CALCUTTA, India, 29 November 2004 — Jacques Kallis hit his 17th Test century but India’s fast bowlers took wickets at regular intervals to restrict South Africa to 227 for five on the first day of the second and final Test yesterday.

The 29-year-old top-scored with 103 not out, his first hundred against India and fourth this year.

However, wickets tumbled at the other end as left-arm seamers Irfan Pathan, with three for 61, and Zaheer Khan, two for 46, bowled incisively on a wicket offering early seam movement. They each struck once early in the morning, removing openers Graeme Smith (0) and Andrew Hall (7) to reduce the visitors to 21 for two.

Kallis and Jacques Rudolph rescued the side with a stand of 109 for the third wicket but South Africa were in trouble again after Khan removed Rudolph for a dogged 61.

Pathan returned to dismiss debutant Hashim Amla for 24 and Boeta Dippenaar (1) as the visitors tumbled to 182 for five.

Zander de Bruyn, who scored 83 on debut in the drawn first test in Kanpur, was 15 not out when bad light ended play for the day 6.3 overs ahead of schedule.

South Africa, criticized following the Kanpur match for being too defensive after taking more than two days to score 510 for nine, again batted slowly at around 2.7 runs an over.

“We’re still playing for a win. We mean business over the next four days,” South Africa captain Smith told reporters.

Pathan, back after missing the last three tests, struck off only the second ball when he had Smith edging to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

Smith had been cleared to play in the morning after a car ran over his foot in a freak accident on Saturday.

Khan got the second breakthrough in his third over, having Hall, who had scored a career-best 163 in Kanpur, caught behind with a ball that was angling away.

Rudolph, batting with an off-stump guard, got into his stride with four fluent boundaries and looked more solid as the wicket became easier for batting after the first hour.

He and Kallis scored freely soon after lunch but slowed down again with leg spinner Kumble and Harbhajan in operation.

Harbhajan was particularly impressive with his drift but it was Khan, in his second spell, who finally uprooted Rudolph’s off-stump with a ball that nipped back.

Debutant Amla was elegant during his brief stay, hitting four boundaries, but Pathan bowled him with a superb delivery that pitched on leg-stump and hit off.

The 20-year-old Pathan then had vice-captain Dippenaar caught behind with an away-swinger but Kallis held firm at the other end, driving him through the covers to reach his 100.

South Africa made two changes in their team, leaving out Martin van Jaarsveld and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson for Amla and all-rounder Justin Ontong. India brought in Pathan for left-arm spinner Murali Karthik.

Pakistan Cricketers Minus Shoaib

Sign Central Contracts

In Karachi, the top 17 Pakistan cricketers will get a monthly salary of around $1,200 to $3,500 under the first ever national contracts signed yesterday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan said.

However express pacer Shoaib Akhtar raised certain objections and had not signed, he said.

“It is an important moment in Pakistan cricket as we have taken a step which is open to a review,” Khan told a press conference.

“Akhtar has not signed because he wants to consult his lawyers, we hope he will sign after consultation but even if he does not sign he would tour Australia and get his match fee,” the PCB chief said. “The first contract will have a duration of seven months from December 2004 to June 2005 and from July 2005 annual contracts will be given,” he said.

Captain Inzamam-ul Haq, vice captain Yousuf Youhana, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, and Akhtar were offered “A” category contracts and will get a monthly salary of 200,000 rupees (around $3,500), they said.

Cricket officials said Akhtar, who is to play for English county Worcestershire next season, had certain objections on restrictions over his private endorsements.

“The PCB has put a clause in Akhtar’s contract that whenever he signed a private endorsement he would need PCB’s permission which stopped Akhtar from signing the contract,” they said.