Smith seals series for South Africa

Graeme Smith celebrates his hundred en route to seeing his side to a fine victory

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Graeme Smith’s monumental unbeaten 154 escorted South Africa to a memorable win in the third npower Test - and consigned England to a series defeat on home soil.

Smith’s epic 16th Test hundred came as wickets fell regularly at the other end but in AB de Villiers (27) and Mark Boucher (45 not out) he found accomplices that secured a first series win for South Africa in England since 1965 by reaching a target of 281 for the loss of five wickets at Edgbaston.

England’s bowlers looked to have been in the ascendancy as Andrew Flintoff picked up the wickets of Neil McKenzie and Jacques Kallis in a dramatic afternoon session that saw South Africa reduced from from 65 without loss to 93 for four.

However, Smith and de Villiers countered and when Boucher delved deep to muster a vital innings spanning 85 balls England’s hopes of a win evaporated as he and Smith steered the tourists to victory, having taken the extra half hour.

England’s priority early on was to negotiate their way past the new ball as South Africa opened with the tall, athletic Morkel from the Pavilion End amid a packed house and humid conditions.

But after fizzing a sharp delivery past the top of the stumps with the opening ball, he lined up Tim Ambrose with a straight delivery that the diminutive wicketkeeper tried to work through mid-on only to have his off stump knocked back for 19.

It left England, who resumed the day on 297 for six, with a slender lead and only the tail to accompany overnight batsman Paul Collingwood.

The Durham stalwart shrugged off a close leg-before shout off Ntini to butcher a series of timid short balls savagely to the rope, with Makhaya Ntini the main victim.

The obdurate Collingwood and Ryan Sidebottom continued on to pass the 50-partnership mark seemingly untroubled before Sidebottom, having rocketed Morkel down the ground for a dreamy boundary, could only fend off brutish short ball into the hands Hashim Amla at short leg for 22.

It signalled the beginning of the end for England as James Anderson fell immediately afterwards when he chopped an innocuous Kallis delivery on to his stumps and Morkel, who finished with figures of 4-97, ended Collingwood’s seemingly unyielding innings when he had him caught at the wicket from the 195th ball he faced.

Collingwood’s knock included 19 boundaries and the single maximum that took him to three figures in the sunshine yesterday evening, and he marched back to the pavilion to a ferocious ovation from an appreciative crowd.

Paul Collingwood played a series of blistering shots in the morning session but it proved to be in vain

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South Africa ended the session 11 without loss and openers McKenzie and Smith appeared initially untroubled as they set about chasing down a challenging target.

Smith looked in good order and, after tapping behind Panesar square to bring up 1,000 Test runs in 2008, unfurled some delightful punches down the ground and through the leg side.

McKenzie also batted serenely against a persevering Flintoff, jabbing the tall Lancastrian, who was well into an eight-over spell in the heart of the afternoon, comfortably down the ground for an authoritative boundary.

However, the session exploded into life when Flintoff’s next delivery was a speared in yorker that McKenzie could only reel away from and leave umpire Steve Davis with no alternative but to bring his innings of 22 to an abrupt halt.

Monty Panesar then took an immediate liking to incoming batsman Hashim Amla and, after floating up a series of viciously turning deliveries, proceeded to dart in a quicker, flatter ball that skidded on and crashed into Amla’s back pad to have him lbw lor six.

England had their tails up as Kallis came to the crease and, having been flicked through midwicket the ball previously, Flintoff again torpedoed a fast full toss that crashed into the unsighted Kallis’ left thigh in front of middle stump, sending the crowd into raptures and the batsman into a blind fury as Davis again raised his finger.

It left South Africa wobbling on 83 for three and Ashwell Prince, after being lucky to survive a caught behind off Panesar, soon perished for just two as Anderson induced the edge with a big outswinger.

The flurry of dismissals seemed to give Smith a sense of responsibility and he brought up a crucial half-century shortly before the tea interval from 86 balls, complete with seven fours.

The left-hander, accompanied by de Villiers, nudged his side past the hundred mark and on past tea - where he announced himself in style by dismissing Anderson to the fence in the first over after the restart.

Andrew Flintoff celebrates the prized wicket of Jacques Kallis during an electric afternoon session

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Panesar was finding monumental turn and bounce in the rough to Smith and had a close leg-before appeal to the left-hander rebuked by Aleem Dar despite the batsman not offering a stroke.

Smith took full advantage and, accompanied by the patient de Villiers, played a host of dazzling strokes all round the wicket to England’s bowling attack as he drove and flicked regularly to the rope.

Indeed, the only time he looked in trouble was when, pushing forward to Panesar, the ball flicked his bottom hand and looped into Ambrose’s gloves only for England to stifle their appeal.

It seemed to ruffle Smith and he attempted an expansive heave in the same over only for the ball to drop agonisingly short of Andrew Strauss at deep midwicket.

Panesar continued to threaten and despite a plethora of singles that continually reduced the South African target he picked up the wicket of de Villiers with a turning ball that found its way to Collingwood at slip.

However, Smith brought up his hundred soon afterwards with a careful dab to third man, having faced 177 balls in more than four hours.

The pair looked untroubled in milking a clearly tiring England attack and took full toll in gathering the runs required for victory, Smith passing his 150 shortly before the close in a mammoth knock spanning 246 balls and 17 boundaries.

He and Boucher comfortably saw South Africa home and triumphantly marched off having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.