Good Show By Kallis

Kallis (112 not out), playing as a specialist batsman because of his broken rib, proved he has lost none of his hunger for runs and showed a tiring attack no mercy with his 32nd Test hundred in a stumps total of 262 for four. His 177-ball century - his sixth against England - was powered by personal intent on his return from injury, but it also underpinned a significant statement of collective South African ambition this winter. For England, Andrew Strauss' understandable decision to bowl first backfired in glorious sunshine but on a pitch still displaying the green patches that had startled so many. It's all about numbers The selection of only a three-man pace attack, to accommodate extra batsman Ian Bell, was also far from vindicated - particularly with Graham Onions out of the equation for two hours from mid-afternoon onwards because of a calf strain. The sight of Paul Collingwood and Jonathan Trott's medium-pace helping to eke out time until the second new ball - with Graeme Swann bowling unchanged for 24 overs from the pavilion end - was ominous.
After the near immediate and runless departure of captain Graeme Smith to Stuart Broad this morning, England had to labour long and hard for only three further gains in more than six hours. Kallis batted as if he had never been away, in South Africa's first Test since March and his first innings in any cricket for more than a month.
He survived an lbw appeal review on 35 when James Anderson thought he had hit him just in line with off-stump - a case that remained unproven - while Ashwell Prince had earlier benefited from a successful first recourse in this series to the new system. On that occasion, with Prince 19 on his way to a typically stoic 45, Steve Davis overturned his own lbw verdict. It seemed there must surely be some early help for England's pace bowlers - and Broad duly had the big wicket of Smith with only his third delivery, in the second over of the match.