Obdurate Kallis defies England with another ton

Kallis came to the crease with the hosts reeling on 46 for  two after being sent into bat and they slumped to 127 for five  midway through the afternoon session.

But the experienced all-rounder played a straight bat to  everything England threw at him on the way to his 33rd test  century, reaching the close on 108 not out with Dale Steyn on  26.

Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher made a fluent 51 and Steyn also  shared a crucial partnership with Kallis before bad light ended  play early with just over six overs remaining.

“When you’re under pressure, sometimes you need to  counter-attack, chance your arm a bit and put the pressure back  on them. We could have been 200 all out, but I think it was  even-stevens at the end,” Boucher told reporters.

On Kallis, Boucher added: “He mixed defence with aggression  really well. I enjoy batting with him because he gets into a  bubble and you know it will be safe at his end.”

England seamers James Anderson and Graham Onions removed  Ashwell Prince for nought and Hashim Amla (14) in the morning as  South Africa limped to 51 for two at lunch.

Captain Graeme Smith, badly dropped by Graeme Swann in the  slips on one, fell to Anderson for 30 early in the afternoon  session and when Swann struck twice in two balls the touring  side, 1-0 up in the series, looked well placed.

AB de Villiers and Kallis had added 76 for the fourth wicket  in positive fashion to lead South Africa’s recovery.

De Villiers then gifted his wicket on 36 when he came down  the pitch to off-spinner Swann and chipped the ball into Andrew  Strauss’s hands at short mid-wicket.

BEAUTIFUL DELIVERY

JP Duminy edged a beautiful delivery that drifted in and  turned away to depart for a golden duck. The left-hander was  also dismissed first ball in his previous innings in Durban.

The double-strike left South Africa in dire straits on 127  for five but Boucher survived the hat-trick ball.

Kallis stroked the ball sweetly around Newlands for 11 fours  off 188 balls, hardly playing a rash stroke in over four hours  at the crease.

Boucher shared a stand of 89 for the sixth wicket, batting  with typical determination and hitting seven fours in his 31st  test half-century before Stuart Broad trapped him lbw.

Steyn was promoted to number eight after making 47 in  Durban, scoring freely in an unbeaten partnership of 63 to drag  South Africa firmly back into the match.

Scoreboard

England won the toss and elected to bowl first.

South Africa first innings
G. Smith c Prior b Anderson                                          30
A. Prince c Prior b Anderson                                           0
H. Amla lbw b Onions                                                       14
J. Kallis not out                                                                108
A. de Villiers c Strauss b Swann                                   36
J-P. Duminy c Prior b Swann                                           0
M. Boucher lbw b Broad                                                  51
D. Steyn not out                                                                  26
Extras (b-1, lb-11, w-1, nb-1)                                         14
Total (for six wickets, 83.2 overs)                           279
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-46, 3-51, 4-127, 5-127, 6-216.
Still to bat: M. Morkel, P. Harris, F. de Wet.
Bowling: Anderson 20-1-62-2 (nb-1, 1w), Onions 18.2-3-60-1,  Broad 19-6-54-1, Swann 22-1-74-2, Pietersen 4-0-17-0.
England – A.Strauss, A.Cook, J.Trott, K.Pietersen,  P.Collingwood, I.Bell, M.Prior, S.Broad, G.Swann, J.Anderson,  G.Onions.