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England v South Africa, 4th Test, Headingley, Day 5

Kallis grabs six as England go down with a whimper

The Wisden Bulletin by Martin Williamson

August 25, 2003

South Africa 342 and 365 beat England 307 and 209 (Butcher 61, Flintoff 50, Kallis 6-54) by 191 runs
Scorecard

Man of the morning: Jacques Kallis leads South Africa off after blowing England away with 6 for 54

It took South Africa less than an hour to complete a comprehensive 191-run victory over England on the final day of the fourth Test at Headingley, to go 2-1 up in the series with one to play. The hero of the morning was Jacques Kallis, who took four of the five wickets to fall, but once again England were brittle when steely grit was called for.

A large and enthusiastic crowd gathered to witness what they hoped would be a couple of sessions of morale-restoring resolve. They greeted the arrival of the not-out batsmen, Mark Butcher and Andrew Flintoff, with a roar which would not have shamed nearby Elland Road. Within two balls the hopes of a last-day miracle had all but evaporated. Butcher lofted the first delivery from Kallis airily over square leg; the next ball was angled across him, he edged it, and Andrew Hall at first slip took a simple catch to his left. Butcher was out for 61 (169 for 6).

The crowd rallied and did all they can to get behind England. In Kallis's next over Flintoff smashed a short and wide ball over the covers to bring up his fifty. The Western Terrace erupted, but their euphoria was short lived. The next delivery from Kallis left Flintoff, turned him square, and the outside-edge gave Hall his second solid catch of the day at first slip (182 for 7). Martin Bicknell aimed a few lusty blows - and took one or two on the body for his troubles - but on 15 he got the thinnest of edges to Kallis and Mark Boucher did the rest (189 for 8).

That was almost that. Kabir Ali (9) briefly attempted a counterattack before becoming Kallis's sixth wicket of the innings, when a quite horrible slog across the line ballooned to Gary Kirsten at widish mid-on (206 for 9). Fittingly, the game ended in the next over with a superb gully catch from Man of the Match Kirsten when he held James Kirtley's slash at Hall.

On top of the world: Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith celebrate victory

Kallis hasn't been at his best in the Tests after his outstanding Nat West Series, but given his personal grief after his father's death it is understandable that his mind might not be entirely on the cricket. But he was outstanding here, exploiting the conditions to the full. On a pitch which offered movement and variable bounce, he bowled more like a traditional English seamer than any of the five-man England seam attack had done.

England have ten days to regroup before the series finale at The Oval. They will take a little solace from the fact that they had chances in this match to drive home the advantage they obtained from winning at Nottingham. Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan will have to work out quite how they let South Africa off the hook so spectacularly, and then handed the game to them on a plate with such an abysmal second-innings bowling performance.

Meanwhile South Africa travel south relieved that Dewald Pretorius had such a miserable game. If he hadn't, then they would have had some serious problems deciding who they should drop to make way for the returning Shaun Pollock.

Wisden Verdict: Outbatted, outbowled ... and out-thought