Stubborn Steyn removes all doubt... and misses Onions

DALE STEYN, fresh from his first five-wicket haul against England, was understandably happy after day one of the final Test at the Wanderers– and relieved to see England drop South Africa’s bogeyman, Graham Onions.
Steyn, who scuppered half of England’s side as they were skittled for 180, said: “It was something I was raring to get, a five-fer against England. I’ve done it against everybody else.
“I came close in Cape Town. Bowlers work hard for these things. We don’t often get decks that move around a bit, we’ve got to fill our boots when things happen like today.
“It didn’t happen for me in Cape Town, but I didn’t bowl as well as I did at Newlands but it went my way today a bit more.
“For me, the most important thing is to stick to the basics, I’ve never done anything special, I just apply the basics fantastically!
“In my first three Test matches against England I was very young but I won’t go there.
“If somebody had offered England all our for 180 and us 29 without loss, we would definitely have taken it at the start of the day.”
Asked about the decision to drop Onions, who has held out against South Africa twice as a No11 bat, Steyn was clearly surprised: “Sir Graham Onions? That’s what they’re calling him isn’t it?
“Even as a bowler he would have been a handful on this wicket, he could have been dangerous. I’m not taking anything away from Ryan Sidebottom but it was surprising to see he wasn’t playing. It was a bit of a relief for us.
“I won’t dwell too much on their side but we were surprised they dropped Onions. It’s their decision, I’m not really too fussed. It’s been a good day for South African cricket.
“Morne Morkel set the tone for us this morning, getting rid of Trott, Pietersen and Cook, who looked pretty solid. He’s been bowling pretty well. This is the start of Morne’s career. With Makhaya Ntini not in the side he has to step up to the plate.”
England’s top-scorer Paul Collingwood, who scored 47 while all about him where losing their heads, said: “We’re disappointed with 180, but the wicket’s certainly got a lot in it. Good carry, the ball’s swinging all the time and there’s certainly seam movement out there.
“But we’re disappointed. Hopefully we’ll do better second time around.
“The toss? I think both captains had the same idea, to bat if they won it. But on pitches like that you have to be committed, whether that’s a shot or a leave. A hundred percent committed.
“There are some guys who will be disappointed with their shots. It can be tough to play on these wickets.
“We’re not going to make an issue of Alastair Cook’s dismissal. We thought at first it was a no-ball, but having seen further footage. Andy Flower went to see the match referee. There was a still frame on the television which showed his foot was over the line. But there was a bit of slippage. It’s not an issue.
“All of us have got to understand what our strengths are as batsmen. We weren’t quite good enough today.”
On the decision to axe Onions for Sidebottom, Collingwood said: “Graham’s done a fantastic job but you can understand the need for fresh legs. You’re going to need four, five, six seamers in the future for England with all the overs they bowl in Test cricket these days.”
And how was the dressing-room affected by the first-ball dismissal of Strauss? “It’s not an ideal start if we’re honest. But it was a fantastic catch by Hashim Amla, not even a 50-50 chance. We never quite got through that new ball. This wicket seems to still be doing plenty with a 40-over old ball. It’s one of them watchful wickets.
“I thought we bowled excellent at the end, our lengths were exceptional. We’re going to get a lot of playing a missing. Hopefully we can hold our catches in the morning and get a few of them early.”
And the latest Kevin Pietersen failure? “I was glad to see him getting out to an attacking shot. I’d rather that than see him get out being defensive. That’s his way.”

Day one in South Africa. Not bad. Not bad at all.

SO here we are in South Africa. Centurion to be precise. A week before England's opening Test against South Africa at the local stadium.

And are we isolated? Stuck out near the tip of the dark continent while life goes on around us? Of course not!

We're right at the hub of things here! Got Manchester United at Wolfsburg in front of us, Michael Owen has just completed his hat-trick. Chelsea are on another SuperSport channel, winning 2-1 against Nicosia Apoel in Cyprus. Two CSKA Moscow have just been found guilty of doping, which could see Wolfsberg go through anyway.

The information super highway is buzzing with Tiger Woods stories. I'm tired of kicking the poor bloke. Today his mother-in-law, a Swedish politician, has been rushed to hospital with late night "stomach pains". And we read that the Florida police want to supoena the hospital for his blood test results after last Friday's crash. A source has said he was drinking and on pain-killers. Rubbish of course, and I would never give those scurrilous allegations space on this blog. Meanwhile the tabloids take his "birdie" tally to seven at the last count.

Poor bloke. He should come and live here, in Africa. It's warm, it's growing fast, and the Gautrain link is proudly forging a path from here to the Oliver Tambo airport and then on to Johannesburg, in time for the World Cup kick-off on June 11 next year.

There is no finer place to be, though obviously missing a possibly white Christmas at home for the Test series is a major sacrifice.

It's a special country, South Africa. When you consider the warped nature of Apartheid here in the 1980s, today has been a joy. Straight from the airport to the Wanderers, where the immaculate ladies of Cricket South Africa handed over my accreditation for the four Tests. Then on to Vodacom City in Midrand, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, where dozens of helpful staff helped me get my USB internet access sorted out dirt cheap.

Then a quick, sultry swim, a sleep... and off to the local pizzeria in Centurion, where the service is magnificent and the Italian father-and-son combination who run the place are offering a World Cup of magnificent pasta and spaghetti next winter. Get out here and let Enzo show you a World Cup to remember. He claims the Italians will be based just down the road in the local sports academy in Centurion, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Great chat with him and his boy.

Bliss. Especially when you combine it with the wine. The lable said simply: ZULU. Not seen that before. Got a kick like an African warrior too.

Oops! Owen has just finished brilliantly to make it 3-1. Finishing like that deserves a World Cup space. But then Man U and Chelsea had qualified weeks ago. Out in Adelaide, the unfancied West Indies, with Chris Gayle in frightening form, have held the arrogant Australian cricketers to a draw.

And tomorrow night, Arsenal and hapless Liverpool on the box. Things could be worse.

And what about my real job? Covering the cricket for the Evening Standard and talkSPORT? Not good news in East London, a mere 1,000 miles away from my comfortable position in front of the telly.

James Anderson is ruled out of the opening two-day match against an Invitational XI at Buffalo Park tomorrow. His knee is so bad they only let him bat in the nets. Come on Jimmy, get well soon. And then life really will be idyllic when that first Test begins ten minutes down the road on 16 December.

Stormy start for England, and it's pretty soggy in the middle too

MICKEY ARTHUR, the South African coach who has seen his side lose their last five One-Day Internationals against England, chose to have another tilt at young Adil Rashid before today's rain-threatened opening 50-over clash at the Wanderers. With England suffering an injury crisis, Arthur will be hoping the ground - flooded by a typical early summer Highveld thunder storm yesterday - dries out in time for his side to pick up an early win in the five-match series. England have called up Kent's James Tredwell, 27, who took 95 wickets in all forms of the game last summer, to replace the stricken Graeme Swann, who has a side injury. But initially Rashid, 21, looks likely to be England's recognised slow bowler, despite figures of 0-44 against South Africa A at Potchefstroom earlier in the week and a disastrous over which went for four sixes in last Sunday's Twenty20 hammering. Arthur, whose side lost the last series 4-0 and were upset by England in the Champions Trophy at Centurion last month, said: "Rashid's the logical choice, but it will be interesting to see if Tredwell steps ahead of him. It would justify my saying that it doesn't look like England have faith in Rashid." Arthur expressed surprise when Rashid was taken off after just one over when he conceded those 25 runs at Centurion last week, leading to heated debate between the two sides who will do battle until the last day of the final Test, scheduled for the Wanderers on January 18 next year. Arthur, linked to the England job when Peter Moores left in January, added further spice by saying: "We will take some confidence from scoring at 12 an over against them last Sunday and the England bowlers would have had to go back, think about and analyse their performance. I know we would have after a day like that. "We played particularly well on Sunday, but England have played very well against us before that. They are still a work in progress, but they are a very good side and they can beat anyone on their day." England captain Andrew Strauss, who chose to sit out the two Twenty20 clashes, insists: "I don't think I've ever seen an England squad more motivated to do well. "Tredwell is definitely an option. He has deserved his chance, he has performed very well for Kent over a long period of time and is a very canny one-day operator. "But Rashid is improving all the time and the more exposure he gets the better. He needs to play too, but it's important that we get the right player for the game. Clearly, it's important that we have both options. "The 4-0 series win in England was a long time ago, in very different conditions. But we will take some confidence from beating them in a pressure situation out here in the Champions Trophy. "South Africa at home are hard to beat, they've shown that time and time again, but I like the way we've prepared and I like the brand of cricket we've played." Swann and Notts team-mate Stuart Broad (shoulder) are both definitely out of today's game while Paul Collingwood - aiming to make his record 171st ODI appearance to better Alec Stewart's record - and James Anderson face fitness tests today. Anderson lamented on twitter last night: "Rain washed out practice today. Looks bleak for tomorrow - ground underwater and not a great forecast."

Time to end England's misery. Not.

TIME for a quick review of the last week for English sports fans before we begin to discuss this weekend's international showdowns.
On Saturday Martin Johnson's rugby union hopefuls produced what former World Cup-winner Matt Dawson described as "the worst half of rugby I have ever seen" as they scraped to a 16-9 win over Argentina at Twickenham. Soon afterwards, Fabio Capello's all-conquering World Cup group winners were given a severe reality check by Brazil in Doha, losing 1-0 when really, they were lucky to get nil.
And so to Sunday, with Andy Flower's cricketers treated to a record-breaking Twenty20 defeat by South Africa at Centurion and Tony Smith resigning after his side were soundly walloped by the Wallabies in the Four Nations final at an even-quieter-than-usual Old Trafford.
Not a great weekend then. Oh, perhaps we should mention that all four of our international bosses, particularly Johnson and Capello, were hit by injuries to 341 members of their squads.
And no doubt the excuses will be hauled out again this weekend, with England launching their five-match ODI campaign at the Wanderers with only 13 fit players and New Zealand arriving for the final Autumn International at Twickenham with Simon Shaw back in the squad at 35.
The cricketers did manage a win over South Africa A at Potchefstroom yesterday with Andrew Strauss, Matt Prior and Jonathan Trott all getting half centuries and yes, all three of them were born in South Africa. Alistair Cook pulled out with a sore back to add to the injury list which already features Paul Collingwood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Graeme Swann.
Adil Rashid? The man taken off after one over when he was hit for four sixes last Sunday, bowled eight overs and ended with 0-44.
Trott was wheeled out for the post-match quotes. He said: "I think it was a nicely measured innings from us. Andrew Strauss set it up nicely at the beginning and along with Joe Denly gave us a good start.
"I then came in and sort of got going. There was then a little period where the guys came in, getting themselves in and then getting themselves out unfortunately.
"But Matt Prior came in and played an awesome innings - I just batted around him and then Luke Wright came in and played his part, the way we know he can, and we got ourselves home."
I can't see England beating South Africa on Friday at the bull-ring... though I notice their rugby Springboks fell to a third successive defeat on tour, this time by a point to one of their colonies, Saracens, at Wembley.
If only England were playing the Boks on Saturday we might have a chance. The All Blacks, beaten by South Africa in the Tri-Nations, may be too much for England's depleted side, even with the resurgent Shaw.
It's going to be another tough weekend for England fans.

South Africa 0, England 1. Thank you, Rain Gods.

AH the joy of a soaking great win for England to kick off the helter-skelter winter of war against South Africa. Did I say great? A one-run edge on Duckworth Lewis when the rain came down after 13 overs was just enough, with plenty of clues as to how the next nine games over 11 weeks between these two nations is going to go.
The Proteas needed 129 when the Rain Gods shouted a thundery "Game Over". They had 127-3. Ouch.
But this was a game which showed the world's top Test playing nation to expect a fight. This contest could keep us on the edge of our seats until the last day of the last Test back at the Wanderers on January 18 next year.
Middlesex's Irishman Eoin Morgan, currently a one-day specialist but surely destined for Test success in the future, produced a masterclass of improvisation and courageous hitting to put England in a winning position with a career-best 85 off 43 balls. Captain Paul Collingwood backed him up with an equally brave 57 off 32 and England got to 202-6 off their twenty overs.
Together they put on 93 in nine overs, slamming nine sixes with every shot in the book as England reached their highest ever Twenty20 total. Brilliant.
Loots Bosman, the late-blossoming opener (he's 32, from unfashionable Kimberley, look him up), got stuck in for the hosts with 58 off 31 balls and the Wanderers became the blood-thirsty bull-ring as South African captain Graeme Smith (41) joined him for a magnificent opening stand of 97 off eight-and-half overs which put England on the back foot.
We won't talk too much about the way England bowled early on (Tim Bresnan and Sajid Mahmood will be out in the nets the minute it dries out in the morning), but once Smith and Bosman were gone, England got their noses in front... and stayed there as the Highveld storm rolled in. England 1, South Africa 0. Collingwood, who took a magnificent catch to get rid of Bosman, the nearly-selected Test captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower will take that quite happily.
Smith, so critical of Strauss's reluctance to play the shortest form of the game yesterday, chose to focus on the imminent arrival of Kevin Pietersen to the fray afterwards.
He said: "Kevin brings a spice, an interesting facet to the tour. It's great to have him over here."
Do we believe him? Last time KP arrived to play his former homeland, the reception was very different. But Jonathan Trott, another ex-Japie, avoided confrontation and scored a quietly competent 33 to put England on their way tonight. With Pietersen nearly fit after his Achilles operation and claiming "I'm refreshed and ready to go", this could be quite a winter tour.
Collingwood purred: "We've shown we're a very good team when we play well. It was a great performance.
"The way Eoin Morgan played and executed his shots and the power hitting gave us a great total and we were putting them under pressure.
"We don't play a lot of international T20 so it's good to get experience."
Smith goes to Centurion on Sunday with a drawn Twenty20 series his best possible result but as he said: "It was a disappointing way to finish but a quality way to start the summer.
"Collingwood and Morgan took the game to us but we fought back nicely and there are lots of positives to take into Sunday.
"There's lots of cricket to be played this summer and if it's played like tonight then it's going to be exciting."