Sports FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 45 Smith defies India with third unbeaten knock

BRISBANE: again proved the elusive for India as the new fashioned an Australian fight- back on day two of the second Test yes- terday. CENTURION: South African batsman and Captain Smith, who was not dismissed by plays a shot during the 2nd day of the first India in last week’s Adelaide Test win test match between South Africa and the West Indies at with scores of 162 and 52, continued to Supersport Park in Centurion yesterday. —AFP be the bane of the tourists with another defiant knock. He has scored 279 so far Amla double-ton in the series. His intuitive stroke-mak- ing was again a delight and he danced puts SA in control down the wicket to club spinner for two sixes over PRETORIA: Hashim Amla fashioned a third double-ton for long-on in one over. South Africa and Stiaan van Zyl clobbered an unbeaten centu- At the close, with a fierce electrical ry on debut against West Indies as they declared on 552 for storm about to break, were five at tea on day two of the first test yesterday. The tourists were spared a tough 20-minute spell in the middle following 221 for four in reply to India’s 408 with the South African declaration when the umpires decided to Smith unbeaten on 65 and Mitchell take an early interval as rain began to fall before their innings Marsh on seven. had started. The day has so far belonged to Amla and Van Zyl, “It’s not about Steve Smith or any BRISBANE: Australian batsman Steven Smith, left, reaches his bat out to who are on opposite ends of spectrum in terms of test experi- names that we want to take out here, ence but can be equally pleased with their efforts in helping make his ground as the ball is returned to India’s MS Dhoni during play on it’s going to be a couple of that day two of the second test in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday. —AP South Africa to their massive total. we want to take tomorrow morning,” Amla showed all of his famous powers of concentration Ashwin said of India’s chances. after Wednesday’s horror day in the middle so I batted really well and felt and stamina to bat for almost eight hours in compiling 208 “I think we are in front of the game field in sweltering conditions. disappointed to have given my wicket from 371 balls before he holed out to long-on off the “Yesterday was a pretty tough slog away,” Ashwin said. of left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn as the hosts tried to up the at this point of time. Our 400 is enough tempo. The impressive Van Zyl, long tipped as an internation- if we can get a couple of wickets tomor- out in the heat,” Hazlewood said. “It Dhoni cracked 33 off 53 balls with al cricketer, grabbed his moment by smashing 15 boundaries row morning then we’re right in front.” wasn’t much cooler today but we all four fours before he fell to the to end the innings on 101 from 130 balls. He is the The Australians lost the wickets of came out well and bowled to our Hazlewood-Haddin combination. fifth South African to score a test hundred on debut, but his (29), (25), plans and picked up the last six wick- Hazlewood was far and away total is far short of the record set by Jacques Rudolph of 222 (55) and Shaun Marsh (32) ets for about where we wanted them.” Australia’s best bowler with five for 68, not out against Bangladesh in 2003. in the final two sessions. Haddin equalled the Australian record while left-armer contin- Shaun Marsh, recalled as a replace- of six dismissals in an innings held by ued to struggle with his line and First ball Wally Grout, Ian Healy and Rod Marsh length and went wicketless for 83 The 27-year-old Van Zyl was nearly out first ball though as ment for injured skipper Michael Clarke, with two more catches on the second runs. he tickled a leg-side from Benn that fell just short of had registered six ducks in his previous the leg slip. He was then dropped on two by Kraigg 15 Test innings but Thursday looked to morning. Hazlewood struck early enticing an Brathwaite in the same position off Benn again but after that have overcome his series of poor starts. The Australians began the day well edge off Rahane for 81 with a late he grew in confidence with every run scored. He had a big let-off on 32 when with two wickets before Dhoni and outswinger. The only other wicket to fall in another dominant day for put down a sitter at leg Ashwin regained the initiative with a Smith pulled off a magnificent South Africa was AB de Villiers, for 152, when he became a first gully off in the 45th over. belligerent seventh-wicket stand. sprawling catch at second slip to dis- victim in the test for the luckless Benn when a thick outside But he was out two overs later, The pair put on 57 in equal time miss for 32 off Watson in edge was caught by Jermaine Blackwood at point. His dis- caught by Ashwin in the slips off before Ashwin became Hazlewood’s the 92nd over. missal ended a record fourth-wicket stand in tests for South fourth wicket, playing away from his Starc, whose body language was Africa of 308, the with Amla digging the side out Umesh Yadav on the same score. of trouble on the first morning when the hosts lost three quick Rogers missed a chance to post a body and edging chest-high to labelled “soft” by Test great Shane wickets to slip to 57-3. West Indies’ bowling attack toiled with- much-needed big innings after a run of Watson at slip for 35. Warne during his TV commentary on out their main attacking weapon , who is unlikely failures when he was out in the over “I thought I batted at my best, after Wednesday, again proved ineffec- to feature again in the test. —Reuters before tea. The 37-year-old left-hander a long time I got a chance to bat in the tive. —AFP dabbled at Yadav and gave a leg-side catch to keeper M.S. Dhoni. SCOREBOARD It was a good middle session for SCOREBOARD India, who removed the dangerous CENTURION, South Africa: Tea scores on the second day Warner in the ninth over. BRISBANE, Australia: Scoreboard at the close on the second day of the second Test of the first Test between South Africa and the West Indies Warner, who scored twin centuries between Australia and India at the Gabba yesterday: at SuperSport Park yesterday. in the Adelaide series opener, attempt- South Africa, first innings (overnight 340-3) India 1st innings (311 for 4 overnight) Bowling: Johnson 21-4-81-0, Hazlewood A. Petersen c Smith b Roach 27 ed to pull Yadav only for the ball to M. Vijay c Haddin b Lyon 144 23.2-6-68-5, Starc 17-1-83-0 (2w), M. Marsh D. Elgar c Samuels b Cottrell 28 come off the top of his bat and pop up S. Dhawan c Haddin b M. Marsh 24 6-1-14-1, Lyon 25.4-2-105-3, Watson 14.4- F. du Plessis c Ramdin b Roach 0 for Ashwin to take a comfortable catch C. Pujara c Haddin b Hazlewood 18 6-39-1, Warner 1-0-9-0 (1nb), Smith 1-0-4-0 H. Amla c Taylor b Benn 208 running back from slip. V. Kohli c Haddin b Hazlewood 19 Australia 1st innings A. de Villiers c Blackwood b Benn 152 Watson looked at ease before losing A. Rahane c Haddin b Hazlewood 81 C. Rogers c Dhoni b Yadav 55 S. van Zyl not out 101 concentration on 25 and finding R. Sharma c Smith b Watson 32 D. Warner c Ashwin b Yadav 29 Q. de Kock not out 18 in the deep, giving off- M. Dhoni c Haddin b Hazlewood 33 S. Watson c Dhawan b Ashwin 25 Extras (b8, lb6, nb2, w2) 18 R. Ashwin c Watson b Hazlewood 35 spinner Ashwin his first wicket. S. Smith not out 65 Total (5 wkts dec, 122 overs) 552 U. Yadav c Rogers b Lyon 9 S. Marsh c Ashwin b Yadav 32 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Petersen), 2-57 (Elgar), 3-57 (Du V. Aaron c sub (Labuschagne) b Lyon 4 Plessis), 4-365 (De Villiers), 5-520 (Amla) Australian record I. Sharma not out 1 M. Marsh not out 7 Bowling: Taylor 26.1-5-108-0, Cottrell 28-1-124-1 (2nb, Debutant captured Extras (b4, lb1, w2, nb1) 8 Extras (lb1, w3, nb4) 8 1w), Roach 15.5-4-52-2 (1w), Benn 46-7-148-2, Samuels 20- five wickets and equalled Total (all out, 109.4 overs) 408 Total (4 wickets; 52 overs) 221 0-89-0, Brathwaite 1-0-2-0, Blackwood 3.2-0-15-0 a wicketkeeping record as Australia Fall of wickets: 1-56 (Dhawan), 2-100 Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Warner), 2-98 To bat: V. Philander, D. Steyn, K. Abbott, M. Morkel dismissed India for 408 at lunch. (Pujara), 3-137 (Kohli), 4-261 (Vijay), 5-321 (Watson), 3-121 (Rogers), 4-208 (S. Marsh) West Indies: D. Ramdin, K. Brathwaite, D. Smith, L. Paceman Hazlewood led the way (Rahane), 6-328 (Sharma), 7-385 (Ashwin), Bowling: I. Sharma 9-0-47-0 (3nb, 1w), Johnson, M. Samuels, S. Chanderpaul, J. Blackwood, K. with three scalps on the second morn- 8-394 (Dhoni), 9-407 (Aaron), 10-408 Aaron 12-1-59-0 (1nb), Yadav 13-2-48-3 Roach, J. Taylor, S. Benn, S. Cottrell. (Yadav) (2w), Ashwin 18-3-66-1. ing as the Australians bounced back