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Jacques Kallis has said he wants to continue playing till the 2015 World Cup because he has never been part of a World Cup winning side

Firdose Moonda09-Jan-2012In 16 years of international cricket, Jacques Kallis has scored centuries against all nine other Test playing nations, has been part of series wins in Australia and England and has seen numerous ODI series victories. One thing he does not have, though, is a World Cup medal and it is that missing piece that is driving him to try to continue playing international cricket until at least 2015.”The one thing I want to try and achieve is to be part of a team that can win a World Cup. That’s a goal of mine,” Kallis said after South Africa’s victory in the third Test against Sri Lanka, in Cape Town. Kallis has played 317 ODIs, including five World Cups. He will turn 37 this year and will be 39 by the time the next World Cup takes place, in Australia and New Zealand, in 2015.At the start of the summer local media expressed concern about what they called Kallis’ dwindling reflexes, after he was worked over by Australia’s 18-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins, who trouble Kallis with his bouncer. Kallis said he did not read the reports and was only told about it by friends. His response on the field, though, was fierce.He scored 224, his highest Test score, against Sri Lanka at Newlands, an aggressive pull shot the hallmark of his innings. He also extinguished doubts about his reflexes by taking six catches, five of which were at second slip. To cap it off, he took three wickets in Sri Lanka’s second innings. It was an emphatic way to celebrate his 150th Test match and a screaming declaration of what he still has to offer South African cricket. “I couldn’t have asked for it to have worked out better,” Kallis said. “You dream of performances like that.”While he appeared closer to a teenager than someone entering his late 30s in Cape Town, Kallis has acknowledged that his workload needs to be managed. He did not bowl in the first innings at Newlands, after his marathon effort with the bat, because his captain Graeme Smith felt he “would not get much out of him.”Managing Kallis’ bowling load could be key to prolonging his career. That could prove tricky due to the make-up of South Africa’s bowling attack. With three aggressive fast bowlers and a legspinner in the side, Kallis is required to play a containing role with the ball, and if needed, to, in his words, “carry,” the attack. In the shorter form of the game, he is unlikely to be used in the same capacity and less work with the ball could be vital as he targets 2015.”I will take it year by year, month by month and game by game,” he said. “No-one has the right to play in this side [without earning his place]. You’ve got to put in the performances for that. As long as I am enjoying it and putting in the performances, and the body holds, there’s no reason for me to stop yet.”Kallis has been named in South Africa’s squad for the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka, after which the selectors will decide on the group for the remaining three matches. Kallis said he hopes to play in all five fixtures although he recognises that he may be forced to pick which matches to play in the future.”It looks like I will play all five matches. I said to Gary [Kirsten, the South Africa coach], we will have a look at it after the first two and we’ll make a call from there. That will be the standard going forward. I have to be clever if I want to make it to the next World Cup.”

David Warner has won two Man of the Match awards from his first five Tests, but he still craves greater consistency as Australia’s opener in the long format

Brydon Coverdale16-Jan-2012David Warner has won two Man of the Match awards from his first five Tests, but he still craves greater consistency as Australia’s opener in the long format. Warner’s 180 at the WACA was easily the standout performance on a pitch that proved difficult for the batsmen, and more than any other player he was responsible for Australia’s innings victory.In Hobart last month, Warner was a controversial selection as Man of the Match as the award was voted for by Channel Nine viewers, despite the fact that Doug Bracewell had bowled New Zealand to a historic victory and was regarded by most experts as clearly the best afield. There was no question about Warner’s award on this occasion, although a case could have been mounted for Ben Hilfenhaus, who took eight wickets.Two centuries from his first five Tests is a promising start, but Warner is also aware that as Test batsman, the gaps between his best and worst cannot be allowed to grow too much. So far in his Test career, Warner has posted scores of 3, 12 not out, 15, 123 not out, 37, 5, 8 and 180.”I’ve always said I’d like to be more consistent in all three forms that I’m playing,” Warner said. “You might get runs today and miss out in the next game but that’s cricket. I’ll keep working hard and backing myself. Hopefully this wasn’t a one-off thing. It was my second Test hundred. I showed that I can play maturely as well in difficult situations [in Hobart]. Hopefully I can keep continuing with my form.”Warner has come a long way from the man who burst on to the international scene as a Twenty20 specialist with a brutal 89 against South Africa three years ago, before he had even made his first-class debut. By the end of last summer, Warner had played only seven Sheffield Shield matches and found it hard to force his way into the New South Wales line-up.”The frustration was always there, with New South Wales not giving me an opportunity,” he said. “But at the end of the day there were blokes ahead of me and I had to go out and score runs in grade cricket and 2nd XI cricket and make my way into the team.”The only way to do that was weight of runs. Fortunately I did that and now I’m in a good headspace. I’m really enjoying my cricket at the moment. Being part of the Test team, we’re going fantastic at the moment and I couldn’t be any happier.”His progression has impressed the Test captain Michael Clarke, who is also one of the selectors who gave Warner a chance in the baggy green. Clarke believes Warner’s career should highlight to every young cricketer that Twenty20 is not the only option.”To see a kid who everybody thought was just a Twenty20 player 12 months ago walk out and bat exactly the same, but wearing the baggy green, playing in his whites … I’ve said to Davey for a long time now there’s no reason he can’t have success in any form of the game, with the amount of talent he’s got,” Clarke said. “It shows young kids out there today that whether it’s Twenty20 cricket, one-day cricket or Test cricket, if you can play one form, you can play all three forms. That’s really exciting for the game.”Over the past three Tests, Warner has been partnered at the top of the order by a much more understated opener, Ed Cowan. Their styles complement each other and at the WACA, that paid off as they put on 214 for the first wicket, just the second double-century opening stand for Australia since the end of the Hayden-Langer era.Warner’s 180 and Cowan’s 74 were both their best Test scores, the first time since the Trent Bridge Ashes Test of 1989 that both Australian openers had bettered their highest Test scores in the same innings. Warner said working with Cowan was a pleasure.”I think it’s great,” he said. “We’re gelling together. As people have said, we’re an odd couple. But when we’re out there, we keep each other going. We’re always talking to each other every ball. I know Ed’s game, I know where his release shots are to get off strike when difficult periods are happening.”It’s the same with me. When he thinks I’m playing too loose, he’ll come down to me and keep a check and say you’ve got to keep playing straight. I respect that. I’ll always listen to my partner. Hopefully we can keep continuing this.”

Matthew Wade is expected to earn a Test call-up for the tour of the West Indies in April after the national selector John Inverarity expressed his desire to have two wicketkeepers in the squad

Brydon Coverdale30-Jan-2012Matthew Wade is expected to earn a Test call-up for the tour of the West Indies in April after the national selector John Inverarity expressed his desire to have two wicketkeepers in the squad. Wade has been named in Australia’s side for the first three ODIs of the upcoming tri-series while Brad Haddin rests following a long period of cricket.Strong performances from Wade in those matches could build pressure on Haddin, 34, who has had a difficult few months with the bat and behind the stumps. The coach Mickey Arthur wants Haddin to still be around for the 2013 Ashes but Wade, 24, is also viewed as a potential Test player and averages 40.16 in first-class cricket.Last time the Australians played Tests in the West Indies they were forced to fly Luke Ronchi in mid-tour as a standby player for Haddin, who in his debut Test series broke a finger, but battled on and played all three Tests. Inverarity said a backup gloveman was desirable for this year’s Caribbean trip, which included three Tests in April.”The West Indies is a pretty difficult place to get to from Australia, so at this stage and it will depend on the budget, but we’re keen to have two keepers there throughout the West Indies tour,” Inverarity said. “If a keeper breaks his hand it would probably be five days to a week before a replacement could get organised, get there, recover from jetlag and be ready to play.”If you’ve got one wicketkeeper in the West Indies and two days before a Test he breaks his hand and cannot keep, what do you do?”With Tim Paine still out due to a long-term finger injury, Wade is the logical choice as the next in line behind Haddin, although Peter Nevill of New South Wales is also pushing his case. Wade might even open the batting in the ODIs in February, as no obvious opening partner for David Warner was named in the squad with Shane Watson still injured and Shaun Marsh dropped.Inverarity said it remained to be seen whether Haddin would return for the later stages of the one-day series against Sri Lanka and India or whether he would be better off taking a longer break. He said it was up to Haddin, who will captain the Prime Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka this Friday, whether he would play any Sheffield Shield cricket in the meantime, after a lean few months with the bat in Test cricket.”That’s up to Brad. He won’t be playing the next Shield match because being a Canberra lad he’s captaining the side for the Prime Minister’s XI,” Inverarity said. “The Shield match starts the next day. I think that’s a good opportunity for Brad to be able to put his feet up for a bit. I think an essential part of preparation is refreshment and the opportunity to take it easy for a time and get mentally refreshed.”It provides a terrific opportunity for Matthew Wade. We hope Matthew Wade keeps and bats brilliantly and then we have two keepers at the level, because you never know when a wicketkeeper is going to break down. We’re all for developing Matthew Wade and Brad Haddin both together.”

All Ranji Trophy matches from the 2012-13 season onwards will be played at neutral venues, the BCCI has decided

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2012All Ranji Trophy matches from the 2012-13 season onwards will be played at neutral venues, the BCCI has decided. The decision, taken at the board’s working committee meeting in Chennai on Monday, will reduce home-team advantage in the Ranji Trophy by denying teams the opportunity to prepare pitches that suit their strengths.After the meeting, BCCI president N Srinivasan said there was no need yet for an inquiry into the Indian team’s poor form away from home. However, the board has taken some steps to develop cricket within the country, with the use of neutral venues for Ranji matches the biggest change.The BCCI had introduced neutral venues for Ranji knockout matches in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons but the move was opposed by some senior players. Sanjay Bangar, an 18-year-old veteran of the Ranji circuit, said neutral venues would give domestic players experience in varied conditions.”It is a good move,” Bangar said. “It will ensure proper facilities for players from teams which can’t provide them at the moment. Also, it will give players the experience of playing in varied conditions. Right now, a Mumbai player plays half of his matches in Mumbai. So he is used to playing only in those conditions.It will also lead to better pitches. There is a lot of pressure on home associations to prepare pitches that suit the home team. It will involve logistical issues, but it is a risk worth taking.”Narendra Hirwani, the national selector (Central Zone) and former India legspinner, said having neutral venues would allow zonal curators more control. “Yes, it will be logistically more difficult but you have to endure some pain if you want to improve the game in the country,” he said. “It is practically not possible for zonal curators to oversee pitch preparation at so many home venues. Even if they go to all the venues, it is only for a few days.”We should ideally take this a step further and improve the standard of our practice pitches. They are of such a standard usually that a spinner does not have to make any effort to turn the ball on them. He is then found out in the actual game.”The board has also announced plans for a new academy in Bangalore, the location of the National Cricket Academy. “The process is on and the budget is in the range of Rs 100 crore,” Srinivasan said. There will also be India A and Under-19 tours of the West Indies, England, Australia and South Africa over the next few years. “It will start with the India A team touring West Indies in June,” Srinivasan said.

The ECB has bowed to pressure within the county game by deferring a decision on the Morgan Review and instead deciding to will conduct further research throughout the summer into the future structure of the county game.

George Dobell08-Mar-2012The ECB has bowed to pressure within the county game by deferring a decision on the Morgan Review and instead has decided to conduct further research throughout the 2012 season into the future of professional cricket in England.Growing opposition to Morgan’s recommendations, which included a reduction in championship matches from 16 to 14, a return to 50-over cricket and 14 Twenty20 matches, left the ECB Board unable to adopt a report that had been months in the making.County chief executives, coaches and the Professional Cricketers’ Association had all lobbied the ECB in the belief that in his urge for compromise Morgan, a former chairman of ECB and ICC, had failed to provide an inspirational blueprint for the game.Morgan did receive more support for his conclusion that a more concerted approach must be developed among the ECB and the 18 counties towards the future financing of the game. Central marketing strategies will be strengthened.Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, said: “Cricket has a unique opportunity to capitalise on its enviable financial strength from recently secured long term commercial partnerships.”Whilst many of the recommendations will be implemented immediately, it is important that thorough consumer research and financial analysis is carried out on the detailed strategy to ensure that we have a balanced domestic playing programme which suits the lifestyles of the modern consumer and allows for the production of outstanding players with international potential participating in vibrant domestic competitions.”Morgan achieved that rarest of things in county cricket: unanimity of sorts. The PCA, the vast majority of the county chief executives, coaches and chairmen, the ECB’s cricket committee and, according to unofficial on-line polls, the majority of spectators, all expressed their reservations over Morgan’s recommendations. The recurring theme of their issue with the report is the reduction in the championship programme and the subsequent compromise to the integrity of the competition.That left the board with few options. While they were loathe to be seen to U-turn on such a key issue, they were also reluctant to so blatantly ignore the views of all the parties. The solution — to defer a final decision pending more consultation – could almost be an ECB catchphrase.But the ECB board, which had already approved the report in principle and had vowed not to tinker around the edges, had to retreat or run the risk of unrest around the counties. Scrapping the report at this stage will be an embarrassment for Morgan, one of cricket’s leading administrators, who claimed to have spoken to 300 people before drawing up his findings.David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive, and the newly-appointed managing director of the professional game, Gordon Hollins, have now been charged by the Board with producing “a robust financial plan to ensure the long term sustainability of the game and its stakeholders from grassroots cricket to the Test match arena.”Edited by David Hopps

With the England selectors in the stands, Nottinghamshire’s top order, including Alex Hales, James Taylor and Samit Patel, again failed to convince

Jon Culley at New Road26-Apr-2012
ScorecardAlex Hales top-scored for Nottinghamshire but was one of several batsmen to fall after making a decent start•Getty ImagesOne way or another, the onus was on Nottinghamshire to make a good impression, not least to avoid another public panning from their director of cricket, Mick Newell, who was decidedly unimpressed by a performance against Somerset last week from which they would surely have emerged without a single point but for the weather.For three of their number there was also the presence of the England selectors, including Andy Flower, who had chosen New Road for a selection meeting ahead of the coming England Lions match against the touring West Indians, to concentrate minds.But while they managed at least to secure a batting point in unpromising conditions – something they had not managed in their three matches hitherto, despite winning two of them – there was an inescapable feeling that they had not really done as well as they ought.Given the wet weather of the last few days and the grip so far exerted by bowlers almost everywhere, 243 all out might not look too bad for a side invited to bat, but there was not a wicket to fall in which the victim was not party to his own downfall.None of the top seven batsmen was at the crease for less than an hour and yet none progressed beyond 49. And none was more frustrated, one imagined, than the trio in whom Flower and company would have most interest.Alex Hales fell one short of a half-century. He and Neil Edwards, uncommonly, had given Nottinghamshire a useful platform, a luxurious one by their own recent standards, putting on 70 before the left-handed Edwards flicked a ball from Alan Richardson off his legs to short midwicket. There was an opportunity for Hales to take against a Worcestershire attack of whom he seemed to have the measure in hitting seven confident boundaries but then, trying to force Richard Jones off the back foot, he edged to second slip.If Hales missed a chance, so too did Samit Patel and James Taylor, the others eager to impress but who were similarly wasteful, again after it appeared they had done all the hard work. After Michael Lumb had chopped on to Jones – with another poorly judged shot – Patel and Taylor put their heads together and applied themselves with due diligence for a dozen overs, which appeared to be precisely what was required.But having given a solid exhibition of self-restraint for an hour and 48 minutes, Patel was suddenly tempted to carve at a ball from Richardson outside off stump and directed it straight to Michael Klinger at wide gully, the Australian taking a good catch above his head. Newell had told Patel without attempting to sugar the pill that 33 runs from his four previous innings had not exactly enhanced his claim on a place for England’s first Test against West Indies and he is running out of chances.Taylor, not selected in England’s Performance Squad but captain of the Lions on tour this winter, batted for five minutes short of two hours, a large chunk of it during a stand of 46 for the fifth wicket with Chris Read, but moments after Read had been caught at the second attempt by Klinger at point, he chased a wide-ish ball from Aneesh Kapil to be caught behind for 38.Those two dismissals came in a spell from the lively Kapil, an 18-year-old from an impressive crop of Worcestershire academy graduates, that yielded three wickets in four overs at a cost of only two runs.Steven Mullaney and Andre Adams added useful runs to take the total beyond 200, the latter typically blasting a couple of sixes in his 17-ball 21, but it was difficult not to measure the whole as an underachievement. Worcestershire may be able to show that it was.

Kieran Powell gave the West Indians an important boost ahead of the first Test with a composed hundred against England Lions to take the visitors into a 66-run lead on the third day

Andrew McGlashan at Northampton12-May-2012
ScorecardKieran Powell was put down in the slips but went on to make a century•Getty ImagesAlthough competition is slim for the honour, this was far and away the West Indians’ best day on tour as Kieran Powell led a determined batting effort to keep England Lions in the field and facing the prospect of a tricky final-day run chase. Powell, who hit just his second first-class hundred, put on century partnerships with Darren Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the visitors closed 183 ahead.There were low expectations when they resumed on 28 for 3, still 166 behind, but the batsmen started to learn from their mistakes of the first innings in a performance that offered hope for a competitive Test series when coupled with their strong bowling attack. If Kemar Roach, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul can be given decent totals to bowl at West Indies could provide stern opposition and at least now a few of their batsmen will enter the series with runs under the belt.Powell, a tall left-hander from Nevis who has played six Tests and lived in the UK for two years while attending Millfield School, was given a life early in the day on 17 when he edged low to a wide third slip where Nick Compton put down a tough chance to his right. He often kept the slips interested but batsmen deserve a little luck when they show application in a season where the ball has dominated. His scoring rate increased during the second half of his innings as he milked the spinners, especially Samit Patel whose reputation was not enhanced during his 20 overs, ahead of the second new ball.Powell also used his feet to drive Joe Root for a straight six and reached his hundred from 217 balls with a slog-sweep off Patel. However, it was spin that ended his stay when he tried to force Patel off the back foot through the off side shortly before the new ball became available. It had been an innings that assured him an opening berth for the Lord’s Test and means at least one of West Indies’ top three will go into the match with a substantial score to their name.The Lions had opportunities to make earlier inroads but were not at their best in the field. Along with Powell’s let-off, Bravo was missed twice; a regulation chance in the gully on 19 by Root and a tougher chance to Ian Bell at slip against Patel on 51. However, between the lives both batsmen played some pleasing shots especially through their favoured off side and Bravo went to his second fifty of the match with a lofted straight drive off Patel.Jack Brooks, who has impressed throughout, broke the fourth-wicket stand when he bowled Bravo round his legs with a helping hand from the batsman, who got an edge into his thigh pad. Chanderpaul, though, rarely fails twice in a match and helped Powell take their team into a lead that had appeared an unlikely prospect at the start of the innings. Brooks tested him with a hard-working spell but Chanderpaul, like Powell, did not find many problems against the overs of spin leaving James Taylor to perhaps rue the absence of a specialist slow bowler for the first time in the game.Chanderpaul went to his half-century from 106 balls and was becoming increasingly fluent during the evening session as he regularly pierced the off side between mid-off and cover. His innings came to a surprising end with a piece of misjudgement when he padded up to Stuart Meaker, who had earlier bowled a good spell of reverse swing, at which stage the lead was still under 100.However, unlike in the first innings the Lions could not hustle through the lower order. Marlon Samuels, who regularly alternates between periods of extreme slow and brisk scoring at the crease, started by reaching 3 off 28 balls before cutting loose with four boundaries in quick succession off Matt Coles and then an onslaught against Jade Dernbach. Samuels and Dernbach had shared a few words on the second day and it was battle rejoined when Samuels took him for 15 in an over including a monstrous stand-and-deliver six over deep midwicket.Samuels fell to a top-edged pull – not the first West Indian batsman to go in such fashion during the game – when Coles replaced Dernbach and Shane Shillingford gloved a hook down the leg side, but the visitors will have ended the day feeling much better about life even if they are not feeling a great degree warmer just yet.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in Bangalore

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya13-May-2012Match factsMonday, May 14, 2012
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Herschelle Gibbs has had an immediate impact on Mumbai Indians’ batting•AFPBig PictureMumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore have played a big role in spicing up the race for the playoffs. A big win over Kolkata Knight Riders featured a significant landmark for Rohit Sharma and an excellent start to Herschelle Gibbs’ IPL season, giving Mumbai Indians reason to not tinker with their opening combination again. They are currently third in the points table and can go at least one spot up should they beat Royal Challengers, and reach a position of relative safety vis-à-vis the playoffs.Royal Challengers have won three in a row, including a nine-wicket demolition of Mumbai Indians last week, and would be desperate to keep that run going. After facing Mumbai Indians, they take on toppers Delhi Daredevils – not the ideal team to be facing in the event of a must-win scenario or being at the mercy of net run-rates. Mumbai Indians are a formidable opponent themselves, and Royal Challengers, currently No.5, will do well to push them back to a position of insecurity.Form guide (most recent first, completed games)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWLL
Mumbai Indians: WLWWWPlayers to watchChris Gayle has taken the batting plaudits for Royal Challengers but his opening partner Tillakaratne Dilshan has been building up good form as well. His half-century against Pune Warriors was his third in six innings; he’s also outshone Gayle on occasion. How will he face up to his team-mate, and the IPL’s best bowler, Lasith Malinga?Herschelle Gibbs took little time to show his worth to the Mumbai Indians side, stepping out to smash Brett Lee for three fours over extra cover in the space of four balls. He adapted well, ceding the floor to Rohit who was the more aggressive of the pair, and didn’t show any signs of rustiness or discomfort despite having to sit out the bulk of his team’s campaign.Stats and trivia Rohit Sharma’s century against Knight Riders was the 22nd in the IPL and the eighth by an Indian in the tournament’s history. His 167-run stand with Herschelle Gibbs was the third-highest in the IPL. Pragyan Ojha has taken the most wickets for a left-arm spinner in the IPL – 69 in 63 matches. Daniel Vettori is third in the list, with 28 in 34 games. Brad Hogg and Ravindra Jadeja top the list this season with 10 each; Ojha has nine. Quotes”But as far as talent and technique is concerned, I think Rohit is a little bit better than Virat.”
“The last two games, we have bowled well. The bowlers have stepped up and we are peaking at the right time which is good.”

An unbeaten 35-run ninth-wicket stand between Veerasammy Permaul and Nikita Miller helped West Indies beat India A, in their first unofficial ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2012
Scorecard
Veerasammy Permaul (centre) took four wickets and was then involved in a 35-run ninth-wicket stand•West Indies CricketAn unbeaten 35-run stand between West Indies A captain Veerasammy Permaul and Nikita Miller for the ninth wicket helped the hosts come from behind to beat India A by two wickets* in their first unofficial ODI played at St George’s, Grenada.Chasing 191, West Indies seemed to be out of the game when they slid to 158 for 8, but Permaul combined with Miller to steer the hosts to victory, with three balls to spare. Permaul had picked up four wickets earlier in the day and made sure he was Man of the Match by scoring a match-winning 22, including a four and a six.Earlier, India A elected to bat and managed 190 in their 50-overs. Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane put on a 49-run opening stand but the Indians lost their way after their departure as Permaul swept through the middle order. Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha all got starts before falling to Permaul.After posting 190, India A’s bowlers struck early by dismissing Test openers Adrian Barath for five and Kieran Powell, who followed at 42, after stroking 25 off 24 balls with three fours. Kirk Edwards then played aggressively, scoring 33 with two fours and a six to add 29 for the third wicket with Nkrumah Bonner.After Edwards’ departure with the score on 98, a 54-run, fifth-wicket stand between Jonathan Carter and Assad Fudadin kept the home side afloat. West Indies, though, lost four wickets for six runs, and were left needing Permaul and Miller ‘s heroics to clinch the victory.Both sides will, now, meet for the second unofficial ODI on June 29.*15.05 GMT, June 28: The article had incorrectly stated that India A were beaten by two runs. This has been changed.

Vernon Philander, South Africa’s new-ball seamer, has admitted that he would “definitely be a bit concerned” if he was in the same boots as England’s attack ahead of the second Test at Headingley next week.

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2012Vernon Philander, South Africa’s new-ball seamer, has admitted that he would “definitely be a bit concerned” if he was in the same boots as England’s attack ahead of the second Test at Headingley next week. After going 1-0 down in the series, if England lose they will also lose their No.1 ranking and while their batsmen have plenty to answer for, the lack of fight in their bowling also needs addressing.England’s attack toiled for 189 overs and more than two days on an unresponsive Oval surface and had only two wickets to show for it. Given the conditions and that they kept the run-rate at below 3.5 an over, they may not have been too disappointed with their performance if not for South Africa’s contrasting showing.The tourists dismissed England twice and were able to find swing, bounce and turn that eluded England. Although South Africa had the better of the bowling conditions, under cloudy skies and with enough moisture in the air for the ball to swing, they also made better use of what was at their disposal. Few would argue that in the battle of the two attacks, who were talked up as the best in the world, South Africa are leading.”I can’t really speak for the England attack but my thoughts would be on how I can get the guys out and trying to think of alternative plans,” Philander said at Worcester, where South Africa will play a two-day tour match from Friday. He also offered an explanation for the South African’s penetration and it had nothing to do with their ability with the ball. “It was beautiful watching Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla start it off and Jacques Kallis stepping it up. It gave us the confidence to take the 10 wickets we needed in the second innings.”After a victory as resounding as the one South Africa enjoyed on Monday, the trip to New Road will offer a sobering comedown from the highs of London. South Africa may have preferred to go straight into another high intensity contest because they have the advantage with them, but Philander said they also understand, and relish, the rare time in between matches. “When you win a game, you want to get into the next game as soon as possible but this break gives us time to recover properly.”It also provides a period to reassess their strategy and while South Africa’s tactics would appear to need no adjustments, there is some work to be done. Philander, for example, experienced a coming down to earth after his barely believable start to this Test career. After taking 51 wickets in seven matches, he claimed only two at The Oval and while he said he expected the curve to change direction at some point, he also wants to keep it pointing upwards.Talk before the series was that Philander would find England tough and perhaps even struggle but he maintains that he “bowled really well” in the first Test. “I beat the bat on numerous occasions and there were a lot of nicks that didn’t carry.”Although still confident he can induce edges, Philander said he has also had to work on other ways of threatening the batsmen with the Duke ball. “It’s a bit slippery with the newish nut and as soon as it gets past the 25th over it goes a bit soft. Then you’ve got to find new ways of taking wickets,” he said. “The edges don’t really carry to slip or to the keeper so we’ve got to try and get an lbw rather than get conventional nick offs.”The extra match will also give South Africa’s middle-order time in the middle, after everyone from No. 5 missed out in the Test. “There are a lot of guys that haven’t batted so it gives them the opportunity to have a bat,” Philander said. “And for the guys who are on the side, this will give them an opportunity to play.”Tami Tsolekile, Albie Morkel, Robin Petersen and Lonwabo Tsotsobe all play in the match. Tsolekile is expected to keep and AB de Villiers, who did the job in the Tests will play as a batsman and captain in Graeme Smith’s absence. Smith flew home on Monday to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. His daughter was born on Wednesday.