14 Tuesday 3rd March, 2009 Australia beats South Africa Sarwan and Ramdin make by 162 runs JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Australia took two wickets in eight balls after tea on Monday to beat South Africa by 162 runs in the first test and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. South Africa was bowled out for 291, series safe for West Indies well short of their victory target of 454. Man-of-the-match Mitchell Johnson, who took eight wickets in the match and by Derek Pringle dicted the moment he made his very thing it was meant to prevent: hit 96 not out in Australia’s first innings, in Barbados Test debut at the start of the human error. finished off the Proteas by bowling Dale Millennium, Sarwan, now 28, may One of the reasons for that is Steyn. Earlier, Peter Siddle took his third finally be reaping the rewards of ICC’s decision to use a human ele- wicket with the dismissal of Paul Harris. amnaresh Sarwan made a his massive talent. Beginning the ment in the off-field decision mak- Johnson finished with figures of 4- career best 291 against day 16 runs short of his second ing, something they seem particu- 112, while Siddle took 3-46. Australia had claimed three wickets REngland in Bridgetown on double century, he brought up the larly keen to implement for lbws. in the middle session for the addition of Sunday, as Andrew Strauss’s team milestone when he slashed a short Instead of using Hawkeye’s predic- only 42 runs when the South Africa bats- chased leather for the second day ball from Anderson over the slips tive path, which shows where the men could not keep out the opposition’s in succession. England’s bowlers for four. It was a rare example of ball would probably have travelled fired-up bowlers. have huffed and puffed for two the ball not going quite where he in relation to the stumps (some- The Aussie seamers relied on short- days in an effort to gain an advan- intended as he and Ramdin, res- thing TV viewers get), the ball is pitched bowling to put the batsmen tage but Sarwan repelled them olute with his maiden Test hun- stopped at the point of impact with under pressure. The ploy accounted for the prize wicket of JP Duminy, caught in with an innings that has guaran- dred he celebrated by holding up a the pad. It is then left to the TV the slips off Siddle for 29, and when Mark teed his team a position from thankyou note to the coaching umpire to use his judgement Boucher was bowled by a beauty from which they cannot now lose this staff, added 261 for the sixth wick- whether it would go on to hit the Hilfenhaus for 24 five overs later, the last Test series. et. stumps. of the recognized batsmen was out. Sarwan, helped in his quest by a Thereafter, it proved a stilted None of us wants machines to Australia also took three wickets in brilliant 166 from Denesh Ramdin, contest that the bowlers never take over but trying to overcome the first session. was simply immense, his innings looked like winning until Ryan one instance of human error with At lunch, South Africa - on 247-5 - were still 207 runs short of their victory target spanning 11 hours 39 minutes as Sidebottom, who’d tried it on dur- a method that invites another, of 454. West Indies posted 749-6. It was the ing the morning session with seems hopelessly flawed. The Proteas lost two crucial wickets third highest score in their history, England’s last referral after he Having attended a demonstra- midway through the first session, and behind the 790-3 against Pakistan struck Sarwan on the pad, bowled tion of Hawkeye’s abilities last then Jacques Kallis fell to the second new in 1958 and the 751-5 against him off the inside-edge with the May, the best option would be to ball, playing on to Johnson for 45 (four England in Antigua five years ago, third new ball. allow Hawkeye’s predictive path, fours) just 17 balls after surviving when and it simply sucked the fight from Sarwan departed to a deserved but reduce the target area it has to the TV umpire reversed an lbw decision against him. England who, bowled out in their standing ovation though that was hit. Umpire Dickie Bird never used Kallis was on 42 when he survived the second innings for 51 in Jamaica, not the end of the West Indies’ fun to give many lbws unless the ball first delivery with the second new ball - now face a potentially tricky last as Jerome Taylor, eager to throw was striking the stumps between and the South Africa total on 224-4 - from day 143 runs behind. the bat, took them past England’s middle and off, middle and leg and Johnson who appeared to trap Kallis in “I don’t know about massive first innings score with a five inches below the bails. front because TV umpire Asad Rauf England but Jamaica will pulled six off Sidebottom. If the predictive path used a ruled that the ball had pitched fractional- be on our minds if we With no recourse to referrals, similar rationale, thus removing ly outside leg-stump. The Proteas all-rounder did not last take the initiative with England’s flagging attack were left the probabilities involved of much longer, however, dragging an inside early wickets,” Sarwan trying taking wickets that did not whether a ball shaving the edge of edge on to his stumps as he tried to drive said, after admitting he involve lbws, a task that proved a wide Johnson delivery. was probably in the best beyond them until Sarwan’s dis- South Africa needed a batsman to form of his career. missal bucked the trend. reach a significant score if they were to Scoreboard pressure was Umpire Referrals were original- stand a chance of victory, but lost how England had plotted to ly Duncan Fletcher’s idea while Hashim Amla for 57 (seven fours) when West Indies’ Denesh Ramdin points his he flicked Siddle to short midwicket topple the West Indies here, still England coach. Concerned bat towards the pavilion to celebrate where Phillip Hughes held the catch, after making 600 in their that television audiences were see- his century on the fourth day of the after an hours play. first innings, but that is no ing umpire’s mistakes highlighted, fourth cricket Test match at Kensington Three overs later first innings centu- good if you cannot get the with no process to overturn them, ry-maker AB de Villiers, on three, played Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sunday, best player out. So far this Fletcher wanted a review system around an Andrew McDonald delivery, series, Sarwan, whose third that allowed each team three chal- March 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Brandis) and umpire Billy Bowden gave him out. three-figure score in succes- lenges per innings, with one struck On referral the decision was upheld. sive Tests this was, has bat- off each time a challenge proved SCOREBOARD SCOREBOARD ted for 1,071 balls. That is unsuccessful. England 1st Innings 600-6 declared almost twice as many as the The International Cricket West Indies 1st Innings Australia 1st innings 466 next highest, Strauss, who Council has reduced that to two, in (overnight 398-5) South Africa 1st innings 220 has faced 592 deliveries the hope that they will be used D. Smith lbw b Swann 55 Australia 2nd innings 207 and had three more judiciously. Still in its C. Gayle lbw b Anderson 6 South Africa 2nd innings (Overnight: 178-2) more innings, early stages, it has R. Sarwan b Sidebottom 291 R. Hinds lbw b Swann 15 N. McKenzie c Haddin b Johnson 35 a testament added drama and a tacti- G. Smith c Johnson b Hilfenhaus 69 to the cal element to the game S. Chanderpaul lbw b Anderson 70 B. Nash lbw b Swann 33 H. Amla c Hughes b Siddle 57 placid to the game. Yet, on the leg-stump would D. Ramdin b Swann 166 J. Kallis b Johnson 45 AB de Villiers lbw McDonald 3 nature of evidence here in actually have hit J. Taylor b Swann 53 JP Duminy c Ponting b Siddle 29 the pitches and Barbados and in it, it would surely S. Benn c wk Ambrose b Anderson 14 to an England Johannesburg, it be more trustworthy M. Boucher b Hilfenhaus 24 D. Powell not out 13 M. Morkel c Hughes b Johnson 2 attack still still appears to and robust than the Extras: (15b, 11lb, 1w, 6nb) 33 P. Harris c Katich b Siddle 8 searching for that be failing the ropey human judgement TOTAL: (for nine wickets dec) 749 D. Steyn b Johnson 6 magic spark. being used at present. Overs: 194.3. M. Ntini not out 0 With great So far, England have been Did not bat: F. E d w a r d s . Extras: (1b, 6lb, 2w, 4nb) 13 things pre- the beneficiaries in this match. Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-121, 3-159, 4- TOTAL: 291 On Saturday, Shivnarine 281, 5-334, 6-595, 7-672, 8-701, 9-749. Overs: 119.2. Bowling: Anderson 37-9-125-3, Chanderpaul got a stinker of an Fall of wickets: 1-76, 2-130, 3-206, 4-211, Sidebottom 35-4-146-1, Broad 32-4-113-0 5-229, 6-268, 7-272, 8-284, 9-289, 10-291.