Swan bowls England to huge win

DURBAN: Graeme Swann took 5-54 as England wrapped up victory by an innings and 98 runs on the

fifth day of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead today.

The win gave England a 1-0 win in the four-match series. It took England just 75 minutes to complete their win after South Africa resumed in a hopeless situation at 76-6. They were bowled out for 133. “It’s not far off the best performance I’ve seen by an England team,” said England captain Andrew Strauss, “but I’m aware the series is very much alive and there is still hard work to be done.” South African captain Graeme Smith admitted his side had been outplayed. “We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and bounce back very quickly,” he said. South Africa scored 343 while England replied by 574-9 declared in their first innings.

Off-spinner Swann had match figures

of 9-164 and earned his second successive

man of the match award following a five-wicket haul and an innings of 85 in the drawn

first Test in Centurion. South Africa’s faint hopes of extending the match beyond lunch

evaporated when Morne Morkel was out to the 11th ball of the morning. Morkel was dropped by Strauss off the previous delivery from Swann, which the left-hander edged low to the England captain’s right hand, with the ball going on for four. But Swann pushed the next ball through quicker and Morkel, stuck in his crease, was trapped leg before wicket.

Mark Boucher went on to make 29 before he gloved Stuart Broad down the leg side to fellow wicketkeeper Matt Prior. He was given not out by umpire Amish Saheba but England asked for a review and replays showed clearly the ball had deviated off his glove so Boucher had to depart for the second time in the match after initially being given not out. Paul Harris hit 36 before he scooped James Anderson to Broad at mid-on and Swann completed a comprehensive win when he had Dale Steyn leg before wicket. The third Test starts in Cape Town on Sunday.