From 1877 until World War One
Between the World Wars
Post War to the WSC Revolution
The Professional Era to the New Millennium
The New Millennium and Beyond
Other Pages
Home Page
Article Archive
How the System Works
Frequently Asked Questions
Statistical Points of Interest
Current and Future Series Predictions
Links
Site Map
Contact Us
Get Free e-mail ratings updates
SA win 5 - 0 SA gains 60 points; ENG loses 38 points
Draw 2.5 - 2.5 ENG gains 0 points; SA loses 0 points
ENG win 5 - 0 ENG gains 60 points; SA loses 38 points
Port Elizabeth
17 - 21 December 2004
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision proved a poor one as England immediately gained the advantage with the second ball dismissal of Smith (0). South Africa then consolidated and took the total to 63 before de Villiers (28) and Kallis (0) were out in the space of 3 runs for South Africa to be precariously placed at 3 for 66. By lunch, England still held the advantage with the score 3 for 83. South Africa spent most of the afternoon session rebuilding their innings until England struck shortly before tea to dismiss Rudolph (93) at 4 for 178. During the evening session, England dismissed de Bruyn (6), Pollock (31) and Hall (6) to have South Africa 7 for 261. However, South Africa again managed to consolidate and by stumps, the score was 7 for 273.
On the second morning, South Africa took the total to 324 runs before England dismissed Dippenaar (110) after he posted his third test century. Tsolekile (22) and Steyn (8) fell 13 runs later for South Africa to be all out for 337 runs. Hoggard (3 for 56 off 20 overs) and Flintoff (3 for 72 off 22 overs) shared the bowling honours. England began their reply and batted through to lunch without loss of wickets. South Africa struggled through the afternoon session as Strauss posted his third Test century. Eventually, South Africa dismissed Trescothick (47) fell at 1 for 152, but that was their only success as England finished the day at 1 for 227, only 110 runs in arrears.
South Africa succeeded in their quest for quick wickets on the third morning to restrict England's potential first innings lead. Strauss (126) fell in the fourth over followed by Vaughan (10) and Thorpe (4) as England lost 3 for 29 to be 4 for 267. By lunch, England was 4 for 299, only 38 runs in arrears. England took the lead and looked to be building an imposing first innings lead. South Africa's dismissal of Butcher (79) at 5 for 346, however, triggered a mini collapse, with Flintoff (35), Geraint Jones (2) and Hoggard (0) falling in the space of twelve runs for England to slump to 8 for 358. Eventually, Giles (26) and Simon Jones (24) were dismissed and England was all out for 425 and a first innings lead of only 88 runs when a much larger lead had gone begging. South Africa began their second innings and lost de Villiers (14) and Rudolph (28) before erasing the deficit. By stumps, South Africa was 2 for 99 with a lead of eleven runs.
South Africa resumed on the fourth morning and took the total to 152 before Smith (55) and Dippenaar (10) fell in the space of 15 runs for South Africa to be 4 for 167. After a period of consolidation, England then dismissed Kallis (61), Pollock (0), de Bruyen (19), Tsolekile (0), Ntini (4) and Hall (17) in the space of an hour and 28 runs to have South Africa all out for 229 and a lead of 141 runs. Simon Jones was the best of the bowlers with 4 for 38 off 13.1 overs. England began their chase for the 142 runs victory target badly, losing Trescothick (0) off the first ball and Butcher (0) in the fourth over to be 2 for 11. South Africa then dismissed Vaughan (15) at 3 for 50. However, the tourists then consolidated and at stumps were 3 for 93, needing only another 49 runs on the final morning for victory.
England took just 9.4 overs on the final morning to reach the victory target. South Africa was unable dismiss either Strauss (94*) or Thorpe (31*) and place any pressure on the tourists as England romped to a seven wicket victory - England's eighth consecutive Test victory and a new national record.
Second Test
Durban
26 - 30 December 2004
South Africa won the toss and elected to field first. The decision paid immediate dividends after Trescothick (18) fell at 1 for 21. South Africa then dismissed Butcher (5) and Strauss (25) to have England 3 for 53 shortly before going to lunch. Three quick wickets after the lunch break saw South Africa in a dominant position. With Thorpe (1), Flintoff (0) and Vaughan (18) out in the space of 18 runs, England's recognised batsmen were back in the pavilion with only 80 runs on the board. Despite some tail end resistance, South Africa dismissed Geraint Jones (24), Giles (10), Simon Jones (21) and Harmison (0) to have England all out for a miserable 139 runs. Pollock was the best of the bowlers with 4 for 32 off 15.1 overs. South Africa then began their reply and England immediately demonstrated that batting was not easy on the pitch. England dismissed the home side's top three batsmen, Smith (9), Gibbs (15) and Rudolph (32), to have the home side 3 for 70 at stumps.
England struck back hard on the second morning, dismissing van Jaarsveld (1), Amla (1) and de Villiers (14) to have South Africa 6 for 118. South Africa then batted through to lunch without further loss of wickets. At lunch, the scores were level with South Africa 6 for 139 and looking to build a first innings lead. England needed quick wickets to minimise South Africa's first innings lead. However, the home side hung in and took the total to 205 before Pollock was the seventh man out. The South African tail formed consistent partnerships with Kallis as he made his 18th Test century. England caught Boje (15) at 8 for 243 and the Ntini (22) at 9 for 293. When Kallis (162) was finally caught, South Africa was all out for 332 runs and a more than handy first innings lead of 193 runs. Hoggard (3 for 58 off 23 overs) and Harmison (3 for 91 off 28 overs) shared the bowling honours. England then faced eleven overs before ending the day in the worse position at 0 for 30, still needing another 163 runs to force South Africa to bat again.
England resumed on the third morning and mounted a spirited resistance to what appeared to be a losing position. Scoring at almost four runs per over, Trescothick and Strauss batted through the session to go to lunch at 0 for 137, needing only 56 more runs to have erased the deficit. The English openers then batted through the entire afternoon session. Trescothick went on to post his ninth Test century and Strauss his fourth in only his ninth Test. However, late in the evening session, South Africa dismissed Trescothick (132) at 1 for 273 before England ended the day at 1 for 281, with an overall lead of 88 runs.
South Africa needed quick wickets on the fourth morning to limit the final innings victory target to a manageable level. They succeeded in the fifth over when they caught Strauss (136) at 2 for 293. A short time later, South Africa then caught both Vaughan (10) and Butcher (13) in the space of eight runs to have England 4 for 314. However, South Africa was then unable to make any further inroads and England went to lunch well placed at 4 for 366, with an overall lead of 173 runs. England built an impregnable position during the afternoon session. While Thorpe posted his 16th Test century, South Africa dismissed Flintoff (60), Geraint Jones (73) and Giles (0) before England declared late in the day at 7 for 570. Thorpe was not out on 118 runs while Ntini was the best of the bowlers with 2 for 111 off 37 overs. South Africa then was left with an almost impossible task of making 378 runs off 99 overs and ended the day at 1 for 21 after Smith (5) was trapped in front.
With a win looking extremely unlikely, South Africa needed to occupy the crease to have any hope of a draw on the final morning. Unfortunately, nightwatchman Boje (10) was out in the sixth over of the morning at 2 for 33. South Africa then batted for just over an hour before Gibbs (36) was caught at 3 for 87. With lunch only minutes away, England then had Kallis (10) caught behind and South Africa was in real trouble at 4 for 104 at lunch. With clouds building up, South Africa batted for an hour before Rudolph (61) was caught on the ball before the drinks break at 5 for 172. The dismissal was the start of a mini collapse as South Africa also lost Amla (0) and van Jaarsveld (49) to suddenly be tottering at 7 for 183. However, South Africa then stabilised the innings and batted through to be 7 for 219 at tea, still 36 overs short of forcing a draw and 159 runs short of an unlikely victory. South Africa batted solidly for almost an hour before England ran out Pollock (35) at 8 for 268. However, two overs later, the umpires offerred the batsmen the light and they did not hesitate to depart the field with 15 overs remaining. A draw was then declared, much to England's irritation.
Third Test
Cape Town
02 - 06 January 2005
South Africa o the toss and elected to bat first. England struck early to remove Gibbs (4) in the third over before South Africa then consolidated. After batting for almost the remainder of the session, Rudolph (26) was then caught behind in the third last over before lunch. At lunch, the match was evenly poised with South Africa 2 for 78. England was unable to gather any momentum when play resumed and South Africa took the total to 145 before Smith (74) was caught. Again, England was unable to force its way through the middle order and South Africa added another 68 runs before Dippenaar (29) was bowled. By stumps, South Africa had slowly built a strong platform with the score 4 for 247 with the run rate of only 2.7.
England had early success on the second morning when they trapped Amla (25) in front at 5 for 261. Kallis then posted his 19th Test century and South Africa passed 300 before a double break through allowed England back into the match. South Africa lost de Villiers (21) and Pollock (4) in the space of five runs to be 7 for 313. By lunch, South Africa was 7 for 337. England finally removed Kallis (149) during the afternoon session, but only after another 103 runs had been added for the eighth wicket with Boje. Ntini (0) fell three balls later and when Boje (76) was caught, South Africa was all out for 441 runs at tea. Flintoff was the best of the bowlers with 4 for 79 off 31.1 overs. England began their reply and took the score to 52 before a double breakthrough left them at 2 for 55 with Trescothick (28) and Key (0) both caught. South Africa then caught Vaughan (11) at 3 for 70 and just before the end of play, Strauss (45) was bowled to see England in trouble at 4 for 95 at stumps.
South Africa went on a rampage through the English middle order on the third morning. England lost Hoggard (1) at 5 for 97 and then Flintoff (12), Geraint Jones (13), Thorpe (12), Simon Jones (0) and Harmison (0) followed to see England all out at lunch for 163 runs, conceding a first innings lead of 278 runs. Langeveldt was the best of the bowlers with 5 for 46 off 16 overs in his debut Test. South Africa elected not to enforce the follow on and instead decided to bat England out of the match. England, however, had early success in trapping Smith (2) in front and later catching Gibbs (24) and Rudolph (23) to see South Africa 3 for 101. However, Kallis and Dippenaar then settled the innings and at stumps, South Africa was 3 for 184, with an impregnable overall lead of 462 runs.
South Africa attempted to chase quick runs to set up a declaration on the fourth morning with limited success. England was able to run out Boje (4) and Kallis (66) to have South Africa 6 for 203. Soon afterwards, de Villiers (10) and Amla (10) were both caught before South Africa declared at 8 for 222, giving them a lead of 500 runs. Flintoff (2 for 46 off 18 overs) and Simon Jones (2 for 15 off 9.3 overs) shared the bowling honours. England began their reply and immediately lost Trescothick (0) off the second ball of the innings. By lunch, England was 1 for 23. Half way through the afternoon session, South Africa trapped Strauss (39) at 2 for 68 and then just before tea, Key (41) and Vaughan (20) were out in the space of two runs for England to be 4 for 105. South Africa was only able to catch Flintoff (20) during the evening session and at stumps, England was 5 for 151, needing an unlikely 351 more runs for victory.
South Africa took the key wicket of Thorpe (26) early on the final morning and then England managed to bat through the rest of the first hour without losing more wickets. However, in the hour leading up to lunch, South Africa dismissed Giles (25) and Geraint Jones (38) to have England 8 for 225 at lunch. England refused to roll over and die and kept South Africa at bay for an hour before Simon Jones (19) and Harmison (42) were eventually dismissed. England was all out for 304 runs, giving South Africa victory by 196 runs. Pollock (4 for 65 off 31 overs) and Boje (4 for 71 off 34 overs) shared the bowling honours.
Fourth Test
Johannesburg
13 - 17 Jan 2005
England began their first innings confidently after winning the toss and electing to bat first. South Africa broke through just after the drinks break to have Trescothick (16) caught behind at 1 for 45. However, that was their only wicket during the morning session. England picked up the pace during the afternoon session and, after Strauss brought up his fifth Test century in only his eleventh Test, England batted through to tea without further loss to be 1 for 187. South Africa struck back soon after the tea break, catching Key (83) at 2 for 227. However, England again held them at bay until late in the session when Strauss (147) and Thorpe (0) fell in the space of 15 balls and one run for England to be 4 for 263. When bad light stopped play three balls later, with four overs remaining, the honours were even.
Rain delayed play on the second day until after lunch. When play finally began, South Africa claimed three quick wickets with Hoggard (5), Flintoff (2) and Geraint Jones (2) out in the space of three runs to see England 7 for 278. Bad light and rain interrupted play throughout the rest of the day. However, whilst South Africa managed to dismiss Giles (26) at 8 for 329, England was able to resist a late order collapse with Vaughan at one end. By stumps, England was 8 for 411 with Vaughn not out on 82.
England declared before play began on the third morning with a view to allowing their bowlers to utilise the dark and overcast conditions. However, soon after South Africa began their reply, the sun came out. South Africa saw off the first hour before losing Smith (29) and Rudolph (4) in the space of eleven runs to be 2 for 75. England was unable to inflict further damage before lunch. The afternoon session mirrored the morning session, with South Africa suffering a further wobble, again losing Kallis (33) and Dippenaar (0) in the space of eleven runs to be 4 for 149 before batting through to tea. After losing de Villiers (19) at 5 for 184, South Africa passed the follow on target and Gibbs posted his 14th Test century. Late in the day, England dismissed Boucher (64) and then dropped Gibbs in the final over before South Africa finished with 6 for 306 at stumps, still 105 runs in arrears. With two days remaining, the match appeared to be drifting toward a draw.
England had early success on the fourth morning, trapping Pollock (0) in the first over. However, Gibbs was then dropped again a few balls later. The drop proved costly as Gibbs went on to bat for another hour to halve the first innings deficit before finally being caught for 161 runs at 8 for 358. England was then unable quickly wind up the innings as South Africa added a further 41 runs before Boje (48) was run out. Finally, after taking a slender eight run first innings lead, Ntini (26) was bowled and South Africa was all out for 419 runs. Hoggard was the best of the bowlers with 5 for 144 off 34 overs, his third five-wicket haul in Tests. In the two overs before lunch, England lost Strauss (0). England lifted the scoring rate to five runs per over after lunch before Key (19) was caught at 2 for 51. South Africa was then able to slow the scoring rate but unable to take further wickets until Vaughan (54) was caught behind at 3 for 175. Thorpe (1) and Flintoff (7) followed soon afterwards before Trescothick posted his tenth Test century. At stumps, England was at 5 for 197 with a lead of 189 runs with any result now possible on the final day.
England scored at four runs per over while South Africa dismissed Geraint Jones (13), Giles (31), Hoggard (0) and finally Trescothick (180) before England declared at 9 for 332 and an overall lead of 324 runs just before lunch. The bowling honours for South Africa were shared between Pollock, Ntini and Kallis with three wickets each. South Africa was left with around 60 overs to make the 325 runs for victory at five runs per over. After nine overs, the South African innings was in disarray with de Villiers (3), Rudolph (2) and Kallis (0) all falling to Hoggard and the score 3 for 18. The home side then consolidated for an hour before Dippenaar (14) and Boucher (0) fell in the space of six runs for the score to be 5 for 86. At tea, South Africa had taken the score to 5 for 98 and retained a reasonable chance of batting out a draw with Gibbs still at the crease. England caught Boje (18) at 6 for 118 before the dismissals of Gibbs (98) and Pollock (4) in quick succession left South Africa at 8 for 172. With a little over an hour left and clear skies, South Africa grimly held on, but once Ntini (13) and Steyn (8) were dismissed, South Africa was all out for 247 with Smith not out on 67. England had won by 77 runs with 8 overs to spare. Hoggard, with 7 for 61 off 18.3 overs and match figures of 12 for 25 was the best of the bowlers.
Fifth Test
Centurion
21 - 25 Jan 2005
Rain prevented any play on the first day. When play began on the second morning, England won the toss and elected to field on a green top pitch. However, despite having Gibbs (14) caught behind at 1 for 27, England failed to take a number of chances and South Africa went on to be well placed at lunch at 1 for 108. England fought back during the afternoon session, dismissing Rudolph (33), Kallis (8) and de Villiers (92) to have South Africa 4 for 187 shortly before tea. The South African innings then fell apart during the evening session after Smith (25), Pollock (0), Boucher (25), Boje (9) and Ntini (6) all dismissed in the space of 45 runs. When bad light stopped play after only 75 overs, England held the advantage with South Africa 9 for 247.
England took two balls on the third morning to dismiss Hall (11) to have South Africa all out for 247 runs. Flintoff (4 for 44 off 19 overs) and Simon Jones (4 for 47 off 15.3 overs) shared the bowling honours. England began their reply and suffered a top order collapse. After Trescothick (20) was run out at 1 for 27, Key (1) and Vaughan (0) were both caught three overs later and suddenly, England was under pressure at 3 for 29. England then managed to bat through to be 3 for 66 at lunch. Bad light forced the players to abandon most of the afternoon session and when play resumed after the scheduled tea break, England took the total to 114 before Strauss (44) was caught behind. Bad light interrupted play after another over and when stumps were called, England was 4 for 114 from 46 overs, still 133 runs in arrears.
South Africa desperately needed quick wickets on the fourth morning to have any hope of levelling the series. However, despite all of the rain, the wicket was lifeless and England gave no chances as they added 85 more runs to be 4 for 199 at lunch. Mid way through the afternoon session, South Africa dismissed Thorpe (86) and Flintoff (77) in the space of six balls to see England 6 for 257. However, England again resisted and was able to then bat through to tea without further loss. During the evening session, Nel finally ended the English innings with the four wickets of Geraint Jones (50), Giles (39), Hoggard (1) and Harmison (6) for the addition of only 24 runs as England was all out for 359 runs and a first innings lead of 112 runs. Nel was the best of the bowlers with 6 for 81 off 29 overs, his second five-wicket haul in Tests. South Africa began their second innings badly, losing Gibbs (4) and Hall (9) before ending the day at 2 for 59, still 53 runs in arrears.
Only a tumble of wickets on the final day was going to see any other result than a draw on the final day. South Africa avoided such a calamity by slowly batted through the morning session without loss and setting the tone for the day. England dismissed de Villiers (109), after he had posted his maiden Test century in his fifth Test, at 3 for 256. Smith (3) and Rudolph (2) departed in the space of two runs soon afterwards for South Africa to be 5 for 277. Upon Boucher (6) being caught, South Africa declared at 6 for 296 leaving Kallis not out on 136 runs, his 20th Test century. The bowling honours were shared by Flintoff (2 for 46 off 13 overs) and Harmison (2 for 59 off 16 overs. England was left with 44 overs to score 185 runs at 4.2 runs per over. However, after Strauss (0) fell in the second over and Key (9), Trescothick (7) and Thorpe (8) fell England was suddenly 4 for 45 and Vaughan (26*) and Flintoff (14*) dropped anchor and batted out the remaining overs until the match was declared a draw with England 4 for 73. Ntini was the most successful bowler with 3 for 12 off 11 overs.
