HAMILTON, New Zealand, 11 March 2004 — Jacques Kallis’ fine form for South Africa in Test matches this season continued on the first day of the first Test against New Zealand yesterday.
South Africa were 279 for four at close of play with Gary Kirsten not out 31 and nightwatchman Paul Adams on seven.
After scoring 711 runs with four centuries against the West Indies, Kallis pushed aside some indifferent form on the tour to date and scored 92 before hooking Jacob Oram to Daryl Tuffey on the backward square boundary 20 minutes from stumps.
It was one of the few rash shots that led to his downfall. He had been becalmed on 90 for 21 balls and appeared to be riding out the new ball danger when he fell, having faced 177 balls and hit 11 fours and three sixes.
“It’s not the easiest of wickets. It’s quite slow and quite difficult to score on,” Kallis said, adding that the ball that got him out had bounced more than he expected.
Kallis shared a 132-run partnership with Jacques Rudolph and partnered Kirsten in a 60-run stand until he was out.
Rudolph did not add to his tea score of 72. He became Brendon McCullum’s first victim in test cricket when he got an edge to a Scott Styris delivery and the wicketkeeper dived wide and low to his left to clutch the ball centimeters above the ground. South Africa won the toss and batted on the barren pitch.
They lost skipper Graeme Smith (25) with the score at 51 when he attempted to loft left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori over long-on, hitting directly to Jacob Oram at midwicket.
At 79, Herschelle Gibbs, who had hit Vettori over long-on for six, illustrated the sluggish nature of the pitch when he attempted a back foot drive off Vettori.
He was through the shot before the ball arrived and hit a hard catch to Styris at short cover.
“Those two wickets kept us in the game,” New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said. “It could have been tough mentally if they had been none down over those first two sessions.
“As it was we got a bit of a sniff and were able to hold our concentration and keep going right to the end.”
Fleming said the day had been hard toil but was pleased with the way his bowlers performed on the brown pitch he likened to a subcontinental strip.
“We would like to be perhaps six or seven into their batting, but they played solidly,” Fleming said. “We created enough to stay interested throughout the day, but it was always going to be tough. We bowled some good lines and lengths throughout the last 10 overs, which was testament to good concentration. “Another two today would have been great, but as it stands we are probably just behind.”
