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By Ben Dirs
SOUTH AFRICA FIRST INNINGS
0806 - WICKET - Amla c Prior b Broad 75 (SA 217-3)
Slightly iffy, uppish stroke from Amla off Broad and he picks up a single into the covers. Derek (see below), now is a quiet moment, and I can explain that no, the sound of a gloved thumb on rubber bat handle is not the same as the sound of a bat on ball. Broad has broken through! Amla drives waftily, edges and Prior takes a very good catch diving to his right.“When I played cricket, many years ago, batsmen wore gloves, which, depending on the manufacturer, had varying levels of padding. I cannot understand how a padded thumb, even with the most basic of protection, could make an audible ‘click’ against a bat handle, which usually has a grip of some sort, which further increases the padding. Perhaps, during a quiet moment, someone could explain this”
Derek (not so sunny Corfu, Greece) in the TMS inbox****0802 - 215-2 Sidebottom bowls the first ball of the day - plenty of shape, Kallis right behind it. A short-leg and two slips in for Kallis, it’s Cook under the lid. Bit of extra bounce for Sidebottom and Kallis takes his right hand off the handle, and that’s a maiden. **0758: ** Getting back to the cricket, this first session could be key for the entire series - England are teetering on the brink here, they must be hoping Kallis will weigh anchor and play one of those innings of his where he acquires barnacles. Here come Kallis (7) and Amla (73), we’ll have play in a couple of minutes. **0754: ** Fifty-thousand dead in Haiti and the Daily Star is going with ‘BB’s Katia Laughs All The Way To Bonk!’. Since when did Graeme Smith have wooden thumbs by the way
**0749: ** The good news is it’s sunny in Jo’Burg, that torrential rain has been swept away, although they are predicting mid-afternoon storms again… **0746: ** Hello you. England coach Andy Flower has been seen stomping around this morning clutching an ICC statement, and apparently he’s ruddy annoyed. Last night Flower claimed ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama told him third umpire Daryl Harper had his volume turned down when making a decision on that Graeme Smith caught behind. This morning Mahanama’s saying he didn’t say that all. Hmmm..This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.