McKenzie magic forces draw
30 Mar 2008
Neil McKenzie finished on 155* as the the Proteas drew the first Test against India in Chennai.
With South Africa on 331-5 and a comfortable 250 runs ahead of India, the match was called a draw at 3.28pm local time. Virender Sehwag was predictably named man of the match for his scintillating 319 in the first innings, but McKenzie was an important figure for the visitors, scoring 94 and 155* respectively.
The score resumed on 131-1 with McKenzie and Amla at the crease. The pair completed a 157-run partnership before Amla was dismissed by Anil Kumble. Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince missed out again, but McKenzie was the rock that held the innings together.
Harbhajan Singh took another three wickets to finish with eight in the match, which it to be considered highly commendable given the flat nature of the track.
The second Test will start on 3 April in Ahmedabad.
South Africa 540 all out (1st innings)
Hashim Amla 159, Neil McKenzie 94, Graeme Smith 73, Harbhajan Singh 5-164.
India 627 all out (1st innings)Virender Sehwag 319, Wasim Jaffer 73, Rahul Dravid 111, Dale Steyn 4-103, Makhaya Ntini 3-128, Paul Harris 3-203
South Africa 331-5 (2nd innings)
Neil McKenzie 155*, Hashim Amla 81, Harbhajan Singh 3-101.
For the full scorecard click here.
40 Comments
30 Mar 2008, 06:25 am
Five days of batting practice.
30 Mar 2008, 07:17 am
Tackles, how did the boys end up against the poms the other day, I missed the result of the last test?
30 Mar 2008, 07:44 am
Good start by Amla and Mac!
SAF 199/1
Mac 82*
Amla 75*
Hope both of them get ton and then Prince / Kallis get the chance to bat as well
30 Mar 2008, 07:55 am
Amla c Dravid b Kumble 81
Bad luck but well played dude!
That will bring greatest test player in
30 Mar 2008, 09:01 am
masud will the other pitches be the same you think? This will be a morale booster to SA team if we can kill off this game. Not realy a fair pitch , i believe in a pitch that overs both batters and bowlers a chance. With this pitch you need a 7 day game.
30 Mar 2008, 09:07 am
#2 The Poms won Koos. Ton by Straus.
30 Mar 2008, 09:16 am
Result England won by 121 runs
Fall of wickets 1-48 , 2-147, 3-156 , 4-160 , 5-172 , 6-276 , 7-281, 8-329 , 9-347 , 10-431
If it wasnt for this nr 10 batsmen , 19 old it would have been worst.
TG Southee not out 77 , 4×4, 9×6 s/r 192.50
30 Mar 2008, 09:22 am
SA vs India 1400+ runs for 14 wickets , way too easy pitch, a shame , with people craving for action this is not agood advert for Cricket.
30 Mar 2008, 09:33 am
Amla had a fantastic test. And mac is also doing well to cement his place in the team
30 Mar 2008, 09:47 am
Gotta laugh, when India were 400 and something for 1 there was a poster shown in the crowd asking SA to get another wicket, so they could see Sachin bat, so when Tendulkar eventually comes in to bat, Ntini gets him out for a duck!!
Amla deserves all the praise we can give him, I always felt he didn’t deserve his place in the team and was a quota selection, but they kept him in the side and he has grown into a good test cricketer, he must have been kicking himself for getting run out in the 1st innings when that double ton was there for the taking.
30 Mar 2008, 09:49 am
Kallis gone…eish…
30 Mar 2008, 10:08 am
Now Prince gone Aswell. Not a good test for the 2 slow batters(Prince & Kallis).
30 Mar 2008, 10:12 am
10
Good on you man. Not too many people would admit that. Amla has proven plenty on this site wrong. Whatever happened to the ozzie poster called Saturday? He spewed a lot of anti-Amla vitriol (along with Hooker).
30 Mar 2008, 10:19 am
People, I strongly suspect that Koos is taking the piss out of Tackler…so no need to provide the result.
A boring draw but I think, Sehwag aside, we emerged with greater credit. Never did understand why they dropped Sehwag and trotted out a string of ordinary openers in his wake.
Another great Test for Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla. And full credit to Dale Steyn for gutsing it out on a track clearly prepared to nullify our quicks.
Duminy for Prince, please!
30 Mar 2008, 10:43 am
No really Joe, I did not know
30 Mar 2008, 10:48 am
Koos , Niel het darem n lekker middel vinger vir Arendse gewys, dit is wat ek van sport hou , jy kan n ou afskryf maar as hy hom terug speel in die span het hy groot respek afgedwing.
Hier dink ek ook aan Percy , hy was maar k#k en sy comeback het hom nr 1 gemaak, great story of merit and determination. Hy mag maar vir my ook n middel vinger gooi ek verdien hom.
30 Mar 2008, 10:58 am
Yip superB, dit is goed om sulke stories te sien!
30 Mar 2008, 11:01 am
Het jy gesien ons is in die final daar in Hong Kong, 7s
30 Mar 2008, 11:03 am
Nou net gelees, sien bokkerol aan die kant!
30 Mar 2008, 11:16 am
Daar val ou AB ook. Ons middel kolwers kom nie die mas op op die oomblik nie. Bietjie kommerdwekkend dat 4-6 nie eintlik lopies kry nie die laaste tyd. Dis tyd dat hulle bietjie vinger trek.
30 Mar 2008, 11:42 am
Hoekom het Keo niks van die sewes nie? Ons speel die ABs in die final!
30 Mar 2008, 12:40 pm
#21 Because Simple Simon and Keo are a bunch of dooses.
Didn’t you read their latest article about seven’s. They don’t believe a cent should be spent on SA 7′s, so I guess they won’t give space to it on their website.
30 Mar 2008, 12:51 pm
modawg #10
LOL!!!
30 Mar 2008, 13:07 pm
jaf the way we played in the final was like dooses, i watched for the first time in about a year a sevens game , so i dont know the game and rules , but the SA players dont have the self belief the ABs have , but anyway who cares.
This is just something we will have to get used to, losing to NZ in all forms of rugby , S14 , 7S, 3N … Just in WC were someone else does our dirty work, we stand a chance. Depressing to say the least.
30 Mar 2008, 13:22 pm
Yeah, the final was a shocker, but in reality making the final was an achievement i.e. we are basically between 3rd or 4th and really struggle to beat AB’s in 7′s.
I think though in 15′s, we can pull off the home wins against AB’s. OK, this season will be interesting with new coach and loss of players to overseas.
S14 is interesting this year. Sharks are at the top. Stormers aren’t playing too shabby (they blew SF chances). Am Bulls fan and they are starting to pull things together as the players have come back, but I’ll blame the ref/tmo in last game.
Anyway, superbul, I’ll always shout for my country and my teams.
30 Mar 2008, 13:24 pm
Have they played the final already? What was the score?
30 Mar 2008, 13:30 pm
26-12 NZ won
30 Mar 2008, 14:19 pm
Cheers superBul, the NZ 7′s team is awesome, no shame in losing to them.
30 Mar 2008, 14:39 pm
MAHER why prince? O yes i forgot that a white player cannot be dropped. it has to be a black player for a black player.idiot.
30 Mar 2008, 15:29 pm
Joe,
Post 14
So you reckon drop Prince for Duminy.
Funny tho, cause Prince and AB have played about the same number of matches and Prince has the higher average.
So on the basis or merit, why Prince rather than AB?
30 Mar 2008, 16:00 pm
If can lay a egg, AB must be the one , sad because he showed so much promise. On the other hand they want to groom him for too many roles, 1 day opener , test no 5 , wicket keeper, to follow up Boucher. I would rather see him go back to a first class franchise where he can play permanent wicketkeeper and no 6 batsmen and be ready for a comeback when Boucher finally retires.
Australia brings back players with sucsess and lately even us with Niel Mckenzie . AB is losing confidence and the presure mounts on him. Maybe Duminy can grab his chance and we win both ways, get a you guy that can follow up Kallis who has about 3 years left. If they drop AB for these reasons i wont complain
30 Mar 2008, 18:50 pm
superBul
I agree with u players develop much better at provincial and appreciate that international cricket is a privledge and not a right esp if they are made to work to earn it. Just look at how well mckenzie has done since being in the wilderness for a while.
Problem is if we dont pick our younger guys by the time they reach 26+ they leave country. Quotas or targets play a role but one also feels like SA has developed a culture of moaning from both the white , black , purple and pink communities.
30 Mar 2008, 18:58 pm
Redox i think honesty with a player like AB will not make him leave. The players know if you are rested for a reason or further developed its okay. Look at Dale he was also dropped but they did spend time and money to develop him further, well that how i have it.
I would like to see how Zondeki fares now, he also did a lot of work since he was dropped. The only problem is there is only 11 places in a team and we must not make the same mistake England made in dropping guys to easy. You just cant play around with in and out players. In 1 dayers yes not in tests.
30 Mar 2008, 22:35 pm
ruffle, take your racist shite and shove it.
Besides, AB is far more versatile, he’s about six years younger and he got a shocker yesterday.
Personally, I have never rated Prince, just like I have never rated Smith as a captain. It has absolutely zilch to do with colour, your fecking idiot!!!
31 Mar 2008, 06:20 am
Dropping AB? Duhh! I would never drop AB!
And yeah it should be Prince who should be dropped to give a chance to JP!
@Superbul,
From what I’ve heard, Ahmedabad pitch will remain same but it wont be “that” placid! It will offer something for bowlers as well. I surely am expecting a result there cause I am going there to see it…
If you see a 6 feet tall lad with South African t-shirt [ World cup 1992 ] then it would be me
31 Mar 2008, 08:17 am
MAHER why prince? O yes i forgot that a white player cannot be dropped. it has to be a black player for a black player.idiot.
Comment by ruffle : March 30, 2008 @ 2:39 pm
What a top notch doos you are hey ruffle? Are you and Stofile family perhaps?
2 Apr 2008, 15:52 pm
Sorry Gibbs, it’s curtains for you bud.
2 Apr 2008, 15:58 pm
Gibbs you are out
2 Apr 2008, 15:58 pm
Cheers big ears!
2 Apr 2008, 20:34 pm
Unfortunately I dont see any thread for Domestic Cricket!
2-9 (van der Merwe, 2.1 ov), 3-9 (du Plessis, 2.2 ov), 4-9 (Behardien, 2.3 ov)
Langeveldt took a hat-trick with the wickets of van der Merwe, du Plessis and Behardien
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.