LEEDS, 26 August 2003 — Jacques Kallis took a career-best six wickets for 54 as South Africa thrashed England by 191 runs on the final morning of the fourth Test at Headingley yesterday to go 2-1 up in the series.
England, set an unlikely 401 to win at Headingley, resumed on 165 for five but capitulated to 209 all out within 50 minutes and 70 deliveries, Mark Butcher dismissed second ball of the day to begin the procession.
All rounder Kallis, who took nine wickets in the match, collected four for 16 yesterday morning in just 33 deliveries with his away swingers. He proved the perfect stand-in after South Africa went into the match without leading bowler Shaun Pollock, who returned home to attend the birth of his daughter.
England captain Michael Vaughan, however, hailed man-of-the -match Gary Kirsten as the key after his innings of 130 and 60, his runs in effect the margin between the sides. “I thought he was outstanding, and probably the difference between the two sides. They were more disciplined and played smarter cricket than we did,” Vaughan said. “There were situations when we should have been more ruthless.”
“Why did we lack ruthlessness? It’s a good question. I think over the last few years a lot of England teams have been very similar. When you get on top of opposition as good as South Africa you have to really make those situations count. We didn’t do that here and we have not done it in the past very well. Maybe it’s mental, maybe it’s to do with attitude, the way we are brought up in our game.”
Kirsten, in his 92nd Test and who is considering retirement at the end of the series, batted for more than 11 hours on an unreliable and uneven pitch. “I don’t think I have played on a test match wicket like that before,” the left-hander said.
South Africa skipper Graeme Smith added: “We want to go to The Oval and make it 3-1, not just hold on to our lead. “I don’t know how much England wanted it, but our boys definitely did, even when we were 21 for four and 142 for seven (in the first innings). A lot of guys stepped up to the plate in this game.”
Butcher, England’s last hope of a miracle, had clipped the first ball of the day off his legs for four to reach 61 before edging Kallis’s next delivery to Andrew Hall at second slip, ending a 74-run stand.
Andrew Flintoff reached his half-century before falling next delivery, also edging to Hall, before Martin Bicknell, Kabir Ali and James Kirtley quickly followed. Kallis bowled 17 overs in all to achieve his fourth five-wicket return in Tests, as well as taking nine wickets for 92 in the match. Kirsten, however, had the honor of sealing the win by catching the last two batsmen.
Whatmore Sets Bangladesh New
Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore has set his side a new goal for the second Test against Pakistan that begins on Wednesday — passing 300 at least once. Bangladesh lost their 21st of 22 matches by seven wickets in the first test against Pakistan, though they scored 288 and 274 and also managed to take the game into the fifth day.
The first match was only the third time Bangladesh have played on all five days of a Test. “There were positives from the match. The batsmen showed more application,” Whatmore said yesterday. “But we need to get over this mental block and start putting together scores of 300 plus to really Test the opposition.”
Whatmore would have fond memories of the Arbaba Niaz Stadium in Peshawar for the second Test after guiding Sri Lanka to a convincing win over Pakistan there in March 2000 — the last Test to be held in the venue. Pakistan have also lost their last two tests at the stadium to Zimbabwe and then Sri Lanka. Pakistan has announced an unchanged squad for the second.
