A sneak preview into the latest edition of SA Cricket magazine, as we discuss five memorable moments from Lord’s.
Kepler Wessels: South Africa won by 356 runs, 1994
In a match marred by controversy after England captain, Mike Atherton was accused of ball tampering by using dirt that was in his pocket, Kepler Wessels did his talking with the bat. In the first ever Test that had the Proteas badge on the shirt, it was Wessel’s last series, and the skipper scored his second century for South Africa and second century against England after achieving the feat with Australia. The then 36-year-old scored 105 in the first innings to set the foundations for a massive victory at the famous ground. The series eventually ended 1-1.
See footage of Wessels’ 105:
Graeme Smith: South Africa won by an innings and 92 runs, 2003
Smith’s 277 in the first Test at Edgbaston proved all too much for Nasser Hussain, who stepped down as captain. If that was too much, then new captain Michael Vaughan was welcomed to a baptism of fire by his opposite number with yet another double ton at the home of cricket. Smith’s 259 was the second highest score at Lord’s of all time. He became the second to score two double hundreds against England, the first since Don Bradman to score consecutive double tons against England, and the fourth to do so ever. All at the age of 22. SA went on to win by a crushing innings victory.
See footage of Smith’s 259:
Makhaya Ntini: South Africa won by an innings and 92 runs, 2003
It’s a rarity to see a joint Man of the Match award, but when there’s a double centurion and the first South African to take a 10-wicket haul at Lord’s in the same match, then it’s difficult to argue. Three South Africans got their names on the honours board that day, including Gary Kirsten, but Ntini was the first with his 5-75 in the first innings. He followed that up with 5-145 in the second innings, for his first 10-wicket haul in Tests. ‘All I could think about was the fact that the name “Ntini” would forever sit in the place they call the home of cricket,’ Ntini said. ‘I thought of my children seeing their name on the wall one day, and then I thought of all the young black boys who would know that anything is possible.’
Vernon Philander: South Africa won by 51 runs, 2012
Fresh off becoming the third-fastest in history to 50 Test wickets, Philander continued to operate at the peak of his powers, and his 5-30 in the second innings was simply phenomenal. Needing 346 for victory, England had their sights on a first victory at Lord’s since 1960. It wasn’t looking that way at first as Philander tore through the top three to leave them on 34-3, but they recovered to 282-7. Then took the last two wickets of the innings to wrap up another Lord’s win, and with that the 2-0 series victory.
Vernon Philander on his five-for at Lord’s:
Making it count
Allan Donald and Hashim Amla have excellent records against England, and their performances at Lord’s certainly haven’t affected their statistics. They have made two appearances there apiece, and on each occasion, they’ve had their names etched on to the honours board. Wessels will go down as Man of the Match for his performance in 1994, but Allan Donald’s 5-74 in the first innings proved pivotal. His 5-32 four years later contributed to a massive 10-wicket victory for the visitors. Amla struck his first century against them in a Neil McKenzie-inspired resistance mission in 2008, and a month after his triple century in 2012, an excellent 121 in the second innings from the No 3 spurred on yet another victory.
