da bet nacional： The perils of being limited to a solitary warm-up game were made all tooapparent to England’s probable Test team at Potchefstroom today, as they were bundled out for 225 shortly after tea on the first day of theirthree-day match against South Africa
The Bulletin by Andrew Miller in Potchefstroom11-Dec-2004Close South Africa A 133 for 2 (Ontong 56, van Jaarsveld 58*, Prince 7*) trail England 225 (Strauss 50, Langeveldt 5-48) by 92 runs
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Steve Harmison strikes back for England to remove Andrew Puttick© Getty Images
The perils of being limited to a solitary warm-up game were made all tooapparent to England’s probable Test team at Potchefstroom today, as SouthAfrica A made it a day to forget in all departments. After being asked tobat first on a hot and cloudless day, England were bundled out for 225 bySouth Africa A’s five-pronged seam attack, before Justin Ontong and Martinvan Jaarsveld combined to reduce the deficit to a mere 92, with asecond-wicket stand of 106.The pick of the South African attack was Charl Langeveldt, a former prisonwarder from Boland, who returned the superb figures of 5 for 48 in 15overs. He grabbed four top-order wickets in the first two sessions beforereturning to torment the tail, while Ethy Mbhalati and Albie Morkelchipped in with a brace apiece. The upshot was that a quietly confidentEngland side was roundly embarrassed, and not even Steve Harmison’s firstwicket of the tour could salvage the situation. Although Andrew Strausscracked a breezy fifty, it was a telling statistic that, of those playerswho missed the one-day trip to Zimbabwe, only the tail-ender MatthewHoggard made it to double-figures.England were never allowed to gain the ascendancy, not even while Strausswas going great guns in the morning session. He took no time at all tofind his fluency, lacing ten fours in all in a 68-ball half-century, butthe situation at the other end of the pitch was far less free-flowing.Marcus Trescothick was eventually caught behind for 7 from a stodgy 43deliveries, and was swiftly followed by Mark Butcher, who provided Englandwith the first of their major dilemmas.Butcher missed much of last summer through injury, but was preferred inthis match to Robert Key on the strength of his internationalperformances over the past three years. But, following his 6 from 12balls at Randjesfontein on Wednesday, he lasted just seven moredeliveries, before wafting a simple catch to Mark Boucher behind thestumps, to give Langeveldt a wicket with his sixth ball of the morning.For Boucher, another man with a point to prove after his omission fromSouth Africa’s Test side, it was an equally important moment.
Andrew Strauss: in fine fettle despite England collapse© Getty Images
So long as Strauss was in occupation, England had a foothole, but withlunch approaching, the innings floundered dramatically. Sizing up his 11thfour of the morning, Strauss carved a juicy wide delivery to Justin Ontongat point, and then, after facing three just three balls, Graham Thorpe wasadjudged lbw to a full delivery, again off Langeveldt. It could have beeneven worse, but Flintoff somehow managed to edge his first delivery cleanthrough the gap between the keeper and Andrew Puttick at first slip.Flintoff never looked settled, however, and he hadn’t added to his totalwhen, shortly after lunch, he pushed frustratedly at an off-stumpoutswinger from Langeveldt, and was snapped up at second slip by Martinvan Jaarsveld. Michael Vaughan looked in the right frame of mind tosalvage the situation, but he too fell victim to a loose waft to firstslip, this time off Morkel, to leave England in all sorts of bother at 117for 6..Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles attempted to rectify the situation with acounterattacking stand of 41 from 44 balls. Each of them slapped fourfours – all of Jones’s came in one over from Mbhalati – but Mbhalatiresponded in his next over with the wicket of Giles, caught behind for 22as he too paid the price for his injudicious approach. (158 for 7).The final act of a disappointing session for England came when Jones fellfor 41, courtesy of a thin edge that flew at a comfortable height toPuttick. And Puttick was back in the thick of things straight after thebreak, running back from the cordon to clean up a parried edge fromHoggard that had looped up from Ashwell Prince at third slip. Simon Jonestook the aerial route to give England’s total a modicum of respectability,but Charl Willoughby ended the resistance by plucking out Harmison’s legstump.By sowing several seeds of doubt in the England batting line-up, SouthAfrica A had already done its job, but England’s chastisement didn’t endthere. Puttick went cheaply, playing on to Harmison for 4, but vanJaarsveld and Ontong were determined to set the advantage in concrete andas the shadows lengthened they each brought up their half-centuries from abrisk 67 balls. Ontong couldn’t quite see it through to the close, asStrauss swooped at short leg to give Giles a wicket in his second over,but England have it all to do if they are to claw their way back into thisgame.