Amla confident of SA playing out final day
South Africa have good memories of a Jacques batting throughout the final day of a Test to salvage a draw against Australia. Three years ago in Perth it was Jacques Rudolph, in Kingsmead this time, they are up against Jacques Kallis
Brydon Coverdale in Durban
09-Mar-2009
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South Africa have good memories of a Jacques batting throughout the
final day of a Test to salvage a draw against Australia. In Perth
three years ago it was Jacques Rudolph who scored an obdurate century
which forced the draw that interrupted what otherwise would have been
a world-record 21 consecutive victories for Australia.
At Kingsmead, it is Jacques Kallis who looms as the main character in
South Africa's dreams of an even more difficult rescue attempt. Kallis
closed the fourth day on 81, an innings that had taken him 224
minutes. He is the kind of batsman who sometimes looks like he could
knock deliveries back to the bowler for weeks on end.
As it happens, if Kallis was to survive through the entire final day
and salvage a draw he would need to bat for longer than he ever has in
a Test innings. Hashim Amla, who made 43 as the stand-in opener in the
absence of the injured Graeme Smith, said South Africa's remaining
specialist batsmen felt they had the talent to bat through the day.
"All the batters in our team have the confidence that each one of them
can bat six hours," Amla said. "Look at the remaining batters I think
everyone has done it over the last two years maybe. Jacques has done
it over the last 12. Everybody has the belief that it is possible."
South Africa were set 546 to win and they closed the fourth day having
whittled the target down to a more palatable 302 with eight wickets in
hand. But with two wickets down - effectively three, unless Smith can
make a Sydney-like heroic comeback - on a fifth-day pitch with a few
cracks emerging, a draw is the most realistic aim for South Africa.
"Some are going up, some are keeping a bit low," Amla said of the
pitch. "But by and large it hasn't reacted too unfavourably. Maybe a
little bit more difficult tomorrow, depending if the cracks open up,
but if it doesn't then hopefully we can get in again and bat the whole
day."
The key period could be the opening hour as a rejuvenated Australian
attack take the second new ball, which is due immediately. Peter
Siddle, who picked up Australia's only two wickets on the fourth day,
said the side had taken heart from the similar position they were in
last week in Johannesburg, when they wrapped up the game shortly after
tea.
"It's the exact same situation, they were two down needing 300 last
time and it's the same situation here," Siddle said. "It's going to be
a good day's play. We've got the new ball to come straight away if we
take it. That's a big positive for us. It's going to push into the
final session for sure either way, runs or wickets."
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo