day. Without Sinclair’s determined resistance, it would have been an excellent day for South Africa.

The 25-year-old from Wellington had batted for 267 minutes by the close, hitting 15 fours. He shared in the only partnership of any substance for New Zealand, adding 71 for the fifth wicket with Craig McMillan before the stand was ended 10 overs after tea.

McMillan had lasted 104 minutes for his 39, playing carefully until he tried to hook Pollock. The top edge flew down towards long leg where Makhaya Ntini sprinted in a dived forward to hold a quite superb catch. New Zealand were 172 at fall of the fifth wicket.

Adam Parore survived an impassioned appeal for a catch at the wicket off Pollock on 1, but managed only to double that score in three-quarters of an hour before Allan Donald came back with the second new to have him caught behind off a more distinctive edge at 194 for six.

South Africa took their eighth wicket of the day in the penultimate over of the day when Brooke Walker pushed tamely at Pollock for Daryll Cullinan to swallow the simplest of catches at first slip. He made just 3 and Shayne O’Connor survived 10 deliveries before stumps to give Sinclair a chance of reaching his second Test century on the second day.

SINCLAIR 50 KEEPS NEW ZEALAND AFLOAT

Sinclair was 54 at the end of the afternoon session with New Zealand 145 for four after Shaun Pollock had claimed the wickets of Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle shortly after lunch.

The tourists had picked up their first innings at 66 for two after lunch, but Pollock struck in the 10th over of the session to snare Fleming. His length to the New Zealand captain had been marginally too short for the batsman to drive, and when he did pitch one up, Fleming obligingly offered up a shin high return.

Fleming went into the game with two stitches to a cut on a finger of his left hand, but the injury did not seem to unduly bother him and the South Africans were delighted with what they regarded as a prize scalp. Fleming made 16 with New Zealand 95 for three.

Pollock’s second wicket of the innings was equally valuable, if a little more contentious. Astle padded up to the fifth ball he received and was given out LBW by umpire Ian Robinson for 2 at 101 for four. Although Astle was clearly struck outside the line of off stump, he had not offered a shot and opinion was divided as whether the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps.

Sinclair, though, played through all of this aggressively, driving powerfully through the off whenever the South Africans pitched it up. He had taken two fours off a Pollock over shortly before the two dismissals and continued to play adventurously even after Fleming and Astle had gone.

He reached his 50 with his ninth boundary, square through the off side off Jacques Kallis, after batting for 111 minutes and with Craig McMillan settling in, the fifth wicket pair began to repair the innings.

At the tea interval the stand was worth 44 with McMillan on 22.

DONALD AND NTINI BREAK THROUGH FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Donald, who had struggled with his control during his opening burst after New Zealand had been sent in to bat, came back for a second spell before lunch to pick up the wicket of Craig Spearman and then Ntini bowled Mark Richardson. The double strike jolted the tourists who looked to have weathered the early storm and they went in at the interval on 66 for two.

On a pitch that provided good pace and carry, but which offered little lateral movement, the South African seam attack tended to waste the new ball by not bowling straight enough after captain Shaun Pollock put New Zealand in.

Attacking strokes were at a premium during the first hour (only one scoring shot came off Pollock first seven-over spell), but the home side failed to fully exploit the conditions and the hard ball as the New Zealand batsmen resolutely declined to play at anything unless absolutely necessary.

Richardson was given a fright in the fifth over of the morning when a thick edge off Donald flew between third slip and gully for four and Spearman’s first boundary also came from an edge off Donald, this one along the ground down to third man.

But for the most part the touring batsmen looked comfortable as 28 came in the first hour. Donald had five overs from the Park Drive end before being rested while Ntini replaced Pollock at the Duckpond end, but it was only when Donald returned for his pre-lunch burst that South Africa broke through.

He struck with the fourth ball of his second spell when a lifting delivery took the inside edge of Spearman’s bat and looped off the thigh pad to Gary Kirsten at short leg. Spearman made 16 in 92 minutes and departed at 43 for one.

Richardson, meanwhile, had looked solid and organised throughout his 108 minutes at the crease until he pushed forward to Ntini and the ball somehow squeezed between bat and pad to take the off stump. He made 26 and New Zealand’s second wicket fell at 55.

Three overs before lunch Donald seemed to twist his left ankle and left the field for treatment and when Pollock replaced him for the lunch over, Stephen Fleming was fortunate to survive when an edge flew wide of third slip for four.

Mathew Sinclair had 12 when the players went off for their lunch with Fleming on 5.

POLLOCK SENDS NEW ZEALAND INTO BAT IN PE

The South Africans fielded the same team that won the first Test match in Bloemfontein two weeks ago, but New Zealand replaced seam bowler Daryl Tuffey with Kerry Walmsley who was winning his third Test cap in his first Test match for five years.

Andrew Penn, the replacement fast bowler who arrived in South Africa during the Bloemfontein Test match, was taken to the airport shortly before the start of play to be flown home after a recurrence of a side injury. Penn was the eighth New Zealander to be sent home from Africa because of injury.

Teams

South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje, Shaun Pollock (capt), Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini.

New Zealand: Mark Richardson, Craig Spearman, Mathew Sinclair, Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Adam Parore, Brooke Walker, Chris Martin, Kerry Walmsley, Shayne O’Connor.

© CricInfo

Date-stamped : 01 Dec2000 - 14:24