Proteas hold out for draw - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Proteas hold out for draw

Neil McKenzie finished unbeaten on 155 as the first Test between India and South Africa finished in a tame draw on Sunday.

McKenzie anchored the Proteas' second innings of 331 for five as the tourists batted through the final day to ensure they go into Thursday's second Test all square.

India needed quick wickets if they were to force a result but some sloppy fielding in the morning session ensured that possibility did not materialise.

Hashim Amla, who went on to make 81, was twice dropped before lunch, once by Sreesanth and once by RP Singh.

Those slips, combined with McKenzie's determination to occupy the crease, set the tone for the day. Amla's luck finally ran out shortly before the first interval when he edged an Anil Kumble delivery to Rahul Dravid at first slip.

McKenzie reached his fourth Test ton in an afternoon session which also saw two South Africa wickets fall.

The first was that of Jacques Kallis, who made 19 before departing to a wonderful catch by RP Singh at square leg off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan claimed his third wicket of the innings two overs later, Ashwell Prince (five) lunging forward only to see the ball clip the glove on its way to Wasim Jaffer at short leg.

AB de Villiers departed in similar fashion after tea, Virender Sehwag the bowler this time and Sourav Ganguly the fielder close to the bat, but they proved to be rare moments of success for the Indian attack as the final day panned out in a similar fashion to the previous four with the batsmen in charge.

It was a match which featured a number of notable innings - Sehwag hitting the fastest triple century in Test history, Dravid reaching 10,000 runs in Test cricket and Amla and McKenzie both hitting sizeable centuries.

Sport in brief in Pictures

Don't Miss
The Glamour Awards - stars turn on the style

Glamour Awards

Stars turn on the style
Duchess of Cambridge is pretty in pink at her first Buckingham Palace garden party

Garden party

Duchess of Cambridge is pretty in pink
FIRST review of Ridley Scott's latest sci-fi blockbuster Prometheus

First review

Is Ridley Scott's Prometheus any good?
Fair-weather goths

Fair-weather goths

The sultry shades of summer darks are coming out of the shadows
London gets ready for the Diamond Jubilee - in pictures

Diamond Jubilee

London gets ready - in pictures
Dog save the Queen: Corgis surge in popularity

Dog save the Queen

Corgis surge in popularity
'He’s a better ex than he was a husband', says Boris Johnson's ex wife

A better ex than husband

We talk to Boris Johnson's ex wife
TV Baftas - in pictures

Best of the Baftas

Stars on the red, white and blue carpet
You big softie: Has Giles Coren put down his poison pen?

You big softie

Has Giles Coren put down his poison pen?
Pop star Paloma Faith, former Labour minister and Tory blogger back gay marriage video

Gay marriage

Pop star, former Labour minister and Tory blogger back gay marriage video