Hoggard happy in seventh heaven

As England look to close out the Test series against South Africa in Johannesburg today, Chris Waters reflects on the corresponding fixture in 2005 when Matthew Hoggard took 12 wickets.

MATTHEW HOGGARD reacted in typical style to his first innings haul of 5-144 against South Africa at Johannesburg in January 2005.

"I bowled like a bag of spanners," he declared. "I've no idea how I managed to take five wickets."

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While his first-innings performance was perhaps not his finest, there was no doubting the quality of his second-innings display. Hoggard followed up with 7-61 to inspire England to their first Test series win in South Africa for 40 years.

Hoggard's performance, which underpinned a 77-run victory that Michael Vaughan described as the finest under his captaincy, was the best by an England bowler since Ian Botham captured 13-106 against India in Bombay a quarter of a century earlier.

It was a performance that propelled the self-deprecating Hoggard firmly into the spotlight and underlined his value to the England team.

Make no mistake, the significance of Hoggard's display, of that Test in particular and that series in general cannot be overstated.

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Victory in South Africa was very much the catalyst for the 2005 Ashes triumph in which Hoggard also played a valuable – if sometimes understated – part.

Reflecting earlier this week on that game in Johannesburg, where England will be looking to win their second successive series in South Africa when the final Test gets underway at the Wanderers today, Hoggard was no more inclined to sing his own praises than he was at the time.

Of his second-innings return he said modestly: "It was just one of those lovely days that instead of playing and missing they were playing and edging.

"The catches were going to hand and every ball seemed to land in the right area.

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"It's those days that you play for because you can play for years and not get any reward.

"You bowl the spell of your life and you don't get any wickets, so it's nice to get the rewards when they do come along."

After Vaughan declared with just 68 overs of the match remaining, leaving South Africa an improbable 325 for victory, Hoggard delivered a classic exhibition of right-arm swing bowling.

In his third over he had AB de Villiers trapped on the crease and soon after bowled his future Yorkshire team-mate Jacques Rudolph with a ball that swung back in and knocked out two stumps.

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With his next delivery, Hoggard took the prize wicket of Jacques Kallis, caught at first slip by Marcus Trescothick, to leave South Africa reeling on 18-3.

"It was not far from being a perfect dismissal as far as I was concerned," reflected Hoggard in his autobiography Welcome To My World. "He had to play, he came forward, covered the line and didn't push at it, the ball swung a touch and he nicked it to slip. He didn't do much wrong, but I'd got him out."

When Hoggard returned for a second spell he claimed a wicket in each of his next two overs as he took the first six wickets to fall. Andrew Flintoff, who had been bowling well at the other end without success, then chipped in with two wickets to ruin Hoggard's hopes of bagging all 10.

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, batting at No 8 because of injury, looked as though he might thwart England as he hung around in obdurate style to score an unbeaten 67.

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But with just eight overs of the match remaining, Hoggard claimed the final wicket – his seventh of the innings – when he had Dale Steyn caught behind by Geraint Jones.

"Hoggard was the hero," wrote Vaughan in his 2005 autobiography Calling The Shots. "He is a bowler who just keeps going for you, a reliable lad who will bowl 40 overs a day if you want him to.

"He doesn't always attack, but he keeps running in and he's very good fun on the pitch, although he does get nervous. I just try to relax him.

"In the first innings he got five wickets in conditions which were probably easier for him than in the second, when he took seven. If he'd bowled in the first like he did in the second, we'd have won in three-and-a-half days."

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Following Hoggard's tour de force, the British newspapers were glowing in their praise. Beneath the headline 'Hoggy Bashes The Boks', the Sun's John Etheridge enthused: "The Hogwarts Express served up some magic. He stomped the ground like a shrek and made the ball swerve like a demented boomerang."

In The Guardian, Mike Selvey commented: "A hayrick-haired son of the soil with a heart of oak bowled England to a memorable victory."

And in The Independent, Stephen Brenkley reflected: "Hoggard looked tired and slightly nonplussed by events, which were both understandable reactions.

"He will not like all the fuss, or the notebooks and cameras that will dance attendance on him over the next few days.

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"His favourite pastime is walking his dogs (usually alone) in the countryside near his home close to Baildon in West Yorkshire and going home to open one of the many cans of beer he keeps in his fridge."

The last word, however, was with Wisden.

"Hoggard carried the team on his shoulders like Atlas," reported the Almanack. "England had their first Test win at The Wanderers in 48 years, and one to rank among their most remarkable anywhere."

2004-05 series

1st Test: Port Elizabeth, England won by 7 wkts.

2nd Test: Durban, Drawn.

3rd Test: Cape Town, South Africa won by 196 runs

4th Test: Johannesburg, England won by 77 runs

5th Test - Centurion, Drawn.

South Africa v England

Johannesburg, January 13-17, 2005: England won by 77 runs

England 1st innings

ME Trescothick c Boucher b Steyn 16

AJ Strauss c Kallis b Pollock 147

RWT Key c Smith b Ntini 83

*MP Vaughan not out 82

GP Thorpe c Dippenaar b Ntini 0

MJ Hoggard c de Villiers v Ntini 5

A Flintoff c Smith b Ntini 2

GO Jones c Smith b Pollock 2

AF Giles c Gibbs b Steyn 26

SJ Harmison not out 30

Extras 18

Total (for 9wkts, dec) 411

Did not bat: JM Anderson

Bowling: Pollock 33-12-81-2, Ntini 34-8-111-4, Steyn 21-7-75-2, Kallis 22-2-79-0, Boje 14-2-52-0.

South Africa 1st innings

*GC Smith lbw b Hoggard 29

HH Gibbs c Hoggard b Anderson 161

JA Rudolph c Giles b Hoggard 4

JH Kallis b Hoggard 33

HH Dippenaar c Trescothick b Flintoff 0

AB de Villiers c Giles b Hoggard 19

MV Boucher c Strauss b Anderson 64

SM Pollock lbw b Hoggard 0

N Boje run out 48

M Ntini b Giles 26

DW Steyn not out 0

Extras 35

Total (all out) 419

Bowling: Hoggard 34-2-144-5, Harmison 12.5-4-25-0, Anderson 28-3-117-2, Flintoff 30.1-8-77-1, Giles 8.1-0-25-1, Trescothick 5-0-11-0.

England 2nd innings

ME Trescothick c Boucher b Ntini 180

AJ Strauss c de Villiers b Ntini 0

RWT Key c Kallis b Ntini 19

*MP Vaughan c Boucher b Pollock 54

GP Thorpe c and b Kallis 1

A Flintoff c Boucher b Pollock 7

GO Jones c de Villiers b Pollock 13

AF Giles c Gibbs b Kallis 31

MJ Hoggard c Boucher b Kallis 0

SJ Harmison not out 3

Extras 24

Total (for 9wkts, dec) 332

Did not bat: JM Anderson

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Bowling: Pollock 19-2-74-3, Ntini 20.1-2-62-3, Kallis 21-5-93-3, Steyn 9-0-47-0, Boje 12-0-49-0.

South Africa 2nd innings

AB de Villiers b Hoggard 3

HH Gibbs lbw b Giles 98

JA Rudolph b Hoggard 2

JH Kallis c Trescothick b Hoggard 0

HH Dippenaar c Giles b Hoggard 14

MV Boucher c Jones b Hoggard 0

N Boje c and b Hoggard 18

*GC Smith not out 67

SM Pollock c Jones b Flintoff 4

M Ntini lbw b Flintoff 13

DW Steyn c Jones b Hoggard 8

Extras 20

Total (all out) 247

Bowling: Hoggard 18.3-5-61-7, Harmison 14-1-64-0, Flintoff 16-2-59-2, Anderson 6-1-32-0, Giles 5-0-24-1.