All posts by h716a5.icu

Numerous payment problems and questions about their lack of funds were some of the factors the BCCI considered before it decided to terminate its contract with Nimbus Communications

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Dec-2011Numerous payment problems, questions about their lack of funds and repeated demands to include a Pakistan series are some of the factors the BCCI considered before it decided to terminate its contract with Nimbus Communications, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The decision was taken by the board’s working committee at a meeting held in Delhi on Monday.”The board president [N Srinivasan] was worried about the capital of Nimbus and the fact that there is not much liquidity and this is a serious concern going forward,” a senior BCCI official said. India are not scheduled to play any further international cricket at home until September 2012, and the official pointed out that the board was not confident Nimbus could sustain itself as a going concern in the long run. Nimbus had renewed its contract with the BCCI in 2010, negotiating a four-year deal worth about Rs 2000 crores ($379.5 million).The board was equally concerned by what they claim were Nimbus’ regular defaults on payments. According to the contract, Nimbus were supposed to pay 50% of the amount before a series began and the remainder at the end. The board official claimed that Nimbus failed to do so on many occasions, including the last two home series played by India: the five-match ODI series against England followed by the recently concluded tour by West Indies that included three Tests and five ODIs.Nimbus had asked the BCCI to give them a week’s time to clear their dues after the West Indies series. It is understood that Nimbus had to make a payment of Rs 125 crores ($23.7 million), having already paid Rs 75 crore ($14.23 million). Reportedly, the BCCI had even booked rooms for Nimbus officials in Delhi, including for its head, Harish Thawani, to attend the working committee meeting. But to Nimbus officials’ surprise, they started receiving calls from the media about the board’s termination of their contract.”They just terminated [the agreement] without even talking to us,” a Nimbus official said.However, the board official said the BCCI had lost its patience. “Though the default amount at the moment stands at below Rs 100 crores [$18.98 million], it is going to balloon to up to Rs 300 crores [$56.93 million] by February,” the official said. According to him, that amount involves the combined payments for the home series against England and West Indies. “Nimbus can say that they had requested for a few days to clear the default. How much can we wait? We have been doing so for five years.”According to another official privy to discussions, another key reason for BCCI’s decision was Nimbus’ insistence that as part of the contract there had to be an India-Pakistan tour. “Of late they started to point out the Pakistan tour,” the official said. “‘You have to confirm to us that you are doing it. If not we have the right to claim something because we are paying the same money for a West Indies match and a Pakistan match’ is what they kept telling the board.”This official claimed that Nimbus told the BCCI that they could make a substantial amount of money if the Pakistan series took place. But the official pointed out that a Pakistan tour was not in the hands of the BCCI as it is a political decision more than a cricketing one.As a point of comparison, the first official cited the example of Multi Screen Media (MSM), which owns the broadcasting rights for the IPL. “MSM have never given us any cause for concern and have submitted the dues on their own. As far as the BCCI is concerned, Nimbus is history.”Another issue that came up was Nimbus’ promotion of World Series Hockey, for which it has broadcasting rights, during the West Indies series. “Without our permission, Nimbus was promoting World Series Hockey,’ the official said. “How can they do that, especially using us?”On Thursday, the Bombay High Court ruled that the BCCI could not invoke bank guarantees worth Rs 1600 crores (approximately $300 million) given by Nimbus and the board is reported to be discussing how to recover that money with its legal team. The BCCI is also likely to hold a special working committee meeting where bids for a fresh broadcasting contract can be discussed.

Somerset have lined up Vernon Philander, the South Africa pace bowler, as an overseas player for the first two months of next season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2011Somerset have lined up Vernon Philander, the South Africa pace bowler, as an overseas player for the first two months of next season.The deal is subject to Philander not being involved with the IPL, which which overlaps the start of the county campaign. If he is available he will add depth to Somerset’s pace attack for the first half of the County Championship season before South Africa’s series against England begins.Philander burst onto the Test scene in November when he took 5 for 15 on debut against Australia at Cape Town and ended with the Man-of-the-Series award.”Watching Vernon bowl in Cape Town against Australia recently I was immediately impressed by his ability and character in an especially demanding debut on his home ground,” Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, told the club website. “His all-round ability will be a great asset in our side and I’m sure our supporters will be engaged by his infectious personality.”Should Philander join he would help cover for the loss of Charl Willoughby, the left-arm seamer, who departed Somerset after the 2011 season and has joined Essex.

Virat Kohli has said his first Test century is all the more special because he had to go through a verbal barrage from Australian fielders to get there, and that he gave it back verbally and still got there

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval26-Jan-2012Virat Kohli has said his first Test century is all the more special because he had to go through a verbal barrage from Australian fielders to get there, and that he gave it back verbally and still got there. He also spoke about the abusive crowds, which he said was an uneven battle because the crowds get away with it and the players end up getting fined or banned.Kohli said there had been sledging throughout the day, but it reached a “low point” after he nearly ran himself out in desperation to get to his 100th run. “Hilfenhaus said something to me, which was totally unnecessary and out of the blue,” Kohli said. “He wasn’t even bowling or doing anything. I survived that run-out. He said something to me, which I can’t obviously say in a press conference. I gave it back to him. ‘You didn’t even have anything to do with it, why would you do that?'”Ishant and me both came together, and started saying stuff to them. They got really pissed [off] with it, I guess, and I usually play my cricket like that. I gave it back, so whatever happened at the end of the day I am pretty happy with what I did.”The sledging battle between David Warner and Ed Cowan, and Kohli has been an ongoing one. Today, though, Kohli said both of them congratulated him on getting his hundred, and Ricky Ponting tried to calm things down too. Kohli said he was never going to take abuse from anyone.”To give it back verbally and then score a hundred is even better,” he said. “I mean, we don’t go out there to take any kind of stuff from anyone. We are international cricketers as well. They should know that. We need to let them know that. Be it in any way. By talking and by performing. It’s much more satisfying.”They sledge when they get frustrated. Obviously it was hot out there, and constantly they were sledging the players so they could spoil our concentration. During that partnership they went really, really low.”In Sydney they were after me because I wasn’t scoring. Today they were pissed [off] because I got a hundred so it hasn’t changed much, but the reasons have changed.”Peter Siddle said he didn’t mind that kind of sparring with Kohli. “I think he has [had a lot to say] but that’s part of his game, he’s a tough competitor and he’s shown that,” Siddle said. “He goes out there, has a bit of a chirp in the field, but he digs in when he’s got the bat in his hand. That’s the way Australia’s played the game in the past, and that’s the way we like to play it. It’s good fun, a good contest, I like coming up against him and he’s a good player. It’s a nice challenge to have out there, and that’s what people want to watch in Test cricket.”Virat Kohli: “To give it back verbally and then score a hundred is even better”•Getty ImagesThe sledging on the field might have turned out to be an even contest, but Kohli was more annoyed with the fan abuse. He was asked if the Australia players got abused just as badly in India. “I don’t know about that,” Kohli said. “I haven’t spoken to Australian players about that. It is really, really frustrating at times because they say stuff which shouldn’t be said on a cricket field.”We have gone there to play, not to be abused like that. If they have come here [to the ground] to enjoy the game, they should do that. Not get drunk and abuse players. It’s not fair on players. If the player says anything, they are fined and banned. The crowd can just say anything and go home. It should be played in a fair way.”After scoring his maiden century in his eighth match, Kohli also asked for more patience with youngsters coming into Test cricket. Kohli was under immense pressure after his failures in Melbourne and Sydney, with calls for him to be dropped, and had to work hard to come out of that mental state.”They [the youngsters] are all waiting for their opportunities,” Kohli said. “They are as talented or as skilled as any youngster that gets a chance in the team. All of them are eager to play. Putting too much pressure on someone initially, it’s not fair on the guy. You need to let the guy blend into a certain format. Some people start well, some people take time, so you have got to have patience with someone who comes in. All the players who have got chances are good enough. And the day they are mentally even tougher and more sure of themselves, they will be consistent in Test cricket.”This tour has been an emotional journey for Kohli. He watched India lose a Test they could have won, and been involved with crowd abuse and sanctioned for it. He has been the person most sledged by Australia, but he has also been the only Indian to score a century. However, he said he didn’t want to get carried away with it.”I still maintain it’s a learning curve for me,” Kohli said. “I don’t want to say I am established in Test cricket, but I am learning with every game. As long as I can learn and perform at the same time I am going to become a better cricketer everyday, and that’s my aim right now.”Kohli didn’t get to the century without hiccups, though. Two lower-order batsmen fell while he was in the 90s and that reminded him of Perth, where he was left stranded. “After tea, we lost two wickets in two balls again,” he said. “I was pretty frustrated at that point of time. That something like Perth shouldn’t happen again. The next over I decided to go after Harris so that I could get runs and finally, when I got the 100th run, I was on cloud nine. Starting your cricket as a young kid, you always dream of achieving a Test century, and that first one is always the most special.”

Full coverage of Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield’s trial and conviction for spot-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2012March 15, 2010
News – Westfield and Kaneria questioned about match against Durham by Essex police
June 7, 2010
News – Kaneria cleared to play for Essex by ECB.August 20, 2010
News – Westfield released by EssexSeptember 8, 2010
News – Kaneria released without charge by Essex policeSeptember 16, 2010
News – Westfield charged with conspiracy to defraud over claims he deliberately bowled widesJanuary 12, 2012
News – Westfield pleads guilty to spot-fixing and is convicted
Feature – How Westfield threw it all awayFebruary 10, 2012
News – Westfield sentencing adjourned for a weekFebruary 17, 2012
News – Westfield jailed for four months. Kaneria implicated as orchestrator. ECB bans Westfield from all cricket pending further investigation.
Reaction – Judge tells Westfield he betrayed the trust of Essex, players, fans and followers throughout the world in you to play cricket honestly

Some sports teams draw inspiration from what their predecessors did years before them. New Zealand need only delve three months into the archives to be reminded of what they can achieve

Firdose Moonda in Wellington22-Mar-2012Some sports teams draw inspiration from what their predecessors did years before them. New Zealand need only delve three months into the archives to be reminded of what they can achieve.After being smacked sideways by Australia in Brisbane, losing by nine wickets in the first Test last December, they returned in Hobart to record a historic win. The victory was talked about as a turning point for New Zealand and whose results would resonate far into the future. The Hobart comeback will be a talking point as they head into Wellington for the final Test of the summer, although Ross Taylor said they are not necessarily banking on lightening striking twice.”We have touched on it a little bit; we haven’t touched on it a lot. But we were in a similar situation [in Hobart],” he said. “The score reflected that we got pretty much thrashed in Brisbane but it was actually a lot closer than people give it credit for and I think the same thing about Hamilton. We did have our moments in that game and if a couple of bounces of the ball went our way then it could have been a different story. We came back hard at the Hobart Test and we plan to do the same again tomorrow.”New Zealand have not had the opportunity to test that theory properly yet. Their first assignment after Hobart was a relatively simple one against Zimbabwe and since then they have played just two more Tests. The latest one, in Hamilton, is coloured with shades of the Gabba defeat. Although New Zealand were able to set South Africa a more challenging 101 to win (the target they set Australia in Brisbane was a mere 19), they still lost heavily.After Hobart, their confidence in their ability to win games with five specialist batsmen and four seamers grew. But, in the space of two matches, South Africa have made them rethink. New Zealand will include an extra batsman in the XI at the Basin Reserve and opt for three seamers, which may be seen as going backwards but Taylor is optimistic about the change. “The balance of our side might be a little bit different in this game. I’m sure that it will be good to have a different balance to our side and a different energy with a couple of new guys coming in,” he said.New Zealand’s main concern is putting runs on the board against a relentless South African attack. Taylor said the team management is urging them to keep it simple. “The message to the batsmen is that ‘we have got confidence in you. Play your natural game’.”None of New Zealand’s batsmen have got into three figures, with Kane Williamson their top-scorer across the two matches with 77. Both Taylor and Brendon McCullum have shown the capability to get a few more, but periods of stoic resistance and sublime shot-play are spoilt by making rash mistakes. “Mental barriers sometimes get you out,” Taylor said. “Hundreds are what get you into good positions, 60s and 70s are good for a certain period of time but it’s about getting hundreds and big hundreds. First of all, you have to get yourself in. Brendon and myself have got ourselves in but we haven’t been able to capitalise.”The biggest obstacle to New Zealand scoring runs has been Vernon Philander who has looked threatening every time he has touched the ball. With his ability to swing, reverse-swing and get seam movement, Philander has offered no let-up but Taylor said New Zealand are determined not to let him break through this time. “It’s just trying to deny him as much as possible. We have denied them [the other bowlers] to a certain extent but Philander has got on top of us. We have to deny him and if we do that, I’m sure we will put a bit more pressure on South Africa,” he said.Philander’s nagging consistency has troubled New Zealand but Taylor seems to have figures out a plan to negate his effectiveness. “He puts the ball in the right places for long enough. I don’t think reverse swing will come into it as much as it did in Hamilton,” Taylor said. ‘We have to play him on his merits and when we have played him attackingly we have come out on top, so maybe that’s the way we go about it.”Taylor said that if New Zealand win in Wellington, it will not be as defining as the Hobart victory especially because they have backtracked on their four-seamer philosophy. But, it will still be an important achievement and a sign of what is to come for New Zealand. “It will be very big in the context of this series in itself,” Taylor said.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo04-Apr-2012Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.Strauss was the major talking point from an England point of view heading into the Colombo Test. While the team was winning, as they have done for much of the last three years, the fact Strauss was not contributing hugely with the bat was generally overlooked. He has scored one Test hundred in 48 innings although showed the fighting qualities he has always had with his 61 on the second day in Colombo.Swann, who took 4 for 75 to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 275, insisted Strauss had not been affected by the debate while adding the dressing room has barely given it another thought.”He hasn’t shown any signs,” he said. “We only realise he’s under scrutiny because some of us can read. I see it as a bit of a witch hunt and I think it is unjustified, but you wouldn’t tell from way he carries himself. He’s very laid-back and phlegmatic. He’s the best captain in world cricket and a world-class opening batsman. He’ll get nothing but support from me.”Barring his first two Tests against India in 2008, during Kevin Pietersen’s brief time in charge and the two games Alastair Cook captained in Bangladesh, Swann has played his entire Test career under Strauss. He believes there is still a huge amount of credit available to him for his time at the helm which has included two Ashes series victories and the climb to No. 1 in the world.”When anyone’s in a position like Straussy and when things aren’t going well like they have been then pressure builds up,” he said. “My view is that he should be afforded leeway because of what he’s done over the last two or three years.”I don’t think there’s any man as capable of leading a team in world cricket. He’s not in horrible nick, he’s getting good starts and it’s just one of those things all players go through. His barren spell is a lot better than other people’s has been and he’ll bounce back and be scoring hundreds before you know it.”

Michael Clarke’s second five-wicket haul in Tests helped the Australians wrap up a 75-run victory and they took the series 2-0, despite some powerful striking from the West Indies captain Darren Sammy

The Report by Brydon Coverdale27-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDarren Sammy fought hard but couldn’t prevent Australia from wrapping up a 2-0 series victory•AFPIn the end, the final day of the tour followed the same script as the rest of the series: West Indies fought hard and provided Australia with a few headaches, but their efforts came to nought. Instead, Michael Clarke’s second five-wicket haul in Tests helped the Australians wrap up a 75-run victory and they took the series 2-0, despite some powerful striking from the West Indies captain Darren Sammy.It took Australia two hours on the fifth morning to take the five wickets that remained after the critical breakthrough in the last over of the fourth day, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul was lbw. With each four and six that Sammy produced the West Indian fans dreamed of a famous win, but too much had been left to the lower order and a steady stream of wickets meant Sammy and the No.11 Shane Shillingford came together with 125 runs still needed.Their 50-run partnership was promising but ended when Sammy, on 61 from 51 balls, top-edged a sweep off the bowling of Nathan Lyon (3 for 87) and was caught at short fine leg, leaving the local hero Shillingford unbeaten on 31. The result might have been a little closer than the Australians wanted, but Clarke was thrilled to emerge from the series with a 2-0 victory, the rain-affected Trinidad Test having not allowed either team enough time to push for a win.Smart stats

Australia’s win is their seventh in Tests in the West Indies since 2000. Their last defeat in the West Indies was in Antigua in 2003 when West Indies chased a record 418.

Australia have now won 17 Tests against West Indies since 2000. This is the highest number of matches they have won in this period against any team.

Michael Clarke’s five-wicket haul is his second in Tests and first against West Indies. It is his second-best bowling performance, after the 6 for 9 in Mumbai in 2004.

Clarke became the fourth Australian captain (spinners only) to pick up a five-wicket haul against West Indies and the eighth overall. Allan Border is the only player to do so twice.

Darren Sammy’s strike rate of 119.60 is the highest for a score between 50 and 99 for a West Indian batsman against Australia. It is also the third-highest strike rate for a 25-plus score for Sammy.

Shane Shillingford’s 31 is the second-highest score by a West Indian No.11 batsman against Australia, next only to Ravi Rampaul’s 40 in Adelaide in 2009. Overall, it is the fifth-highest score by a West Indian No.11 batsman.

The win lifts Australia to third place in the ICC Test rankings with 112 points, while India slip to fourth rank with 111.

While Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo were occupying the crease on the fourth day it could easily have gone awry for Australia. But starting the fifth day with Narsingh Deonarine as the last specialist batsman at the crease having been joined by the wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, who was about to lose his place to Denesh Ramdin for the upcoming tour of England, West Indies needed something miraculous.It didn’t come from Deonarine, who added only two to his overnight total before he pushed at a Clarke delivery and provided a return catch on 13. Baugh followed on 12 when he pulled Nathan Lyon hard and Ricky Ponting at short midwicket showed immaculate reflexes to hold on to a difficult catch. But better was to come from the Australians in the field.Clarke could do no wrong with the ball and he carried that touch with him into the slip cordon, thrusting his left hand low to the ground to snap up a brilliant catch when Kemar Roach (2) edged Lyon. In the next over Clarke collected his fifth wicket for the first time in a Test innings since his 6 for 9 in Mumbai in 2004 when Ravi Rampaul skied a catch to long on.Clarke finished with 5 for 86 and took himself out of the attack after copping some punishment from Sammy, who was murderous through midwicket and long-on. Sammy struck four fours and three sixes and had excellent support from Shillingford, who hit six boundaries, but in the end the target was just too tall.The Australians can now head home, or in many cases to the IPL, and enjoy a six-month break from Test cricket having capped off a strong first year under the captaincy of Clarke. West Indies head to England with a similar squad – Baugh and Kraigg Brathwaite were dropped though – and must find a way to play five strong days in a Test instead of two or three. Had they managed that over the past few weeks, an already entertaining series could have become a thriller.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders in Pune

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran18-May-2012Match factsSaturday, May 19, 2012
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Gautam Gambhir has led the way with six half-centuries this season•AFPBig PictureAs the league phase enters its final weekend, the priorities are completely different for the two opponents meeting at the Sahara Stadium in Pune.Kolkata Knight Riders are enjoying their best IPL season, and are looking for a victory that will grant them a chance of finishing at the head of the table, or at least secure them a place in the top two and guarantee them two shots at making the final. Pune Warriors, on the other hand, are striving to end one of the longest losing streaks in IPL history. Eight defeats in a row have crushed their chances of making the playoffs, and another reverse will leave them open to the possibility of finishing last, if Deccan Chargers win their final game.One area of concern for Knight Riders is their batting, and its dependence on Gautam Gambhir, who has six half-centuries this season. Gambhir leads the way with 546 runs at 144.06, but the next three highest run-getters for the team – Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary and Brednon McCullum – are all scoring at a strike-rate of 106 or lower. With Yusuf Pathan also out of form, can Knight Riders put up a big score in case their captain fails?Form guide
Pune Warriors: LLLLL (most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: WLLWWPlayers to watchJacques Kallis might not have hit top gear with the bat, but he has been invaluable with the ball this season for Knight Riders. He showed it again in the game against Mumbai Indians, dismissing the finishers from the West Indies, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith, off successive deliveries, to dent the chase. He had similarly got rid of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers off consecutive balls to derail Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens.This could well be Sourav Ganguly’s final competitive match. The years have caught up with him, slowing his reflexes and the imperiousness of old has been missing from his batting. There were flashes of his abilities, especially in the game against Delhi Daredevils, and he will be hoping for a similarly inspirational showing to sign off the season.Stats and triviaWarriors have only taken 65 wickets this season – the lowest of all teams, including Chargers, who had one game washed out Knight Riders have hit the lowest number of sixes (55) this season and the second-lowest number of fours (166)Quotes”The one in Mumbai, where we defended 140. Mumbai had 10 internationals in their line-up. The outfield was fast, the wicket decent and the ground small… Yet, the boys did it.”

England Women began their home series against India Women with a clinical performance with both bat and ball

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2012
ScorecardLaura Marsh hit ten boundaries in her half-century•Getty ImagesEngland Women began their home series against India Women with a clinical performance with both bat and ball, not allowing the visitors into the contest after a minor blip early on in the first Twenty20 international. Sarah Taylor was the star with the bat in Canterbury, scoring a brisk half-century to set up a strong total, after which Katherine Brunt and Danielle Wyatt led an all-round bowling effort.The only time England Women were on the back foot was when they lost their captain Charlotte Edwards early after getting sent in to bat. She was lbw to N Niranjana, leaving England 1 for 1 in 1.1 overs. The recover began immediately, though, with Laura Marsh and Taylor adding 105 runs for the second wicket.Marsh scored 41 off 39 balls and Taylor 69 off 49 deliveries, with ten fours. By the time they were separated in the 15th over, England were scoring at more than a run a ball. Gouher Sultana dismissed both batsmen in successive overs, which meant England were deprived of momentum towards the end and reached 137 for 5, when they could have got a little more.India’s chase began poorly when Brunt dismissed both openers in successive overs to reduce the visitors to 20 for 2 in five overs. Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur had begun a useful partnership, adding 30 before two more wickets fell in the space of four runs to leave India 54 for 4 in 13th over. There was no coming back from there. India were restricted to 107 for 8 and Wyatt picked up two wickets in the final over to finish with economical figures of 4-1-10-2.

Graeme Smith believes his side can push for victory after battling through a difficult spell to post an ’emotional’ hundred in his 100th Test

Firdose Moonda at The Oval21-Jul-2012Graeme Smith is due to leave England before the second Test to attend the birth of his first child but, as he marked his 100th Test with a century, his wife, the Irish singer Morgan Deane, joked on Twitter that her waters had broken already.Smith, who will return in time to lead South Africa again at Headingley on August 2, laughed it off and said he tries not to read all her posts these days. “She’s very impulsive, I’m trying to calm her down a bit,” he said. “She’s been very supportive though, considering she is going to give birth so soon.”If there was doubt about Smith’s abilities as a batsman and leader, they have surely all been squashed. His 25th Test hundred was also his seventh against England, fifth in England and made him the seventh player to have scored a century on a landmark 100th Test.Having also brought up big scores on both South Africa’s previous tours here, combined with the fact that the team have never lost a Test when Smith has crossed the three-figure mark, his reputation is at its peak. The actual magnitude of what he has achieved hasn’t formed a solid memory quite yet but he is starting to grasp what significance it has.”It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It was kind of surreal at the time. A lot of thoughts and emotions went through my head,” Smith said. “It was a dream come true to come out and have the chance to do that. At one stage when Graeme Swann was spinning it past my bat, the hundred looked a long time away but once I fought through those tough times, it became a reality.”Smith said he expected a tough passage of play up front but knew that if he could see it through, there may be an opportunity to wrest control of the match. “It was a battle of attrition out there really,” he said. “There weren’t many scoring opportunities available to me so it was about being strong in my game plan. We expected that tactic from England this morning, that they would try and squeeze us as much as possible and cause us to make a mistake. We felt that if we could hold the game in that period of time we would be able to get a release somewhere.”After a cautious start, in which “the key factor was the way I left the ball this morning”, Smith and Hashim Amla took 72 runs off the 13 overs before lunch, which included Smith’s century. “When I got to 100, there was so many emotions: from the battle with Swann to knowing my wife is giving birth in three days’ time,” he said. “All those things were coming through. I don’t even think I realised how I was celebrating. It is a blank moment in my mind.”There is still work to do before he turns his mind to fatherhood. “The way we bounced back with the ball has been probably the biggest achievement of this Test match so far,” he said. “On day one, we were 50-50, we were solid without having an X-factor in our game. It’s so easy to let the game drift from that position and be playing the rest of the Test match under massive pressure but we were able to keep England under pressure.”Now, Smith wants to go for the kill. He has already considered South Africa’s strategy for closing out this match but was careful not to reveal too much. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We’ve got two guys, Amla and Jacques Kallis, close to milestones tomorrow and I would love them to get there,” he said. “It’s been a difficult wicket to push on and score greater than three runs an over but if we set up a good base, hopefully we can do that.”Although Smith expects a tighter effort from England, he was bullish in his assessment of whether South Africa has what it takes to win. “We need to respect our opponent, they have the ability to bounce back,” he said. “But we want to have a chance to push for a victory. I believe we have the ability to win, if we set the game up right. If we give ourselves the chance to bowl out England, I believe we’ve got the armoury to do that.”David Saker, England’s bowling coach, called the pitch “subcontinental” and expects it to deteriorate, which could set the stage for the legspinner Imran Tahir to ignite his South Africa career. Smith was hopeful that would be the case. “It is quite dusty and quite dry. There is a turn available and it will be a good opportunity for Imran to get in,” he said. “His form looks pretty solid. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him but, on day five, if we are bowling for the win, he will have to play a prominent role.”