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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlviro Petersen was quick onto the pull during his hundred•Getty Images

England did not suffer the public humiliation, to adopt the admission of Graeme Swann, which they had endured at The Oval, but until the advent of the second new ball their gilded reputation was put under the fiercest scrutiny on the opening day of the Headingley Test as Alviro Petersen joined the procession of South Africa batsmen bent upon grinding them into the mud.Petersen became the fourth South Africa batsman to take a century of England’s attack with the second Test only a day old, following the example of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis in the opening rubber. It was an intensely measured affair, strong through the leg side, and when he reached both his fifty and then his hundred by pulling first Tim Bresnan and then Stuart Broad it was a perfect summation.Petersen was regarded as the weak link in South Africa’s top six, certainly in England, perhaps in his own country, too, and he had been the only South Africa batsman to fail at The Oval. His defiance, most of all, emphasised that South Africa’s discipline runs deep.England managed to stifle him as the day progressed – his first 50 came in 78 balls, the next one in 137 – but it was meagre consolation on a day when they had pinned their faith in Headingley’s capricious reputation by discarding Swann’s offspin, fielding a quartet of fast bowlers and putting South Africa in to bat.There was some movement, but for most of the day it seemed to trouble Matt Prior, England’s wicketkeeper, more than anyone as South Africa’s batsmen pressed on in their customary remorseless fashion. They have met England’s defensive tactics by playing percentages and refusing to be rushed. The mindset of Test cricket is still ingrained within them.The second new ball, taken at 238 for 3, at the unholy hour of 7pm, brought England hope. The crowd had thinned noticeably, but those who remained saw England remove both AB de Villiers, failing to leave a delivery from Broad, and the nightwatchman, Dale Steyn, cleaned up by Steven Finn. De Villiers had also been missed by James Anderson at second slip, a tough chance low to his left off Broad.

Smart stats

• Graeme Smith equalled Allan Border’s record of most matches as captain (93). Smith has been captain in 93 of the 101 Tests he has played so far.

• Smith’s half-century is his 54th fifty-plus score. It brings him level on top with Ricky Ponting on the list of captains with the most fifty-plus scores.

• Alviro Petersen’s century is his fourth in Tests and first against England. Each of his hundreds has come against different teams.

• The 120-run stand between Smith and Petersen is the fourth century opening stand for South Africa against England after South Africa’s readmission. Smith has been involved in all four of them.

• The 97-run stand between Petersen and AB de Villiers is the second-highest fourth-wicket stand for South Africa in England. The highest is 98 between Hansie Cronje and Daryl Cullinan at Trent Bridge in 1998.

More activity was crammed into the last 30 minutes than the previous eight hours. England imagined that they had dismissed Petersen, too, lbw to Finn on 119, only for DRS to overturn Steve Davis’ decision by showing as many suspected at first sight that the ball was going over the top.Petersen had also had an escape before lunch on 29 when he was dropped by Alastair Cook, a routine chance to second slip which slipped through his hands and struck him on the knee. He was there because of the absence of Swann, but even allowing for his excellent catch later in the day to dismiss Kallis, there is not a Warwickshire supporter alive who does not regard Jonathan Trott would surely have been a better option.How Headingley plays with the heart. Before that late surge, only when the clouds rolled in during the last hour before tea (eventually bringing rain, a prolonged stoppage and another 7.30pm finish in this drag of a summer) did England’s pace attack prosper. Smith, Amla and Kallis all departed within 12 overs, but it proved a brief respite, gifts from heaven as rain rushed in from the south west.Swann, instrumental in England’s rise through the Test rankings, was omitted after 43 successive Tests and settled down for a disconsolate read of the Test match programme in the home dressing room. He found himself on the front cover under the headline Turning The Tide. It was unlikely to enhance his mood.But it was the gangling figure of Finn around whom England’s unrewarding morning centred. Finn is indisputably one of the most promising fast-bowling talents around, capable of 90mph-plus from a 6ft 8ins frame. But legs that long are not easily managed. When he first broke into the England side, he kept falling over in his delivery stride. Now he habitually collides with the stumps with a buckled front leg.He can no longer airily dismiss it, as he did during the West Indies series. Finn had Smith caught at first slip by Andrew Strauss when he was only 6, but England’s relief was short-lived as Davis called dead ball because Finn had knocked off the bails.It was the fourth time he had done it in less than three overs and both South African openers had taken the chance to tell the umpires it was distracting them. Finn’s habit had become so irritatingly regular it demanded a response and South Africa were professional enough to provide one.Strauss, England’s captain, jogged down from slip to protest but it was a pointless gesture. Davis was within his rights under Law 23.4 (vi) which states that either umpire can call dead ball if: “The striker is distracted by any noise or movement or in any other way while he is preparing to receive, or receiving a delivery.”England put South Africa into bat, as their selection insisted that they must, but they were not exactly imbued with attacking spirit. Strauss is a conservative captain, and his approach is perhaps favoured by his coach Andy Flower, and Smith found himself met with two slips and a gully and four fielders on the leg side, three saving a single.Smith had worked straight balls repeatedly through the leg side during his mammoth stand with Amla at The Oval, but he had also recently returned from a long haul flight to be at the birth of his first child and had not batted since. England could at least have seen whether he got the sleep out of his eyes. As it was, Petersen took most of the new ball, Anderson chuntered to little effect, Broad was notably low on pace unless something encouraged him, Bresnan was pedestrian and England looked up against it.It was the 38th over before England broke through. Smith had been his usual obdurate self, shovelling balls to the leg side resourcefully. He is a big man, so pugnacious that one might imagine beneath is loose-fitting shirts are an army of miniature men, permanently fighting. There was nothing threatening in the full, leg-stump delivery from Bresnan, but he turned it to Ian Bell behind square and England accepted their release gratefully.Amla, the triple-century maker at The Oval, almost fell for a single. Broad forcing an inside edge, but the ball dying in front of the wicketkeeper, Prior, as it was also slowed by a flick of the pad. But Amla ran himself out for nine in a mix-up with Petersen, lured reluctantly into a third run after an England misfield which left Broad in a strop, but short by a couple of metres as Bresnan heaved in a powerful throw from the boundary. Kallis looked in mint form, but fell for 19 as he cut at Anderson and Cook held a fast, low catch by his bootlaces.

ScorecardMonty Panesar produce an impressive spell to trouble Worcestershire•Getty Images

A controlled spell from Monty Panesar, one in which he took 4 for 23, coupled with some aggressive fast bowling by the likes of Steve Magoffin and James Anyon, was altogether too much for Worcestershire. They succumbed in three days – or just about two given the time lost in this match – and had to contend without James Cameron, who was hit on the helmet, returning to the crease. The extra half hour was needed, but not for long.So what a triumph for Ed Joyce, the new Sussex captain: a century, the correct decision upon winning the toss, and a convincing victory. He knows, and we know, that leadership will not always be so straightforward and – yes – easy as this. All that inconvenienced him was a delayed start, in bizarre circumstances. And even the absence of play in the morning was ultimately of no concern.That play did not start until after an early lunch was understandable: it rained heavily shortly before the start and nothing was possible before 12.20 pm. At least that should have been the starting time. Yet when the umpires had come out, content that the drainage system had worked properly, and the opening bowlers were marking out their runs and the fielders were moving into position, the water table apparently was such that a damp patch roughly at the start of a medium-pacer’s run-up from the Sea End was too squidgy.So off they all went again, in bright sunshine, to the inevitable slow handclap. Understandable, yes, but not from a public relations perspective. When they did all re-appear at 1.10pm, Magoffin – who, incidentally, compared this bouncy pitch to ones he has experienced at the WACA in Perth – and James Anyon made plain their intention to score quick runs.And score them they did. Magoffin biffed 41 with five fours until he played on to the persevering Alan Richardson, whereupon Amjad Khan came out and batted in that flailing way which makes field settings an impossible task for the opposing captain. He and Anyon, who finished with an unbeaten 56 including eight fours, not far short of his career best score, added 60 runs before Joyce declared with a lead of 258. He could so easily have continued with the innings.Worcestershire fared no better than at the start of their first innings. Phil Hughes, undeterred by the steepling bounce, went for his shots in characteristic style, until, that was, he could not contend with lift outside leg stump generated by Anyon and deflected the ball to Ben Brown. Then Vikram Solanki lost his off stump to Magoffin, late on his defensive shot once again.Nothing seemed more likely at tea than that Worcestershire would be beaten in three days. After all, there were 42 overs still remaining and neither Daryl Mitchell nor Moeen Ali imbued their supporters with any confidence. Indeed, Moeen was dropped at second slip by Mike Yardy on 7 – a difficult attempt, this, for the ball was travelling – and he was to be held there, off Magoffin, after he had added a further 20 runs. This time the now former Sussex captain juggled the ball and caught it as he fell.Mitchell at least remained at the crease for 52 overs for his 48 runs. At the other end, though, wickets continued to fall, or, in the case of Cameron, a departure caused by having been struck by Magoffin, his eye off the ball. He was not to return. Panesar, bowling with loop and accuracy, had Matt Pardoe picked up at a wide second slip, bowled Gareth Andrew and had Ben Scott taken at silly point. As Joyce left the field, Hove was bathed in its fabled golden glow.

Australia have identified England’s use of five specialist bowlers as a point of weakness to expose in the forthcoming ODI series, reasoning that the hosts’ longer tail will place pressure on the middle order provided early wickets can be taken.Shane Watson, the allrounder and vice-captain to Michael Clarke, pointed out that an England XI featuring Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann had tremendous depth in bowling but not so much in batting. This was particularly so as the top three of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott had done the vast majority of the team’s run-making in recent ODI matches against the West Indies and Pakistan.Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter have had less to do in the wake of Cook’s prolific efforts as ODI captain, while Bell’s recent return has covered for the premature limited overs retirement of Kevin Pietersen. Watson said Australia’s pace attack, likely to include the still slippery Brett Lee alongside the speedy 19-year-old Pat Cummins at Lord’s on Friday, will be seeking to get them out into the middle early on.”For England to be able to go in with four frontline quick bowlers is a very good thing for them against our batting line-up, but I suppose playing for out-and-out quick bowlers and one main spinner as well means if we’re able to make inroads into their batting line-up early it means they might be one batsman short,” Watson said. “That’s something that we see as very important for us to have success here, to try to make early inroads.”That’s been one of England’s strengths over the last period of time with their batting, being able to score heavily in the top three really, so we know if we’re able to make inroads it might expose a part of the English team that hasn’t really been exposed over the last little while as well. Hopefully that’s something we’re able to do, on the flipside of that we know England have got a very strong bowling line-up with no weaknesses there at all, so it’s going to be a very good challenge.”In their 179-run pounding of Essex at Chelmsford on Tuesday, Australia opened with Watson and David Warner, leaving No. 7 in the highly capable hands of Matthew Wade. By contrast, England have promoted Tim Bresnan to accommodate the extra bowler, and Watson said that while he respected Bresnan’s batting ability, he was happy to have someone of Wade’s promise as his opposite batting number.”I’ll never sell Tim Bresnan short, I think he’s an excellent cricketer, he’s a very highly skilled bowler and he got 70-odd against us in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy a few years ago as well, so I know he can bat,” Watson said. “But there’s no doubt it does put a bit more pressure on him batting at seven, and Matthew Wade has had some pretty good success in his short career anyway opening or batting at seven as well. That could be to our advantage.”Bresnan had earlier padded away the suggestion that he might be one place too high in England’s batting order, saying he was comfortable with where he stood. He was more forthcoming about the circumstances in which he had been left out of the team for the washed out third ODI against the West Indies at Headingley, admitting that his training efforts had slackened in recent weeks.”It’s always difficult in training, you are a little bit lethargic but can always get up for game, but if you are not preparing as well as you can that’s always to the detriment of the team which suffers,” Bresnan said. “So I felt I was lethargic and saving myself in training for games and that’s a bad habit.””I wanted to play at Headingley, but I understand the other side of the coin which says there’s a lot of cricket coming up. We’re off the back of a lot of cricket, I’ve bowled a lot of overs and if Andy [Flower] and the medical staff think I looked tired and need a break I respect that decision. I would rather take one game out and rest than be forced to take an extended spell out because of injury.”They have a lot of communication between themselves, Andy and Dave Saker and the medical team, and the walls have ears, so if you whisper to somebody that you are tired it’s going to get back to the coach pretty quickly.”

ScorecardNew Zealand’s Test opener, Martin Guptill, took full advantage of Glamorgan’s generosity to score his second century of the season and put Derbyshire in a strong position on the second day of the Division Two match at Derby. Guptill was dropped three times on his way to 132 and added 170 with Derbyshire’s skipper Wayne Madsen, who was unbeaten on 122 as the home side closed at 335 for 5, a lead of 99.Although Marcus North took 3 for 40 with his off-spin on debut for Glamorgan, his sixth county, an injury-depleted attack struggled on a good pitch and Guptill punished them by completing a hundred between lunch and tea.Mike Reed claimed his first Championship victims but the bowlers failed to build up any sustained pressure and allowed the home side to take control after light rain delayed the start by 75 minutes. With their leading strike bowlers Graham Wagg and James Harris both missing, Glamorgan needed to take every opportunity that came their way but Guptill was given two lives before Derbyshire had reached three figures.Skipper Mark Wallace failed to cling on to a difficult chance down the leg side off the former England pace bowler, Simon Jones, when Guptill was 17 and the score 35, but Nick James’ drop at mid-off when he was 65 was a bad one.By then, Reed had celebrated his first Championship wicket by having Paul Borrington caught behind for 15 shortly before lunch but the afternoon session belonged to Guptill and Madsen who plundered 156 runs in 40 overs. Guptill took three fours from a Reed over on his way to an 88-ball 50 and he moved into overdrive to reach his century, which contained 19 fours, from 143 balls.Jones fluffed a simple chance at backward point when he was on 114 but three overs after tea he was lbw trying to whip Reed through midwicket.By then, Derbyshire were closing in on Glamorgan’s 236 and Wes Durston contributed half of a 60 stand in 12 overs before he skied a sweep to deep square leg.North took a return catch off a leading edge to remove Dan Redfern for a duck but Madsen patiently moved to his second hundred of the season from 192 balls to leave his side with a good chance of completing a Championship double over Glamorgan and a third victory of the campaign.

ScorecardMichael Klinger, seen here for South Australia, steered Worcestershire to safety•Getty Images

So the script went something like this: a pitch that produced several examples of uneven bounce on the third day – when 19 wickets fell and the ball seamed about so much that 12 players were caught by keeper or slips – would deteriorate further, leaving Surrey to win with ease.There were no thoughts of a rewrite, either, once Alan Richardson had scuttled a few deliveries through at grubber height in his first couple of overs on the fourth morning to finish with match figures of 10 for 128.But all good plots have a twist – and what a turn-up we could have had here but for rain washing out the final session when Worcestershire needed a further 152 runs from 39 overs. They had progressed to 94 for 1 with something approaching ease, losing only their captain Daryl Mitchell a moment or two before bad weather stopped play for the umpteenth and final time in this contest.So what went right, so to speak, from a batting point of view? Well, for a start, Michael Klinger – a 31-year-old Australian, who has joined Worcestershire on a short-term basis while countryman Phil Hughes tours West Indies – played wonderfully well.He struck ten fours, many of them threaded through the covers, and drove a sumptuous six, against spinner Gareth Batty, while making an undefeated 69 from 95 deliveries. But on top of that the pitch, spiteful at various times, looked almost docile while the sun shone for most of the afternoon.”It confused me as well,” said Chris Adams, Surrey’s team director, when asked to explain what had happened to a dry, hard surface. “It looked a belter this afternoon. We certainly expected more with the new ball, in terms of movement, but having said that I thought their batsman played really, really well. That is the first time I have seen Klinger and he looks a very well organised player who takes the game to the opposition.”Adams, of course, was widely quoted last week when he lambasted the Lord’s pitch after Surrey lost to Middlesex by three runs as the worst he had seen at HQ. In this match, the stand of 94 between Klinger and Mitchell was one of only two half-century partnerships and there was almost a positive outcome, despite six of the 12 scheduled sessions being lost to rain.Adams had no intention of back-tracking on his comments of seven days ago, asking people to bear in mind that he was comparing the Lord’s pitch with the “superb” surfaces he has encountered there on other occasions.As for cricket generally this showery April, Adams said: “My sympathies go out to batsmen around the country at the moment because clearly conditions are proving very difficult. For three days here it was very difficult for all batsmen.”What it is producing is an entertaining spectacle because people are seeing action and entertainment on a consistent basis. What I don’t think it is producing is the quality of cricket we want to see from a batsman’s point of view. “It is anyone’s guess how this match would have panned out given another two or three hours of play. But Worcestershire would certainly have fancied their chances of pulling off a terrific victory against a powerful attack after being set what appeared an out-of-the-question target of 246 from 70 overs.

Match facts

Saturday, April 14, Pune
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Ashok Dinda has been the standout performer for Pune Warriors•AFP

Big Picture

The fortunes of these two teams as a whole are somewhat dependent on the form of their strong captains. Till Thursday, MS Dhoni had struggled to leave his mark on the game, and not surprisingly, Chennai Super Kings were not looking a confident unit. Till Thursday, Sourav Ganguly’s positive influence was all that was being talked about in Pune Warriors’ first two wins. But on Thursday evening, Dhoni scored a crucial 41 and the team responded with a most remarkable chase. On the same day, Ganguly’s team went down to Kings XI Punjab, the captain cutting a sorry figure with his shabby fielding.So when the two teams meet in Pune, a lot will depend on how much belief these two captains can instill into their sides. Super Kings are definitely the favourites. During the course of the last four games, all Super Kings batsmen – except M Vijay – have found form and being a team that bats deep, they will be hard to stop.Warriors too brandish a long batting order but a lot could depend on how their batsmen handle Super Kings spinners, who have blown hot and cold in the tournament till now. Pune’s bowling has kept the opposition under control but they could face a tough test on Saturday. Meanwhile, the wait for Tamim Iqbal’s debut match continues. Could it be this game?

Players to watch

Even though it was Albie Morkel who found his range in their last game, for Super Kings it has been Faf du Plessis who has cleared the boundary the most times so far in this IPL. He is slowly easing into the role that Michael Hussey played so well. Apart from his batting, du Plessis is a useful legspinner. He currently has 49 Twenty20 scalps and his 50th could be coming in Pune.While the focus has mostly been on their captain and talented bench-warmers, Ashok Dinda has efficiently leapt to the top of Warriors’ bowling charts. He has taken six wickets in three games, at an economy of less than five. Can he hustle the Super Kings batting?

2011 head-to-head

Last year, both times the teams played each other, Super Kings swept away Pune’s challenge easily. They won the first game in Chennai by 25 runs and followed it up with an eight-wicket victory two days later in Navi Mumbai.

Stats and trivia

• Dwayne Bravo is the most economical bowler (6.55 rpo) for Super Kings in the tournament so far. However, he is only 21st on the overall list.
• Sourav Ganguly has scored 89 runs off 92 balls in his six innings for Warriors.

Quotes

“The first half [against Kings XI Punjab] was a bit slow, with ball doing a bit, but we didn’t even play the full 20 overs. Had we batted through and got 130-135, with the kind of bowling we have and supported with the fielding, things could have gone in our favour”

“Sometime it [a line-up that bats deep] creates a problem. When you have a [long] batting line-up, you sort of lose your responsibility as a player, because you know that you have guys behind you. But on a night like tonight, it’s great to have big-hitters down the order.”
Albie Morkel on Super Kings strong batting line-up, after their last-ball win against Royal Challengers Bangalore

A combined bowling effort set up Sialkot Stallions‘ five-wicket win against Lahore Eagles‘ at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Bilawal Bhatti took three wickets and the rest of the bowlers chipped in to restrict the Eagles to a modest 129. Saad Nasim, batting at No.9, was the top scorer with 27. Sialkot lost Imran Nazir early but Shakeel Ansar and Shahid Yousuf made useful contributions to lead Sialkot to victory.Khalid Latif’s 88 set up Karachi Dolphins‘ 32-run win over Rawalpindi Rams at the same venue. Put in to bat, the Dolphins managed 171 for 4, thanks to Latif’s contribution. He shared stands of 75 and 72 with Asad Shafiq and Rameez Raja respectively. Rawalpindi’s pursuit of the target was stalled by Sohail Khan and Faraz Ahmed, who took three wickets apiece. Naved Malik was the top scorer with 59, but he lacked support.

ScorecardJackson Bird has had a remarkable debut Shield season•Getty Images

Jackson Bird capped off his remarkable debut Sheffield Shield season with a hat-trick that helped Tasmania secure a place in the final against Queensland. The Bulls will host the Tigers after both sides won in the final round of matches, Tasmania by eight wickets having been set 20 for victory in their second innings.By that stage Tasmania’s quotient was so good that to be in any danger of missing out on a place in the decider had to lose at least six wickets in the tiny chase. Although the Tigers lost both openers Ed Cowan and Steve Cazzulino they reached their target with only two wickets down to give Tasmania a chance to defend their Shield title at the Gabba.The win was set up by wonderful bowling from Bird in both innings. He collected 6 for 63 in the second innings and 11 wickets for the match to finish the qualifying portion of the Shield season on top of the wicket tally with 48 at 15.75, an outstanding tally considering he missed three games and only made his debut in November.Bird’s hat-trick began with the wicket of Nathan Rimmington, who played on trying to cut on 28. The next wicket came from the first ball of Bird’s next over and was the lbw of Luke Ronchi, who top scored for the Warriors with 71 in what will be his last match for Western Australia having announced his decision to pursue a career as a local player in New Zealand next summer.Bird completed the hat-trick with Jason Behrendorff lbw for a golden duck and joined Peter Clough and Shane Jurgensen as the only men to have taken a Shield hat-trick for Tasmania. James Faulkner also picked up 4 for 50 in the victory.