South Africa fight back

Stuart Broad
12 April 2012

England made two new-ball breakthroughs before lunch in the second Test on a quick Kingsmead pitch.

South Africa, who chose to bat first on a sunny morning, lost Ashwell Prince in only the third over to James Anderson and then Hashim Amla in the 10th to Stuart Broad.

But, from 10 for two, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis shared an unbroken stand to reach 67 and ensure an even first session.

Pace and bounce was evident from the outset, especially for Anderson from the Umgeni end.

Prince, perhaps playing a little low in back-foot defence, was surprised by the life in the surface and there were no second chances with one that took the glove and flew to Graeme Swann at third slip.

Graham Onions, taking the new ball for the second consecutive Test innings, also found conditions to his liking. It was not until he was replaced by Broad, though, that England struck again when the wristy Amla aimed across and missed a full-length delivery to go lbw.

Anderson got another one to lift at Smith and land a painful blow on his left hand, for which the home captain needed some treatment.

Smith also needed plenty of grit, playing and missing several times, and it was Kallis who finally got South Africa moving with their first boundary in the 16th over - cut off Broad between slips and gully.

A second four came from the very next ball, this time a Kallis pull, and Smith at last found the boundary from the 63rd ball he faced in the 20th over, when he square-cut Anderson early in his second spell.

By lunch, in hot and humid conditions, England had already turned to their fourth specialist bowler in Swann - as well as a part-timer in Jonathan Trott - and the pair got through three overs to give the frontline pace trio a breather.

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