Sunday, Mar 10, 2002
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Cricket
CAPE TOWN, MARCH 9. Another powerful century by Adam Gilchrist has given Australia the decisive advantage after a spirited South Africa fought back on the second day of the second Test at Newlands on Saturday. Mixing his usual belligerence with some explosive hitting, the game's most devastating wicketkeeper-batsman made an unbeaten 138 from just 108 balls with twenty-two 4s and two 6s as Australia was bowled out for 382, a first innings lead of 143. South Africa was seven for no loss at stumps when bad light forced a close 10 overs early. Gilchrist's remarkable innings follows his world record 204 not out from only 213 balls in the first Test - the fastest double century ever. This gives the left-hander 342 runs for the series from only 321 balls without being dismissed. He passed 2000 runs when he hit Paul Adams for six to reach 110 and pushed his overall Test average to 61.48, second only to Don Bradman in history for any batsman who has played 15 or more Tests. Gilchrist shared a 132-run partnership in only 102 minutes with Shane Warne (63 in 66 balls) after Australia had collapsed from 130 for one to 185 for six in the face of some fine bowling by Makhaya Ntini and Paul Adams. Playing ultra- attacking cricket with the tail, Gilchrist took 36 runs from the last two overs bowled by Adams. Despite this late demolition Adams still finished with the respectable figures of four for 102, with his last victim, Jason Gillespie caught at slip, giving the left-arm wrist spinner 100 wickets. He is the eighth South African and first non-white from his country to achieve the feat. For all the fuss about the merits and colour of selections this summer, non-white bowlers claimed eight of the 10 wickets for South Africa. Ntini bowled his heart out to take four for 93. Gilchrist's brilliant innings masked what may be some growing problems with Australia's middle order. Steve Waugh was bowled by Adams for a duck playing across the line and Mark Waugh, who was given a life on 11 when acting captain Mark Boucher missed a difficult leg side stumping, made a scratchy 25 before slashing a ball to gully. When Warne crashed a full, wide ball from debutant fast bowler Deal Pretorious through the covers to the boundary he reached 2000 runs, a milestone the champion leg-spinner has openly coveted for some time. It made Warne just the fourth player in history to achieve the 400-wicket, 2000-run double behind Richard Hadlee, Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram.
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