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David Warner’s 180 powered Australia to a strong lead before their bowlers set about routing India a second time on day two of the third Test at the WACA ground

The Report by Daniel Brettig14-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMitchell Starc dismissed Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar in the second innings to send India hurtling towards defeat•Getty ImagesDavid Warner’s 180 powered Australia to a strong lead before their bowlers set about routing India a second time on day two of the third Test at the WACA ground. Australia were cut down for 369 after an opening stand of 214 between Warner and Ed Cowan, but any gains made by India’s bowlers were frittered away by their batsmen, who limped to 4 for 88. They were still 120 runs short of making Australia bat again, and a handful of wickets away from surrendering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.It was the left-armer Mitchell Starc’s turn to be the visitors’ chief tormentor, swinging the ball at high pace while also gaining some steepling bounce. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus also struck to maintain their summer jaunt through the visitors’ batting, while Ryan Harris beat the bat often.Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli were India’s last faint hope, but it seemed a forlorn one given how the ball continued to swing, seam and bounce. The failures of the other top-order batsmen opened the question of whether or not Rohit Sharma will debut in Adelaide.Starc defeated Gautam Gambhir with a ball that pranced at the batsman and looped to gully off the bat handle, and then pinned Sachin Tendulkar lbw with in-swing. Tendulkar was unhappy about the decision, shaking his head as he walked off then reacting with dismay to replays that showed the ball clipping leg stump. Virender Sehwag was undone by a Siddle delivery that lifted and left him, while VVS Laxman made another duck on a wretched tour, edging Hilfenhaus’ outswinger into the cordon.For all of India’s woes, their bowlers had again found a trace of brittleness in the hosts’ batting. Australia lost all 10 wickets for 155 from the time Cowan was the first man out, underlining the value of Warner’s innings, among the most brazen played by a Test opener, and his partnership of contrast with the more restrained Cowan. However it reflected poorly on the batsmen that Siddle’s 30 was the next best score.Yadav claimed five wickets for the first time in Tests, striking three times in a hostile morning spell, then Ishant, Zaheer Khan and Vinay Kumar chimed in across the afternoon to limit the hosts’ lead to 208.Resuming at 0 for 149, Cowan and Warner played in more or less the same vein as the previous evening. If Warner reined in his game at all, it was only in a nod to better bowling from the visitors. He was still inclined to swing for the fences every now and then, and crashed another straight drive over Ishant’s head for his fourth six.The first chance of the innings arrived at 193, Warner touching a well-pitched delivery from Zaheer only for it to be dropped by Kohli at first slip. Cowan accumulated soundly at the other end, reaching his second half-century of the series and rotating the strike intelligently. It was he who raised the 200 stand, pulling Yadav to the square-leg boundary to take Australia’s openers past that mark for the first time since Simon Katich and Phil Jaques did it against West Indies in 2008.Thoughts had turned to the possibility of a Cowan century when Yadav moved around the wicket and produced a delivery that moved back a shade to burst between the opener’s bat and pad and disturb the stumps. Cowan was crestfallen to have left the middle, but the following passage would show that batting was not as easy as it had seemed.Warner was struck a painful blow on the elbow, requiring the physio’s attention for the second time in his innings, and Marsh fell cheaply for the fourth time in as many innings this series. He played at a delivery that left him and snicked to Laxman at second slip. Ponting managed one back-foot cover drive before he too was undone by Yadav, who found just enough swing and seam from the off to flatten the former captain’s middle stump.The merry progress of Warner continued in a stand of 48 with his captain Michael Clarke, before the opener finally miscued a loft to offer an outfield catch. Much as Warner cussed, the end of the innings reflected the crazy brave manner of its construction.Clarke received a fine delivery from Zaheer, angled in then moving subtly away, and a similar ball also accounted for Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper’s duck raising further questions about his place in the side. Michael Hussey battled for fluency and was oddly subservient to the cleaner hitting of Siddle in another brief stand, before Vinay collected his first wicket when Hussey cut to gully.Siddle’s fluent stay was ended when Yadav beat the outside edge to flick off stump, Harris perished for 9 when he lobbed a pull shot to square leg, and Hilfenhaus could not contain himself against Sehwag’s off spin. But bad as Australia’s batsmen had done once Warner departed, India would do worse.

If anyone believed the Championship race was over after the first day of the final round of matches, their views must surely have been dispelled by day two

George Dobell at Taunton13-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Paul Horton helped Lancashire make a positive start to their innings•PA PhotosIf anyone believed the Championship race was over after the first day of the final round of matches, their views must surely have been dispelled by day two.Had Lancashire scripted the second day of this match, it could scarcely have gone better for them. After taking the final five Somerset wickets for just 66 runs in the morning they scored at nearly four an over for much of their reply and were only slowed in the last hour as Somerset’s spinners found their line.As things stand, however, Lancashire could still win this game and fail to clinch the Championship. They could lose this game and still win the Championship. Warwickshire and even Durham remain in contention. There’s much to unfold over the next two days.That Lancashire remain in contention going into the penultimate day of the campaign speaks volumes for their resilience as a team. Many of their rivals would have lost heart after a trying first day, or lost focus amid the unfolding drama.Lancashire did neither. Their top order accumulated runs nicely without ever betraying any of the anxiety that might have caused them to falter and they go into the third day with their dream of a first outright Championship title for 77 years still alive. And they did it all without their captain, Glen Chapple, whose hamstring injury prevented him from taking the field all day.It took only a few minutes to claim another bonus point in the morning session. With just 13 balls left of the 110 overs, Kyle Hogg produced a surprisingly sharp bouncer that took the glove of Craig Meschede on its way to the keeper.Somerset’s tail folded rather meekly. James Hildreth’s excellent innings ended when he aimed a footless waft at one well outside his off stump and only succeeded in edging to slip, while the spinners made quick work of the final three batsmen for the addition of just eight runs. Gary Keedy, who might be playing his final game for Lancashire if Warwickshire are successful in luring him to Edgbaston, finished with 4 for 57 and now has 60 wickets in the Championship season. Somerset’s final total – 380 – looked someway below par on this pitch.That thought was soon underlined as Lancashire’s openers started brightly in reply. Paul Horton, driving beautifully, raced to 50 and passed 1,000 first-class runs this season – though without a century – while Stephen Moore played the anchor role and helped post an opening stand of 104.Though Horton’s pleasing innings ended when he edged an attempted cut and Moore pulled a filthy long-hop to deep midwicket, Karl Brown also timed the ball sweetly in becoming the third Lancashire batsman to record a half-century. He and Moore added another 102 for the second wicket.Somerset, meanwhile, were not quite at their best. While Steve Kirby and Alfonso Thomas both bowled decently, Geemal Hussain looked so out of his depth it was tempting to throw him a rubber ring. When he didn’t drift down the leg side, he bowled too short and his record since arriving at Taunton – 20 Championship wickets at 47 apiece – represents a major fall to earth after his success with Gloucestershire.Murali Kartik also struggled. Reduced to bowling in the rough outside the right-handers’ leg stump in an attempt to frustrate the batsmen, he also delivered five no-balls – though one was for allowing a third fielder to slip behind square on the leg side – and afterwards commented, while rolling his eyes: “To say it’s a flat pitch is an understatement. It’s an old school Taunton wicket.” He could, at least, take some satisfaction with the wicket of Brown, who prodded forward and edged one that turned and left him.Somerset also missed Charl Willoughby. The 36-year-old left-arm seamer is Somerset’s leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket this season with 53 victims but he was left out after it was concluded he lacked penetration with the new ball. He has one year remaining on his contract at Taunton but it seems that he may well be on the move. Essex could well be his new home.Meanwhile both Kartik and Brown could find themselves in some trouble with the ECB. Kartik was reported by the umpires after an incident where Horton played the ball back to Kartik who, in attempting to threw down the stumps, threw the ball very close to Horton’s head. It surely wasn’t intentional, but it didn’t look pretty.Brown was called in to see the umpires after appearing to question whether his edge to Trego had carried. To be fair, he appeared to be asking for clarification rather than showing dissent.”We’ve given ourselves a chance of winning it,” Moore said. “We can’t control what’s going on elsewhere, so all we’re aiming to do is focus on our own cricket. Our target was to bowl them out for under 400. It’s obviously a good pitch and you can score quickly here, so we’re in a very good position.”Indeed they are. Their first priority on day three is simply to claim maximum batting bonus points (for 400 runs within 110 overs), though they could decide to accumulate a vast first innings total and bat just once in the match. While the pitch might be expected to turn a little more as the match progresses, however, it’s worth noting that Somerset chased down 228 in 40 overs without losing a wicket here against Yorkshire earlier in the Championship season. Anything is still possible in this absorbing title race.

A century from Colin Ingram and Craig Thyssen’s unbeaten 40 off 29 balls helped Warriors chase Knights’ total of 280 in Bloemfontein, and go through to the final of the Franchise 1-day Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2011
ScorecardA century from Colin Ingram and Craig Thyssen’s unbeaten 40 off 29 balls helped Warriors chase Knights’ total of 280 in Bloemfontein, and go through to the final of the Franchise 1-day Cup where they will meet Cape Cobras. Ingram’s 112 off 111 balls had ensured the Warriors stayed abreast of the required-rate for the whole of the chase but he fell before finishing the job. Thyssen, though, prevented the Knights from making a comeback and took the Warriors home with an over to spare.Knights took a wicket in the second over of the chase but were then thwarted by a 126-run partnership between Ingram and Arno Jacobs, who scored 54. Ingram carried on after Jacobs was dismissed and it was not until he was bowled by offspinner Werner Coetsee that the Knights had a small chance. Another wicket fell 15 balls after Ingram’s dismissal but Thyseen counterattacked, hitting two sixes and three fours in his brisk innings.Knights had reached a competitive total thanks to Reeza Hendricks’ 70 and Dean Elgar’s 89 not out. It was a solid batting effort, with just five wickets falling, and the run-rate above five for most of the innings. The total of 280 was not enough though.The final will be played on December 9 in Cape Town.

The BCCI has invited bids for the IPL broadcast rights for certain markets, as well as the global radio, internet and mobile rights, for 2011-2014. However, the decision has been criticised by WSG, which bought the global broadcast rights prior to the fir

Tariq Engineer08-Mar-2011The Indian board has invited bids for the IPL broadcast rights for certain markets, as well as the global internet and mobile rights, for 2011-2014. However, the decision has been criticised by World Sport Group (WSG), which bought the global broadcast rights prior to the first IPL and is locked in a legal battle with the board over its decision to cancel their contract last year over allegations of fraud.The tender, published in the Indian media on Tuesday, is for the rights to distribute live feed of IPL matches on television to several territories excluding, among other, India, South Africa and Australia; and worldwide radio, internet and mobile rights.WSG’s objection is that the tender violates the undertakings the board has given to the Bombay High Court and the Indian Supreme Court that it would not sell the rights to a third party until their dispute is resolved.The case has already passed through the Bombay High Court, with a division bench of the court ruling, on February 23, that the BCCI had failed to prima facie establish that fraud had been committed and directed the two parties to appoint an arbitrator to hear the case. “Till the Arbitrator is appointed, the respondent [the BCCI] is restrained from giving the contract in question to anyone,” the order said. “During the pendency of this appeal, a statement was made by the respondent that they will not create any third party interest.”The board subsequently appealed against the decision to the Supreme Court, while providing an assurance that it would not enter into an agreement with anyone else until the dispute was resolved. Tuesday’s tender notice says the tenders are available till March 15 and are to be submitted by March 20.In a statement, WSG said the tender was an “unfair, unwarranted and unnecessary attempt by the BCCI to create facts on the ground in the context of the Supreme Court’s forthcoming consideration of the admissibility of an appeal itself”. It noted that the “unusually worded” public tender notice made no mention of the current proceedings before the Supreme Court.The BCCI had, in June 2010, terminated all its IPL media license agreements with World Sports Group (Mauritius) over the payment of the Rs 425 crore-facilitation fee (about US$90m) by the parent company of the tournament’s Indian broadcast partner to WSG. The board claimed it was rightfully owed the money as the rights to the tournament were with the BCCI.WSG said the board’s decision to sell the rights “illustrates its continuing unwillingness to follow due legal process” and that the agency “will take the necessary action to protect its commercial rights and those of its licensees around the world.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan in Hamilton

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya06-Jan-2011Match factsFriday, January 7
Start time 11.00 (2200 GMT)Misbah-ul-Haq has helped his side punch above its weight since taking over as captain•Getty ImagesBig PictureJust as two exciting Test series conclude on two different continents, New Zealand and Pakistan begin one of their own in Hamilton. But unlike the Ashes or the South Africa-India Tests which had massive build-ups, drew large audiences and captivated fans, this one is destined to be a sideshow. And that’s because the eyes and ears of the cricketing world would be transfixed on an event in Doha, where the three players suspected of being involved in the spot-fixing controversy will know their fate.As the ICC’s three-man tribunal examines the charges against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who won Pakistan a Test on their previous tour here, the former team-mates of the tainted trio will do well to retain their focus on the action at the ground. Instability, indiscipline and allegations of corruption have done enough in recent months to deflect attention from the efforts of a Pakistan team trying to rebuild.Under a new captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, and with a set of youngsters who’ve made an encouraging transition to international cricket, Pakistan punched above their weight when they held South Africa to a 0-0 draw, albeit in placid conditions, in the UAE in November. Conditions in New Zealand, traditionally favouring more swing and less palatable for batsmen, present Pakistan with a fresh challenge and an incentive, despite starting underdogs, to motivate themselves and repair some of the reputation sullied by events off the field.New Zealand, too, come in to the series on the back of a better-than-expected performance in their Test series in India, where they were beaten 0-1 in a three-match series. Though their woeful ODI form has prompted changes at the top, with John Wright replacing Mark Greatbatch as coach, their past performance in Tests, with Brendon McCullum’s success at the top of the order, the emergence of Kane Williamson and the reliability of Chris Martin, would give them plenty of hope in home conditions.Form guide(Most recent first)
Pakistan: DDLWL
New Zealand: LDDLL
Watch out for…Brendon McCullum’s promotion to the opening slot yielded a double-century against India and he warmed up for this series in ideal fashion, smashing Pakistan around in the tour game to make 206. Pakistan don’t have the services of Asif and Amir but Umar Gul, with his pace and ability to swing the ball, can be just as aggressive as McCullum. Who will win the battle?Misbah-ul-Haq took over the reins of the Test side in a time of turmoil but led by example in the series against South Africa in the UAE, scoring three half-centuries in four innings to save both Tests. He led the way again with an unbeaten century in the tour match. Much will depend on him and Younis Khan, the senior members in the side, to preserve the focus on the performance on the field. They did that well in the UAE, they’ll need to do it again.Pitch and conditionsThere is rain forecast for Friday, though the past few days in Hamilton have been quite warm. The possibility of overcast conditions on the opening day does provide the temptation of fielding first, but Hamilton, traditionally, has been among the better tracks for batting in the country.”I’d like to have a little bit in it but also in the back of my mind is that if it gets really humid, the ball can swing a lot, and it has been really humid here,” Karl Johnson, the curator at Seddon Park, was quoted as saying to . “I don’t want the wicket to swing and have a lot of zip and movement off the track, but obviously the bowlers would like that,”Team newsSaeed Ajmal, the offspinner, had to return home to attend his father’s funeral and is likely to miss the first Test. That leaves Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, as the only slow-bowling option. Sohail Tanvir, the left-arm seamer who was a late addition to the squad and picked up four wickets in the tour game, could share the new ball with Gul.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Wahab Riaz.Andy McKay, the left-arm seamer, is out due to a side strain and Daryl Tuffey has been called in to the 13-man squad. Wicketkeeper Reece Young, picked in place of Gareth Hopkins, will make his Test debut. Jesse Ryder, who didn’t feature in the warm-up match, is expected to return.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel/ Daryl Tuffey, 11 Chris Martin.Stats and triviaNew Zealand’s batting average over the last two years of 31.47 is much higher than Pakistan’s 26.40, but their bowling average of 44.34 is only marginally better than that of West Indies and Bangladesh.For a comprehensive statistical preview to the Test and the series, click here.Quotes”I think with Tim we’ve either done really well or we’ve not done well at all, so we’ve got to try and gain some more consistency between us.”
McCullum on his opening partnership with Tim McIntosh.”We are not thinking about what has happened in the last 12 months, we are just thinking about today and tomorrow and what is coming next. We are ready for that. We just have to forget everything else and focus on what is coming now.”
Misbah-ul-Haq insists his team his focused.

The Board of Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2011The board of directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016 which was prepared by the WICB management. The plan will be evaluated by WICB president Julian Hunte, vice-president Whycliffe Cameron and the board directors. Other key issues that will be discussed include the draft Schedule of Cricket for 2011-2012 and the Event Memorandum of Understanding between the WICB and Territorial Boards.The Umpires Pathway document along with a programme for improving the existing skills of ground and pitch curators across the region, the WICB Anti-Doping and Anti-Corruption codes and the Communications and Public Relations Policy are all likely to come up for discussion and approval. The Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket and Digicel Grassroots Cricket programmes targeting youth development will be presented.The WICB will also host its Annual General Meeting on Sunday at the same venue.

Kyle Coetzer, the Durham batsman, has been recalled to Scotland’s squads for the Intercontinental Cup and one-day internationals against Netherlands later this month

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2011Kyle Coetzer, the Durham batsman, has been recalled to Scotland’s squads for the Intercontinental Cup and one-day internationals against Netherlands later this month.Coetzer, with five ODI caps to his name, last played for Scotland in June 2010 and will bring some experience to the middle order. Alasdair Evans, who has played two ODIs, is also back in the squad alongside Calum MacLeod after the pair showed strong form at club and regional level.There will be different wicketkeepers in each format with Simon Smith taking the gloves for the four-day game and Gregor Maiden in the role for the ODIs. The shorter format also includes Josh Davey, the Middlesex batsman, in place of Ryan Flannigan.Meanwhile, Safyaan Sharif, a 20-year-old seamer, will be hoping to make his international debut after being selected for the ODIs.The Intercontinental Cup match begins on June 21 with the two ODIs taking place on June 28 and 29 in Aberdeen.Intercontinental Cup squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Fraser Watts, Preston Mommsen, Alasdair Evans, Kyle Coetzer, Ryan Flannigan, Neil McCallum, Simon Smith (w/k), Gordon Goudie, Calum MacLeod, Majid Haq, Richie BerringtonODI squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Fraser Watts, Preston Mommsen, Alasdair Evans, Kyle Coetzer, Josh Davey, Neil McCallum, Gregor Maiden (w/k), Gordon Goudie, Calum MacLeod, Majid Haq, Richie Berrington, Safyaan Sharif

Newcastle United have reportedly now held talks to sign Paulo Dybala in the summer.

The Lowdown: Progress

The Argentina international will leave Juventus at the end of this season after failing to agree a new contract in Turin.

It had been reported last week that the St. James’ Park faithful have ‘moved’ for Dybala, with his preference to move abroad from Italy.

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However, that had not gone ‘beyond the show of interest’, with other clubs like Arsenal also in the mix for his signature.

The Latest: Talks

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the North East club is one of a number of teams who Dybala’s representative has now talked to, as they went on an ‘extensive tour’ of both England and Spain to see what teams had to say.

HIs representative is now expected back in Turin ‘in the next few hours’, where they will discuss with Dybala about the information that they gathered.

The Verdict: Sign

Dybala is out of contract in the summer, and so to sign him on a free transfer would represent an absolute bargain.

Currently rated at £36m by Transfermarkt, he has previously been lauded as ‘world-class‘ by former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson, having won five Serie A titles with Juve and recorded over 200 combined goals and assists for club and country.

Nonetheless, at 28 years of age, the Argentina international is in his prime, and so now is the perfect time for the Tyneside outfit to snap him up. Signing a high level player for no initial transfer fee is a masterclass whichever way you look at it.

In other news, find out what ‘ridiculous’ Magpies update has now emerged here!

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is set to make changes to his backroom staff this off-season and one move seems likely to happen…

What’s the word?

The Athletic’s Phil Hay reported that current Manchester United assistant Chris Armas was one of the candidates for a permanent position under the American at Elland Road, despite being impressed by Mark Jackson’s impact at the club.

Further fuel has since been added to the fire, with transfer insider Dean Jones believing that it’s a real possibility that Marsch’s former NYRB right-hand man swaps Old Trafford for west Yorkshire in the summer.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds United news and rumours!”]

“It would be a much better fit for him because, at the moment, it sounds like there’s almost zero respect at Manchester United,” he told GIVEMSPORT.

“He needs to work with people that understand what he’s good at and give him the respect that he clearly deserves in his field of work.

“Jesse Marsch is somebody that knows him well, he’s definitely contemplating how his backroom team shapes up for next season and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he turned up at Elland Road.”

Boost for Marsch

This would be something of a major boost for the 48-year-old as working with people he’s enjoyed success with before is only going to help Leeds improve tenfold.

Armas has also been getting experience in the Premier League, under Ralf Rangnick, so should the Yorkshire giants stave off relegation, then it will come as another bonus.

Described as “very helpful” and a “good expert” by the interim Red Devils boss, the 49-year-old assistant was part of the set-up that won NYRB’s the Supporters’ Shield in 2018 and it’s believed that his social skills make him a valuable part of any backroom staff.

“Chris cares about people deeply. He wants to foster and establish relationships that go beyond the soccer field. As an athlete, I can tell you that’s one of the most valuable assets that an assistant coach can have – or any coach for that matter. It doesn’t surprise me that Ralf would want someone like that on his staff,” former New York Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty told The Athletic.

Some have even claimed that he has an “infectious positivity about him.”

With Erik ten Hag soon to be coming through the door in Manchester and his contract expiring on June 30th, we could well see Armas in the Leeds dugout next season and that is surely going to delight Marsch, who has worked with him before across the Atlantic.

AND in other news, Marsch must axe “horrible” & “negative” £29m Leeds duo, they’ve been shocking all year…

With Virender Sehwag gone, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel gave India a South African welcome – one that involved tenderizing gloves, bruising bodies and the smell of lacquer and leather

The Bulletin by George Binoy16-Dec-201038.1 overs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
Gautam Gambhir had the hardest time against the South African fast bowlers•AFPIt lasted three deliveries. After weeks of anticipation, and a four-and-a-half-hour rain delay, the duel between Dale Steyn and Virender Sehwag ended the moment the batsman touched the ball at SuperSport Park. Anti-climatic it may have been, but the South Africans were in raptures. With Sehwag gone, Steyn and Morne Morkel gave India a hostile welcome – one that involved tenderising gloves, bruising bodies and the smell of lacquer and leather. India were hustled and hurried by bouncers, but it was the fuller follow-up delivery that brought South Africa the wickets.The Indians had spent a week at Gary Kirsten’s academy in Cape Town customising their preparation for today but no simulation could match the reality of Steyn and Morkel. The batsmen were unable to score – even if only to get off strike, to deny the bowler consecutive deliveries at a particular player and the time to execute plans. Of 122 deliveries bowled in the first session, 101 were dots and India’s accomplished line-up continued to underperform in their bogey country.Overnight and early-morning downpours had dampened conditions, prompting Graeme Smith, with an attack far classier than India’s previous opponents New Zealand, to put India in. The first delivery set the tone: Steyn hit Gautam Gambhir’s back pad and a close lbw appeal was denied. Sehwag shouldered arms twice in Steyn’s opening over, and in the bowler’s second, he attempted to flay the ball through cover point. It moved away a fraction and flew off the edge to Hashim Amla, placed at third man for precisely that. Steyn 1, Sehwag 0, India 1 for 1 and stunned.Gambhir was perhaps lucky on 1, when a ripsnorter from Morkel rose from a length and sped towards his face. Gambhir began to sway and then fended helplessly. The ball appeared to kiss the glove and was pouched by Mark Boucher, but umpire Steve Davis shook his head. Morkel had touched speeds of 150kph during his first spell and was perhaps just too quick.The reprieve cost South Africa only four runs, perhaps the hardest runs Gambhir has made. Morkel pounded in from round the wicket, pitched the ball short of a length, angled it into the left-hander, targeting the body and sometimes the head. Pinned to the crease without room outside off, Gambhir ducked and defended in discomfort.There was no respite against Steyn either. Following a brief exchange of words, Steyn let rip. Gambhir took his eyes off the bouncer and took the ball on his back. The next ball was fuller, moved away from the left-hander, and beat the tentative poke outside off stump. Gambhir was soon put out of his misery, though, and it was the follow-up ball to the bouncer that got him. Having been cornered by the short-pitched attack from Morkel, he drove at a fuller one with poor footwork, and edged to first slip.Dravid had appeared the most comfortable, relatively speaking, taking his bottom hand off the bat to fend off rising deliveries, careful to leave anything outside off, and compact while playing deliveries aimed at his body. Morkel then got one to jag sharply into him from outside off. Dravid was caught on the crease, hit on the pad and Morkel was celebrating his 100th Test wicket, having reduced India to 27 for 3.The smattering of rain-resistant spectators gave Sachin Tendulkar a warm reception and he responded to adversity by taking on the less-threatening Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Tendulkar pulled him twice for fours from outside off stump, drove fluently through cover and guided to third man. Neither Tendulkar nor VVS Laxman was tested much by South Africa’s support act, but their respite was fleeting and ended soon after the break for tea.Tendulkar continued to attack Steyn, edging past his stumps before driving through extra cover and cutting past point – all for boundaries. Steyn responded with two similar deliveries, on a good length, straight and fast. The first beat Laxman’s flick from the crease and uprooted middle stump. The second beat Tendulkar’s flick from the crease and hit the pad, otherwise it too would have uprooted middle stump. Between those dismissals Suresh Raina, who appeared brittle as a leaf in a thunderstorm, had edged Jacques Kallis to third slip. India, at 71 for 6, were being cooked on a .Harbhajan Singh fought, as he usually does, but a trigger movement towards leg as the fast bowlers attacked him betrayed nervousness. He hit the day’s first six, clouting Tsotsobe over long-on, before losing his grip on the bat while attempting a third to be run out. The tailenders had no chance against the barrage, and only Dhoni, with his awkward movements, threw a few counterpunches.Rain had threatened to ruin the opening day of the series, the terrific efforts of the groundstaff had ensured it wasn’t washed out, and similar efforts from South Africa’s fearsome new-ball attack ensured that lost time was made up.