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One-two barrage was shelved in South Africa but has returned with great effect in India

Matt Roller17-Mar-2021England’s new-ball attack had been as toothless as a pangolin heading into their T20I series in India. Across the previous 18 months, they had taken 18 wickets at an eye-watering average of 48.05 in the powerplay, all while leaking 9.30 runs per over. T20 bowling is a trade-off between attack (taking wickets) and defence (keeping scoring rates down) but England were doing neither.But one match was the exception that proved the rule. Only once in that period had they taken three powerplay wickets, and the secret on that occasion was quite simple: pace. England paired their two fastest bowlers together and let them off the leash, with Jofra Archer passing 95mph/154kph and Mark Wood close behind in a four-over burst that had Australia’s top order ducking for cover at the Ageas Bowl as they banged the ball into the pitch at blistering speed.Related

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It was curious, then, that the Archer-Wood combination which had worked so effectively – not only that day, but in the ODI World Cup in 2019, too – was shelved without much comment. England rotated their bowlers for the final game of the Australia series (powerplay score: 61 for 1) and then overlooked Wood throughout the three matches in South Africa at the end of last year. Across that series, England managed only four wickets in the first six overs, conceding 8.38 runs per over.Against an Indian side packed with top-order options, this was a problem that Eoin Morgan needed to solve. He had previously tried to cover the weakness by using Tom Curran and Chris Jordan – both specialist death bowlers by trade – in the first six, but has opted to front-load with his best bowlers in this series.He used Adil Rashid, his legspinner, to bowl the first over in the first and third T20Is supplementing his skill with Archer and Wood’s aggressive lines and hard lengths. Sam Curran, seen as the long-term replacement for David Willey, has only been entrusted with two overs in the first six, but used intelligent variation in his seam position to bowl a wicket-maiden to KL Rahul in the second T20I.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The results have been clear throughout the series. While Ishan Kishan was able to get hold of Tom Curran and Jordan in Wood’s absence in the second T20I, India have managed only 22 for 3 and 24 for 3 after six overs in the two games that he has played in. It is a truism that taking three wickets in the powerplay tends to win you a T20 (after all, nobody has invented a format where early wickets are not helpful just yet) but doing so while conceding only four runs per over puts the opposition in a chokehold.”We’ve played together so much now we just play each other’s roles,” Wood said of his partnership with Archer on Wednesday. “We enjoy playing together. It brings the best out of me as I’m sure it does out of him.”Jofra starts a lot of the time and because he keeps the pressure on, it allows the other team to try and take risks against other bowlers. When they did try and take a risk, if we were on our game, then we got the wicket. It’s just about bowling well in tandem and trying to back each other up – keeping the pressure on for each other.”For Wood in particular, England’s early dominance has proved beneficial during the second half of his spell in the middle overs. Generally bowling to middle-order batsmen, who tend to be stronger against spin but more vulnerable against back-of-a-length bowling at high pace, Wood has conceded only 7.12 runs per over in that phase of the game across his last five T20Is.Mark Wood produced a hair-raising display of pure pace•BCCI

It is a tactic that England may employ frequently as they build towards the T20 World Cup later this year, particularly if Rashid continues to excel in the powerplay. Morgan has highlighted the trend of genuine fast bowlers coming back in vogue in white-ball cricket since the 2019 World Cup, and the prospect of having his own version of Lockie Ferguson as a ‘shock’ bowler in the middle overs is a tantalising one.One ball he bowled on Tuesday night – a bouncer to Rohit Sharma – was clocked at 96.4mph/155.2kph, which Wood believes to be the fastest he has been clocked at in a televised game, and it has been noticeable that he is yet to change things up with a slower ball in the eight overs he has bowled. While his final over was taken apart, that owed more to Virat Kohli’s genius than to any fault on Wood’s part.There remains one lingering doubt: Wood’s fitness. He missed the second T20I with a bruised heel – he explained it was a minor injury caused by some supporting tape sliding off and choking his feet – but his mixed injury record means that in a year which will see him in demand across formats, he will need careful management. It is a small mercy for England that he has turned down the IPL in consecutive years, rebuffing Mumbai Indians’ attempts to sign him as a replacement for Lasith Malinga before last year’s tournament and opting out of this year’s auction at the 11th hour.”There will be a conversation at the end of this tour about what I do in the build-up to the Tests in England, obviously playing games for Durham and getting my fitness right,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes on my own fitness with a strength coach.”I’m getting myself in a good place… [but] I’d rather me charging in and bowling as quick as I can to keep my performance level up rather than being at 50-60% and not doing myself or the team justice.”

“You’ll find out in time,” said the BCCI president about one of the big issues in Indian cricket right now

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2019There is “absolute clarity” between MS Dhoni and the BCCI regarding his future, but the details aren’t meant to made public right away, according to board president Sourav Ganguly.India’s premier wicketkeeper-batsman has been on a sabbatical ever since the end of the World Cup, and although the general public – as well as the media – can only speculate about what is going to happen, the administration appears comfortable.”No, no, there is clarity, but certain things cannot be said on public platform,” Ganguly told . “There is absolute clarity on MS Dhoni and you’ll find out in time.”There’s transparency between the board, MS and the selectors. When you deal with such champions – MS Dhoni is an unbelievable athlete for India – certain things have to be kept within the closed doors. It’s very transparent and everybody knows where they stand.”Dhoni hasn’t played any competitive cricket since India’s World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand at Old Trafford in July. He opted out of the West Indies tour that followed the World Cup, in order to spend a fortnight with the Indian territorial army, and since then has not featured in the squads for the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh and the upcoming one against West Indies. He hasn’t played any domestic cricket in this period either.In response to India head coach Ravi Shastri’s comment that IPL 2020 will give a clear picture on Dhoni’s future, Ganguly said, “We will see what happens, there’s enough time. Of course it will get clear (within three months).”On Wednesday, Dhoni himself had added to the speculation on his future with an intriguing comment: when asked the question by a reporter, Dhoni simply said, “January (don’t ask until January).” He, however, did not elaborate on what was meant to happen in January.The selectors, meanwhile, have kept faith in Rishabh Pant as the limited-overs keeper in this time, with Sanju Samson picked as his back-up for the last two T20I series.

Mandeep had represented Kings XI from 2011 to 2014 before moving to RCB in 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2018Kings XI Punjab have opted for a straight trade in IPL 2019’s first trading window, by bringing back batsman Mandeep Singh in place of Australia allounder Marcus Stoinis. While the return of Mandeep, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last season, was confirmed, Stoinis’ trade was agreed to by the franchises with the formalities in process.Mandeep, a regular for Punjab in domestic tournaments, had represented Kings XI from 2011 to 2014 before moving to RCB in 2015. He was bought by RCB again in the 2018 auction, for INR 1.40 crore (approx USD 218,000 then). Stoinis, too, had been lapped up by RCB but Kings XI used the Right-To-Match card and retained him for INR 6.20 crore (USD 970,000 then). Mandeep played 40 T20s for RCB, scoring 597 runs at an average of 22.11 and a strike rate of 128.94. For Kings XI, Mandeep had scored 763 runs in 41 matches at a similar average of 21.19 and a lower strike rate of 120.72. He had also represented Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010 and batted only twice with scores of 4 and 0.Stoinis had 19 appearances for Kings XI from 2016 to 2018, to score 262 runs at a strike rate of 126 and take 13 wickets with an economy rate of 9.52.Less than two weeks ago, RCB had let go off South Africa wicketkeeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock in an all-money trade with Mumbai Indians.The IPL has two main trading windows with the first one starting immediately at the end of the season stretching to a month before the auction and the second one from after the auction till the start of the tournament. Since 2018, the IPL also introduced a mid-tournament window for franchises to trade uncapped players and players who had not played more than two matches.With the last date for retentions and release being November 15, franchises are busy working out their plans for the new season before they make fresh buys at the auction, which is expected to take place around mid-December. A purse of INR 3 crore will be available for the franchises in addition to the balance left after last year’s auction.

Australian star Ellyse Perry hit an unbeaten 78 and took two wickets to take Loughborough Lightning to their first Kia Super League win of 2017

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2017Ellyse Perry hit an unbeaten 78 and added a couple of wickets for good measure•Getty Images

Australian star Ellyse Perry hit an unbeaten 78 and took two wickets to take Loughborough Lightning to their first Kia Super League win of 2017 with an emphatic 50-run victory over Lancashire Thunder.It keeps alive the Lightning’s hopes of making Finals Day on September 1. It was a third successive defeat for the Thunder and eliminates them from the competition after another collapse when chasing left them well short of the required 141-run target.Their chase got off to a bad start, as Perry removed both opener Emma Lamb and the key wicket of England star Sarah Taylor, both for just four runs in her first two overs.The Thunder needed someone to play the Perry innings in their ranks and New Zealander Amy Satterthwaite looked like she could take on the role.But Satterthwaite was beaten by Lucy Higham and stumped by Abigail Freeborn for 21 and that triggered a major Thunder collapse for the second consecutive match.They lost six wickets in 33 balls for 27 runs to leave the score at 71 for 8 with another 70 runs needed from 31 balls.A late cameo of 18 from Ellie Threlkeld, only the third to make double figures, dragged the total up but two quick wickets ended the innings with Lancashire all out for 90 and the Lightning winning with 2.4 overs to spare.Beth Langston finished with the pick of the figures, taking 3 for 14 from her two overs.Perry at the crease after just five balls of the Loughborough innings when her international teammate Elyse Villani was dismissed by Kate Cross for six. She struck a boundary from her first ball and began to build a partnership with 18-year-old opener Sarah Glenn.Spin was to be Lancashire’s key weapon once again. Danielle Hazell finished with the pick of the figures with 2 for 16 from her four overs and she removed Glenn for 22 – a second catch for Lamb.Perry would find partners hard to come by. England international Georgia Elwiss came and went for 5 before Sonia Odedra was on her way for one from 10 balls, bowled by Ecclestone.That left Loughborough 81 for 4 in the 13th but Perry carried on relentlessly, bringing up her half-century from 41 balls with two boundaries off Cross.Lancashire would rue Sarah Taylor’s missed stumping of Perry in the 16th over as she went on to share an unbroken stand of 39 with Freeborn, hitting the last two balls of the innings from Sophie Ecclestone for four to post a total of 140 for 5 which was well out of reach of the Thunder.Loughborough face Surrey Stars at The Oval next Saturday.

Australia batsman Adam Voges has backed the concussion subs idea, in the wake of his own recent head injury during a County Championship match

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2016Australia batsman Adam Voges has backed the idea of allowing substitute fielders for players who may be suffering a concussion as a result of a head injury on the field of play. His comments came as he recounted how his freak head injury during a recent County Championship match between Hampshire and Middlesex had left him feeling like he had a “hangover” for 10 days thereafter.”The fact that you get pulled out of the game immediately and you don’t have any say in that, is one factor in it,” Voges said. “I understand the argument that, if you allow a sub for concussion, why wouldn’t you allow a sub for other injuries. It could be a bit of a grey area. I understand that. But I am in favour of the sub rule.”Voges had been struck at the back of his head, while fielding, by a ball thrown back towards the wicketkeeper after Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry had hit a boundary. Voges fell to the ground immediately, before being helped off the field by two physios and taken to hospital with a suspected concussion.”I was standing at slip, just contemplating a fielding change, or a bowling change, I can’t quite remember,” he recalled. “I didn’t really pay attention to where the ball had gone or when it was coming back. It wasn’t until very late that the keeper realised the ball was going over his head and it hit me straight in the back of the head. It was just a freak accident really.”This was the first time Voges had been forced from the field due to a head injury. Though he was hospitalised only briefly, he said that he felt groggy and unwell for several days after the incident.”I was a bit groggy for a week, week and a half after that and missed the next game,” Voges said. “It was probably my first experience with it. It felt like I was waking up with a hangover. It wasn’t until 10 days after it that I started to feel right again.”In May, Cricket Australia had proposed trialling the concussion subs idea for two years in domestic first-class cricket, but the ICC cricket committee, which met in early June, argued that “the current laws and playing conditions allow players to receive the best possible medical treatment and further change to the regulations in this area is not required at present”.

Chris Gayle continued his rich vein of form in Twenty20 cricket, blasting 105 off just 57 deliveries to set up Jamaica Tallawah’s 50-run victory against Trinidad & Tobago at Sabina Park

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Chris Gayle drilled six fours and nine sixes during his century•Caribbean Premier League

Chris Gayle continued his rich vein of form in Twenty20 cricket, blasting 105 off just 57 deliveries to set up Jamaica Tallawah’s 50-run victory against Trinidad & Tobago at Sabina Park. Gayle’s assault, his seventh 50-plus score in nine matches, also lifted the hosts up to second in the table, level on points with Barbados Tridents, who have played a game more, while Red Steel were left rooted at the bottom.Gayle came into the match boasting scores of 92, 151*, 85*, 90*, 72* and 64* for Tallawahs and Somerset in the last couple of months, and he did not take long to get going on Thursday, swinging Jacques Kallis for six over long-on off just the fourth ball he faced. Gayle launched two more sixes in the next over, by Johan Botha, before carting three fours off an over from Dwayne Bravo as Tallawahs raced to 70 inside seven overs. Gayle’s opening partner Chadwick Walton contributed just 13 in that stand.Suliemann Benn briefly halted the flow of runs, dismissing both Chris Lynn and Mahela Jayawardene in the 11th over, but Gayle continued to shred the Red Steel bowling, hitting a total of six fours and nine sixes to end with a strike-rate of 184.21. Gayle received ample support from Jermaine Blackwood, with who he added 68 for the fifth wicket off just 42 balls. Gayle eventually fell in the 19th over, but Blackwood’s 28-ball 38 took the team to 180 for 6, Tallawah’s highest of the season. It also meant that Gayle had accounted for more than half his team’s score.Red Steel never really got going in the chase and lost wickets right from the off, with three top-order batsmen getting out for ducks. Kallis top-scored with 46, but received little by way of support from his team-mates, as Krishmar Santokie (3 for 27), Daniel Vettori (2 for 22) and Jerome Taylor (2 for 21) struck at regular intervals to keep the visitors to 130 for 9.

New Zealand paid the price for trying to be too aggressive without earning the right to, in the first Twenty20 in Durban, according to their new captain Brendon McCullum

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2012New Zealand paid the price for trying to be too aggressive without earning the right to, in the first Twenty20 international in Durban, according to their new captain Brendon McCullum. The visitors collapsed for 86 and were beaten by eight wickets in the opening fixture of their tour of South Africa.”We obviously wanted to be aggressive today, and we wanted to put South Africa under pressure right from the get-go, but we learned a lot about earning the right to do so first,” McCullum said after the game. “Ensure that you stick to your fundamentals, and first and foremost give yourselves that opportunity to be able to be aggressive. I think one thing we’ll definitely take out of this game is that we were just a little over-keen to try and put some pressure on South Africa from the outset.”We 100% believe that we can win the next game, we’ve just got to fine tune a couple of areas. I can’t fault people for being overly keen to want to get into a series. It’s just that we didn’t quite earn the right to be as aggressive as we wanted to be and put South Africa under pressure. And we’ll ensure that in 48 hours time, we’ll definitely put up a much better performance …”After choosing to bat at Kingsmead, New Zealand had slumped to 36 for 6 by the ninth over, with only Colin Munro making it to double figures among the top-seven batsmen. Munro was one of four debutants New Zealand included in their XI. Corey Anderson, Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell McClenaghan were the others.”It was a bit two-paced,” McCullum said of the pitch. “I think some balls were keeping a little low, especially the cross-seamers were keeping a little bit low, and some kicked a little bit … We just played too many out-shots early on when we weren’t quite set. We didn’t get the pace of the wicket, so that’s something we can definitely learn from.”Faf du Plessis, the South Africa captain, said his team had learned from the mistakes New Zealand’s batsmen made. South Africa achieved the target in the 13th over, with du Plessis top-scoring with an unbeaten 38 at No. 3. South Africa also had three debutants – Henry Davids, Chris Morris and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock – and du Plessis was pleased with the attitude of the new-look Twenty20 side.”We put a lot of emphasis on that we’re a young side, so we want to have a lot of energy and we want to have a good presence,” du Plessis said. “That’s what I was telling the guys, we’ve done an excellent job of doing that. He [Quinton de Kock] surprised me. As a young guy coming in, you’d think that he’d be a little bit more nervous but he made it look easy. That’s what we strive for as a team, and so he did very well.”South Africa and New Zealand will play the second Twenty20 international in East London on December 23.

Zimbabwe’s will chase a daunting 305 on the final day with eight wickets in hand, after Doug Bracewell made two crucial breaches in an intense start to the fourth innings in Bulawayo

The Report by Nitin Sundar04-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKyle Jarvis impressed with his ability to deliver inswingers at a sprightly pace, as he picked up his maiden five-for•AFP

Zimbabwe will chase a daunting 305 on the final day with eight wickets in hand, after Doug Bracewell made two crucial breaches in an intense start to the fourth innings in Bulawayo. Bracewell’s double-strike, including a wicket in the final over of the day, left Zimbabwe hamstrung at the end of a day when they had fought admirably for the most part.Earlier, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor struck contrasting half-centuries to provide the ballast for New Zealand, who had to overcome a combative bowling display led by Kyle Jarvis before declaring 365 ahead.Jarvis’ effort forced New Zealand to spend more time than they would have wanted at the crease, but they took the field energised in the final session. Chris Martin got the new ball to buzz in at pace, giving both the openers, Tino Mawoyo and Vusi Sibanda, sore toes. Bracewell too hunted for wickets, with conventional seam movement either way. He trapped Sibanda with one that came in, before Hamilton Masakadza gifted his wicket with an avoidable cut, leaving Zimbabwe at a jittery 61 for 2.The frustrated faces on the Zimbabwean balcony as the players trooped in exemplified just how drastically their day had unravelled. Zimbabwe had enjoyed what were in isolation a good couple of sessions in the field thanks to Jarvis, who chipped away at the middle order with his sprightly inswingers. Jarvis’ breakthroughs came after New Zealand had laboured to 83 runs in the 30 overs before lunch, though Williamson and Taylor stepped on the gas thereafter.With the sun out and the pitch offering little assistance, Zimbabwe’s seam trio stuck to disciplined lengths in the morning. Their effort was initially aided by New Zealand’s surprisingly defensive outlook, engendered by their use of a nightwatchman on the third day. Jeetan Patel’s prolonged presence at the crease would have benefited Zimbabwe more than New Zealand, but four overs into the day he was cleaned up by Jarvis.Zimbabwe’s deficit, however, meant they couldn’t afford to attack for long. Njabulo Ncube settled into a monotonous spell where he was consistently well wide of off stump, with a packed field in the covers. Williamson led New Zealand out of the mini-crisis, cover-driving languidly every time he was offered width, and defending well when he wasn’t. The lack of movement meant Ray Price was introduced early, and Taylor checked in comfortably against his quick-arm flat deliveries. The odd ball that he spun in the morning, such as the ripper that veered away from leg stump in the 20th over of the innings, did too much to take the edge.Taylor tried to force the pace in the second hour of play, but nearly perished in the process. He steered Ncube behind point for four before edging another wide ball past slip. Ncube then trapped him palpably in front with an indipper, convincing everyone except the umpire Marais Erasmus that it was out. Inevitably, Price too switched to a negative line from over the stumps, but that didn’t faze Williamson. When he wasn’t padding Price away or receding into the crease to glance him fine, he was trotting out to the flight and going over the top.Price’s leg-stump trajectory was straight up Taylor’s alley, and he unleashed his patent slog-sweep to take the lead past 200. The acceleration continued into the middle session, with Williamson nudging Chris Mpofu to the fine-leg boundary to reach his half-century. He celebrated the landmark by sweeping Price for a six and a four, forcing the last of the close-in fielders into the deep. Taylor brought up his own fifty in more subdued fashion, before swat-flicking Jarvis over midwicket for a furious six as Zimbabwean shoulders began to slump in the mid-afternoon heat.Jarvis wasn’t to be discouraged, though. He kept bustling in with intent, bounding close to the stumps and getting every other ball to jag in sharply off the seam. Both Williamson and Taylor were caught by surprise when Jarvis sneaked indippers onto their pads. In between those two lbws, Price got a leading edge out of BJ Watling to carry to slip. Brendan Taylor dropped Daniel Vettori in the slips, but the miss didn’t extend Jarvis’ wait for his maiden five-for by much. Dean Brownlie perished to his stock ball too, losing off stump as he played back to yet another quick inswinger.New Zealand batted on after tea, and Taylor called them in seven overs into the evening session, off which Vettori and Reece Young looted 40 runs. In hindsight, it was a pretty well-timed declaration, since it affords New Zealand a second go with a still shiny ball on the final morning.

On a day when most of Australia’s Test batsmen failed around the country, Steven Smith’s 59 was a rare highlight

Brydon Coverdale at Bellerive Oval17-Nov-2010On a day when most of Australia’s Test batsmen failed around the country, Steven Smith’s 59 was a rare highlight. The first Ashes Test at the Gabba is eight days away but Smith does not expect his performance, which came in difficult seaming conditions against a quality England attack, to propel him into the top six.”The selectors have a fair indication of what they’re going to go with in Brisbane,” Smith said, on a day when Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson and Simon Katich all made low scores. “Some people fail on wickets if they’re green around the country. I guess you can’t really take too much out of what’s going to happen this week.”Even so, Smith’s innings will impress the selectors, as it began watchfully after England reduced Australia A to 5 for 66, and became gradually more attacking as Smith became used to the conditions. But there remains doubt over what role Smith is best suited to at the Test level; he played as the main spinner against Pakistan this year when Nathan Hauritz was injured, but is also an impressive striker of the ball.”Down the track I’d definitely like to be a middle-order batsman,” he said. “I work just as hard on my batting as I do on my bowling. Down the track I would like to be a genuine allrounder; whether the selectors see it that way at the moment or not, I’m not sure.”Smith was helped by England’s short-pitched attack, which suited his swatting style of pulls and hooks. Steve O’Keefe also handled the bowling well in making 66, but the rest of the batsmen struggled.England’s bowlers, led by Chris Tremlett with 4 for 54, mixed controlled aggression with good, fuller balls that facilitated swing and seam. It’s a plan that the Test team should expect from James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, who are already in Brisbane adjusting to the conditions.”When you come out to Australia and you play on these wickets, you hope that your attributes will play a part,” Tremlett said. “At 6 feet 8 myself and the other guys are pretty tall as well, definitely that is the plan, to intimidate guys and get in their faces a little bit.”Everyone put their hand up. Everyone got a couple of wickets, apart from Monty. But even though he didn’t get a wicket, he put the pressure on and bowled really well. I think as a group, it was a very good bowling performance.”It was Tremlett’s first match for England in two years, and although he began nervously with a wayward first over, he quickly found his radar and picked up the first wicket in his next over. He said there had been a major change in the squad’s attitude since he last played, which could augur well as they aimed to retain the Ashes.”I haven’t been involved for a couple of years, and I have come in and noticed a difference in confidence within the side,” Tremlett said. “I guess that comes from winning a lot of series and a lot of games back to back. Hopefully we’ll take that on to Brisbane and go from there.”Tremlett also insisted he had not given up on hopes that he might be part of the team for the first Test at Brisbane. “It is maybe not set in stone, the first-Test squad. All you can do is when you get your opportunity, try your hardest – and you never know; you might have put your name in the hat. Getting some wickets builds your confidence – and if my opportunity does come along, my confidence will be high.”

Gerald Majola has hailed Makhaya Ntini’s career as the fast bowler reached 100 Test caps in the opening encounter against England in Centurion

Andrew McGlashan in Centurion16-Dec-2009Gerald Majola, the Cricket South Africa chief executive, has hailed Makhaya Ntini’s career as the fast bowler reached 100 Test caps in the opening encounter against England in Centurion.”Makhaya Ntini’s 100th Test match for South Africa marks a major milestone in one of the most incredible journeys yet undertaken in world cricket,” he said. “Makhaya rose from being a herd boy in the tiny village of Mdingi in the Eastern Cape to being rated as one of the world’s best fast bowlers and becoming the most popular sports person South Africa has known.”He has stridden the world cricket stage like a colossus since making his Test debut at the age of 20,” he added. “His 10 wickets against England at Lord’s in 2003 also stands alone in the South African record books at the home of cricket.”Majola praised the impact that Ntini has had within the sport and the way he has played the game over an 11-year career. “For more than a decade, Makhaya has been the face of South African cricket wherever the game is played,” he said. “His has been the face of friendship, enjoyment and a fierce will to win for his country.”Ntini himself has spoken of the pride of reaching his hundred milestone and admitted he never thought he would get the chance to represent his country. “For me, playing 100 times for my country – from a time when you thought, as a black cricketer, it wouldn’t be possible to penetrate and be successful among a white-dominated sport, it gives a lot of inspiration to younger people. If I can do it, so can they.”Ntini will have an even more important role to play in his 100th Test after South Africa lost the services of Dale Steyn shortly before the toss. Steyn pulled up during the warm-ups with a recurrence of the hamstring injury that has troubled him since the third ODI in Cape Town.He had appeared on course to make the Test after coming through South Africa’s training camp in Potchefstroom and his absence leaves Graeme Smith short of his main strike bowler. It also meant a last-minute debut for 29-year-old Friedel de Wet who had been kept with the squad on standby.Graeme Smith, the South African captain, said it had been a privilege to have had a part in Ntini’s career: “He’s a great success story, and he has worked very hard for this honour. He has always been an important part of the team – his work ethic, his commitment, his energy and his vibrant personality. I wish him every success in his 100th match.”He’ll tell you that his success is down to a lot of hard work. He’s had his ups and downs, but he’s always met them with 100 percent commitment,” he added. “Makhaya has become the spearhead of our attack and I’ve been very grateful for his energy and commitment as a leader.
He’s a vibrant person and he’s played a prominent role, not just in this team, but in South Africa.”