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Journalism of Courage
SYDNEY, Jan 2: Failed Test batsman Michael Bevan justified his recall for Australia as a specialist spinner by claiming two wickets as South Africa laboured to 197 for five in 97 overs on the first day of the second cricket Test today.
Australian selectors, who dropped Bevan as a Test batsman during the Ashes tour to England in July, turned to the left-arm wrist-spinner as support for leg-spinner Shane Warne.
Bevan responded by dismissing Herschelle Gibbs for 54 and Brian McMillan for six in the final session at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He finished with figures of two for 41 in 20 overs, the best performance by an Australian bowler on a day of often painfully slow scoring by South Africa.
South African captain Hansie Cronje, who earlier won the toss, remained unbeaten on 56, his 10th Test half-century and second in successive Tests, after occupying the crease for four hours and facing 198 balls.
Gibbs and Cronje added 97 runs for the fourth wicket in South Africa’s biggest partnership.
Gibbs was caught off the inside edge when he attempted to cover drive a wide delivery that turned back into him. Wicket-keeper Ian Healy completed his downfall by holding a difficult chance.
Bevan claimed his second wicket with perhaps the worst ball of the day, a full toss that McMillan miscued straight to Mathew Elliott at mid-on.
South Africa number three Jacques Kallis, whose century helped save the first Test in Melbourne, was left to rue a momentary lapse in concentration during the afternoon session.
An alert Ricky Ponting, fielding at mid-wicket, noticed Kallis had drifted out of his ground at the bowler’s end and a direct hit on the stumps left the batsman stranded with his score on 16. Earlier in the same over, part-time seam bowler Greg Blewett trapped opener Adam Bacher leg-before-wicket on the back foot for 39.
Fast bowler Glenn McGrath made the initial breakthrough with the new ball by dismissing Gary Kirsten for 11 when the opener edged a simple catch to Taylor at first slip.
SCOREBOARD
SOUTH AFRICA (first innings): G Kirsten c Taylor b McGrath 11, A Bacher lbw b Blewett 39, J Kallis run out 16, H Cronje not out 56, H Gibbs c Healy b Bevan 54, B McMillan c Elliot b Bevan 6, S Pollock not out 1. Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-1, nb-7) 14. Total (for 5 wkts in 97 overs) 197
Fall of wickets: 1/25, 2/70, 3/70, 4/167, 5/174.
Bowling: McGrath 14-5-31-1, Reiffel 16-6-24-0, Warne 22-5-46-0, Bevan 20-3-41-2, Blewett 13-5-30-1, S Waugh 8-4-10-0, M Waugh 3-1-5-0, Elliott 1-0-4-0.
Red faces on day of goof-ups
Very little went according to plan on the first morning of the second Test between Australia and South Africa today — with more happening off the field than on it.
Play was delayed by 30 minutes on a baking hot day because groundsmen had excessively watered an area of the square at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
The embarrassing mistake forced the umpires to put back the scheduled start to allow the area to dry out and so avoid putting the fielding side at risk of injury on the soggy ground.
During the enforced delay, the South African and Australian players lined up in front of the pavilion to hear their respective national anthems.
But the South African anthem “Nkosi Sikheleli I Afrika” had to be interrupted when the singer complained he could not hear his own voice, prompting officials to repeat the whole exercise.
Matters deteriorated into near-farce during play, when the drinks wagon used to carry liquid refreshments to the players during the session, broke down in the middle of the ground.
Umpire Peter Willey and Australian players Mark Waugh and Glenn McGrath had to intervene to push the cart toward the boundary fence, to howls of laughter from the crowd.
