The Hindu : Sport : Collingwood hits century

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Collingwood hits century

Ted Corbett

BIRMINGHAM: Kevin Pietersen, playing the innings we dreamed of, and Paul Collingwood, batting in a way we thought was beyond him again, tore the third Test from South Africa’s grip at Edgbaston this afternoon. But nothing is ever so simple in this undulating Test.

Collingwood brought up his century in majestic fashion, with a six over long on off Paul Harris — who had taken the wickets of Pietersen and Flintoff — to take England to 297 for six at close.

Earlier, Pietersen, on 94, after only three hours tried for a glorious path to his century with a six over mid-on; instead he hit the ball head high to a fielder. Four balls later, Andrew Flintoff touched the spinning ball into the leg trap. Those two wickets meant Harris, a left-arm slow bowler without merit according to English critics had turned the game back South Africa’s way.

Collingwood, in the worst form of his life, found inspiration in the free stroke play of Pietersen and received a standing ovation on a ground — filled by Flintoff’s lion-hearted bowling the night before — when he reached his 11th Test fifty. The game will almost certainly end in four days but at the end of the third it was still impossible to pick a winner.

England needed the whole of the pre-lunch session ended 35 minutes early by rain to wrap up the tail while another 58 runs were added, giving the South Africans a lead of 83 on first innings. Ryan Sidebottom gave another exhibition of precise fast medium bowling to remove Ashwell Prince and Nel. James Anderson took Morne Morkel and Mark Boucher, thanks to a high-class running catch by Michael Vaughan.

When England began its reply, Alastair Cook, top scorer in the first innings, was far too impulsive against Makhaya Ntini’s second ball which he tried to pull. Boucher sprinted to square leg to take a catch almost as difficult as Vaughan’s.

Vaughan, stroking the ball easily for four fours, fell to a hard diving catch off a flippant shot at short extra cover by Hashim Amla. Vaughan has made just 40 runs in five innings. South Africa still led by 44 when Pietersen took guard.

Ordinary bowling

The bowling was nothing special even though Nel screamed “Come on, ego” whenever Pietersen faced him. Harris was the fifth bowler in the 22nd over, why? To tempt Pietersen to rashness, perhaps, but at the start of over 23, Morkel forced Strauss to edge a catch to the immaculate Kallis at second slip and with three gone England was still 13 short.

Pietersen smashed a cover boundary to make the scores level, Bell hit three fours in his first 13 balls but Ntini came back and Bell pulled at the first ball sending Boucher scooting 30 yards to take another unexpected catch.

For two hours in mid-afternoon Pietersen was at his Technicolor best. He offered the switch hit, his trademark on-drive and his power blows through the offside.

Collingwood clearly liked what he saw; perhaps it reminded him of his own glory days making a double hundred at Adelaide and he thrived on the memory.

SCOREBOARD England — 1st innings: 231.

South Africa — 1st innings: N. McKenzie lbw b Flintoff 72, G. Smith c Strauss b Flintoff 7, P. Harris c Cook b Sidebottom 19, H. Amla c and b Anderson 9, J. Kallis b Flintoff 64, A. Prince c Ambrose b Sidebottom 39, A. de Villiers c Sidebottom b Flintoff 5, M. Boucher c Vaughan b Anderson 40, M. Morkel lbw b Anderson 18, A. Nel b Sidebottom 0, M. Ntini (not out) 0; Extras (lb-35, nb-6) 41. Total (in 90.2 overs): 314.

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-94, 3-117, 4-135, 5-226, 6-238, 7-264, 8-293, 9-298.

England bowling: Sidebottom 25-9-81-3, Anderson 26.2-6-72-3, Flintoff 30-8-89-4, Collingwood 2-0-12-0, Panesar 7-0-25-0.

England — 2nd innings: A. Strauss c Kallis b Morkel 25, A. Cook c Boucher b Ntini 9, M. Vaughan c Amla b Nel 17, K. Pietersen c de Villiers b Harris 94, I. Bell c Boucher b Ntini 20, P. Collingwood (batting) 101, A. Flintoff c Amla b Harris 2, T. Ambrose (batting) 19; Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-4); Total: (for six wkts. in 80 overs) 297.

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-39, 3-70, 4-104, 5-219, 6-221.

South Africa bowling: Morkel 15-1-75-1, Nel 15-2-67-1, Ntini 13-3-43-2, Kallis 16-4-46-0, Harris 21-3-60-2.

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