Kallis ton bring South Africa in contention amid woeful umpiring in Abu Dhabi Test
The second and final Test between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 got off to an enthralling start with the Proteas losing three wickets in the first hour of play. However, by the tea session a magnificent hundred by Jacques Kallis coupled with a solid performance
by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887 and some horrendous umpiring has put the game in South Africa’s control.
Lunch was taken with the Proteas at 114/3 and Kallis batting in sublime form with de Villiers for company at the other end.
Kallis who had reached his half century by lunch was in full flow after the break as he carried on from where he left to post the 37th hundred of his glittering Test career.
He was lucky to survive a lbw call off Mohammad Sami, who finally improved on his performance and plugged away yet did not have luck favouring him.
Sami was also unlucky in the first session of the day when a half-hearted appeal by the close fielders denied him the wicket of AB de Villiers when it appeared that he had edged a ball through to wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal.
The Karachi pacer, who is playing his 35th test match for Pakistan, was making a startling 13th comeback to the international level but lady luck was not on his side once again.
On the other hand spinner Abdul Rehman kept plugging away in search of a breakthrough he was also a victim of dubious umpiring as a straight forward lbw decision was turned down off his bowling.
De Villiers missed an attempted sweep shot and was caught plumb in front, yet umpire Daryl Harper joined his notorious colleague Asoka De Silva in making another wrong call.
The Pakistanis have every right to feel let down by the umpiring in the series thus far on day one they had at least two lbw shouts that were turned down by the two umpires, while Alviro Petersen was given not out despite edging a ball from Umar Gul through
to the wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal.
In the morning session it was Hashim Amla who became a victim of Asoka’s inept umpiring when he was given out caught behind off Tanvir Ahmed despite missing the ball by a considerable margin.
The howlers by the umpires had a bearing on the first Test and it remains to be seen what the affect is at Abu Dhabi. In the meanwhile one wonders why ICC continues to persist with the likes of Asoka De Silva who has been one of the poorest umpires to have
ever umpired a Test match.
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