Date-stamped : 11 Dec95 - 14:37 Tour Match: Boland v England Boland Bank Park, Paarl. 8,9,10,11 December 1995 ====> Day 1, 7 Dec 95 England struggle to lift tempo - Christopher Martin-Jenkins England (263-8) v Boland THE scenery was inspiring, the cricket banal. Imagine, if you will, a cricket match in Glen Coe, with Ballachulish etched in craggy splendour against a deep blue sky on the finest day of a highland summer. Imagine, also, a pitch the pace of Weston- super-Mare`s and an outfield like a well-tended recreation foot- ball ground. You will know then that Paarl was a beautiful place in which to play or watch cricket in the midst of a British winter, but also an unsatisfying one. A run rate of 2.5 was more or less par for England after Alec Stewart had won the toss, but Boland had more reason to be satis- fied with a day`s work which restricted the touring team to 263 for eight. Only Robin Smith early in the day and Jack Russell to- wards its close really managed to time the ball, although Graham Thorpe contributed a workmanlike 56 in the middle. Boland`s spinners did most of the work in the field and Claude Henderson, 23, a fair-haired, tallish left-arm spinner from down the road at Worcester, was outstanding. There was interest, of course, in the performance of Phillip DeFreitas and he did his hopes of making England`s World Cup squad no harm by producing figures of 8-8-0-1 with the second new ball. He has worked hard on unhelpful pitches on Boland`s behalf this South African season and was lightly bowled by his captain, Adrian Kuiper, in his opening spell, but he certainly produced the ball of the day for Peter Martin, 18 overs into the final session. It leapt off only a little short of a length to take a high edge as Martin rocked back in surprise. Thereafter Russell and Richard Illingworth played him with due respect, but this was not necessarily a performance to suggest equal economy against top-class batsmen intent on quick scoring in a one-day international match. Smith who set the early pace Mike Atherton, credited by the South African Cricket Union for another surge in advance sales of Test tickets yesterday, duti- fully watched England reach 93 for two in an unexceptional morning`s play, but was taken trout fishing for the first time by John Barclay in the afternoon. He missed little of significance until Russell`s demonstration in the evening that he can bat ad- mirably in any situation in his present form. To leave Russell out of the World Cup 14 when the time for decision comes would be folly. Stewart, the alternative or additional wicketkeeper, was at his most circumspect and responsible as a batsman yesterday and it was Smith who set the early pace, hooking and cover-driving DeFreitas`s opening partner, the slim left-arm over Willoughby, who is an ordinary bowler with a singular christian name: Charl. Smith was promising his first big score of the tour when he at- tracted a good ball from the medium-fast Billy Stelling, a busy, dark-haired bowler who hit his off stump as he aimed towards midwicket. It was John Crawley, naturally, who was most anxious to make another decent score, but his dress rehearsal for batting against Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock on a hard and grassy pitch at Dur- ban next week consisted of 14 overs against two steady young spin bowlers. Illingworth blocked resolutely, with the air of one who believes he will have a long and productive bowl today Henderson bowled tightly, with varying trajectories, to a field including two short mid-offs, and Drew, an off-spinner of pas- sionate nature, managed to find a little turn and drift. It was the latter that did for Crawley as he jumped out to hit through the off side and missed. Whether he bats at three or six at Durban may not yet be fully resolved. Stewart, 30 not out after his morning`s graft, was bowled by Stelling after lunch driving at a good-length ball which, like Smith`s, straightened a fraction, but Thorpe and Graeme Hick made painless progress until Thorpe, who had given a chance to slip off Henderson when 32 and survived one big appeal for a catch behind, was not so lucky the third time. Hick drove Drew straight for six but did his reputation as a flat-track bully no good by trying to force him past point and missing. England were therefore a modest 194 for five at tea and a brilli- ant catch by Stelling at short mid-off to dismiss Mike Watkinson 11 overs later was followed by Darren Gough dragging a wide long-hop on to his stumps and the ball which accounted for Mar- tin. England were thus reduced to 233 for eight, but Russell mowed Henderson for six and hit him sweetly through the covers with his mysterious unmarked bat, while Illingworth blocked resolutely, with the air of one who believes he will have a long and produc- tive bowl today. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 2, 8 Dec 95 Immovable Russell puts England in driving seat By Christopher Martin-Jenkins in Paarl Second day of four: Boland are 129-4 in reply to England`s 402-8 dec IT has been the happiest of weeks for Jack Russell, but a depressing one for Darren Gough. Russell, the professional par excellence, whose wife arrived unexpectedly on the day he helped Mike Atherton to save the second Test, took his overnight 45 to 129 not out on the second day in Paarl, his fifth and highest first-class hundred. On a pitch now taking spin it may prove to have been the prelude to an England win, whether or not Gough is able to bowl today. Yorkshire`s eager young fast bowler`s stock had already fallen when he pulled up during his fourth over as he strained to ex- tract some spark on a grey and torpid pitch yesterday. Although the injury is apparently minor he looks unlikely to take part in the third Test in Durban next week. Richard Illingworth, who added figures of two for 41 to his painstaking innings of 57 not out, is the man most likely to take his place. There was an immediate echo of the abrupt ending to Gough`s tour of Australia earlier this year when he pulled up in pain at Mel- bourne. The first injury turned out to be a fracture in his left foot, followed by the shin injury which kept him out of the Eng- land side after the Lord`s Test last season. This time the problem appears to be minor, a strained tendon behind his right knee, but he has not found any convincing form on this tour and by the time he limped off yesterday he had taken nine for 283 in five first-class games. He was back on the field within an hour but he did not reappear after tea and, unless he can do something special over the week- end, his Test place must be in doubt, however quickly the injury responds to treat- ment. Peter Martin took the chance to bowl a purposeful spell, hitting the seam on a length close to the off stump. After some close calls he finally earned a reward when he broke the Boland opening stand with a ball which bounced sufficiently to clip Bryan Baguley`s outside edge and carry to third slip. A cover drive from the off-spin of Bryan Drew and a crisp hook off Charl Willoughby, left-arm over, were two of few memorable strokes. Mark Ilott put in a spirited effort from both ends, too, but he did not swing the ball and very soon Illingworth was leading the attack, tiptoeing in to bowl 22 overs off the reel towards the Hottentot`s Holland Mountains. He hurried an arm ball through the gate of Boland opener Lloyd Ferreira, but Illingworth and Russell had set too good an example of the art of grafting for runs on a negative surface like this, and it began to look like a stalemate until, 10 minutes from the end, England picked up wickets off successive overs. Terrence Lazard, one of Boland`s better stroke-players, with 37 runs safely banked, was given out stumped - another success for the Russell/Illingworth combination - and Mike Watkinson then got a ball to turn sharply to have Ken Jackson caught off the face of the bat at short leg. It was the second all-Lancashire dismissal of the day and it might, indeed, have been Old Trafford and some county batsman turning Roy Tattersall into the hands of Jack Ikin or Ken Grieves in the days before batsmen learnt the dubious art of tucking their bats behind their pads. There is something old-fashioned about Russell`s approach, too. He and Illingworth laid the base again fastidiously yesterday morning, boring a small crowd while 12 runs were added in the first half-hour. But the old pros new what they were about. Gradually, even this desperately slow outfield was explored, Russell strong through extra cover, Illingworth, once esta- blished, timing it equally well. A cover drive from the off-spin of Bryan Drew and a crisp hook off Charl Willoughby, left-arm over, were two of few memorable strokes. On pitches like these in four-day cricket the batting coat has to be cut according to the cloth. Russell began to force the pace after lunch, hitting in the air as he moved into his 11th hour at the crease since being out in the first innings at Johannesburg, but he had reminded the batsmen higher in the order of the need for discipline and concentration. He had reached 471 first-class runs on the tour at an average of 94, and 10 hours and 21 minutes at the crease this week, when Alec Stewart declared. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 3, 9 Dec 95 England forced to take one day at a time - Scyld Berry Third day of four: England 402-8 dec & 33-2. Boland 288. Match abandoned as a draw. One day game to replace final day IT WAS a game of cricket which did not match a setting as lovely as there could be. After Boland had blocked, poked and pushed their way past the follow-on target, reaching 253 in the 124th over of their innings, the kindest option was euthanasia. Once Phillip DeFreitas had departed for a typically boisterous fifty, it was Boland`s ninth-wicket partnership which killed lingering interest and precipitated the negotiations for a one- day game. When they had been confirmed after a phone call to Ali Bacher, to obtain the United Cricket Board`s approval, today`s 50-over per side match was announced to the crowd, to their ap- preciation. DeFreitas smacked his 54 off 103 balls, making riotous progress by the match`s standards, and took Boland to 216 for eight in the 99th over shortly after lunch. And there or thereabouts England`s last game of this tour against a provincial team became deadlocked. Heat was reflected off the rugged rocks of the surrounding Drak- enstein Mountains. Such stillness prevailed in the afternoon that the crickets were louder than the cricket; and the Boland pair of Claude Henderson and Bryan Drew slowed the game to walking pace then a standstill. As the afternoon wore on - two drinks intervals were permitted in the session by the umpires - and Richard Illingworth wheeled away, gradually the home batsman scraped and saved the last 37 runs to avert the follow-on. When the final single was squirted to cover off Mike Watkinson`s off-break, they had consumed 25 overs in the effort. All might have been different if England had dismissed Boland early, and had enough energy to press for an innings win By then England would not have been inclined to make Boland follow-on in any event, after already spending a day in the in- tense heat. They would have batted again, until lunchtime or so today, and after an initial burst gone through the motions while Boland batted out for a draw. Even John Crawley, who could have done with a longer second innings, will be better served by a one-day bash, which is expected to draw 4,000. All might have been different if England had dismissed Boland early, and had enough energy to press for an innings win. But the simplest of skiers was dropped when DeFreitas, on 17, got too far under a drive at Illingworth and dropped the ball into Mark Ilott`s hands at mid-off. And out. As Adrian Kuiper, the local apple farmer and former Derbyshire player, had already gone to a fine slip catch, DeFreitas was ap- parently the last batsman capable of strokeplay on this turning but otherwise drowsy turf. He took a shine to - and off - the second new ball, before hammering it to mid-off. Henderson was ultimately caught behind off Ilott. He waited for the umpire`s finger before departing. In Johannesburg, League cricket there is now a Malay female umpire, green-eyed and 20 years old, who, if she finds a batsman disputing her decision, sends him on his way with the words: "Hey, hit the shower, and I`ll join you later." Once rigor mortis set in Alec Stewart left the field to nurse a slightly bruised chest and Jack Russell took over the captaincy to complete his eventful week. Stewart is not expected to play today; nor is Russell, whose wife flew out to Johannesburg to surprise him on his return to his hotel room after his heroics on Monday; nor is Darren Gough, who will barely be considered for the third Test in Durban. Gough, according to Raymond Illingworth, is "very, very doubtful" because of the twinge behind his right knee. Gough`s match fit- ness in any event is not particularly pertinent as he is so out of sorts, and Peter Martin bowled his snappiest of the tour so far. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@*ogi.edu)