| 0.0 : Hello and welcome to the fourth and final Test of the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy. England have ensured that they cannot lose this series courtesy of their two wins prior to this while South Africa will be playing for a draw. If South Africa pull it off, they will extend their unbeaten run in England that goes back to 1998. They have already shown their character after bouncing back strongly in the second match. |
| The big news is that both Vernon Philander and Chris Morris have been ruled out of this all-important game for the Proteas. It will be interesting to see how they compensate for the duo. |
| ENGLAND HAVE WON THE TOSS AND ELECTED TO BAT FIRST! |
| TEAM NEWS - England have fielded an unchanged side from the last Test. South Africa on the other hand have been forced to make some drastic changes. Vernon Philander who played an inspirational role in second Test has been ruled out due to his back injury. Also, Chris Morris misses out with Duanne Olivier and Theunis de Bruyn replacing the duo. |
| The openers are walking out to the middle. Morne Morkel is marking his run up, he will be bowling from the Statham End. Here we go! |
| 0.1 : M Morkel to Cook, Starts off with a good length ball outside off. Cook leaves it alone as he judges the bounce of the pitch. |
| 0.2 : M Morkel to Cook, Another one outside the line of the off stump. Left alone by Cook. |
| 0.3 : M Morkel to Cook, That's a beauty by Morkel! Jags this one back at Cook who decides to leave it. In the end, it is well left. Just misses the off stump there. |
| 0.4 : M Morkel to Cook, On a good length but going down leg. Cook looks to flick but misses. The ball brushes his pads and goes into the gloves of the diving keeper. |
| 0.5 : M Morkel to Cook, Good length ball outside off, Cook looks to defend but misses. This was very close to the bat. |
| 0.6 : M Morkel to Cook, Cook looks jittery in the middle. Another play and miss outside the line of the off stump. |
| Rabada will bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : K Rabada to Jennings, Starts with a good length ball outside off. Jennings misses his attempted drive. |
| 1.2 : K Rabada to Jennings, On the stumps this time, Jennings does well to get his bat on it. |
| 1.3 : K Rabada to Jennings, FOUR! First runs of the day and it comes in the form of a boundary. This was on a good length down the leg side. Jennings flicks it off his pads and gets a four behind square on the leg side. This should give him some confidence. |
| 1.4 : Rabada to K Jennings, Dropped! A good length ball on middle. Jennings looks to defend it but gets an inside edge. The ball goes on to hit his pads and flies in the air. Rabada tries his best and puts in a dive but fails to keep the ball in his clutches. This was difficult but a very good attempt. Hope it's not too costly for the visitors. |
| 1.5 : K Rabada to Jennings, On off, Jennings pushes it covers. |
| 1.6 : K Rabada to Jennings, Defends this length ball off his front foot and into the ground. |
| 2.1 : M Morkel to Cook, Cook shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 2.2 : M Morkel to Cook, Good length ball outside off this time. Cook wants nothing to do with it. Leaves it alone. |
| 2.3 : M Morkel to A Cook, Finds the edge of the bat but falls safely this time. Morkel is really causing some problems in the middle. |
| 2.4 : M Morkel to Cook, Big shout for lbw but the umpire dismisses it. That was a good length ball jutting in. Cook looks to defend but misses. The height factor saves him this time. |
| 2.5 : M Morkel to Cook, On middle and leg, Cook plays it to mid-wicket. |
| 2.6 : Morkel to Cook, Another shout for lbw which the umpire shows no interest. Same as the previous shout, this was going down leg. Cook does not look too comfortable in the middle at all. The overcast conditions are not helping him. |
| Short leg has come in. Good point from Michael Holding on air - Why not start with a bat-pad in the first place? Especially if the plan is to bowl short. |
| 3.1 : K Rabada to Jennings, On the pads, Jennings works it down the leg side and picks up a couple of runs. |
| 3.2 : K Rabada to Jennings, Outside off, Jennings goes for it but misses. |
| 3.3 : K Rabada to Jennings, Length ball, Jennings defends it solidly off his front foot. |
| 3.4 : K Rabada to Jennings, Struck on the pads and a loud shout has been turned down. This was pitching outside leg and missing leg as well. Nevertheless the bowlers are causing some problems early on. Jennings looked to defend and misses it. |
| 3.5 : K Rabada to Jennings, Once again struck on the pads. This was also pitching outside leg. Jennings needs to get his bat on the ball or his time will come soon. |
| 3.6 : K Rabada to Jennings, Outside off, left alone. Jennings will not mid such balls for sure. They are safer then the ones coming on to his pads. |
| 4.1 : M Morkel to Cook, Length ball on off, Cook pushes it covers off his front foot and picks up a couple. |
| 4.2 : M Morkel to Cook, On the pads once again but hit him high this time. Cook looked to play at it but missed it. |
| 4.3 : M Morkel to Cook, Outside off this time. Cook leaves it all alone. |
| 4.4 : M Morkel to Cook, Defended solidly off his back foot this time. This looked better from the batsman. |
| 4.5 : M Morkel to Cook, Struck high on the pads once again. The height of Morkel is playing against him at the moment as his balls are going on to miss the top of the stumps. |
| 4.6 : M Morkel to A Cook, Inside edge this time. Length ball on off and Cook looked for the drive. The ball goes on to thud against the pads. |
| 5.1 : K Rabada to Jennings, Jennings shows the full face of the bat and defends this good length ball off the back foot. |
| 5.2 : K Rabada to Jennings, Solid defense from within the crease. Good length ball once again, good discipline shown by the bowlers. |
| 5.3 : K Rabada to Jennings, Another back of a length ball defended off the back foot. |
| 5.4 : K Rabada to Jennings, Down the leg side this time, Jennings leaves it alone. |
| 5.5 : K Rabada to Jennings, Jennings shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 5.6 : K Rabada to Jennings, Bouncer! Jennings ducks in time to let that one go over him. Maiden over for Rabada. |
| 6.1 : M Morkel to Cook, FOUR! Class from Cook! Length ball on off, Cook drives it beautifully past mid off and the ball races away. This was a really well timed shot from the veteran. Hopefully it goes on to give him some confidence. |
| 6.2 : M Morkel to Cook, On the pads, worked down the leg side for a single. |
| 6.3 : M Morkel to Jennings, Outside off this time, Jennings leaves it alone. |
| 6.4 : M Morkel to Jennings, Defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 6.5 : M Morkel to Jennings, Play and miss this time. Jennings does not look confident at all. This was a good length ball outside off and Jennings went for the drive. |
| 6.6 : M Morkel to Jennings, Struck on the pads this time. A good length ball coming into the batsman. Jennings went for the flick, missed it and the ball struck him high on the pads. |
| 7.1 : K Rabada to A Cook, Outside edge lands but does not carry. That was length ball outside on off. Cook looked to defend but the timing was off. The ball took a thick edge and flew towards third slip but landed just in front of him. |
| 7.2 : K Rabada to Cook, Good length ball on off, defended solidly this time. The ball goes to straight to the fielder at point. |
| 7.3 : K Rabada to Cook, Shows the full face of the bat to defend this one off his back foot. |
| 7.4 : K Rabada to Cook, Length ball on off this time, Cook drives it straight to covers. |
| 7.5 : K Rabada to A Cook, FOUR! Brilliantly timed by Cook. Width was on the offer and Cook obliged with a hard slash past point. The ball raced away to the boundary ropes in no time. It was slightly in the air but found the gap to perfection. England will need more of this. |
| 7.6 : K Rabada to Cook, Another one wide outside off, played to point this time. |
| Olivier come on to bowl. He replaces Morkel. |
| 8.1 : D Olivier to Jennings, Good length ball on off, Jennings looks to play at it but misses. |
| 8.2 : D Olivier to Jennings, Good length ball and Jennings is really flirting with danger. He looks to defend it but misses it completely. The ball just misses the outside edge. |
| 8.3 : D Olivier to Jennings, Outside off, left alone this time. |
| 8.4 : D Olivier to K Jennings, FOUR. |
| 8.5 : D Olivier to Jennings, No run. |
| 8.6 : D Olivier to Jennings, No run. |
| 9.1 : K Rabada to Cook, No run. |
| 9.2 : K Rabada to Cook, Cannot control the swing and movement on this one, Rabada slips this down the leg side and Alastair looks to flick but misses. |
| 9.3 : K Rabada to Cook, Outside off now, left alone. |
| 9.4 : K Rabada to Cook, This is around off, defended back to the bowler. |
| 9.5 : K Rabada to Cook, Oohhh..... this is straighter, Alastair looks to flick, is late but manages to flick it through backward square leg for a couple. |
| 9.6 : K Rabada to Cook, Stays back in his crease and blocks. |
| It has grown considerably bright at the moment when it looked like the weather would play spoilsport. David Lloyd opines that the predicted bad weather will not be a problem as of now as the dark clouds have gone by. |
| 10.1 : D Olivier to Jennings, Struck on the pads this time but. It was a good length ball outside off which Jennings went to defend. He gets struck on his back pads and the appeal came in. The umpire however dismisses the shout as it was going on to miss the stumps. |
| 10.2 : D Olivier to Jennings, FOUR! Driven beautifully through covers! That was a full length ball on off and Jennings played it with the full face of the bat. |
| 10.3 : D Olivier to Jennings, On a good length, defended solidly off the back foot. |
| 10.4 : D Olivier to Jennings, Shows the full face of the bat and defends this one off the back foot. |
| 10.5 : D Olivier to Jennings,Outside off, Jennings shoulders his arms at it. |
| 10.6 : D Olivier to Jennings, Outside off, driven straight past the bowler for a couple. |
| 11.1 : Rabada to A Cook, FOUR! Bouncer down the leg side by Rabada. Cook loves the short balls and he goes for it. He misses it but the ball brushes his gloves and goes past the diving keeper for a boundary. |
| 11.2 : K Rabada to Cook, Shows the full face of the bat to defend this one off the back foot. |
| 11.3 : K Rabada to Cook, Length ball on off, pushed to covers. |
| 11.4 : K Rabada to Cook, On the pads, flicked away for a single. |
| 11.5 : K Rabada to Jennings, Full length this time, defended off the front foot. |
| 11.6 : K Rabada to Jennings, Another full length ball on off. Jennings goes for the drive but it takes the edge of the bat and flies towards backward point. It was in the air but was finding the gap. Bavuma did well to save a boundary there. Single taken. |
| 12.1 : D Olivier to Jennings, Edged and gone! Another failure for Jennings who has been put out of his misery. It was a good length ball from Olivier and Jennings pushed at it. The ball found the outside edge of the bat and flew straight into the gloves of de Cock. It was a regulation catch for the keeper and he made no mistakes. South Africa have their first wicket and will be hoping to carry on with their good start. |
| 0.0 : Tom Westley is the new man in. |
| 12.2 : D Olivier to Westley, Wide outside off, left alone by the new batsman in. |
| 12.3 : D Olivier to Westley, Another one outside off, Westley fails to put bat on ball. |
| 12.4 : D Olivier to Westley, Westley is following the footsteps of the batsman he replaces. Another one outside off and he misses the shot. |
| 12.5 : D Olivier to Westley, Bouncer! Westley ducks under it and lets it go. |
| 12.6 : D Olivier to Westley, On the pads this time, flicked away for a single at mid-wicket. |
| 13.1 : K Rabada to Westley, Another one outside off by Rabada who has been following this line. Westley wants nothing to do with it. |
| 13.2 : K Rabada to Westley, Struck on the pads this time. It was a good length ball but was going on to miss the stumps. Westley needs to be more careful. |
| 13.3 : K Rabada to Westley, Outside off, Westley shoulders his arms at it. |
| 13.4 : K Rabada to Westley, Once again the ball outside off has been left alone. |
| 13.5 : K Rabada to Westley, Close! Westley is really having a torrid time so far. The ball jagged in from off onto his back pad as he looked to defend. It flew towards Ali at first slip who did not pouch it. Luckily for Westley there was no inside edge there. |
| 13.6 : K Rabada to Westley, Another escape for Westley. He looks to defend the ball on off but only bottom edges it past his stumps. |
| 14.1 : D Olivier to Cook, Outside off, Cook fails to put bat on ball. |
| 14.2 : D Olivier to Cook, Left alone by Cook this time as the ball goes outside off. |
| 14.3 : D Olivier to Cook, FOUR!! majestic shot from Cook this time. It was a full length ball on off and all Cook did was time it. He drove it past the bowler as the ball raced towards the boundary ropes at long off. Maharaj put in a desperate dive but failed to stop it. |
| 14.4 : D Olivier to Cook, Outside off this time, Cook leaves it alone. |
| 14.5 : D Olivier to Cook, On the pads, Cook flicks it away for a single. |
| 14.6 : D Olivier to Westley, Good length ball on off, Westley shoulders his arms at it. |
| Drinks break has been taken. South Africa have made a really good start as they have been tormenting the English batsmen with the balls aimed at the pads. The overcast conditions early on really helped the bowlers but the weather has improved lately. |
| Morkel begins the first over after drinks. |
| 15.1 : M Morkel to Cook, Defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 15.2 : M Morkel to Cook, Cook has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 15.3 : M Morkel to Cook, Full length ball this time, driven straight down the ground. |
| 15.4 : M Morkel to Cook, Struck on the pads but going down the leg side. Cook has gotten his eye in but is till missing the ball time and again. |
| 15.5 : M Morkel to Cook, Good length ball on middle, defended off the back foot. |
| 15.6 : M Morkel to Cook, Outside off this time, pushed towards covers, straight to the fielder. |
| 16.1 : D Olivier to Westley, Bouncer! Westley picks this one early and leaves it alone. |
| 16.2 : D Olivier to Westley, Wide outside off this time, left alone by Westley. |
| 16.3 : D Olivier to Westley, Outside off this time, Westley once again leaves it alone. |
| 16.4 : D Olivier to Westley, Another one wide outside off, Westley shoulders his arms at it. |
| 16.5 : D Olivier to Westley, Beaten this time. It was going wide outside off but Westley missed the forward defense |
| 16.6 : D Olivier to Westley, Going towards leg, Westley works it down the leg side this time for a single. |
| 17.1 : M Morkel to Westley, Good length ball on middle, defended off the front foot by Westley. |
| 17.2 : M Morkel to Westley, Outside off, left alone by Westley. |
| 17.3 : M Morkel to Westley, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 17.4 : M Morkel to Westley, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 17.5 : M Morkel to Westley, Bouncer! Westley ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 17.6 : M Morkel to Westley, Westley was beaten and missed the line of the delivery. |
| Keshav Maharaj comes on to bowl some spin. |
| 18.1 : K Maharaj to Cook, Loopy ball on off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 18.2 : K Maharaj to A Cook, Another similar ball, Cook drives it to mid on this time. |
| 18.3 : K Maharaj to Cook, Defended solidly off the front foot this time. |
| 18.4 : K Maharaj to Cook, Flighted on off, played into the ground back to the bowler. |
| 18.5 : K Maharaj to Cook, Once again bowls on a same length. Cook defends it solidly. |
| 18.6 : K Maharaj to Cook, Plays this one off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 19.1 : M Morkel to Westley, Outside off this time, Westley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 19.2 : M Morkel to Westley, Another one outside off, Westley chooses to leave it alone. |
| 19.3 : M Morkel to Westley, FOUR! Fuller length delivery by Morkel and it has been given the treatment. Westley drives it solidly past mid on for a boundary. Welcome runs for the new man in as he slowly settling in. |
| 19.4 : M Morkel to Westley, Gets right behind the line of the delivery this time and defends it solidly. |
| 19.5 : M Morkel to Westley, Outside off this time, Westley leaves it alone. |
| Nice observation from Shaun Pollock on air. He keenly sees the change in seam position from Duanne Olivier. In the second Test that he played, his seam position was more towards second slip and hence, he could not control it. Today, he landed the seam in a proper position and beat the outside edge of Westley and also got the wicket of Jennings. Brilliant point. |
| 19.6 : M Morkel to Westley, Good length ball on off, Westley lets it go. |
| Looks like Maharaj is having some problems. The physio has come but Maharaj looks good to go after the consultation. |
| 20.1 : K Maharaj to Cook, Loopy ball on middle, driven to mid on. |
| 20.2 : K Maharaj to Cook, On the pads, worked down the leg side. |
| 20.3 : K Maharaj to Cook, Flighted on middle, Cook looks to defend but gets an inside edge. Luckily for him it flies past the short leg fielder. |
| 20.4 : K Maharaj to Cook, Loopy ball on middle, defended off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 20.5 : K Maharaj to Cook, On the pads this time, flicked away past fine leg for a single. |
| 20.6 : K Maharaj to Westley, Straighter one this time, driven through covers. |
| Maharaj is off the field. Looks like the injury is serious. South Africa will be ruing their luck as injuries have been haunting them throughout this series. |
| 21.1 : M Morkel to Cook, No run. |
| 21.2 : M Morkel to Cook, Fullish outsider off, driven through the covers for a couple. |
| 21.3 : M Morkel to Cook, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single. |
| 21.4 : M Morkel to Westley, Around off, watchfully defended. |
| 21.5 : M Morkel to Westley, This is around off, Westley feels for it but misses. |
| 21.6 : M Morkel to Westley, Outside off, left alone. |
| Interesting. THEUNIS DE BRUYN has been given the ball. Bowls medium pace. Nasser Hussain says that these are the sort of bowlers who irritate Cook in domestic cricket. |
| 22.1 : de Bruyn to Cook, Slips this down the leg side, Cook misses his flick. |
| 22.2 : de Bruyn to Cook, Oohh.... looks to flick but gets a leading edge which dies down on the pitch. |
| 22.3 : de Bruyn to Cook, Goes further down the leg side, flicked away for a single. |
| 22.4 : de Bruyn to Westley, Outside off, left alone. |
| 22.5 : de Bruyn to Westley, Full and wide outside off, driven through the covers for a single. |
| 22.6 : de Bruyn to Cook, Lands this outside off, let through. |
| Good news for South Africa, Maharaj is back on the field. |
| 23.1 : M Morkel to Tom Westley, Good length ball on off, defended solidly into the ground by Westley. |
| 23.2 : M Morkel to Westley, FOUR! Fuller length ball and it has been dispatched nicley by Westley. He moves slightly across to make space for flick through mid-wicket. The ball races away as two fielders try to chase it down. |
| 23.3 : M Morkel to Westley, Full length ball on middle and off. Driven through mid-on by Westley. |
| 23.4 : M Morkel to Westley, Outside off this time, Westley lets it go this time. |
| 23.5 : M Morkel to Tom Westley, Outside edge but does not carry. That was a good length ball on off and Westley looked to defend it. The ball takes a faint edge but falls short of the fielder at third slip. |
| 23.6 : M Morkel to Westley, This time he defends this good length ball off the back foot. |
| Amla has now gone off the field possibly for a break. |
| 24.1 : de Bruyn to A Cook, Full length ball on middle, driven through mid on. |
| 24.2 : de Bruyn to Cook, Low full toss this time, driven through mid on. |
| 24.3 : de Bruyn to Cook, Struck on the pads this time but safe. This one was going down leg hence Cook got away with it. |
| 24.4 : de Bruyn to Cook, On the pads, worked away down the leg side for a single. |
| 24.5 : de Bruyn to Westley, FOUR! Good length ball by de Bruyn and Westley times it well. He gets on his back foot and punches it past covers for a boundary. That was a sweet shot by Westley there. |
| 24.6 : de Bruyn to Westley, Shows the full face of the bat and defends this off the back foot. |
| Change of ends for Olivier. |
| 25.1 : D Olivier to Cook, On the pads, flicked away for a single down the leg side. |
| 25.2 : D Olivier to Westley, FOUR! Short and wide outside off and Westley wings his bat at it. He is lucky that he went hard as the ball flew over the first slip fielder for a boundary. Streaky runs but South Africa won't mind this. The bowlers are surely creating doubts in the batsman's mind. |
| 25.3 : D Olivier to Westley, Wide outside off once again, this time Westley sensibly leaves it alone. |
| 25.4 : D Olivier to Westley, Another one outside off, Westley leaves it alone once again. |
| 25.5 : D Olivier to Westley, Outside off, this time Westley goes for it and makes a mistake. He goes with soft hands and edges it towards gully. The ball falls short there. |
| 25.6 : D Olivier to Westley, This time Westley lets the ball outside off go. |
| Maharaj comes back on to bowl. |
| 26.1 : K Maharaj to Cook, Loopy ball on middle, Cook works it to the leg side. |
| 26.2 : K Maharaj to Cook, Floated on off, Cook plays it off his front foot towards covers. |
| 26.3 : K Maharaj to Cook, Wide outside off, Cook rocks back and plays a square cut towards point. Good stop by the fielder there. |
| 26.4 : K Maharaj to Cook, Flighted ball on off, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 26.5 : K Maharaj to Cook, On the pads, Cook works it down the leg side for an easy single. |
| 26.6 : K Maharaj to Westley, Back of a length, punched off the back foot towards covers. |
| 27.1 : D Olivier to Cook, Down the leg side this time, Cook leaves it alone. |
| 27.2 : D Olivier to Cook, Good length ball on middle, defends it from within the crease. |
| 27.3 : D Olivier to Cook, Shows the full face of the bat and defends it off his back foot. |
| 27.4 : D Olivier to Cook, Good length ball on middle, defended from within the crease. |
| 27.5 : D Olivier to Cook, On a length, defended off the back foot to the off side. |
| 27.6 : D Olivier to Cook, Straight and on the pads, Cook stays in his crease and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 28.1 : K Maharaj to Westley, That's a jaffa! Maharaj comes from around the wicket and bowls this one on the off stump. The ball turns slightly away from the bat of Westley who looked to play a forward defensive shot. It goes past his outside edge and into the gloves of the keeper. A spinners delight this! |
| 28.2 : K Maharaj to Westley, Loopy ball on middle, defended off the front foot by Westley. |
| 28.3 : K Maharaj to Westley, Loopy ball on middle, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 28.4 : K Maharaj to Westley, Loopy ball on middle, defended solidly by Westley. |
| 28.5 : K Maharaj to Westley, Defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 28.6 : K Maharaj to Westley, On middle, played to mid-wicket by Westley. THAT'S LUNCH ON DAY 1! |
| Superb first session of cricket! South Africa, rocked by the ruling out of Morris and Philander have surprisingly started off on a strong footing. They caused early problems for the openers and the overcast conditions were surely helping them. Jennings was having a tough time in the middle and in the end, Olivier got his man with a regulation nick. |
| Cook has been fighting hard and looks settled in the middle now with Westley on the other end. The newcomer looked tentative at the start but he slowly played himself in and even played some good looking shots. It's turning into a good battle between the batsmen and bowlers with South Africa looking more dangerous. The scoring rate is very slow but England won't mind that. Towards the end, dark clouds seemed to be coming in but if they stay away, batting will surely get easier. The second sessio |
| ...Day 1, Session 2... |
| The players are back in the middle as we get ready for the second session. Will South Africa make more inroads or can England settle in and go on to make a good score? Let's find out. Olivier to start the proceedings with Cook on strike. |
| 29.1 : D Olivier to Cook, Good length ball on off, defended towards covers by Cook. |
| 29.2 : D Olivier to Cook, Another good length ball on middle, defended from within the crease. |
| Problems in the sightscreen for Cook but it gets sorted out. |
| 29.3 : D Olivier to Cook, On a good length outside off, left alone by Cook. |
| 29.4 : D Olivier to Cook, Cook stays adamant with the balls outside off. Leaves this one alone as well. |
| 29.5 : D Olivier to Cook, Fuller length ball on middle, driven to mid on. |
| 29.6 : D Olivier to Cook, Good length ball on off, defended into the ground on the off side. Maiden over by Olivier. |
| Maharaj to bowl from the other end. |
| 30.1 : K Maharaj to Westley, Loopy ball outside off, Cook moves to his front foot but watches it past go into the keepers gloves. |
| 30.2 : K Maharaj to Westley, Back of length this time, defended off the back foot this time. |
| 30.3 : K Maharaj to Westley, Fuller this time, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 30.4 : K Maharaj to Westley, Loopy ball on middle, played to mid-wicket by Westley. |
| 30.5 : K Maharaj to Westley, Floated on middle and off, played straight back to the bowler. |
| 30.6 : K Maharaj to Westley, Flighted on off, played off the front foot towards the off side. |
| 31.1 : D Olivier to Cook, Good length ball on off, played off the front foot towards the off side. Solid defense by Cook. |
| 31.2 : D Olivier to Cook, FOUR! Cook finds the gap to perfection square on the off side. It was full length ball outside off, Cook just opened the face of his bat to find the boundary. Superb timing by the former England skipper. |
| 31.3 : D Olivier to Cook, Full length ball on middle, defended off the back foot this time. Cook looks to have settled himself in the middle now. |
| 31.4 : D Olivier to Cook, Another full length ball on off. Cook drives it through the off side for a couple. |
| 31.5 : D Olivier to Cook, Good length ball on middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 31.6 : D Olivier to A Cook, Back of a length ball and Cook was ready for it. He got into the position to pull it over mid-wicket and find the boundary. de Bruyn put in a dove but it was in vain as the ball went past the ropes. |
| 32.1 : K Maharaj to Tom Westley, Loopy ball on off, Westley looks to defend it but finds an outside edge. The ball goes past slips and they manage a couple. |
| 32.2 : K Maharaj to Westley, Floated on middle, punched off the back foot this time. |
| 32.3 : K Maharaj to Westley, Flighted on off, pushed to the cover region. |
| 32.4 : K Maharaj to Westley, Westley defends this by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 32.5 : K Maharaj to Tom Westley, Loopy ball on off, driven through covers by Westley. |
| 32.6 : K Maharaj to Westley, FOUR! Brilliant shot this time by Westley. Floated on middle, Westley drives it through mid on for a boundary. Westley has started to find the touch now. |
| 33.1 : D Olivier to Cook, Full length ball on middle, driven straight back down the ground. |
| 33.2 : D Olivier to Cook, On middle, Cook plays this one to mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 33.3 : D Olivier to Cook, Full length ball on off, defended off the front foot by Cook. |
| 33.4 : D Olivier to Cook, Outside off, Cook plays s good looking square drive but it is a good stop by Bavuma at point. |
| 33.5 : D Olivier to Cook, Back of a length this time, defends it from within the crease towards gully. |
| 33.6 : D Olivier to Cook, Length ball on off, Cook plays a forward defense straight down the ground. |
| 34.1 : K Maharaj to Westley, Loopy ball but it's full on middle, defended easily by Westley. |
| 34.2 : K Maharaj to Westley, Another loopy ball on middle, Westley gets on his front foot and defends it well. |
| 34.3 : K Maharaj to Westley, Floated on middle and leg, smacked to mid-wicket. |
| 34.4 : K Maharaj to Westley, Straight on middle, driven towards mid on by Westley. |
| 34.5 : K Maharaj to Westley, Floated on middle and off, pushed to covers this time. |
| 34.6 : K Maharaj to Westley, Westley has defended the loopy ball on middle by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Rababa comes back on to bowl. |
| 35.1 : K Rabada to Cook, Good length ball on middle, defended solidly by Cook. |
| 35.2 : K Rabada to Cook, Good length ball wide outside off. Cook cuts it past point and takes three runs. Bavuma does really well to chase it down and stop the boundary. |
| 35.3 : K Rabada to Westley, Good length ball outside off, Westley leaves it alone. |
| 35.4 : K Rabada to Westley, Way wide outside off this time, left alone by Westley. |
| 35.5 : K Rabada to Westley, Straight and on middle, played through mid-wicket by Westley. The ball looks to be going for a boundary but it's stopped. Three runs taken. |
| 35.6 : K Rabada to Cook, Good length ball on middle, played to mid-wicket this time. |
| 36.1 : K Maharaj to Westley, On the pads, flicked away by Westley. |
| 36.2 : K Maharaj to Westley, Full length ball on middle, driven through mid on for a single. |
| 36.3 : K Maharaj to Cook, OUT! Cook has been done in by the spinner on 46! Just short of a half-century and this will hurt the opener. He did all the hard work of settling in and then gets done in by the straighter one. Cook got on his front foot and looked to push it through covers but the ball took a faint outside edge which went into the gloves of the keeper. Cook has been dismissed by a spinner for the first time in this series. South Africa will be delighted with this start! |
| Joe Root walks in the middle now. |
| 36.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Good length ball on middle, defended solidly by Root. |
| 36.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Root has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 36.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Good length ball on middle, defended from within the crease by Root. |
| 37.1 : K Rabada to Westley, Loopy ball on middle, Westley defends it off his back foot. |
| 37.2 : K Rabada to Westley, Outside off, Westley leaves it alone. |
| 37.3 : K Rabada to Westley, Westley shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 37.4 : K Rabada to Westley, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 37.5 : K Rabada to Westley, Westley shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 37.6 : K Rabada to Westley, Bouncer! Westley ducks under it. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to Root, On the pads, Root plays it to square leg. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy ball on middle, defended off the front foot. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, Full length ball on middle, driven through mid off this time. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated on middle, defended from within the crease by Root. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Gets right behind the line of the delivery to defend this straight one. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Root shows the full face of the bat to defend this into the ground. |
| 39.1 : K Rabada to Westley, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 39.2 : K Rabada to Westley, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 39.3 : K Rabada to Tom Westley, OUT c Quinton de Kock b Kagiso Rabada. England have lost their third wicket. |
| Dawid Malan is the new man in. |
| 39.4 : K Rabada to Malan, Outside off, Malan fails to put bat on ball. |
| 39.5 : K Rabada to Malan, Wide outside off, Malan shoulders his arms at it. |
| 39.6 : K Rabada to Malan, On the pads, Malan looks to play but misses it completely. The ball strikes him on the pads but the umpire is not interested. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to Malan, Back of a length ball, defended off the back foot this time by Malan. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Malan, Good length ball on middle, played towards to mid-wicket. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Malan, Good length ball on middle, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Malan, Malan gets right behind the line of the delivery and defends this one solidly. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to Malan, Another front foot defensive shot by Malan there. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Malan, Gets to the pitch of the delivery and defends this one. |
| 41.1 : K Rabada to Root, Wide outside off, Root plays a square cut this time. |
| 41.2 : K Rabada to Root, Gets right behind the line of the delivery to defend this one. |
| 41.3 : K Rabada to Root, Big shout for lbw but the umpire is not interested. It was a good length ball on middle and Root failed to get his bat on ball. Replays showed that the ball was anyways going on to miss the top of the stumps. Good decision by the umpire there. |
| 41.4 : K Rabada to Root, Back of a length this time, Root looks to defend but gets a bottom edge and falls to the leg side. Cook did not take any chance and made sure he was ready to block it if the ball would go on to hot the stumps. |
| 41.5 : K Rabada to Root, Bouncer! Root gets under it to duck the delivery. |
| 41.6 : K Rabada to Root, Outside off, Root misses the line of the delivery this time. |
| 42.1 : K Maharaj to Malan, Outside off and slightly full, pushed to the cover region for a single. |
| 42.2 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! That's a very good shot by Root. It was a loopy ball on off and Root got to the pitch of the delivery to drive it through covers for the boundary. |
| 42.3 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, On the pads, Root looks to play at it but gets an edge. He manages to pick up a single. |
| 42.4 : K Maharaj to Malan, Gets to the picth of the ball and plays this one for a single. |
| 42.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Root gets right behind the line of the delivery to defends this one. |
| 42.6 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, Wide outside off, Root plays a square cut and picks up three runs. |
| 43.1 : K Rabada to Root, Outside off, played to the point region by Root. |
| 43.2 : Rabada to Root, Loud appeal for an lbw but the umpire is not interested. It was a good length ball on middle and Root looked to defend. The ball took an inside edge before hitting the pads which is what saved him. |
| Nasser Hussain provides an interesting observation regarding Malan's footwork. Ever since Rabada knocked his stumps the previous time he was dismissed by the youngster, Malan has stopped twitching with his back foot. He has looked to be more compact and more composed. In that Test, he kept falling over to fullish deliveries. Even today, when he arrived a crease, Rabada attempted a similar delivery, it was full and Dawid did miss the flick but he did not fall over as much as he did the other day. |
| 43.3 : K Rabada to Root, On the pads, Root flicked away for a couple. |
| 43.4 : Rabada to Root, Another inside edge this time. Aloud appeal has been turned down by the umpire. Once again Root mistimes his shot but is saved by the inside edge off the good length ball. |
| There seems to be some issue within the crowd. Does not look like it is going to be sorted quickly and the umpires call for a Drinks Break. Common sense prevails. Good period of play for the Proteas. Since the Lunch break, they have kept the run flow in check, conceding just 38 runs in 14.4 overs. That has resulted in the wickets of Cook and Westley. They will now hope to get rid of Root as quickly as possible and burst through that middle order. Easily said than done though. |
| We are still not quite ready to resume. There is some issue regarding the seating arrangement of the crowd near the sightscreen. It is regarding some serious medical issue to someone in the crowd. Good sportsmanship shown by the players, as they feel it is disrespectful to continue when someone is getting medical attention. It is right behind the bowler's arm. |
| Okay... Good news coming up. The gentleman who had fainted in the crowd has regained consciousness and seems fairly okay. The resumption should not take long now. The ambulance is taking the gentleman to the hospital, perhaps. |
| 43.5 : K Rabada to Joe Root, EDGED, FOUR! The break almost does the batsman in! Root gets away with that one. Full and wide outside off, Root is sucked into the drive and goes hard after it. Gets a thick outside edge which flies past second slip to the third man fence. |
| 43.6 : K Rabada to Root, Around off, clipped straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 44.1 : K Maharaj to Malan, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 44.2 : K Maharaj to Malan, Full and outside off, Malan watches that out comfortably. |
| 44.3 : K Maharaj to Malan, Slips this on the pads, Malan tucks it through fine leg. Temba Bavuma gives it a good chase from backward square leg, slides and slips, conceding the second. |
| 44.4 : K Maharaj to Malan, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 44.5 : K Maharaj to Malan, Flighted outside off, Dawid comes down the track and defends. |
| 44.6 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! Gets that very fine, does the skipper. This is down the leg side and Root gets down and sweeps it very fine. Morne Morkel starts to give it a chase from fine leg but the ball wins the race. |
| 45.1 : K Rabada to Malan, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 45.2 : K Rabada to Malan, Goes back in his crease this time and blocks. |
| 45.3 : K Rabada to Malan, Wider outside off, left alone. |
| 45.4 : K Rabada to Malan, FOUR! HANDSOME! Almost similar to the previous ball but this time Malan does not let it go. The ball is not exactly a half volley, perhaps a touch shorter than that, Malan leans into it and drives it beautifully through the covers. Beautiful shot. |
| 45.5 : K Rabada to Malan, Rabada holds the length back a touch now, angles it across the southpaw and respecting Kagiso's respect, DM lets it go. |
| 45.6 : K Rabada to Malan, Feels for this one outside off and gets beaten. |
| Interesting. Having seen Root play a shot very fine in his previous over Maharaj has asked for a leg gully. |
| 46.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Fullish on middle, pushed towards mid on. |
| 46.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Landed around off, watchfully defended. |
| 46.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Similar ball, watchfully blocked out. |
| 46.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Full and outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 46.5 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, This time he drives it towards mid off again but Maharaj stops it. |
| 46.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| Okay... so South Africa have taken a review here. It has come after a lot of deliberation. Rabada wanted it and Faf du Plessis has decided to go with his bowler. Let's see... this could be a big wicket if they get it. |
| 47.1 : Rabada to Root, NOT OUT. Height was the issue. |
| 47.2 : K Rabada to Root, Back of a length outside off, forced through the off side for a couple. |
| 47.3 : K Rabada to Root, The arm ball outside off, let through. |
| 47.4 : K Rabada to Root, Gets the flick shot this time, past square leg for a single. |
| 47.5 : K Rabada to Malan, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 47.6 : K Rabada to Malan, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 48.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Full and outside off, Root looks to defend but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 48.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 48.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Full and outside off, watchfully driven towards cover. |
| 48.4 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, On middle and leg, pushed towards mid on. |
| 48.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 48.6 : K Maharaj to Root, ALMOST! Maharaj nearly gets his man. Full on middle, Root chips this uppishly but luckily for him, it does not carry to short mid-wicket. |
| MORNE MORKEL is back into the attack. |
| 49.1 : M Morkel to Malan, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 49.2 : M Morkel to Malan, On middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 49.3 : M Morkel to Root, Falls over a bit, does Root but manages to flick it fine for a run. |
| 49.4 : M Morkel to Malan, Around off, watchfully defended from the crease. |
| 49.5 : M Morkel to Malan, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 49.6 : M Morkel to Malan, Landed outside off, fairly wide to be playing at, Dawid lets it through. |
| 50.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy ball in middle, defended towards short extra cover. |
| 50.2 : K Maharaj to Root, On the pads, defended into the ground back to the bowler. |
| 50.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Forward defense this time back to the bowler. |
| 50.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy ball on middle. flicked to mid wicket for a single. |
| 50.5 : K Maharaj to Malan, Drives this straight one back to the bowler. |
| 50.6 : K Maharaj to Malan, Comes down the track and plays this one back to the bowler. |
| 51.1 : M Morkel to Root, Slightly full outside on off. Root plays a forward defense to the off side. |
| 51.2 : M Morkel to Root, Full and straight on off, another solid forward defense by the English skipper. |
| 51.3 : M Morkel to Root, Once again bowls a full length ball, played straight back to the bowler. |
| 51.4 : M Morkel to Joe Root, FOUR! Slightly outside off, on a good length. Root uses the widht given to cut the ball past backward point for the boundary. Good shot by Joe Root. |
| 51.5 : M Morkel to Root, Full length ball on middle, Root plays across the line to the mid-wicket region for a couple. Bavuma does well to chase it down and stop the boundary. |
| 51.6 : M Morkel to Root, Wide outside off, Root shoulders arms at it. |
| 52.1 : K Maharaj to Malan, Loopy ball on the pads, flicked to the leg side for a single. |
| 52.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated on off, driven through the covers. |
| 52.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy ball on middle, played straight back to the bowler. |
| 52.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Slightly outside off, Root looks to cut but gets a bottom edge that goes to the slip fielder. |
| 52.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Root goes for the sweep but it goes straight to the fielder at square leg. |
| 52.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 53.1 : M Morkel to Malan, FOUR! Good length going down the leg side and all Malan needed was to get something on it. He flicks and helps the ball to fine leg for the boundary. De Kock put in a despairing dive but gets nowhere near the ball. |
| 53.2 : M Morkel to Malan, Another one on the pads, Malan flicks it to the leg side for a single this time. |
| 53.3 : M Morkel to Root, Back of a length, defended off the back foot by Root. |
| 53.4 : M Morkel to Root, Slightly outside off, Root cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 53.5 : M Morkel to Malan, Once again outside off, played to the point region. No runs taken this time. |
| 53.6 : M Morkel to Malan, Full length ball on off, driven through the covers for a single. |
| 54.1 : K Maharaj to Malan, Floated on middle, played straight back to the bowler. |
| 54.2 : K Maharaj to Malan, Loopy ball on off, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 54.3 : K Maharaj to D Malan, Floated on middle and off, driven towards mid off for a single. These two consolidated the innings so far. |
| 50 run partnership between the two. |
| 54.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Air given to this one on off, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 54.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 54.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Another front foot defense by Root. |
| 55.1 : M Morkel to Malan, Good length ball on off, defended solidly by Malan. |
| 0.0 : Morkel goes from around to over the wicket. |
| 55.2 : M Morkel to Malan, Edges this one wide outside off ball as he goes for the ball. However it lands just in front of the fielder at gully. Malan needs to be careful. |
| 55.3 : M Morkel to Malan, Bye. Second extra of the day and it's a bye. This was wide outside off and Malan left it alone. The ball goes through the slips and the batsmen sneak in a single. |
| 55.4 : M Morkel to Root, Once again wide outside off, Root plays a square cut for a single. |
| 55.5 : M Morkel to Malan, Wide outside off, Malan leaves it alone. |
| 55.6 : M Morkel to D Malan, OUT! The change of angle does the trick for Morkel. It was a good length ball outside off and Malan went for the drive. He did not time it well enough and the ball found the nick. Du Plessis at second slip took a good sharp catch to dismiss Malan. South Africa will be delighted to get their man right before Tea. |
| Ben Stokes is the new man in. |
| 56.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Fraction short and Root punches it off his back foot to the off side for a single. |
| 56.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Plays this one off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 56.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Outside off, played towards point this time. |
| 56.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Outside off, Stokes goes for it but finds the edge. The ball goes through the slip region for a single. Luckily for him it was well wide of the slip fielder. |
| 56.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Outside off, played towards the point region. |
| 56.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Another one wide outside off, Root plays it to point for a single. THAT IS TEA ON DAY 1! |
| Not a bad session at all, if you are a South African fan. Cook, Westley and Malan have been sent back to the hut and not a single half century has been scored. The runs continue to come in trifles, with only 80 runs coming in 28 overs in this session. |
| Joe Root has Ben Stokes with him in the middle now and will hope that they can stitch a partnership. England are not exactly in a mire but they are not out of the woods either. As the great Geoffrey Boycott says - Add two wickets to the total and then view the game. The hosts have a deep batting line-up and will back themselves to avert a collapse. Root today, has been very cautious, unlike his flashy innings earlier in this series. |
| Overall, South Africa will be very pleased with how they have bowled so far. The quicks have fairly tight, not giving anything away and the run rate is still under 3 an over. They will aim to get at least 3 more wickets before close, given the purchase present on this pitch. Join us back at 1600 local (1500 GMT) for the final session. The over-rate has been decent, which means, only 33 overs left to be bowled. |
| ... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ... |
| The players are back in the middle. It will be MORNE MORKEL vs JOE ROOT first up... |
| 57.1 : M Morkel to Root, Short and outside off, cut past Temba Bavuma at gully for a single. |
| 57.2 : M Morkel to Stokes, Landed outside off, allowed to go through. |
| 57.3 : M Morkel to Stokes, The line is around off, but the length is slightly short of full, Stokes comes forward and pushes it towards mid on. |
| Shane Warne on air feels that it has been a great contest between bat and ball so far. He also reckons that the pitch will quicken up as the game progresses, so batting will actually be easier on Days 2 and 3. |
| 57.4 : M Morkel to Stokes, The length is dragged even shorter and this time Ben pushes it towards mid off. |
| 57.5 : M Morkel to Ben Stokes, A tempter, full and just outside off, BS looks for the drive but mistimes it towards mid off. |
| 57.6 : M Morkel to Ben Stokes, A similar line, not as full as the previous one, Stokes drives it in a better manner but cannot beat mid off. |
| DUANNE OLIVIER to bowl from the other end. Maharaj bowled 16 overs on the bounce before Tea. Wasn't given a rest, he is given now. |
| 58.1 : D Olivier to Joe Root, FOUR! LOVELY! Loosener from Olivier, bowls a half volley wide outside off, Root leans and drives it through the covers for a boundary! 3000 TEST RUNS AT HOME for the skipper. Third youngest after his predecessor and the great Sachin Tendulkar to achieve this feat. |
| 58.2 : D Olivier to Root, Around middle and leg, Joe tucks it through square leg, wants two, takes the single but then changes his mind. |
| 58.3 : D Olivier to Stokes, FOUR! Bad ball, short and around middle, Stokes swivels and pulls it to the fine leg fence. |
| 58.4 : D Olivier to Stokes, FOUR! The runs are leaking. It has been a poor start from Olivier after Tea. He overcompensates for the previous ball by bowling this too full and Stokes promptly flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. Third of the over. |
| 58.5 : D Olivier to Stokes, Around middle and off, very tight, better from Olivier and Ben defends. |
| 58.6 : D Olivier to Stokes, The batsman defends it from within the crease. 13 from the over! |
| 59.1 : M Morkel to Root, Landed outside off, Root pushes it towards point. |
| 59.2 : M Morkel to Root, Oooh... nearly! Full and outside off, Root looks to drive, a bit loosely too, no feet movement and almost pays the price by nearly nicking it. The ball moves away late and beats the outside edge. |
| 59.3 : M Morkel to Root, Fullish and around off, coming in, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 59.4 : M Morkel to Root, Outside off, quietly left alone. |
| 59.5 : M Morkel to Root, Short and wide outside off, curving away after pitching, Joe flashes hard but misses out. |
| 59.6 : M Morkel to Root, EDGED, BUT NOT TAKEN! FOUR! For once, de Kock does not dive. Big moment in the game. Poor, poor Morkel. He cannot believe it. He has bowled his heart out. He was trying to work Root over and bowled a pearler. He bowled this on a length, just outside off and forced Root to defend. Then he got the ball to move away and take the outside edge. It is a simple regulation catch for Quinton de Kock but he does not budge. Neither does Amla at first slip, who is hoping that de Kock |
| Maharaj is back on. Just the one over for Olivier after the break. |
| 60.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Bowls this one a fraction short and Stokes cuts through the square on the off side. Three runs taken. |
| 60.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy ball outside off, played to point for a single. |
| 60.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Edged but safe! That was flighted on off and Stokes looked to defend. he ball took the edge and flew past the outstretched arms of the fielder at slip. Three runs taken as the ball trickles towards third man. |
| 60.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Fullish in length, Root defends it off his front foot. |
| 60.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated on middle, driven through mid on. |
| 60.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Flighted on middle again, defended off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 61.1 : M Morkel to Stokes, Stokes chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 61.2 : M Morkel to Stokes, Good length ball, played straight back to the bowler. |
| 61.3 : M Morkel to Stokes, On a good length, Stokes stays in his crease and punches it through mid-wicket. They manage three runs there. |
| 61.4 : M Morkel to Root, Wide outside off, Root leaves it alone. |
| 61.5 : M Morkel to Root, Full on off, driven through mid off three runs. |
| 5000 Test runs for Joe Root! Fifth fastest English batsman to achieve this feat in terms of innings. |
| 61.6 : M Morkel to Stokes, Back of a length ball on off, Stokes rocks onto his back foot and punches it away for a couple. |
| 62.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Outside off, Root plays a square cut but it goes straight to the fielder. |
| 62.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Another one outside off, played straight to point. |
| 62.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Slightly shorter from Root, defended off the front foot by Root. |
| 62.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Fuller in length this time. Root drives it to mid on for a single. |
| 62.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loud shout for lbw but the umpire stays put. This one was floated on off and Stokes went for sweep. He missed the ball completely and and got struck on the pads. The ball was going to miss the stumps and hence Stokes is saved. |
| 62.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Stokes defends this one off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Duanne Olvier gets a change of ends. |
| 63.1 : D Olivier to Root, On the pads, worked down the leg side. |
| 63.2 : D Olivier to Root, Angling into the pads, Root looks to clip but misses. He gets struck on the pads. |
| 63.3 : D Olivier to Root, Full length ball, driven straight back by Root. |
| 63.4 : D Olivier to Root, Back of a length ball, defended off the back foot. |
| 63.5 : D Olivier to Root, On the pads, nudged down fine leg for a single. |
| Root gets to his 30th Test fifty. It is his 10th consecutive half century in Tests. |
| 63.6 : D Olivier to Ben Stokes, Back of a length ball, defended off the back foot towards mid off. Single taken. |
| 64.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated on middle and leg, worked down the leg side. |
| 64.2 : Maharaj to Stokes, Tries to sweep this fullish delivery but misses it completely. He gets struck on the pads and fielders appeal. The umpire says no as it was way across the line there. |
| 64.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Shows the full face of the delivery and defends it off the back foot. |
| 64.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Shows the full face of the bat and defends this one off the back foot. |
| 64.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full pn middle, driven through mid on for a single. |
| 64.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Slightly short, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 65.1 : D Olivier to Root, Good length ball on middle, played to mid-wicket. |
| 65.2 : D Olivier to Root, Wide outside off, Root leaves it alone. |
| 65.3 : D Olivier to Root, Another wide outside the line of the ball. Root leaves it alone. |
| 65.4 : D Olivier to Root, Full length ball, driven straight back. |
| 65.5 : D Olivier to Joe Root, Full length ball, driven towards mid on. No runs taken. |
| 65.6 : D Olivier to Root, Another full length ball, defended off the front foot. |
| 66.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full and almost a yorker, Stokes hits it hard into the ground. |
| 66.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Another full length ball, driven straight past the bowler to his left for a single. |
| Change of gloves for Root. |
| 66.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy ball on middle, defended solidly by Root. |
| 66.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Root gets to the pitch of the delivery and drives this towards mid off for a single. |
| 66.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full and outside off, Stokes looks to drive but finds covers. |
| 66.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Again, he looks to drive but does not quite time this ball that well. It goes off the toe end of the bat towards the bowler. |
| Joe Root has been adjudged lbw! He has a long chat with Stokes and eventually takes the review. It looks very close... |
| 67.1 : D Olivier to Root, Full length ball on off and swinging in late. Root went across for the flick but missed the ball completely. This looked plumb to the naked eye and the umpire immediately raised his finger. Root walked up to Stokes asking what he felt about the review. Ben thought about before asking him to go for it. The replays showed that the ball was going on to hit the stumps and Root had to walk back to the pavilion. Olivier gets his first wicket of the day and he is pumped up beca |
| 0.0 : JONNY BAIRSTOW walks in at number 7, replacing Root. |
| 67.2 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Full on middle, clipped straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 67.3 : D Olivier to Bairstow, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 67.4 : D Olivier to Bairstow, FOUR! Fullish and on the pads, Bairstow clips it to the square leg fence. |
| 67.5 : D Olivier to J Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 67.6 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. |
| 68.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 68.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Landed around off, watchfully defended. |
| 68.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Outside off, worked through mid-wicket for a single from the crease. |
| 68.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 68.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 68.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Full and around off, spinning away, Bairstow lunges and defends. |
| 69.1 : D Olivier to Stokes, Outside off, played straight to point. |
| 69.2 : D Olivier to Stokes, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 69.3 : D Olivier to Stokes, Full and outside off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 69.4 : D Olivier to Stokes, Comes forward and pushes it towards mid on. |
| 69.5 : D Olivier to Stokes, FOUR! Nice shot. Half volley outside off, driven through the covers for a boundary! |
| 69.6 : D Olivier to Stokes, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. |
| Excitement and drama! There has been an LBW appeal against Bairstow which has been turned down by umpire Dharmasena. Now, the Proteas appeal for a catch and after some discussion, Dharmasena raises his finger! Stokes and Bairstow are bemused and coax the umpire into checking it upstairs... |
| 70.1 : K Maharaj to J Bairstow, NOT OUT! The ball is short and the crowd boos Elgar! Well, well, well. Full and outside off, Bairstow looked to defend. He was hit on the pads and immediately de Kock and Maharaj went up in an appeal. Umpire Dharmasena shook his head, indicating bat. |
| 70.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy ball on middle, Bairstow defends it into the ground. |
| 70.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Another one floated on off, Bairstow gets on his back foot and punches it into the ground. |
| 70.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Floated on middle this time, punches off the front foot back to the middle. |
| 70.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy ball on middle, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 70.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Gets right behind the line of the delivery to defend it. |
| 71.1 : D Olivier to Stokes, Length ball driven straight back to the bowler. Bairstow at the non-strikers end dives back into the crease as Olivier collects the ball. However, he was aiming to throw it back to the batsman instead. |
| 71.2 : D Olivier to Stokes, On the pads, flicked away down the leg side. |
| 71.3 : D Olivier to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Wide outside off and Stokes slashes hard at it. He cuts it past the fielder at point to find the boundary. The ball races away as four more runs are added to the total. 200 runs are on the board! |
| 71.4 : D Olivier to Stokes, Another length ball on off, driven towards mid off by Stokes. |
| 71.5 : D Olivier to Stokes, Shows the full face of the bat and defends this one off the back foot. |
| 71.6 : D Olivier to Stokes, Stokes gets right behind the line of the delivery to defend this one into the ground. |
| Drinks has been taken. South Africa are making more inroads into the England batting order. The two batsmen in the middle now have to make sure that they see the day through. However, South Africa are not pulling back on the aggression. This final 18 overs are going to decide whether England can get to a respectable total. |
| Maharaj to continue. |
| 72.1 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy ball on middle, defended from within the crease by Bairstow. |
| 72.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Width given, Bairstow plays it to point but straight to the fielder. |
| 72.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy ball on off, played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 72.4 : K Maharaj to J Bairstow, Floated on off, Bairstow gets on his front foot and drives it through the covers. |
| 72.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Similar ball, Bairstow pushes it through covers for a single. |
| 72.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 73.1 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Full length ball on off, played off the front foot past the bowler to mid off. |
| 73.2 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Good length ball just outside off. Too close for the cut but Stokes still goes for it. He misses the ball and it goes straight into the gloves of the keeper. |
| 73.3 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Good length ball outside off, pushed towards covers straight to the fielder. |
| 73.4 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Another good length ball, played back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| 73.5 : D Olivier to Bairstow, On a good length ball but this time towards the pads. Bairstow flicks it past square leg for a single. |
| 73.6 : D Olivier to Stokes, Back of a length ball on off, played off the back foot back to the bowler. |
| 74.1 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Flighted on off, gets on his front foot and defends it into the ground. |
| 74.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, On the pads this time, worked down the leg side. |
| 74.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Flighted on off, played off the front foot towards covers. |
| 74.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Another loopy ball on off, played towards point. |
| 74.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Full length ball on middle. Played off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 74.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, FOUR! That is fullish and Bairstow goes down to sweep it. He connects well and gts it through gap on square leg. The ball races away to the boundary. |
| Theunis de Bruyn comes on to bowl |
| 75.1 : de Bruyn to Stokes, FOUR! No Ball for overstepping, not a good start at all! Starts the over with a boundary! This was a low full toss and it was asking for the treatment. Stokes smacks it through mid off and gets four runs for his efforts. |
| de Bruyn to Stokes, This one is wide outside off and Stokes leaves it alone. |
| 75.2 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Defends this one from within the crease. |
| 75.3 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Short ball on middle and Stokes pulls it away. He finds the gap through mid-wicket but only manages to take a single as there is a fielder in the deep. |
| 75.4 : de Bruyn to Bairstow, Full on middle, driven through mid on for a couple. |
| 75.5 : de Bruyn to Bairstow, Good length ball on middle, defended from within the crease. |
| 75.6 : de Bruyn to Bairstow, Full length ball on off, defended towards covers this time. |
| 76.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full length ball on middle, driven towards mid on. |
| 76.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy ball on middle, played through mid-wicket. |
| 76.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Again a loopy ball on off, played straight back to the bowler. |
| 76.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated on middle, played towards mid-wicket this time. |
| 76.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Stokes sweeps this one hard through square leg only for a single. |
| 76.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 77.1 : de Bruyn to Stokes,Full length ball on off, played towards covers by Stokes. |
| 77.2 : de Bruyn to Stokes, On a good length outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 77.3 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Slightly short and Stokes looks to pull it across the line off his front foot. He gets a bottom edge and the ball goes past his stumps behind to the right of the keeper. They manage to sneak a single there. |
| 77.4 : de Bruyn to Bairstow, Full in length ball outside off. Looks to defend but it hits the inner half of his bat and goes to square leg. They pick up a single. |
| 77.5 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Defends this one from within the crease. |
| 77.6 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Plays the square cut this time but straight to the fielder. |
| 78.1 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy ball on middle, defended off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 78.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Floated on off, Bairstow gets a bottom edge on this one. |
| 78.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Flighted on off, played towards point but straight to the fielder. |
| 78.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Outside off, Bairstow looks for the swep but mistimes it. He plays straight behind the keeper and picks up a single. That could have easily been a catch. |
| 78.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Good length ball on middle, played it towards mid-wicket this time. |
| 78.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Full length ball on middle, defended off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 79.1 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Gets right behind the line of this good length ball and defends it. |
| 79.2 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Outside off, pushed towards covers but straight to the fielder. |
| 79.3 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Fuller in length, driven towards mid off. |
| 79.4 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Back of a length, punched off the back foot by Stokes. |
| 79.5 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Stokes goes across and looks to flick this one. The shot was on as the ball was on good length towards his pads but he misses it completely. He gets struck on the pads but it was outside the line of the leg stump. |
| 79.6 : de Bruyn to Stokes, Length ball outside off, pushed towards covers for a single. |
| The second new ball is available. The Proteas are deliberating on whether to take it or not. Looks like they will wait it out. Reviews have been refreshed as well. |
| 80.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Landed outside off, spinning in nicely, punched towards mid off. |
| 80.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 80.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full and wide outside off, Stokes looks to drive but gets it from the inner half of the bat towards silly mid on. |
| 80.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Fullish on middle, pushed towards the bowler. |
| 80.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Ha ha ha, sloppy from Bavuma. Ben defends this to the leg side and both Bavuma from silly mid on and Maharaj look to get to the ball. Bavuma gets there first but Maharaj is almost there as well. However, Bavuma does not know that and back-flicks the ball, thinking that Maharaj will take it. But Maharaj is beside him and as a result, the ball goes past the stumps. Maharaj quickly rushes to collect it and then turns out, only to see neither of Bairstow or Stokes even the |
| 80.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| THE SECOND NEW BALL has been taken. Wonder why this 1-over delay. Perhaps Faf wanted Morne to make the first use of the second new ball and the latter wanted this particular end. |
| MORNE MORKEL to make the first use of the nww cherry. |
| 81.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 81.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off, comes in a long way, Bairstow gets his bat down at the last moment and works it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 81.3 : M Morkel to Stokes, Full and outside off, Stokes feels for it and just about nicks it! Luckily for him, the ball shapes away to beat the outside edge. |
| 81.4 : M Morkel to Stokes, Landed outside off, angling away, Ben takes his bat out of the way this time but is late again, getting beaten once more. |
| 81.5 : M Morkel to Ben Stokes, EDGED! FOUR! Well, you have taken the new ball for a reason. Wickets. Why not keep an attacking field? Morne keeps it on a length outside off and induces the drive and later, the outside edge. The ball flies to the slip cordon but to an unmanned third slip and then to the third man fence! Surprised to see Faf not attacking, especially with only a few overs to the close. |
| 81.6 : M Morkel to Stokes, The batsman goes after a wide one and misses. |
| KAGISO RABADA to share the second new ball with the Giraffe. |
| 82.1 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Landed outside off, on a length, then moves away off the pitch, Bairstow feels for it but misses. |
| 82.2 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 82.3 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Outside off, Bairstow punches it through point where Temba Bavuma makes a good stop to keep the batsmen yo a single. |
| 82.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Outside off, a play and a miss. |
| 82.5 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, That ball has taken the inside edge of the batsman and thudded into his pads. |
| 82.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, On the pads, flicked through mid-wicket. Maharaj and de Bruyn chase it in pairs with the former getting to the ball and sliding to save the boundary. Three runs taken. |
| 83.1 : M Morkel to Stokes, Outside off, left alone. |
| 83.2 : M Morkel to Stokes, The batsman has attempted to put bat on ball - but fails. |
| 83.3 : M Morkel to Stokes, 1 run. |
| 83.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, No run. |
| 83.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, No run. |
| 83.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, 2 runs. |
| 84.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, No run. |
| 84.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fullish on middle and leg, clipped straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 84.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 84.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Angles this across the left-hander, Ben lets it go past. |
| 84.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, The batsman has attempted to put bat on ball - but fails. |
| 84.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, A length ball outside off, driven wide of mid off for a couple. Another quality innings from the southpaw. |
| 10th Test Fifty for Ben Stokes! What a player. Century in the last game, half century so far. |
| 85.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Full on middle, clipped straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 85.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Around middle and off, pushed straight to mid on. |
| 85.3 : M Morkel to Bairstow, FOUR BYES! That went away a long way. It was pitched on a length, outside off, Bairstow felt for it and nearly nicked it. However, the ball moved away a long way and found its way through the slip cordon to the third man fence. |
| 50-run stand comes up as well. Runs coming thick and fast with this second new ball. |
| 85.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off, played straight to point. |
| 85.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, 3 runs. |
| 85.6 : M Morkel to Stokes, No run. |
| 86.1 : K Rabada to Bairstow, No run. |
| 86.2 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Short and outside off, cut straight to cover-point. |
| 86.3 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Another lovely ball, this time keeping it back of a length, outside off, a tentative Jonny feels for it and misses. |
| 86.4 : K Rabada to Bairstow, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 86.5 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 86.6 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Played to the mid-wicket region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| DUANNE OLIVIER back into the attack from the newly named Jimmy Anderson end. Can he replicate what Jimmy usually does at the fag end of the day? |
| 87.1 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Landed outside off, let through. |
| 87.2 : D Olivier to Bairstow, That comes in a long way from outside off, Bairstow misses his tuck and is hit high on the pads, above the knee roll. |
| 87.3 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Landed outside off, a tad fuller, left alone. |
| 87.4 : D Olivier to Bairstow, UPPISH, BUT SAFE! Full and outside off, swinging away, Jonny plays at the ball away from his body and does so uppishly, but luckily for him, it goes in the gap behind point. Two runs taken. |
| 87.5 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Landed outside off, defended from the crease. |
| 87.6 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Outside off, pretty wide, left alone. |
| 88.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Landed around middle and off, watchfully defended. |
| 88.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, EDGED, FOUR! A good testing ball, that too, at this time of the day. Rabada bangs it in short and Stokes is beaten by pace. He is late into the pull shot and is cramped for room. Halfway through the shot, he looks to abort it but is late and gets a top edge which goes over de Kock to the fine leg fence. |
| 88.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, Full and outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 88.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, The batsman gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| 88.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, FOUR! A bit streaky in my opinion. On a length outside off, seaming away, Stokes looks to run it down to third man but the ball runs off the outer half of the bat, behind point to the fence. |
| 88.6 : Rabada to Stokes, OUT! Perfect yorker! Rabada roars. Old Trafford is plunged into silence. What a ball at what an hour. He gives it his best on his very last ball of the day. Delivers a terrific yorker, around middle and off, watches Stokes' bat come down late and then sees and hears timbaaaa!!!! Beautiful ball. Excellent innings from Stokes but England would have wished to see him tomorrow with the willow. |
| TOBY ROLAND-JONES walks in ahead of Moeen Ali at number 8, replacing Stokes. |
| 89.1 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Landed outside off, coming in a long way, Bairstow looks to tuck it away but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 89.2 : D Olivier to Bairstow, FOUR! MAGNIFICENT! Half volley outside off, Bairstow leans and drives it through extra cover for a boundary! |
| 89.3 : D Olivier to Bairstow, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 89.4 : D Olivier to J Bairstow, FOUR! A bit streaky now. On a good length outside off, Bairstow looks to defend but then decides to withdraw his bat. Is late and the ball goes off the outside edge behind gully to third man. |
| 89.5 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. |
| 89.6 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Landed outside off, Bairstow does not flirt with that. STUMPS ON DAY 1! |
| South Africa walk off the field, feeling pretty satisfied with themselves. They have bowled their heart out, taking 6 wickets on the opening day. Also, they have not allowed a terrific batting line-up like England's to score quickly which gives them full marks. |
| One can be a bit critical and say the Proteas DID NOT make full use of the conditions in the morning. If they had bowled better, they could have got more than a solitary wicket. They managed to keep the runs in check though and kept pegging away. Towards the end of the day, with the second new ball, they leaked a few runs but managed to get the dangerous Ben Stokes in the penultimate over. Morne Morkel picked up just one wicket but the figures don't show how well he bowled. He constantly kept as |
| England will be a bit disappointed at the way they batted today. Four batsmen got starts but failed to convert them into big ones. Especially that wicket of Ben Stokes will hurt them the most as he could have been very destructive on Saturday with the bat. They still have some batting left with Moeen Ali in the wings. |
| What is the verdict? Whom does Day 1 belong to? It has been an even one but guess because of the batting line-up that England possess and also because South Africa are without Vernon Philander, taking 6 wickets gives them a 60 percent share. They will look to restrict England under 300 who themselves will aim to get as close to 400 as possible. Join us at 1100 local (1000 GMT) to find out how Day 2 pans out. In the meanwhile, you can also check out how the second Sri Lanka-India Test is going ab |
| ...Day 2, Session 1... |
| Welcome back to Old Trafford for the second day of the fourth Test between England and South Africa. The hosts have not had the kind of start they would have expected. Nevertheless it is an all new day and a fresh good start can take them to a respectable position. |
| How can they do that? First things first, survive the morning conditions and try not to lose wickets in the first session. We have seen that the batting conditions were getting better as the day progressed so they can get to that elusive score of 400. |
| From South Africa's perspective, early wickets will be the key. If they can bowl like how they did yesterday, we can expect Dean Elgar and Heino Kuhn to come in to bat soon. Lastly, the rain gods are keeping away and the forecast is good for the start of the day with showers expected later on. Let's hope the wind pushes the dark clouds away if and when they come! Stay tuned for another action-packed day of cricket! |
| It's bright and sunny at Old Trafford as the players walk out! Rabada will begin proceedings with ball and the nightwatchman Toby Roland-Jones will take the strike. |
| 90.1 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Starts off with a testing ball on middle and leg. Toby looked to flick but got a leading edge which went to covers. Good start by Rabada! |
| 90.2 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Bowls this one wide outside off looking for an edge again, Toby leaves it alone. |
| 90.3 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, On a length on off, played off the front foot and into the ground. Solid defense there. |
| 90.4 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Back of a length this time, Roland-Jones defends it off his back foot. |
| 90.5 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Hint of swing there as Toby goes for one outside off. The ball goes just past his outside edge on this occasion. |
| 90.6 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Beaten once again! This one was angling in with the arm. Roland-Jones went for a drive but missed it completely. Maiden over and a good start by Rabada! |
| Morne Morkel will be bowling from the other end. |
| 91.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Starts off with a good length ball just outside off. Bairstow tries to punch it off his back foot but misses. |
| 91.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow,This one is aimed at middle and leg, on a good length. Bairstow displays a good looking front foot defense. |
| 91.3 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Similar delivery as the one before this. Bairstow deals with it in the same way as well. |
| 91.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, On a good length but outside off this time. Left alone. |
| 91.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Fuller length ball on middle. Drives it towards mid on. |
| 91.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Good length ball on off, defended towards the off side towards covers. No runs again, another maiden over. |
| 92.1 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Fullish on off, pushed towards covers this time. |
| 0.0 : Silly point is in place! |
| 92.2 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Back of a length on middle and leg. Roland-Jones looks to pull but misses. The ball brushes off his thigh pad and goes towards fine leg. Leg bye has been taken. |
| 92.3 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Bouncer this time, ducked well by Bairstow. It was going well down the leg side but de Kock did very well to gather it. |
| 92.4 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Another one on a good length, played to mid-wicket. |
| 92.5 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Once again back of a length around off, played nicely to mid-wicket. |
| 92.6 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Bye! Down the leg side but Bairstow goes for it. He misses and the ball goes past the keeper to fine leg. Byes taken. |
| 93.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, No ball! Oooh! Hint of away movement as he bowls a good length ball just outside off. Bairstow misses it comepletely. Could have easily been an edge to the keeper. However it would not have mattered as Morkel overstepped. |
| M Morkel to Bairstow, This time he finds the edge but the ball lands safely towards point. That was a good length ball on middle and off as Bairstow looked to play at it. |
| 93.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Back of a length on middle and leg, played to mid-wicket this time. |
| 93.3 : Morkel to Bairstow, Shout for lbw not given! That was full angling towards the leg side. Bairstow looked for the flick but misses. The umpire was not interested as the ball was going on to miss the leg stump. |
| 93.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, On the corridor of uncertainty. Bairstow looks to play but misses it completely. Morkel is coming very close to getting a wicket. |
| 93.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Another play and miss. Morkel is really on top of Bairstow! |
| 93.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, FOUR! Wristy shot! This was on middle and leg, Bairstow flicks it nicely through the leg side at the square leg region for a boundary. |
| 94.1 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, FOUR! Good shot from Roland-Jones this time. Back-to-back boundaries from England. This was full on covers and Toby drives it beautifully through covers for a boundary. |
| 94.2 : K Rabada to Roland-Jones, Out! Gone! Smart catch at short point by Bavuma as Rabada gets his man! The nightwatchman has done his part you can say. This was again a full length ball on off. Toby went for the drive but played it straight into the hands of Bavuma. The South African took a good sharp catch as there as he had very little time to react. South Africa will be delighted with this start! |
| Moeen Ali is the new man in. |
| 94.3 : K Rabada to Ali, Bouncer! Ali ducks under it. |
| 94.4 : K Rabada to Ali, Ali misses this one outside off. That was close to the edge of the bat and the new man needs to be careful. |
| 94.5 : K Rabada to Ali, Back of a length this time, defended off the back foot by Ali. |
| 94.6 : K Rabada to Ali, FOUR! Full on middle. Ali drives it beautifully through mid on for a boundary. Well timed by the all-rounder on this occasion. |
| 95.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Bairstow chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 95.2 : M Morkel to J Bairstow, FOUR! Edged this one but it goes safely over gully. That was a full length ball outside off and Bairstow drives hard at it, good that he did as well. Welcome runs for England and Bairstow. |
| 95.3 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Shows the full face of the bat to defend this one on middle off his back foot. |
| 95.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, FOUR! Punched off the back foot through the covers this time. The fielder gave a hearty chase but it was all in vain. Two boundaries already in this over. |
| 95.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Shows the full face of the bat to defend this one. |
| 95.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, 4 Leg byes! On the pads this time. Bairstow looks to flick but misses. The ball goes off his pads towards the boundary rope at fine leg. What an expensive over this! 12 runs come from this one. |
| 96.1 : K Rabada to Ali, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back oot. |
| 96.2 : K Rabada to M Ali, FOUR! Short ball on leg this time. Ali looks to pull and it looks like he manages to get something off his bat. The ball goes very fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 96.3 : K Rabada to M Ali, Driven through the covers this time. That was full and the shot was well timed. Two runs taken. |
| 96.4 : K Rabada to Ali, Shows the full face of the bat to defend this one off the back foot. |
| 96.5 : K Rabada to Ali, Pushed towards covers but straight to the fielder. That was slightly full from Rabada. |
| 96.6 : K Rabada to M Ali, FOUR! What a shot from Ali! That was a short from Rabada and it got the treatment. Ali rocked back back pulled it past mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 97.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 97.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 97.3 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Struck on the pads but it looks safe. |
| 97.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, On the pad once again. This time Bairstow works it down the leg side for a couple. |
| 97.5 : M Morkel to J Bairstow, FOUR! Good looking square cut from Bairstow for a boundary. He is looking in good touch at the moment. Another 50 for the batsman as he fights on for England. |
| 17th Test fifty for Bairstow, 3rd of this series. It has been a fighting knock which includes eight boundaries so far. |
| 97.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off, Bairstow shoulders his arms at it. |
| 98.1 : K Rabada to Ali, Defends this one from within the crease. |
| 98.2 : K Rabada to Ali, OUT! Ali has to go! His aggressiveness gets the better of him. It was a length ball just outside off and Ali went a punch off his back foot. The ball took an outside edge and went straight to Faf du Plessis at second slip. Good clean catch from the South African skipper. England are in trouble now! |
| Stuart Broad is the new man in. |
| 98.3 : K Rabada to Broad, Full length ball outside off, pushed towards covers for three runs. |
| 98.4 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Outside off, play and miss from Bairstow. |
| 98.5 : K Rabada to J Bairstow, Gets an inside edge this time as it goes on to strike his pads. This was on off and middle and Bairstow is lucky to get some bat on it. |
| 98.6 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Nudged down fine leg this time for a single. |
| 99.1 : M Morkel to J Bairstow, Short ball outside off, Bairstow stays on his back foot and cuts it past pint for a single. |
| 99.2 : M Morkel to Broad, Streaky! FOUR nevertheless. That was slightly short outside off and Broad went for the cut which flew over gully for the boundary. Broad won't mid them as long as they keep coming. |
| 99.3 : Morkel to S Broad, OUT! Bowled 'em! Morne Morkel gets his man! This was a straight ball on middle and off, angling away from the bat. Broad was all over this ball as he missed the straight drive completely. The ball went on to strike the timber as England lose their ninth wicket! |
| James Anderson is the new man in. |
| 99.4 : M Morkel to Anderson, Back of a length, defended solidly by Anderson. |
| 99.5 : M Morkel to Anderson, Beaten outside off. That was asking for a drive but Anderson failed to get any bat to it. |
| 99.6 : M Morkel to Anderson, Struck on the pads this time but it was not in front of the stumps. |
| 100.1 : M Morkel to J Bairstow, Full on off. Driven towards the mid-off region. |
| 100.2 : M Morkel to J Bairstow, Dropped! A full length ball asking for the drive but Bairstow gets an outside edge. De Kock dives for it but fails to keep it in his gloves. The keeper is capable of taking such cases and will not be too pleased. |
| 100.3 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off this time, left alone. |
| 100.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Edged and through the slips this time. Bairstow is looking tentative after his half-century which is odd. He should be settled by now. |
| 100.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off, beaten this time. |
| 100.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Leading edge towards covers this time. Single taken. |
| 101.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Good length ball on middle, Bairstow looks to flick but gets a leading edge. The ball goes to covers this time. |
| 101.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Another inside edge onto the pads towards the left of the bowler. |
| 101.3 : M Morkel to J Bairstow, Full on off, driven through the covers this time. |
| 101.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, On the pads, nudged behind for a single. |
| 101.5 : M Morkel to Anderson, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| No rain forecast but there is a bit of clouds around. |
| 101.6 : M Morkel to Anderson, This one is also down the leg side and the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 102.1 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Bouncer! Bairstow ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 102.2 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Full outside off, played towards point this time. |
| 102.3 : K Rabada to Bairstow, FOUR! Good shot from Bairstow and England will need more of these. That was full on off and driven straight down the ground for a boundary. |
| 102.4 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Good length ball on middle, played to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 102.5 : K Rabada to Anderson, Wide down the leg side, left alone. |
| 102.6 : K Rabada to Anderson, Defended off the front foot by Anderson presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Time for the drinks break! South Africa will be very happy with this start for sure. Only one wicket before we see the South African batsmen in the middle. |
| 103.1 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 103.2 : M Morkel to Bairstow, FOUR! Outstanding timing. Half volley on the pads, Bairstow flicks it a bit uppishly through mid-wicket and the ball races away! |
| 103.3 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off, played straight to point. |
| 103.4 : M Morkel to Bairstow, Outside off, punched through the off side. |
| 103.5 : M Morkel to Bairstow, FOUR! MURDERED! Full and wide outside off, Bairstow reaches out to this one and lofts it over cover for a boundary! |
| 103.6 : M Morkel to Bairstow, ALMOST A RUN OUT! Landed outside off, Jonny pushes it towards gully and sets off for a run. Anderson responds blindly, without even waiting to see whether the ball has gone past gully. Bairstow stops on seeing the ball being stopped but because Anderson is halfway through, he decides to run again. The fielder misses his shy at the striker's end and could have had Jimmy. |
| 104.1 : K Rabada to J Bairstow, Full and outside off, pushed towards long on. Anderson jogs halfway through, only to be sent back. |
| 104.2 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Outside off, chipped over cover for a couple. |
| 104.3 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Another useful stroke. Clips it through the leg side and earns a brace. |
| 104.4 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Outside off, Jonny flashes but misses. |
| 104.5 : K Rabada to Bairstow, FOUR! Very late cut. Nicely played. He likes that shot. Stays back to this one and dabs it pretty late behind gully to third man. |
| 104.6 : K Rabada to Bairstow, Poor bowling, on the pads, that too on the final ball, easy single given away as JB works it behind square leg. |
| DUANNE OLIVIER to bowl now. |
| 105.1 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Full and outside off, pushed straight to cover. |
| 105.2 : D Olivier to Bairstow, A length ball outside off, Bairstow flashes hard but does not move his feet and misses. |
| 105.3 : D Olivier to Bairstow, FOUR! Improvisation! Bairstow into limited-overs mode! He walks across his stumps, picks this from a length and scoops it over fine leg for a boundary! Olivier smiles. That is all he can do. Unexpected from the batsman. |
| 105.4 : D Olivier to Bairstow, SIX! Ho ho ho! This is serious batting. Bairstow charges into the 90s with a terrific shot. If the previous ball was a scoop, the batsman understands in advance that the length will be shorter. Jumps down the track and smashes it past Anderson into the Jimmy Anderson end! |
| 105.5 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Outside off, Bairstow walks across and defends. |
| 105.6 : D Olivier to Bairstow, FOUR! Moves to 94 but Anderson will be on strike in the next over. Back of a length outside off, Bairstow goes back and across and guides it behind point. Third man starts to race across but the ball wins the race. To be honest, he would be happy that the ball won the race. |
| KESHAV MAHARAJ into the attack now. Can he break this partnership? |
| 106.1 : K Maharaj to Anderson, Landed outside off, spinning in a long way, Anderson pushes but misses. |
| 0.0 : Huge appeal for LBW! Is Anderson gone? He has been adjudged not out and South Africa want it reviewed... |
| 106.2 : K Maharaj to Anderson, NOT OUT! But a risky shot with your partner 6 short of a ton. Landed outside off, Anderson shaped to play the reverse sweep but missed with the ball spinning in. He got hit on the pads and Maharaj appealed. It was not given and du Plessis reviewed it, only to find the ball clipping the top of leg stump. Close. Very close. Immediately Bairstow has a word with his partner. |
| 106.3 : K Maharaj to Anderson, Around off and middle, Anderson gets across and defends it towards the leg side. Better from Jimmy. |
| 106.4 : K Maharaj to Anderson, FOUR! Outside off, Anderson gets off the mark with a cut behind point. |
| 106.5 : K Maharaj to Anderson, Outside off, a play and a miss as he plays inside the line. |
| 106.6 : K Maharaj to Anderson, Outside off, left alone. |
| 107.1 : D Olivier to J Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 107.2 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Excellent running! Outside off, Bairstow punches it through the covers, calls for two and runs hard. Anderson puts on his roller skates and in the end, he has to dive to get in. Bairstow applauds the effort. |
| 107.3 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Full and outside off, a touch wide, eased through the covers for another couple. Dean Elgar in the deep takes his own sweet time to release the ball and the brace is completed with ease. |
| 107.4 : D Olivier to Bairstow, Is that a mistake? Bairstow takes the single with two balls to spare. Short and wide outside off, Jonny cuts it to the man in the deep at point and this time he gets only a single. Moves to 99... |
| 50-run stand is up as well! South Africa losing the plot a bit here. |
| 107.5 : D Olivier to Anderson, A short ball down the leg side, Jimmy instinctively goes to tuck it away but misses. |
| 107.6 : D Olivier to Anderson, On middle and leg, stays low a touch, defended to the leg side. Over to you, Jonny! Massive applause from the crowd. |
| 108.1 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Full and outside off, pushed to the off side. |
| 108.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, On middle and leg, defended from the crease. |
| 108.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Full and around middle, Bairstow goes inside out and drives it towards cover. |
| Bairstow has been adjudged LBW on 99! He reviews it though... Tick, tick, tick... Bairstow's heartbeat... |
| 108.4 : Maharaj to Bairstow, OUT! LBW! The decision stays! Bairstow has to depart on 99. It was full and outside off, Bairstow got down with a huge stride to sweep but missed. Umpire Dharmasena thought for a while and then raised his finger. Bairstow immediately went for the review, given that he had no other choice and the impact was UMPIRE'S CALL. Only just. Tough luck for him. A thin line of difference between 99 and 100. ENGLAND ARE ALL OUT FOR 362! |
| England are in a much better position thanks to this 50-run stand between Bairstow and Anderson. They would have come this morning to try and get as close to 400 but they lost their way, with 3 wickets down for 41 runs. But Bairstow then exploded from 53 to reach 99, unluckily missing his century. |
| A decent batting effort from England, looking at the final score. As mentioned yesterday, apart from Bairstow, no one converted the start. Today morning it was all about Jonny Bairstow and how crucial he is to this English side. Might be a good case to try and push him up the order. Wonder how de Kock must be feeling - he dropped Bairstow on 53 with the partnership on 0 then. |
| South Africa bowled pretty well for most part of the innings but the counter-attack from Bairstow ruffled them. Morne Morkel was probably the unluckiest bowler with only 2 wickets while Rabada was the best with 4 scalps. Olivier and Maharaj picked up 2 apiece. |
| The Proteas will have around 15-20 minutes to bat till Lunch. Their sole aim will be to see off this period without any wickets lost. England, on the other hand, will look for a wicket or two, especially that of Kuhn. Stay tuned... |
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