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Scorecard and ball-by-ballKevin Pietersen’s hundred kept England in the game but late wickets lifted Australia•PA Photos

For a little more than two hours, England asserted the measure of control they required to secure this match, and the Ashes themselves. Though Australia’s bowlers had toiled manfully and persistently, finding life where their opposite numbers had not, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell stood firm, the former thrusting to a fine hundred, the latter caressing his way towards a third such score of the series.But right at the moment the tourists may have begun to flag, Ryan Harris found a way through the previously impassable Bell, tilting back his off stump and revitalising Australia. The wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Pietersen himself followed, leaving the Old Trafford Test finely balanced with two days remaining and maintaining Australia’s heartening revival as belatedly serious contenders for the urn.On a day of high quality and considerable intrigue, Harris, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Shane Watson all delivered searching spells. Pietersen and Bell can seldom have played better, their calculated attack on Nathan Lyon a critical passage on a pitch taking turn and bounce throughout. There were imponderables, too. Pietersen on 62 would have been out lbw had Michael Clarke assented to Watson’s opinion that his old-ball inswinger was bound for the stumps. When Starc dismissed Pietersen lbw there was Hot Spot evidence of the merest nick.Starc’s contribution should not be underestimated, for his knack of taking wickets countered a tendency to lose his length and line at times. A mediocre delivery accounted for Alastair Cook thanks to a supreme leg-side diving catch by Brad Haddin, but Bairstow and Pietersen fell victim to a sublime spell of reverse movement as the evening drew in.Recovered from an apparent stomach bug, Harris had opened up for Clarke alongside Siddle. Their early overs were relentlessly probing, offering only the most occasional scoring chances for Cook and Jonathan Trott, neither of whom looked comfortable despite a ball that was no longer new and a pitch possessing few demons.Trott, who had begun the series in grand touch, was particularly scratchy, becalmed in much the same way Joe Root had been the previous night. Unable to get off strike, or hit the middle of the bat, Trott ultimately succumbed while doing his best not to play a shot at all, edging to Clarke at second slip while trying to leave Harris.Pietersen’s first few deliveries were no more convincing, as he fiddled loosely at balls zinging past him outside off stump as though wanting to offer a nick to the Australia cordon. Harris nearly burst a yorker through Pietersen also, but the entry of Starc and Watson to the bowling attack – while Lyon was oddly given only two overs – allowed a little pressure to be relaxed.With Pietersen scoring freely and Cook carrying on stoically, England appeared set to reach lunch without further loss. But 12 minutes before the break a Starc delivery angling towards Cook’s hip drew a fine leg glance and a rasping catch by Haddin, clasping the chance in the tip of his right glove as he threw himself full length. In the dying moments of the session Bell may have given up the thinnest of edges to Haddin off Starc, but only Australia’s wicketkeeper went up for the catch.That moment did not linger too much in Australian minds, but there was to be another midway through the afternoon. Pietersen and Bell had counter-attacked confidently and fruitfully, their chief achievement the removal of Lyon from the attack despite Australia’s offspinner bowling well on a pitch that offered turn and bounce. Twice Pietersen lofted Lyon for six and Bell followed up with one of his own; not once could the bowler be said to have offered up something to hit.Nonetheless, his withdrawal left Clarke searching for wickets, but when Watson found a hint of swing after replacing Lyon, the moment of success passed without the captain realising it. Pietersen had lurched forward and across to play through midwicket, and though Watson seemed adamant in his appeal Haddin and Clarke suggested the ball was swerving down the leg side.But Hawk-Eye revealed it to be hitting leg stump squarely enough for Tony Hill’s verdict to be overturned, and the sight of Darren Lehmann raising a glum finger from the balcony left Clarke pondering whether his moment had passed. Certainly there were few other glimmers offered by Pietersen and Bell, both well entrenched by the time the interval arrived and already taking some shine off the second new ball.Safe as both batsmen looked, Australia required something beyond the sturdy stuff dished up in the first two sessions. True to his form so far in the series Harris would provide it. Moving most deliveries fractionally away from Bell, he conjured a nip-backer that beat an accomplished technician for length, pace and deviation, striking the top of off stump and reviving his team.Bairstow and Pietersen then prospered for a time, but never with the security of the previous stand. Each bowler troubled Bairstow in turn, while Watson singed Pietersen’s outside edge with a series of deliveries bending subtly away. Watson’s frustration at this sequence was plain, but it did not prevent him from pouching a sharp low chance when Starc’s angle eventually tempted Bairstow to flirt at a ball whirring across him.Starc was by now finding the reverse swing that won him selection ahead of Jackson Bird, and two overs later he ensured Australian hope would be raised for the remainder of the match by pinning Pietersen lbw. The ball straightened down the line and would have crashed into middle stump, though there was the suspicion of an edge so thin that even Pietersen did not pick it up. Stuart Broad and Matt Prior were left to scratch around in the lengthening shadows, the match and the series still tantalisingly open.

ScorecardMooen Ali recorded his seventh century in List A cricket•Getty Images

Moeen Ali smashed a brilliant 114 against his former county Warwickshire to help Worcestershire complete a Yorkshire Bank 40 double over their near neighbours with a crushing 140-run win in their Group A match at Edgbaston.Moeen, who began his career at Edgbaston before opting for a move to Worcestershire six years ago, gorged himself against a depleted Bears attack by rattling up his seventh one-day century from just 75 balls.His innings laid the foundations for Worcestershire’s imposing 291 for 9, which proved too much for Warwickshire, who were undermined by paceman Graeme Cessford, an RAF corporal who has been given a sabbatical from active service to pursue a career in county cricket, whose one day-best figures of 4 for 24 included an opening burst of 3 for 2 in 18 balls.Warwickshire’s defeat leaves them in danger of finishing bottom of the group but this competition is low on their list of priorities, as their decision to rest front-line players including Keith Barker, Rikki Clarke, Tim Ambrose and Ian Westwood ahead of the County Championship match against Somerset, beginning on Tuesday, demonstrated.Only offspinner Jeetan Patel, who returned a season’s-best 4 for 43, managed to check Worcestershire’s progress, but by then Moeen and captain Daryl Mitchell had given them their best start to an innings this season with an opening stand of 104 in 14 overs.Moeen was initially overshadowed by Mitchell, who passed 50 for the sixth time in the competition this season before he was bowled for a quickfire 60 shaping to cut a full-length ball from Darren Maddy. But Moeen then accelerated superbly, moving from a 42-ball half-century to three figures in only 33 more deliveries with nine fours and three sixes. Moeen added three more fours in 10 balls before he was stumped advancing down the pitch to Patel.Alexei Kervezee was content to play a supporting role in a second wicket partnership of 113 with Moeen, but he played himself back into a semblance of form with only his third half-century in all cricket in a lean season.Patel’s accuracy and three wickets in four balls from Steffan Piolet in an eventful final over kept Worcestershire below 300, but Warwickshire buckled against Cessford’s pace. Moeen then contributed with the ball by snaring Scotland international Freddie Coleman and Patel with his offspin to catches in the deep.Mitchell throttled the innings by taking three wickets and Warwickshire only managed to avoid their record margin of runs defeat in 40-over cricket – 146 against Gloucestershire in 1973 – thanks to a battling unbeaten 47 from Laurie Evans as they drifted to 151 all out.

ScorecardLuke Wright’s stellar form continued with another rapid hundred•Getty Images

Sussex finished the Yorkshire Bank 40 programme with a flourish when Luke Wright and Matt Machan sealed a comprehensive seven-wicket win with 11.3 overs to spare against Worcestershire at New Road.Worcestershire’s total of 243 for 6 proved to be well short of being a testing target as Sussex’s second-wicket pair ripped the bowling to shreds, putting on 184 in 19 overs before falling in the space of eight balls from Moeen Ali.Wright had plundered two sixes and 14 fours when he was caught at long on after making 112 from 69 balls and Machan was bowled for 79 after hitting 12 fours and a six from 57 deliveries.With three Group A wins in the last fortnight of the competition, Sussex have gone a little way towards burying the memory of a disastrous Friends Life t20 campaign in which they lost nine from 10 games.Wright came into the match on the back of scoring 143 not out from 68 balls for England Lions against Bangladesh A last week and he was able to continue in that vein after being dropped at mid-off when he was still in single figures.With Ed Joyce bowled by Jack Shantry in the third over, Machan was given an early opportunity to showcase his range of shots. The young left-hander did not disappoint, needing four balls fewer than Wright to reach 50. However from that point it was showtime for the senior partner as he completed a second 50 in only 28 balls.Earlier allrounder Moeen continued his rich run of form for Worcestershire but only as far as adding 51 to his three centuries spread between two competitions last week.Sussex’s bowlers quickly came under fire as the England Lions left-hander drove Andrew Miller to long on for six and picked off seven more boundaries in completing his half-century from only 37 balls.It was the power of his driving that brought about his downfall when he chanced a single off Will Beer. The ball reached mid-off so quickly that Chris Liddle had time to run him out with a direct hit at the bowler’s end.With Moeen gone, Sussex were able to claw back the scoring rate as the spinners, Beer and Chris Nash, took one wicket each in getting through 16 overs together for 81 runs.It was a measure of their accuracy that Thilan Samaraweera managed to hit only seven fours, although he did maintain a run-a-ball tempo in an unbeaten 72. Ross Whiteley provided something more heavy-handed, driving Beer for a straight six as he contributed 34 out of 63 before he was yorked by Liddle.

With short, straight boundaries and an Australia side with the bit between their teeth James Tredwell is ready to face another onslaught when he is given the ball at the SWALEC Stadium on Saturday.England have only bowled once during this series, when they conceded 315 at Old Trafford, and the innings was notable for how Australia targeted Tredwell whose eight overs cost 60 for the reward of one wicket. The new-look England team, with Ben Stokes as the third seamer, adds greater onus on Tredwell and the way he was attacked by Australia’s top order in Manchester put huge pressure on Eoin Morgan.But one tough day in the field is not going to knock Tredwell off his stride after an outstanding Champions Trophy where he ensured Graeme Swann’s various absences through injury were barely noticed. It could even be argued that Tredwell has done enough over the last 12 months to be considered England’s No. 1 one-day spinner.”It seemed to be as soon as I came on they were gunning for me,” he said. “They came pretty hard in that game, pretty much a plan by the looks of it. On another day, it might have been 3 for 20 after those four overs. When they come hard like that, it obviously gives me a chance to take wickets as well. The other day, they came off. I hope it will be my day at some stage in this series. Certainly one end here is pretty short. I’ll stay away from that one.”That phlegmatic attitude to his lot as a spinner in the modern one-day game – highlighting the advantage of picking experienced domestic cricketers – helps Tredwell to overcome his difficult days.”You tend to get hit for a few sixes. You’ve got to take that on the chin, put that behind you and try to beat them the next time – that’s the way I look at it. Sometimes it’s horrible, depending on who’s at the other end. But if someone is taking a chance, then it’s giving you one.”And if there was a major one-day final on the horizon, with Swann fit and available, is there now a serious question for the selectors to answer? “I’d like to think my name would be in the hat. I think I’ve put in the performances to be there or thereabouts. The decision wouldn’t be mine. I think I’ve done pretty well over the last little period. I need to keep that going.”Although Andy Flower has said Monty Panesar will be considered for the Ashes tour despite his troubled end to the season, if it is decided that he cannot be taken on the trip Tredwell could yet be the second spinner behind Swann. Simon Kerrigan’s horrid debut at The Oval is likely to have ruled him out – although a Lions spot should allow him to continue his development – while there are few other realistic options around the county game.”It’s always nice to be around the environment, and if you do the right things you can put your name in the ring,” Tredwell said. “”The last 12 months have been fantastic for me in this form of the game, and I just want that to continue. But it’s a totally different form of the game, so that’s out of my hands really. It’s evident for all to see there are opportunities available, and you just try to do your best and hope your name gets picked out.”

Sohag Gazi watched as everything seemed to moving in slow motion. He had just delivered the ball, hoping for a hat-trick. It had taken the edge and struck wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim on his right pad. Nasir Hossain at slip came forward, slid a little, then stopped. Shakib Al Hasan had by this time slunk over from leg-slip. He dived and completed the catch. Gazi ran away, chased by Robiul Islam, Marshall Ayub and Nasir. He couldn’t believe it and, even hours later, he found it hard to describe the moment.”I just couldn’t believe what was happening,” Gazi said, as he walked with a group of journalists after the game. “The hat-trick was 99% Shakib doing.”I was stunned into silence when the ball hit Mushfiq pads and had taken off. Everything was happening in slow-motion for me from that point. Nasir was standing still, and in that last moment, Shakib dived in.”Gazi had targeted the same spot from which he got the previous delivery to jump at BJ Watling. It took the edge, slammed into Mushfiqur’s chest but was eventually caught, giving him two from two.Mushfiqur added a leg-slip to complete the umbrella around Bracewell. Sohag had his eyes on that spot which didn’t have a crack, but offered him some promise.”Mushfiqur always sets the field. I talk to him if I need to make little changes. Ahead of that hat-trick ball, I didn’t say anything to him, or want to make any changes. I just wanted to bowl the same delivery as I did the previous ball. I was hoping to land it there and let it go straight. He could either edge it or miss it.”He fended off questions about what he felt before, during and after the hat-trick. He had done the same after he had scored the hundred on the fourth day. But the fact remains, there was a lot on Gazi’s mind ahead of the game.He had been earmarked as one of the less fit players in the team, and the situation was magnified when the media picked up on it. There wasn’t much talk about it publicly, but there must have been reactions internally, within the Bangladesh setup. Gazi said that had been a motivating factor: “There was so much talk about my fitness. I took this Test match as a challenge. I really wanted to prove that I am fit.”Mushfiqur, too, said Gazi needed that six-wicket haul in the second innings, and praised his maiden century, terming it a “smart knock”. “I was hoping that I could take the catch [to complete the hat-trick], but unfortunately I couldn’t. But I am very happy for him,” Mushfiqur said. “He really needed this performance. I would hope for him to hold on to it.”He gave us that crucial lead in the first innings. I have seen him hit around before, but he batted very smartly in this innings. He controlled himself according to the fields that were set to curb him. He added 100-odd with Robiul Islam. It was a matured innings.”

Pravin Tambe, the 42-year-old legspinner, has earned his maiden call-up to the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad. He was named in their 15 for the home match against Jharkhand, scheduled for December 6 to 9.Tambe, who had not played any top-level cricket until May this year, got his first big break when he was included in Rajasthan Royals’ squad for IPL 2013. He played his first recognised Twenty20 as a 41-year-old against Delhi Daredevils, and went on to play two more games in the tournament. He is yet to play a List A or a first-class match, but really grabbed the spotlight in the Champions League T20 2013, in September-October, when he was the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps in five games at an average of 6.50.The Mumbai selectors took into account Tambe’s attitude and recent form, chief selector Deepak Jadhav told ESPNcricinfo. “We had a little bit of discussion before arriving at a consensus about Pravin,” Jadhav, who was chairing his first senior selection committee after Sudhir Naik stepped down last week, said. “But the point is none of the young spinners are ready to earn the Mumbai cap. Iqbal Abdullah, who had been a part of the squad before we asked him to play the U-25 game last week, hasn’t been bowling well. Had we had a deserving youngster, we would have gone for it, but barring his physical age, Pravin fits the bill in every respect.”He has been picking tons of wickets for years and years. Not only at the club level, but he has also proven himself in T20s at the IPL and CLT20. Moreover, his attitude is as positive as any youngster. He is lively on the field and even if he isn’t in the eleven, he is a great motivator in the dressing room. He is an asset to the team, so I would tell everyone not to look at his age. He is fit, he has the skills and he has the ability and desire to succeed at this level, so he deserves an opportunity.”Tambe posed problems for most batsmen in the Champions League, with his skiddy legbreaks and accuracy, and helped Royals complete a giant-killing in the semi-final by beating Chennai Super Kings. He took 3 for 10 in his four overs in that game, claiming the wickets of Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and S Badrinath.Mumbai are missing regular captain and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and batsman Ajinkya Rahane in this squad, with the pair being away on India duty in South Africa.Squad: Abhishek Nayar (capt), Aditya Tare (vice-capt), Wasim Jaffer, Hiken Shah, Suryakumar Yadav, Sushant Marathe, Vishal Dabholkar, Siddhesh Lad, Javed Khan, Shardul Thakur, Akbar Khan, Kshemal Waingankar, Manish Rao, Pravin Tambe, Sagar Kerkar

Mitchell Johnson doubted his ability to follow up on Brisbane as much as anyone.Having shattered any notions of his former inconsistency by delivering a spell for the ages at Adelaide Oval to push the Test and Ashes series firmly Australia’s way, Johnson admitted his rich relief at finally putting two such performances together.”For me to be able to back up a performance like Brisbane and do it here it is a really nice feeling for me,” Johnson said after scooping 7 for 40, twice reaching the verge of a hat-trick. “There’s been talk in the past, I can have those performances where I can blow a team away and then the next one not turn up. For me I think that was why it was a bit more emotional and special, because I was able to stick to my plans and go through.”The ball came out of my hand exactly how I wanted it to. There was a bit of talk about me not hitting the stumps much in Brisbane, but I was excited about the variable bounce and the reverse swing Adelaide provides, so it was really nice today, a really nice feeling, backed up by all the bowlers. There was a period there where the ball wasn’t really doing a lot, but we stuck to our plans and got a little reverse there.”England were put on notice that Johnsons had maintained his speed and rhythm when he bowled Alastair Cook with a fiendish delivery on the second evening, but his most memorable impact was to be had after lunch on day three. After defeating Ben Stokes and the completely out-of-sorts Matt Prior, a now trademark piece of gamesmanship by Stuart Broad allowed Johnson to regather himself and inflict further damage.”It was quite good that Broady stopped me and held up the game for a little bit, because you can get overexcited,” Johnson said. “It was actually a good time for me to relax and think about what I was doing, because you can get too involved in how the crowd is reacting and start thinking about going for the jugular when you should just keep bowling those good areas.Mitchell Johnson followed up nine wickets at the Gabba with another match-turning performance•AFP

“I think it’s something I’ve really improved on, I guess it’s just come with maturity and knowing my game a lot better. I definitely felt I was in one of those zones where nothing’s really going on in your mind.”Johnson’s appearances in this series were his first since a single Test on the abortive tour to India. He had earlier missed near enough to the whole of 2011-12 with a toe injury at a time when his desire to play the game had been sliding. He said the time away had been a great help in allowing him to focus on finding the consistency he had always lacked despite passing 200 Test wickets.”I didn’t doubt I could get back into the Australian team,” he said. “I knew if I worked hard, gave myself every chance, through my toe injury I made sure I did everything right whereas in the past when I first had my stress fractures I rushed back. I really worked on what I needed to work on, met some really positive people along the way, which have been a big help, but having that belief in myself has been the biggest thing.”I was definitely nervous at the start of the series, hadn’t played a Test in a long while, and what England have done to us in the past was on my mind, but I was able to push that aside and bowl the way I wanted to bowl.”As for the Mephistophelian moustache that has seemingly added to his menace this series, Johnson has committed to keeping it until the Ashes are won. But no further. “Some have called it a magical mo, and it’s going okay at the moment,” he said. “But once the series is over I’ll end it…”

Derbyshire head coach Karl Krikken has left the club after 27 years at the county.In the wake of Derbyshire’s relegation in the County Championship, Krikken was required to reapply for his job, along with other members of the coaching staff, in a new cricket management structure.But Krikken has decided to seek other opportunities and will not be part of the elite cricket performance model that was launched by Derbyshire following a review of cricket operations by the club’s supervisory board.It brings to an end Krikken’s relationship with Derbyshire which began in 1987. He scored over 7,000 runs, took 800 dismissals as wicketkeeper and helped the county win the Sunday League in 1990 and Benson and Hedges Cup in 1993.Following his retirement in 2003, Krikken became Derbyshire’s inaugural Academy coach and greatly improved the number of home-grown players in the first XI. He was promoted to head coach mid-way through the 2011 season and a year later oversaw a wholly unexpected promotion in the County Championship.”I would like to thank the off-field staff, groundsmen, coaches, players and members for all their help and support during my time at Derbyshire,” Krikken said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club, firstly as a player and then as a coach.”As a player I was lucky enough to play with some magnificent cricketers that brought success to the county, winning a couple of one day cups.”In the last couple of years during my tenure as head coach, I have been immensely proud to lead a team of great lads to the first trophy for Derbyshire in 19 years and last year to our highest Championship finish since 1996.”Chairman Chris Grant added: “It’s sad that Karl’s time at the club has come to an end and we thank him for his contribution to drafting the new elite player pathway, we respect his decision to seek opportunities elsewhere and we wish him all the very best for the future.”Karl was a stalwart for our club as a wicketkeeper, his contribution as the first director of our academy was critical to our future and who can forget the glory of promotion, as Division Two champions, under his stewardship in 2012.”Our recruitment process will now continue and we are confident that the new elite performance structure will enhance our chances of success in the years to come across all three domestic competitions.”

Ireland have called up Craig Young for their first squad since the retirement of Trent Johnston, with 15 players due to travel to the Caribbean for three limited-overs internationals against West Indies, as well as in the domestic 50-over competition.Ed Joyce will be rested for the Regional Super50 but the squad is otherwise at full strength. Andrew White misses the opportunity to become Ireland’s most-capped player, with Andrew McBrine favoured in the shorter formats, while there is a return for Andrew Poynter, who last featured for Ireland in 2012.Young, who has played once for Ireland previously in the Intercontinental Cup, has spent some time over the winter working with Craig McDermott, Australia’s bowling coach, and his extra pace saw him included.”Craig has been in Brisbane for the past eight weeks working with bowling coach ‘Billy’ McDermott,” Ireland’s coach, Phil Simmons, said.”The feedback from Australia on Craig and the other two guys – Graeme McCarter and Peter Chase – has been excellent. They’ve impressed everyone with their commitment and attitude, and they’ve all got big futures. We felt that Craig had the edge in terms of extra pace and that would be a useful asset in the West Indies. He also had a very successful debut against Scotland last year, when he took six wickets and bowled pretty hostile spells.”Joyce’s involvement will be limited to the ODI and two T20s, ahead of a busy season. The Sussex captain will likely be part of the squad for the World Twenty20, in Bangladesh in March and April, while Ireland also welcome Sri Lanka for two ODIs in May.”The selectors and Ed agreed that this competition was a good opportunity to rest him with a gruelling schedule ahead in 2014,” Simmons said. “It’s nearly ten months of full-on cricket and we’ve got to be careful with Ed’s fitness.”Ireland will play three group games in the Regional Super50, all at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, with Guyana their first opponents on January 31. The final will take place on February 15, with Ireland then facing West Indies in Jamaica four days later.Ireland squad: William Porterfield (capt) (Warwickshire), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), George Dockrell (Somerset), Ed Joyce (Sussex)*, John Mooney (North County), Tim Murtagh (Middlesex), Andrew McBrine (Donemana), Kevin O’Brien (Railway Union), Niall O’Brien (Leicestershire), Andrew Poynter (Clontarf), Max Sorensen (The Hills), Paul Stirling (Middlesex), Stuart Thompson (Eglinton), Gary Wilson (Surrey), Craig Young (Bready)*Only for international matches

Ryan McLaren, playing his first Test in four years, confirmed South Africa chose to field first given their record in Centurion and did not base the decision on the surface that was in front of them.”The statistics going into the game say enough. Most of the Test cricket played at this venue, the team fielding first have ended up winning a high percentage of games,” he said. South Africa have fielded first at Centurion 11 times in their history and won nine of those matches, compared to 14 wins out of 18 overall.Graeme Smith was unsure what to do but the greenish tinge to the pitch convinced him to go with history, even though he also knew if the sun shone enough, the surface would flatten. McLaren admitted South Africa let Australia get away from them when that happened. “It was moving around a bit on the beginning but then it became slowish off the wicket. In the first hour we bowled well and we had an opportunity to make some inroads.”Ryan McLaren claimed a wicket as South Africa’s bowlers started well before wilting later in the day•AFP

With Australia 98 for 4, McLaren wanted South Africa to push home the advantage but said Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith made that difficult. “They played really well. They had pretty much a chanceless partnership. Shaun adapted well and the longer he stayed there, the easier it became.”By the same token, South Africa did not make the necessary adjustments. McLaren explained that they needed “to err on the side of a fuller length” in the morning and then “pull it to back of a good length” later on as the surface became more sluggish.He was one of the bowlers who got the first part of that right, bowling fuller earlier on. Overall, McLaren was satisfied with his own performance as he eased into his new role as South Africa’s Test allrounder. “I started off all right but it became challenging going into the second and third session,” he said. “I know I am going to have to do the hard work and the hard yards. When the wicket is flat my job to block up an end so that Dale and Morne and Vernon can strike.”While Dale Steyn is nursing an upset stomach, which prevented him from going at full throttle today, McLaren hoped he would have recovered by the morning. He is also banking on South Africa to stage one of their familiar comebacks. “Maybe we could have increased the intensity today but this team has shown its character in the past to bounce back the following day.”Australia have six wickets in hand and are already within a whisker of 300 runs but McLaren said South Africa have not set an upper limit for what they will aim to restrict Australia to. “We should not pinpoint any target,” he said. “We will just try and build as much pressure as possible. We know they have a few dangerous batters to come.”