England have no answer to Smith

CRICKET/Second Test: This was another day in which the record books were rewritten as left-handers Graeme Smith and Gary Kirsten ground England into the St John's Wood dirt.

Anthony McGrath was finally given the ball late in the evening session and in only his second over bowled Kirsten off the inside edge. Until then it seemed, just as it had on the opening day of the series, as if South Africa would bat through a complete day without losing a wicket.

Kirsten, nine overnight and a thorn in England's side over the years, had survived a chance to Mark Butcher at second slip when 54 and went on to reach 108, his 17th Test hundred.

It was small beer, though, as South Africa's remarkable captain, without letting up, became the first from his country to score double centuries in successive Tests. By the time the poor light took the players from the field with 18 overs remaining, Smith had reached 214, taking his aggregate for the series to 576 with his third innings not yet done.

No one has made more runs in a series than Don Bradman, who in 1930 in this country amassed 974 in five Tests. Given a fair wind, Smith can cruise past that now, although if the rest of South Africa's batsmen perform, he may not get another knock.

Only two days of this match have gone, and the weekend weather is set fair. If he can carry on today there is ample scope to eclipse not just his own South African record score of 277, made in the previous Test, but to go past 300, then Graham Gooch's Lord's record of 333 and beyond that, who knows, Brian Lara and history? If that doesn't get him out now, nothing will.

South Africa, on 412 for two, have already established a lead of 239, which given the quality of the pitch (or at least that evidenced when the visitors have been batting on it) ought not to be sufficient to win yet.

But it is almost inconceivable that if they push on to 600 and beyond England can recover their equilibrium sufficiently to save the Test as they managed to do in Birmingham.

England have had little answer to Smith, neither to subdue nor dismiss. They have bowled to his strength, allowing him to score prolifically through the onside as a strong bottom-hand grip shuts the blade on the bat and drags the ball round, and they have fed him outside off stump from back of a length where he has been able to force the ball away.

Yet again, England had the resource neither to place batsmen under pressure attritionally (one four-over spell involving Flintoff and Darren Gough, who may be sensing the end is nigh, during a period where Smith went 15 overs without a boundary, was as good as it got), nor to bowl the sort of deliveries that can dismiss top players on good surfaces.

In the end it was McGrath who showed much of the bowling up. In his last bowl in a Test, against Zimbabwe on this ground back in May, he took three for 16.