Cricket/Fourth Test: A hayrick-haired son of the soil with a heart of oak bowled England to a memorable victory at The Wanderers yesterday. Matthew Hoggard is a country boy whose ploughman-plod has its roots in solitary dog walking.
Yesterday, as the shadows began to lengthen in a threatening manner for England, the Yorkshireman took the first six South Africa wickets, including the world's top-ranked batsman Jacques Kallis first ball.
Then, with the light fading, he claimed the final wicket to win the match and send England into a 2-1 lead in the series.
The fifth and final Test begins in Centurion on Friday. South Africa had been asked to make 325 to win in 68 overs, but neither the target nor the number of overs made it a realistic prospect given the sluggish over rates and the state of the pitch.
Inside nine overs they had lost three wickets to Hoggard: Kallis, in particular, edged a perfectly pitched waspish away swinger to Marcus Trescothick at first slip to spark ecstatic celebration. Another mid-innings burst by Hoggard, used wisely by Michael Vaughan, brought three further wickets, the only resistance at that stage coming from Herschelle Gibbs. Gibbs might have completed a second century of the match but to his bemusement was lbw for 98, pushing forward to Ashley Giles.
The tension heightened as Smith, batting down the order on doctor's instructions, played an innings that was responsible, aggressive and occasionally redolent of someone who had been concussed the previous day. In two hours, though, he almost nursed his side to safety.
It made for a sparkling evening. With the last batsman Dale Steyn at the crease, the victory celebrations were held off for 38 minutes before Vaughan summoned Hoggard for one last effort, this time from the Golf Course end. One more away-swinger and Geraint Jones had snaffled the edge. Smith, unbeaten on 67, kicked the ground in frustration: all out for 243 yet South Africa had been officially within eight overs of safety.
In the morning Trescothick had taken his overnight century brutally on to 180 and England to 332, before he edged another scything blow to the wicketkeeper to bring the declaration. At the crease for a shade over six hours, he hit 24 fours and four sixes, dominating stands with Ashley Giles and later with Steve Harmison, whose first contribution to a ninth-wicket partnership of 58 was the 44th run.
Yesterday, alongside Hoggard, who has taken 24 wickets in the series, Andy Flintoff put a lie to rumours he was not fully fit: he earned his wickets. But Harmison, still off the pace, went wicketless in a Test for the first time, and James Anderson, who to cap it all dropped a catch that would have won the game earlier, must surely go back to Lancashire and learn his trade.
This was Hoggard's match.
His figures yesterday of seven for 61 just beat his best of seven for 63 taken in the first innings on the dank drop-in surface three years ago at Christchurch. With five for 144 in the first innings here, he finished with match figures, then, of 12 for 205, to place himself in the higher echelons. This is England's best anywhere since Ian Botham's 13 for 106 against India in 1979-80.
No one should be surprised by his success for if his bowling came to notice at Headingley, then it first took shape in Bloemfontein, just a few hours drive from The Wanderers, when he played for Free State. There, under the tutelage of the great Allan Donald, he learned the craft of hitting the seam, and holding it upright in the air with a strong flick of the wrist.
Hoggard telephoned Donald on Sunday night and suggested a meeting. What was said remains between the pair of them, but they should bottle it and sell it. Hoggard might have had an indifferent if successful first-innings, indeed he admitted it represented his worst bowling of the tour. But he turned it round to produce fast-medium bowling whose brilliance for England has been exceeded in South Africa in recent times only by Andy Caddick's seven for 46 on a Durban shirt front.
- Guardian Service
