Lunch on second day of three: South Africa 515-3 dec; Somerset 52-4

South Africa began the day with a niggling worry over the fitness of all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who had been hit on the right elbow by a ball from Andrew Caddick during his unbeaten 160 yesterday.

Kallis suffered severe bruising and the Tourists’ management decided that he would take no part in play today, even though he is desperate to get a bowl before the first tests against England begins in ten days’ time at Lord’s.

A decision will be made tomorrow morning on whether Kallis takes any further part in this opening match to the Proteas’ tour, but he is expected to play in the next match against Middlesex at Uxbridge which begins on Friday.

The Tourists’ other centurion Hashin Amla was also off the field when the Somerset innings began after sustaining a minor groin strain yesterday during his innings, which his first for two months.

Somerset, without half a dozen first choice players including opener Marcus Trescothick and captain Justin Langer, began like an express train, with opener Neil Edwards clouting a 6 and five 4s.

But home joy was short-lived. Edwards then departed after pushing a ball from André Nel, which flew off the outside edge to Ashwell Prince at third slip.

After Edwards had departed Morné Morkel, an especially quick bowler, 90mph plus, came steaming in from the Old Pavilion End and yorked the other Somerset opener Arul Suppiah.

James Hildreth then played on to another rapid Morkel missile and a chaotic attempt to go for a third run resulted in Zander de Bruyn, who had faced one Morkel delivery, ended up being run-out going for a non-existent third run and Somerset, who lost three wickets for two runs in three overs. AT which point they went in for lunch.

The South Africans had batted on at the start of the day, adding a further 60 runs in the ten overs remaining to them in their first innings to their overnight 455-3.

Ashwell Prince finished unbeaten on an attractive 63, while AB de Villiers eschewed numerous opportunities to reach fifty himself, especially off the leg spin bowling of Michael Munday, whose 18 overs cost 123 runs, and he did not have a wicket to off-set the pain and humiliation of such a return.