South Africa captain Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs’s unbroken century stand put the Proteas in a strong early position on the first day of the first Test against England at Edgbaston here on Thursday.
At lunch South Africa were exactly 100 without loss, after Smith won the toss. Both Western Province batsmen were 47 not out, each scoring eight fours.
Left-hander Smith faced 94 balls and Gibbs 82.
Darren Gough, playing his first Test for two years since the final match of the 2001 Ashes series at The Oval after suffering with a knee injury, began in promising fashion.
The 32-year-old Yorkshire quick started with three successive maidens although some of his deliveries the batsmen could safely leave alone.
At the other end James Anderson, whose eight overs in the session went for 45 runs, was far more expensive.
But Smith was lucky to see an edge off 20-year-old Lancashire paceman Anderson drop short of Mark Butcher at second slip.
Gibbs, who has struggled for runs on this tour before finding his form again with 79 in South Africa’s final warm-up match against India A at Arundel, took 25 balls to get off the mark.
But he rarely tried anything rash and when Gough returned, Gibbs pulled him for a resounding four.
First-change Andrew Flintoff, who had missed England’s last eight Tests through injury, caused Smith problems when, bowling from around the wicket, he made him play and miss at several deliveries outside off-stump.
But Smith survived with South Africa’s hundred coming in 173 balls. – Sapa-AFP