content-length: 4232
Approved-By:  "Vasanthan S. Dasan" <Vasanthan.Dasan@CENTRAL.SUN.COM>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket.scores
Date:         Sat, 26 Dec 1992 20:03:23 MST
Reply-To:     "Vasanthan S. Dasan" <Vasanthan.Dasan@Central.Sun.COM>
From:         "Vasanthan S. Dasan" <Vasanthan.Dasan@Central.Sun.COM>
Subject:      India v South Africa (3T1D - Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Dec 26)

 India's beleagured cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin emerged from a
frustrating lean patch to stroke a defiant half-century in the third
Test against South Africa on Saturday.

   The 29-year-old batsman scored 60 in his 50th Test match to take
India to 197 for eight by close of the opening day's play at St,
George's Park.  Azharuddin's 11th Test fifty silenced critics back
home who wanted him sacked for the upcoming series against England
after he struggled to score 59 runs in seven previous first clsss
innings on the tour.  But the captain's lone hand was not enough to
keep the Indian innings afloat after South African captain Kepler
Wessels put the tourists in on an easy-paced wicket.

   Allan Donald justified his reputation as one of the world's fastest
bowlers to end the day with four for 50, his best figures in the
series so far.  Donald, whose first spell read a steady 7-5-6-0, cut
through the Indian top order in his next two stints after the lunch
and tea breaks.

   All-rounder Brian McMillan provided valuable support with three for
41 as the Indian batting faltered just as it had done during the
seven-match one-day series which South Africa won 5-2.  India would
have been in worse trouble had wicket-keeper Dave Richardson not
spilled a diving catch when Azharuddin edged Donald soon after lunch.

   Azharuddin, then on eight, hit seven boundaries during his 89-ball
stay at the wicket before falling to a disputed catch at the wicket
off Donald soon after tea.  Television replays showed the ball pass
between Azharuddin's raised bat and chest, and the batsman appeared
surprised when English umpire David Shepherd ruled him out.  Indian
manager Amrit Mathur said Azharuddin's dismissal "was part of the
game", but slammed the other batsmen for a pathetic performance.  "The
wicket looked good enough for a 300-plus score, but we messed it up,"
he said. "There was not enough application on the part of the
batsmen."

   India made a slow start as openers Ravi Shastri and Woorkeri Raman
groped for 15 overs in the first hour to score 17.  Ravi Shastri faced
76 balls for his 10 runs before fending at a rising ball from McMillan
to Omar Henry in the gully.  India went to lunch at 47 for one, but
lost left-handed Raman (21) off the seventh ball after the break to
the Richardson-Donald combination.  Teenager Sachin Tendulkar was
harried by a barrage of short balls from Donald before edging an
intended drive off the pace bowler to the wicket-keeper after making
six.  Sanjay Manjrekar (23) helped his captain add 39 for the fourth
wicket before another slash off McMillan was easily snapped by the
40-year-old Henry in the gully.

   Praveen Amre, century-maker in the first Test in Durban, made 12 in
a 45-run stand for the fifth wicket before edging Donald to second
slip where McMillan moved smartly to his right to hold the low catch.
Veteran all-rounder Kapil Dev, a contender for the Indian captaincy
against England, tried to hit his way out of trouble but only managed
to sky an intended pull off McMillan to Peter Kirsten at mid-off.  Dev
hit two fours in a breezy 12 off 17 balls.  The night watchmen were
Kiran More, on 15, and Anil Kumble on five.

India First Innings

   R.J. Shastri c Henry b McMillan ..........  10
   W.V. Raman c Richardson b Donald .........  21
   S.V. Manjrekar c Henry b McMillan ........  23
   S.R. Tendulkar c Richardson b Donald .....   6
   M.A. Azharuddin c Richardson b Donald ....  60
   P.K. Amre c McMillan b Donald ............  11
   K. Dev c Kirsten b McMillan ..............  12
   M. Prabhakar c McMillan b Matthews .......  11
   K.S. More not out ........................  15
   A.R. Kumble not out ......................   5
   Extras (lb12, nb7, w4) ...................  23
   Total (8 wkts) ........................... 197

   To bat: V. Raju

   Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-49, 3-59, 4-98, 5-143, 6-152, 7-160, 8-185

   Bowling: Donald 24-10-50-4, Schultz 18-4-30-0, McMillan 21-9-41-3,
            Matthews  17-7-34-1, Henry 11-2-30-0

   South Africa: K. Wessels, A. Hudson, P. Kirsten, J. Rhodes, H. Cronje,
                 B. McMillan, D. Richardson, O. Henry, C. Matthews,
                 A. Donald, B. Schultz
===
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