If England had any doubt about how horribly they faced up to bat on the first day of the fourth Test at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, South Africa showed them by tea on the second day.
graeme smith hashim amla
South African captain, Graeme Smith, led the way with a splendid century as the hosts went relatively risk free to taking a slim lead over the visitors who led the series 1-0.
There was drama at the start of the day with Smith surviving a caught behind appeal and even though Ashwell Prince departed soon after, Smith carried on without a hiccup.
The England bowlers kept straying down his legs and all Smith had to do was get a touch on it. Smith's shots were emphatic, England's bowling unsure. And therein lay the difference between England making it hard for the hosts and the hosts actually crushing England.
Smith was threatening to make a real dent in the England psyche once more but the innings did fold eventually after making a fine century though and certainly not before the partnership with Hashim Amla a back breaking (for England) 165. At the time of Smith's departure, South Africa were twenty-one runs ahead with eight wickets still in hand.
Even as Jacques Kallis joined Amla batting on seventy-one, the skies opened up, leading to an early tea.
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