Foothole

The 24-year-old, who made three one-day appearances against Australia last summer, injured his ankle on Wednesday and further damaged it yesterday when he slipped in the footholes.

"The wicket didn't play too bad today. Day five is going to be the biggest worry. The footholes will get bigger as the day goes on."

They floundered into deep footholes at every step.

Wherever there were tracks of children, sleds, large dogs, other couples, or a solitary walker with long, steady paces, these footholes had filled with a veneer of ice.

The trees of the region were fearsomely marked with large footholes scratched by a giant feline animal, and once they saw at a distance a striped creature like a hyena with the markings of a tiger.

With each step her leg sunk up to the knee. When she pulled her boots back out again she tinged her own footholes with red-brown mud, like the edging of blood around a punctured bandage.

Only two footholes are needed due to the wolf's narrow gait, as the hind foot oversteps the front paw print. (Courtesy Oliver Matla) .