Tourists show stubborn resistance

Graeme Smith celebrates his gritty hundred for South Africa on day four at Lord's

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Neil McKenzie’s marathon unbeaten 102, along with Graeme Smith’s defiant 107, left England’s chances of snatching victory in the first npower Test hanging in the balance after day four at Lord’s.

Smith had ground out a typically robust 15th Test hundred to puncture England’s attack during a huge 204-run partnership with McKenzie that had spanned 84 overs when he fell after England took the new ball in the evening session.

However, the unfazed McKenzie continued his resolute vigil as the tourists clawed their way back into the first Test and ended the day within sight of England’s first innings score at 242 for one.

Despite some late drama which saw Hashim Amla ride out a testing spell from England’s seamers he and McKenzie - who faced 307 balls in his determined innings - will resume tomorrow just 104 runs shy of making England bat again.

The openers, who began the day on 13 without loss, negotiated their way through the morning session - not without incident - through to 67 at lunch on a picturesque day in the capital.

Following a sedate opening hour in which England seamers failed to make an impression the Lord’s crowd were brought to life with the introduction of Monty Panesar, who immediately replicated the turn and bounce that helped him pick up four wickets yesterday.

The enterprising left-arm spinner carefully probed both Smith and McKenzie’s forward prod, and indeed can count himself unlucky to have been denied the wicket of the latter after he played forward to a ball which carried on with the arm.

After a period of scoring only two singles in 65 minutes, during which South Africa brought up their 50 from 164 balls, McKenzie finally broke free to skip down the track and punch Panesar down the ground for a welcome boundary.

He then clipped a leg stump half-volley through wide mid-on to the rope and spoil Panesar’s excellent figures of 10 overs for 22, after which an experimental Kevin Pietersen over heralded a welcome boundary for Smith on the stroke of lunch.

The pair emerged for the afternoon session looking in confident touch, Smith starting with a typical shovel through midwicket for four off Panesar as the both players set out their stalls for big contributions.

Smith was in determined form throughout day four

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The skipper, not doubt smarting from his decision to insert England on a featherbed wicket, dealt comfortably with anything England’s tiring attack threw at him and brought up his 23rd Test half-century with a muscular cut for four off Stuart Broad.

At the other end McKenzie continued his methodical innings with a streaky boundary in edging a James Anderson delivery short of Tim Ambrose behind the stumps, with Smith also riding his luck just an over later as he agonisingly skewed Panesar perfectly between two fielders in the covers.

South Africa reached the 100 mark by mid-afternoon in the 46th over, quietly chipping away at the 346 they need to make England bat again as McKenzie inched his way towards his 15th Test fifty.

The right-hander duly completed the landmark twenty minutes before before the tea interval from a watchful 190 balls, including seven boundaries.

It was clear the evening session would prove pivotal, although it began in typical fashion as Smith drove Panesar convincingly through the covers before collecting four following a horrible mix up between Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen in the field to bring up his side’s 150.

The pair continued to make batting look deceptively easy and McKenzie, who by this stage looked an immovable force, got down on one knee to pummel a Broad half-volley through the covers for four.

The 32-year-old then flicked the England seamer dismissively behind square for another four in the same over to underline the Proteas dominance.

However, moments later it was Smith who took centre stage when he nibbled a Panesar delivery to fine leg and scampered the three runs required to register his 15th Test hundred.

Neil McKenzie also played a starring role for South Africa during his magnificent innings on day four

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The tall left-hander, who reached the milestone from 186 balls, had crunched 11 boundaries in a rearguard that had - at that point - completely nullified England’s bowling attack as the 200 mark came and went.

With the 80 overs, and the new ball, approaching Smith should have gone when Ambrose inexplicably shelled a regulation chance following a thin snick behind from Pietersen.

The part timer off-spinner looked suitably disgusted although the breakthrough was not far away as Smith, attempting one swish across the line too many, misjudged a short ball from Anderson and top edged a skied catch to - who else - Pietersen in the gully.

That brought Amla to the crease, who endured a hairy few moments as the home side continued their first-innings ploy of bowling short to the right-hander.

However he hung around long enough for McKenzie to reach his own hundred, brought up with a dabbed single in the off side and sparking glorious scenes as the opener celebrated his 307-ball innings with the acknowledgement it richly deserved.

The pair batted through ominously towards the close to give South Africa genuine hope of saving the game tomorrow while England, whose bowlers will return refreshed, will hope to make early inroads into a strong middle order.