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Lunch South Africa 187 for 1 (Smith 103*, Amla 80*) trail England 385 by 198 runs
Graeme Smith became the seventh batsman to score a hundred in his 100th Test © Getty Images
Graeme Smith joined an illustrious group of cricketers, becoming the seventh batsman to mark his 100th Test with a century to put South Africa in control on the third day at The Oval. Smith struck consecutive boundaries off Tim Bresnan in the last over before lunch to reach his 25th hundred, taking the partnership with Hashim Amla to 186 which has given South Africa a fabulous foundation.
Smith joins a list that reads Cowdrey, Miandad, Greenidge, Stewart, Inzamam and Ponting as players who have raised three figures both in appearances and with the bat on the same occasion. He reached his ton with a thumping square cut which meant he did not have to sit in the nineties during the lunch interval. It had been a masterclass in how to battle through tough periods after registering his slowest fifty in Test cricket which took 160 balls - the next fifty runs needed just a further 41.
The finest, most compelling, contest of the morning came between Smith and Graeme Swann. It was an absorbing duel as Swann worked away from round the wicket to Smith trying to extract an outside edge or lbw against the left hander. He came close on more than one occasion, twice sliding deliveries through to beat Smith on the back foot, and later turning one sharply past a forward lunge.
Yet Smith resisted and when he connected with a strong sweep it seemed to release the pressure somewhat and indicated the increase in run-rate that continued into the second hour. Smith resumed after drinks with a flowing cover drive - or as flowing as they ever come from him - then collected two further boundaries in four balls against Swann although Smith's scoring off the spinner was almost exclusively to the leg side.
England's pace bowlers were forced to toil on an unresponsive surface. James Anderson was the best of them, probing away outside Smith's off stump during the first part of the day as England laid their stall out to play the waiting game. He drew a couple of false drives from Smith, but Amla was far more secure and played a couple delightful off-side shots which threaded the gaps.
Stuart Broad was not quite at the top of his game and a five-over spell leaked 24 runs although did watch one leg-side flick from Smith fly past Kevin Pietersen who had been stationed at a close square-leg position. Ravi Bopara was given a bowl ahead of Bresnan as Andrew Strauss went through his options and hoped that the ball would start to reverse swing. It moved a little but when the bowlers start trying to force a ball change it's a sign that things are not going well.
In contrast to the cussedness and grit of Smith was the elegance of Amla who moved largely untroubled to 80 having reached his fifty off 110 balls early in the day.
Graeme Smith became the seventh batsman to score a hundred in his 100th Test © Getty Images
Graeme Smith joined an illustrious group of cricketers, becoming the seventh batsman to mark his 100th Test with a century to put South Africa in control on the third day at The Oval. Smith struck consecutive boundaries off Tim Bresnan in the last over before lunch to reach his 25th hundred, taking the partnership with Hashim Amla to 186 which has given South Africa a fabulous foundation.
Smith joins a list that reads Cowdrey, Miandad, Greenidge, Stewart, Inzamam and Ponting as players who have raised three figures both in appearances and with the bat on the same occasion. He reached his ton with a thumping square cut which meant he did not have to sit in the nineties during the lunch interval. It had been a masterclass in how to battle through tough periods after registering his slowest fifty in Test cricket which took 160 balls - the next fifty runs needed just a further 41.
The finest, most compelling, contest of the morning came between Smith and Graeme Swann. It was an absorbing duel as Swann worked away from round the wicket to Smith trying to extract an outside edge or lbw against the left hander. He came close on more than one occasion, twice sliding deliveries through to beat Smith on the back foot, and later turning one sharply past a forward lunge.
Yet Smith resisted and when he connected with a strong sweep it seemed to release the pressure somewhat and indicated the increase in run-rate that continued into the second hour. Smith resumed after drinks with a flowing cover drive - or as flowing as they ever come from him - then collected two further boundaries in four balls against Swann although Smith's scoring off the spinner was almost exclusively to the leg side.
England's pace bowlers were forced to toil on an unresponsive surface. James Anderson was the best of them, probing away outside Smith's off stump during the first part of the day as England laid their stall out to play the waiting game. He drew a couple of false drives from Smith, but Amla was far more secure and played a couple delightful off-side shots which threaded the gaps.
Stuart Broad was not quite at the top of his game and a five-over spell leaked 24 runs although did watch one leg-side flick from Smith fly past Kevin Pietersen who had been stationed at a close square-leg position. Ravi Bopara was given a bowl ahead of Bresnan as Andrew Strauss went through his options and hoped that the ball would start to reverse swing. It moved a little but when the bowlers start trying to force a ball change it's a sign that things are not going well.
In contrast to the cussedness and grit of Smith was the elegance of Amla who moved largely untroubled to 80 having reached his fifty off 110 balls early in the day.