Monday 4th August, 2008 13 Yao — A humble South Africa celebrity win series Chinese players Yao Ming, first left, and Yi Jianlian, second left, along with their team mates from the Chinese national basketball team attend the awards ceremony, where they were awarded third by 5 wickets place, after the final game of a warm up for next month’s Olympics at the Diamond Ball basketball Smith survived an excellent leg-before- Smith and Neil McKenzie had to tournament in Nanjing, China, Friday, Aug, 1, 2008. wicket shout from Monty Panesar face a tricky 20-minute spell before Argentina won 95 to 91 against Australia, taking the when he shouldered arms to a sharply lunch, taking the score to 11-0. first place. China came third beating Iran. (AP spinning delivery. England then took four wickets in Photo/ Elizabeth Dalziel) Despite cutting and driving power- the second session for only 28 runs to by K. Keerthivasan fully and hooking fiercely,Smith rode leave the Proteas on 111-4 at tea, still He gives the impression of being a boy next his luck at times, beating a run out requiring 170 for victory. door, truly has a heart large enough to donate lib- opportunity on 78 when Ian Bell fum- McKenzie and Smith had made erally to the poor and underprivileged, has the bled wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose’s serene progress to reach 65-0 with few spirit of a heavyweight boxer in the ring. throw with the captain short of his alarms. But Andrew Flintoff struck China’s Yao Ming, at 7 ft 6 inch, is easily one of the tallest hoopsters in the world now and every ground. when McKenzie lost sight of a yorker inch a humble celebrity in a country which has Smith then gloved a catch on 85 to that caught him flush on the toe and woken up to basketball in a big way in the last few Ambrose off Panesar, but the English umpire Steve Davis gave him out lbw years. fielders halfhearted appeal left umpire for 22. One of the richest sportspersons and a great Aleem Dar with little option but to Panesar then trapped Amla in ambassador of the sport in China, Yao has been give the batsman the benefit of the front for 6, before Jacques Kallis on 5 involved in several charity works; the recent being doubt. became the third lbw victim of the the Yao Foundation which reconstructed schools damaged by the earthquake in the Sichuan A.B. de Villiers and Smith added innings when he also lost sight of Province. by Sam Peters 78 before Paul Collingwood caught De Flintoff ’s full toss and was hit on the Villiers at first slip for 27 off Panesar thigh. BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) - to leave the tourists on 171-5. Graeme Smith played one of the great Smith and Boucher set about SCOREBOARD rearguard innings Saturday as South grinding down the attack to claim the Africa chased 281 to win the third test team’s first series win in England England, 1st Innings: 231 by five wickets and capture its first since 1965. South Africa, 1st Innings 314 England, 2nd Innings series win over in England for 43 “A.B. steadied the ship nicely and (Overnight: 297-6) years. it was nice to have ‘Bouch’ come in A. Strauss c Kallis b Morkel 25 The South Africa captain finished when he was out,” Smith said. “We A. Cook c Boucher b Ntini 9 unbeaten on 154 at Edgbaston after just kept going and just wanted to fin- M. Vaughan c Amla b Nel 17 putting on 112 for the sixth wicket with ish the game.” K. Pietersen c De Villiers b Harris 94 Crane among chickens Mark Boucher (45 not out), who came Earlier, England was dismissed for I. Bell c Boucher b Ntini 20 Raised by parents who were professional hoop- P. Collingwood c Boucher b Morkel 135 in with the team in trouble at 171-5. 363 with Paul Collingwood likely sav- sters themselves, Yao was made to understand A. Flintoff c Amla b Harris 2 where his future lay. By 14, he looked like, as a Smith finished the game with a ing his test career by scoring 135 after T. Ambrose b Morkel 19 local Chinese daily described him, “a crane tower- pull shot through midwicket off part- the team had resumed on 297-6. R. Sidebottom c Amla b Morkel 22 ing over a flock of chickens.” After graduating from time offspinner Kevin Pietersen, hold- England had a bad start when J. Anderson b Kallis 1 Shanghai Sharks, Yao made his debut as a first ing his arms aloft in triumph as South Ambrose was bowled by Morne M. Panesar not out 0 pick of Houston Rockets in the 2002 NBA Draft. Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in Morkel on the second ball of the day Extras: (8b, 2lb, 6w, 3nb) 19 Hailing from a conservative family like most the four-match series. for 19. Ambrose and Collingwood had TOTAL: (all out) 363 Asians, Yao took his own time to settle down in the Overs: 98.2. “I have got some really meaningful added 76 for the seventh wicket and competitive environs of USA. Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-39, 3-70, 4-104, Slowly and steadily he began to earn the trust innings in my life, but the whole situa- the wicketkeeper’s departure brought 5-219, 6-221, 7-297, 8-362, 9-363. and faith of his coach and co-players. tion with so many disappointments Ryan Sidebottom in. Bowling: Morkel 19.2-1-97-4 (3nb, 4w), Injuries, however, have plagued his NBA career since readmission (in 1991), its bigger Collingwood and Sidebottom con- Nel 20-3-79-1, Ntini 18-4-58-2 (2w), Kallis whenever it showed signs of an upward curve. than just us. I would have to say this is tinued to frustrate the South Africa 20-5-59-1, Harris 21-3-60-2. In his fourth season he injured his left foot and my best,” Smith said. “We got off to a bowlers by compiling a 65-run partner- South Africa, 2nd Innings in his fifth he broke his right knee in February that good start but before we knew it, we ship, before Sidebottom became G .Smith not out 154 effectively ended his NBA season. N. McKenzie lbw b Flintoff 22 were in trouble. I started taking it 10 Morkel’s second victim of the morn- H. Amla lbw b Panesar 6 runs at a time and took it ball by ball. ing when he gloved a catch to Hashim Quick recovery J. Kallis lbw b Flintoff 5 The 27-year-old has recovered pretty quickly Resuming after tea on 111-4, Amla at short leg. A. Prince c Ambrose b Anderson 2 and his re-entry into the National team for the “It’s bitterly disappointing,” A.B. de Villiers c C’wood b Panesar 27 Beijing Olympics will invigorate the team and the South Africa’s England captain Michael Vaughan M. Boucher not out 45 organisers, who are expecting basketball to be one Extras: (9b, 9lb, 2w 2nb) 22 Graeme Smith salutes said. “It’s a tough pill. I thought we of the most-watched disciplines in the Games, were favorites this morning after TOTAL: (for 5 wickets) 283 thanks to Yao. the crowd after reach- Overs: 80. Sidebottom and Colly’s partnership. It’s not that Yao is the only NBA player in the Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-78, 3-83, 4-93, 5- ing 100 runs during “This game has highlighted areas Land of Dragon, there is pivot Yi Jianlian (he plays their third internation- 171. for Milwaukee Bucks) and former NBA centre Wang we have to improve - 231 in the first Bowling: Sidebottom 10-1-26-0, Anderson al test cricket match Zhizhi. innings was 100 below par - (but) the 13-0-60-1 (2w), Panesar 33-3-91-1 (2nb), The fans will be hoping the three to get crack- against England, at fight we showed, you couldn’t ask any Flintoff 20-5-72-2, Pieterson 4-0-16-0. ing in its first match against multiple champion Edgbaston cricket more from. They have been the better Result: South Africa won by 5 wickets USA (China is in a tough group (‘B’) with Germany, ground, Birmingham, team and that is why they are 2-0 up.” (leads four-match series 2-0). Greece, African champion Angola and world cham- Toss: England. England, Saturday Anderson was bowled by Kallis for pion Spain completing the list) and expect Yao, the Umpires: Aleem Dar, (Pak), and Steve All Star centre and the most experienced of the lot, Aug. 2, 2008. (AP 1, and Collingwood was out when his Davis, (Aus). cut shot at Morkel was edged to to give the host the much-needed breakthrough — Photo/Paul Thomas) TV umpire: Ian Gould, (Eng). China has not advanced past the quarterfinals in Boucher. Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle, (SL) the Games. (The Hindu) “We’ll have to see what’s Ronaldo set to force going to happen. We always knew that it was going to be a Gayle is done as complicated matter. It will obvi- £68m move from Man ously not be easy for him to come to Madrid but put the ques- United to Real Madrid tion to any football coach and all of them would say they’d love to skipper...or is he? by Duncan White have a player like Ronaldo.” Ronaldo has told Madrid by Russell Palipane about his intentions in an Cristiano Ronaldo will attempt to appease their frustra- Confusion surrounds Chris Gayle’s demand to be allowed to move tion at his lack of agitation for a future as skipper of the West Indies team, to Real Madrid when he move away from Old Trafford.