| 0.0 : Christmas is over but not the festive season and as long as cricket is concerned, the next day after Christmas is always an important one. Why? Because in Australia and South Africa, both the teams host a Boxing Day Test. One in Australia has already started and the hosts are in a commanding position there. What will happen in this game? Here, South Africa is hosting England for a 4-Test series with the first one starting on the historic Boxing Day. England have a few health issues with several |
| TOSS - Up goes the coin and it lands in the favour of England. THEY WILL BOWL FIRST. |
| ENGLAND (Playing XI) - Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Joe Denly, Joe Root (C), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, James Anderson. |
| SOUTH AFRICA (PLAYING XI) - Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Rassie van der Dussen (Test DEBUT), Faf du Plessis (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Dwaine Pretorius (TEST DEBUT), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje. |
| Joe Root, England captain, says that the decision to bowl first is quite a tricky one but they would like to explore the grass on the wicket. Tells that Leach is unfit and hence the 5-seam attack for them. Talking about Stokes' return, The England skipper says that the time is tough for him right now but he has decided to play this game. On Anderson's 150th Test, Root says that as a fast bowler playing 150 Tests is a massive achievement. |
| Faf du Plessis, South Africa skipper, says that they expected England to bowl first provided the kind of bowling unit they have. Tells that Day 2 and Day 3 will be good to bat on and then the coming days will see the cracks open up and wicket will get tricky. On Pakistan and England tour, Faf says that lot of things have happened for them but they are still standing and mentions that they're looking forward to the new year. On retired experienced players like Smith, Boucher and Kallis taking imp |
| The players from both the sides are coming out for the National Anthems first up. First it is for England and then that will be followed by South Africa. |
| We are all set to begin. The England players are out in the middle. Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar will open the batting for South Africa. James Anderson will start the proceedings for England. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : J Anderson to Elgar, OUT! Caught down the leg side! Wow! What a start! Dean Elgar is out of here on the first ball of the Boxing Day Test. Just a feather down the leg side but Anderson and England won't care. 150th Test for Jimmy and what a start for England. A gentle length ball down the leg side. Elgar looks to tickle it fine off his pads but he can only get a feather behind. Buttler behind the wickets makes no mistake and England are off to a perfect start and well, South Africa, not sur |
| Zubayr Hamza is the new batsman in, quite early than he would've hoped. |
| 0.2 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length ball outside off, Hamza makes a leave. |
| 0.3 : J Anderson to Z Hamza, Edgy FOUR! Hamza is off the mark! Anderson goes full just outside off, Hamza comes forward and defends. The ball takes the thick outside edge and goes to the third man fence. First boundary off the game! Not the way the hosts would have wanted it to come but they will take it. |
| 0.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, On the pads, Hamza works it fine down the leg side for a single. |
| 0.5 : J Anderson to Markram, Good length ball around off, Markram defends it with a straight bat. |
| 0.6 : J Anderson to Markram, In the channel outside off, Markram makes a leave. End of the first over and a successful one too. |
| Stuart Broad to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : S Broad to Hamza, Archer starts with a fuller ball on middle, Zubayr flicks it to deep square leg and changes end. |
| 1.2 : S Broad to A Markram, FOUR! Shot! A fuller ball around off, Markram just comes forward and pushes it defensively. The mid on fielder dives to his left to stop but fails to do so. It races to the fence and Markram is off the mark in a nice fashion. |
| 1.3 : S Broad to Markram, Around off on a length, it is defended. |
| 1.4 : S Broad to Markram, Beaten! Beauty from Broad. A good length ball outside off, shaping away nicely. Markram plays at it but the ball goes away beating the outside edge and to the keeper. |
| 1.5 : S Broad to Markram, Outside off, Markram makes a leave. |
| 1.6 : S Broad to Markram, Fuller and outside off, Markram is not into driving as he lets it go to the keeper. |
| 2.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length ball around off and middle, it is angled in. Hamza looks to defend but gets an inside edge on the thigh pads. |
| 2.2 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length ball way outside off, Hamza lets it be. |
| 2.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, Fuller but very wide outside off, Hamza shows no interest as he shoulders arms. |
| 2.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, Make that third leave in a row as Zubayr allows this good length ball outside off go to Buttler behind the wicket. |
| 2.5 : J Anderson to Hamza, Around off on a length, Hamza defends it out. |
| 2.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Fullish but once again outside off, Hamza shoulders arms once again. Anderson needs to get closer to off pole and make the batter play. |
| 3.1 : S Broad to Markram, Fuller and on off, Markram tucks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 3.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Nicely punched! A slightly fullish ball, Hamza strokes it past mid on and picks a couple of easy runs before the mid on fielder can get to the ball. |
| 3.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Just behind good length but outside off, Hamza allows it to go to the keeper. |
| 3.4 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length around off, Hamza works it towards mid on and thinks of a run but they decide against it as the ball went to the mid on fielder quickly. |
| 3.5 : S Broad to Hamza, Slightly fuller but once again way outside off, it is Broad this time. Hamza lets it be. |
| 3.6 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length which is again outside off and Hamza has no problem letting this go to the keeper. |
| 4.1 : J Anderson to Markram, FOUR! Driven handsomely! Full and wide outside off, inviting the batter to go for the drive. Markram accepts it and creams the drive through covers. It races to the sweeper cover fence in a jiffy. |
| 4.2 : J Anderson to Markram, FOUR! Make that two in a row! They say, slash and slash hard. That's what Markram does. A good length ball outside off, he throws the kitchen sink at it. The ball takes the thick outside edge and flies over the leaping second slip fielder. |
| 4.3 : J Anderson to Markram, Three more! This time through the covers. Slightly short and outside off, Markram rides the bounce and punches it nicely. Denly hares after the ball and makes a sliding stop just before the fence. A single saved. |
| 4.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, Outside off this time, Hamza lets it go to the keeper. |
| 4.5 : J Anderson to Hamza, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 4.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Hamza makes third consecutive leave to end a good over for South Africa. 11 from the over, all coming from Markram's bat though. |
| 5.1 : S Broad to Markram, Broad starts the fresh over by bowling a fuller ball around off, Markram blocks it away. |
| 5.2 : S Broad to Markram, Good length ball around off, Markram makes a solid defensive shot off the back foot. |
| 5.3 : S Broad to Markram, Outside off, Markram is not interested as he shoulders arms to this one. |
| 5.4 : S Broad to Markram, Landed around off, it is defended. |
| 5.5 : S Broad to Markram, Good length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 5.6 : S Broad to Markram, Good length ball this one which is aimed into the batter. Markram in the defense gets squared up. The ball takes the outer half and goes to the gully fielder on the bounce. |
| 6.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, Confusion but safe... A good length ball around off, Hamza defends it towards point. Markram quickly takes off for the single but Hamza sends him back. Markram is almost halfway in the middle. Denly gets to the ball and fires the throw at the non-striker's. He misses his shy but Markram had returned well in time. |
| 6.2 : J Anderson to Hamza, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 6.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, In the channel outside off, Hamza lets it be. |
| 6.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length ball on off, Hamza stays on the back foot and punches it straight to gully. |
| 6.5 : J Anderson to Hamza, Goes full on off, Hamza drives it straight to short extra cover. |
| 6.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Full and on off again, Hamza pushes it right of the short extra cover fielder and takes a quick single. |
| 7.1 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length ball on middle, Hamza works it towards deep square leg. Before the fine leg fielder can come around to pick the ball up, the batters get a couple of runs. |
| 7.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Sprays down the leg side on a length. Hamza lets it go to the keeper. |
| 7.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Bends his back and bowls it short but once again the line is down the leg side which will not trouble Hamza. He ducks under it. |
| 7.4 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length ball on middle, Hamza works it wide of the mid on fielder and takes a single. |
| 7.5 : S Broad to Markram, Landed on middle, it is defended towards mid-wicket. |
| 7.6 : S Broad to Markram, Fuller ball just outside off, Markram has his sticks covered and lets it be. |
| 8.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good stop! A full ball down the leg side, Hamza looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. Buttler behind the wicket dives to his left and stops the ball. |
| 8.2 : J Anderson to Hamza, Fuller and just outside off, defended towards mid off. |
| 8.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, In the channel outside off, left alone. |
| 8.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length ball, this one comes back in nicely. Hamza does well to get his bat down in time to defend. |
| 8.5 : J Anderson to Hamza, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length ball around off, Hamza pushes it towards point. |
| Sam Curran is into the attack. |
| 9.1 : Sam Curran to Markram, FOUR! What a welcome for him into the attack. A fuller ball around off, Markram leans forwards and lofts this over the cover region beautifully. A top shot. |
| 9.2 : Sam Curran to Markram, Beaten! Curran gets his line and length right and bowls it just outside off, Markram pokes to get beaten. |
| 9.3 : Sam Curran to A Markram, Edged but just short! A good length ball, closer too the off pole, Markram once again pokes. This time the ball catches the outside edge. It goes to the first slip on the bounce. |
| 9.4 : Sam Curran to Markram, OUT! Caught at mid-wicket. Another soft dismissal. Curran with the knack of picking wickets has struck in the very first over. A good length ball on middle, Markram looks to work it on the leg side. However, he ends up chipping it towards mid-wicket. Bairstow there gets low down and pouches the catch inches above the turf. The good-looking stand is broken. |
| South Africa in trouble and out walks their skipper, Faf du Plessis. He will need to play a big innings here as his side need him to take them out of early troubles. |
| 9.5 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Fuller ball on off, it is defended. |
| 9.6 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Full and on middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| Change from both the ends. Jofra Archer is introduced into the attack. What do we have in store? Batters watch out for some vicious bouncers here and there. |
| 10.1 : J Archer to Hamza, Brave leave! A brilliant start for Archer though! This wasn't too far away from the top of off. Good line and length. This one pitches just outside off and then comes back in. Hamza lets it go to the keeper. |
| 10.2 : J Archer to Hamza, Good length ball angled into the right-hander, Hamza defends but the ball takes inside edge and hits on the body. |
| 10.3 : J Archer to Hamza, Wide outside off this one, Hamza lets it be. |
| 10.4 : J Archer to Hamza, Big bouncer on middle, Hamza easily ducks under it. |
| 10.5 : J Archer to Hamza, Looses his line and sprays this one down the leg side. Buttler moves to his left and does well to pouch the ball on that side. |
| 10.6 : J Archer to Hamza, FOUR! Flicked nicely! A full ball on middle, Hamza easily flicks it towards deep square leg fence. The ball races to the fence quickly. Poor ball by Archer to finish the over. |
| 11.1 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length ball shaping away from the right-hander. Faf lets it go to the keeper. |
| 11.2 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Back of a length ball on middle, du Plessis hops and blocks it on the leg side. |
| 11.3 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Brilliant ball from Curran again. Another ball that lands on middle and off and it shapes just a hint. Faf has to play at it and as he does that, he is squared up. The ball takes the thick outside edge and goes to the gully fielder. |
| 11.4 : Sam Curran to Plessis, On off, it is blocked. |
| 11.5 : Sam Curran to Plessis, This time Curran bowls it full on middle, Faf flicks it nicely but finds mid-wicket. |
| 11.6 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Beaten! Peach to finish the over! Superb delivery from the left-armer. Lands it on a good length and around off. Once again makes it shape away from the poke of Faf. Lucky not to edge that one. |
| 12.1 : J Archer to Hamza, Quick single! A good length ball around off and middle, Hamza works it towards mid on and takes off for a single. Broad gets there quickly, picks the ball and has a shy at the striker's end. He though misses but du Plessis had made his ground anyway. |
| 12.2 : J Archer to Plessis, Outside off, left alone. |
| 12.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Low full toss outside off, du Plessis reaches out and squeezes it through covers. He is off and running with a couple of runs. |
| 12.4 : J Archer to Plessis, Just short of Bairstow at short leg. A back of a length ball on middle, du Plessis hops to defend but the ball hits the upper part of the bat and lobs right of Bairstow at short leg. Bairstow dives to his right to catch but the ball ends up just short. |
| 12.5 : J Archer to Plessis, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 12.6 : J Archer to Plessis, On the length around off, du Plessis defends it out. |
| Drinks Break! Brilliant start for the visitors. They won the toss and decided to bowl and so far that decision is paying off. They have got rid of both the openers and they are also bowling with great intent and vigor. They will look to strike at least one more before Lunch. South Africa need to build a partnership and they will hope that Zubayr Hamza and skipper Faf du Plessis can bat out till Lunch. |
| 13.1 : Sam Curran to Hamza, Curran starts the fresh over post the drinks break by spraying on the pads. Hamza flicks it to fine leg for a run and crosses over. |
| 13.2 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Slightly shortish and outside off, du Plessis allows it go to the keeper. |
| 13.3 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Fuller ball around off, du Plessis keeps it out. |
| 13.4 : Sam Curran to Plessis, WIDE! A bouncer this time but it is way over du Plessis. Called wide. |
| Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length ball just outside off, du Plessis taps it towards cover off the back foot. |
| 13.5 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Full and off, defended back to the bowler. |
| 13.6 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Full and on off again, du Plessis is solid in his drive towards mid off. |
| 14.1 : J Archer to Hamza, Archer bowls it on a good length on off, Hamza stands tall and defends it off the back foot. |
| 14.2 : J Archer to Hamza, Outside off, Hamza offers no shot to this one. |
| 14.3 : J Archer to Hamza, FOUR! Don't bother running that was four the moment it left the bat. Poor ball from Archer. Short and wide outside off. Hamza is quick to pounce on it and punches it right off the meat through point for a boundary. |
| 14.4 : J Archer to Hamza, A bit of indecisiveness from Hamza! Good length ball just around off. It is shaping away from Hamza. He initially looks to defend but then sees that it is going away from his off pole so he retracts on his decision. |
| 14.5 : J Archer to Hamza, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Hamza does well to duck under it. |
| 14.6 : J Archer to Hamza, BEATEN! On a good length and just outside off, Hamza looks to defend but misses it. |
| 15.1 : Sam Curran to Plessis, On a good length and outside off, du Plessis plays it to covers off the back foot. |
| 15.2 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length delivery on middle, the skipper keeps it out. |
| 15.3 : Sam Curran to Plessis, On a good length on off, du Plessis plays it to covers. |
| 15.4 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length delivery on off, Faf offers a solid defense on this one. |
| 15.5 : Sam Curran to Plessis, On a good length around off, du Plessis blocks it off the back foot. |
| 15.6 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Outside off, du Plessis leaves it alone. |
| 16.1 : J Archer to Z Hamza, FOUR! Overpitched and punished! Full and wide outside off, Hamza leans into the drive and slams it through covers. |
| 16.2 : J Archer to Z Hamza, FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Hamza. A good length ball around off, Hamza this time strokes this through mid off. Brilliant followthrough on this shot. Held the pose for the cameras there. 50 up for South Africa. |
| 16.3 : J Archer to Hamza, On middle, Hamza nudges it to fine leg and crosses for a run. |
| 16.4 : J Archer to Plessis, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 16.5 : J Archer to du Plessis, EDGY FOUR! Tight line this from Archer. He lands it on a shortish length around off, du Plessis hops and looks to defend but the ball takes the thick outside edge and goes past the diving Ben Stokes. However, it is wide of him and ends up going to the fence. Four for du Plessis and South Africa but Archer won't mind this. |
| 16.6 : J Archer to Plessis, Fuller and off, driven wide of the cover fielder for a single. 14 from the over. |
| 17.1 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length ball just outside off, Faf punches it through point for a couple of runs. |
| 17.2 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length delivery on middle, du Plessis blocks it off the back foot. |
| 17.3 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Full and on middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 17.4 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 17.5 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Landed around middle, du Plessis works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 17.6 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Fuller ball way outside off, Faf lets it go to the keeper. |
| James Anderson is back on. 5-2-17-1 are his figures so far. |
| 18.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, Anderson starts the fresh spell but spraying down the leg side on the first ball. Hamza flicks but makes no connection. |
| 18.2 : J Anderson to Z Hamza, Full delivery on off, Hamza drives it to mid off. |
| 18.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, On a good length on middle, Hamza defends it off the back foot. |
| 18.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, Length delivery on middle, Hamza flicks it through square leg for a single. |
| 18.5 : J Anderson to Plessis, On a good length on off, the skipper defends it out. |
| 18.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, Outside off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| Stuart Broad returns for his second spell. 4-1-11-0 from him so far. |
| 19.1 : S Broad to Hamza, Full delivery on middle, Hamza drives it towards mid on where Anderson dives and does well to stop it. |
| 19.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Outside off, Hamza does not bother to play at that. |
| 19.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Again outside off, Hamza leaves it alone. |
| 19.4 : S Broad to Hamza, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Hamza looks to defend but misses it. |
| 19.5 : S Broad to Hamza, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Hamza looks to defend again but misses it. |
| 19.6 : S Broad to Hamza, On a length on off, Hamza taps it to point. |
| 20.1 : J Anderson to Plessis, Full delivery on off, du Plessis plays it to covers. |
| 20.2 : J Anderson to Plessis, On a length on middle, Faf flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 20.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length delivery on off, Hamza defends it to mid off. |
| 20.4 : J Anderson to Hamza, Full delivery on off, Hamza drives it to mid off. |
| 20.5 : J Anderson to Hamza, Outside off, Hamza shoulders arms to this one. |
| 20.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Length delivery on leg, Hamza flicks it towards fine leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 21.1 : S Broad to Hamza, On a good length on off, Hamza blocks it well. |
| 21.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length delivery on middle, Hamza defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 21.3 : S Broad to Hamza, On a good length on off, Hamza keeps it out. |
| 21.4 : S Broad to Hamza, NO BALL! Broad oversteps! Length delivery on middle, Hamza flicks it through mid-wicket. Bairstow chases it and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen get two runs. |
| S Broad to Hamza, Outside off, Hamza does not bother to play at that. |
| 21.5 : S Broad to Hamza, FOUR! Magnificently timed! Slightly overpitched and Hamza pounces on it nicely. Fuller and outside off, Hamza leans into the drive and creams it through covers. Poses for the cameras there. |
| 21.6 : S Broad to Hamza, OUT! Caught next ball. Broad has broken the stand. A good length ball outside off, shaping away from the right-hander. Hamza can easily leave these but he pokes at it. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to Stokes at second slip. He pouches it with both hands and sends Hamza packing. Broad and England celebrate. Timely wicket for the visitors. |
| Debutant Rassie van der Dussen is the new man in. Not an ideal condition for him to walk out to bat on his debut. He now has a big task in hand as he will have to bail out his side from trouble along with his skipper. |
| 22.1 : J Anderson to Plessis, Fuller ball on off, pushed to point. |
| 22.2 : J Anderson to Plessis, EDGED AND FOUR! Good length ball around off, it moves away from Faf. He looks to defend it with soft hands but gets an outyside edge which goes wide of the man at slip and races away to the fence. Had he played that with hard hands then it might have carried to the fielder there. |
| 22.3 : J Anderson to Plessis, On a good length on off, du Plessis defends it to covers. |
| 22.4 : J Anderson to Plessis, Outside off, du Plessis offers a calm leave on this one. |
| 22.5 : J Anderson to Plessis, Good length delivery on off, Faf blocks it off the front foot. |
| 22.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, Outside off, du Plessis lets it go. |
| 23.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 23.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, van der Dussen drives it to mid off. |
| 23.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen blocks it off the front foot. |
| 23.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Outside off, Rassie offers no shot to this one. |
| 23.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Again outside off, van der Dussen lets it go. |
| 23.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, FOUR! Excellent shot. Full delivery on middle, van der Dussen flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| Jofra Archer for the final burst before Lunch. 4-0-25-0 are his figures so far. |
| 24.1 : J Archer to Plessis, OHH! Just a tad too high maybe. Excellent ball this from Jofra. Steams in and bowls a inswinging length ball around off. Faf looks to defend but the ball comes in viciously and hits him on the thigh pad of his back leg. There is a huge appeal from the English players but the umpire is unmoved. |
| 24.2 : J Archer to Plessis, Another very good inswinging ball. This time Faf gets a bit of bat on it. Length ball, jagging back in from off. Du Plessis looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 24.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Archer misses his line and sprays one down the leg side. Faf is not interested in playing that. |
| 24.4 : J Archer to Plessis, Good stop. On the pads, du Plessis flicks it but Bairstow at short leg shows good reflex and saves runs for his side. |
| 24.5 : J Archer to Plessis, Back of a length on off, du Plessis defends it off his back foot. |
| 24.6 : J Archer to Plessis, Bouncer to end the over. It is around the body, du Plessis sits under it. |
| 25.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Outside off, van der Dussen offers no shot to this one. |
| 25.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen defends it off the back foot. |
| 25.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on middle, Rassie blocks it off the back foot. |
| 25.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, Rassie drives it to mid on. |
| 25.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on middle, van der Dussen defends it off the back foot. |
| 25.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball on the stumps, van der Dussen defends it with a straight bat to negotiate the final over of the session without any casualty. That will be Lunch on Day 1! |
| A brilliant session for England! They have struck thrice and have not allowed South Africa to score freely either. After winning the toss, Root would've wanted similar returns from his bowlers and they have delivered for him so far. |
| James Anderson removed Dean Elgar on the very first ball of the Test match to start the game on a superb note. Markram along with Zubayr Hamza added 32 runs to provide some resistance but Curran in his very first over removed Markram to break the stand. Skipper Faf du Plessis joined Hamza in the middle and the two added 39 runs between them. And when it looked like the Proteas are in for a big stand, Hamza fell to Broad. Du Plessis along with Rassie van der Dussen saw off the remaining few overs |
| As far as English bowling is concerned, Anderson struck on the very first ball of the over and along with Broad kept things tight in the first hour. Archer too bowled tight lines and did not allow the runs to come freely. Curran in his very first over got the wicket of Markram. Broad then broke another budding stand between Faf and Hamza as he removed Hamza. |
| Now, Faf du Plessis is battling it out there. He has debutant van der Dussen for company. The duo will look to bail the side out with a solid stand. England, on the other hand, would fancy getting another 2-3 wickets in the next session to take complete control of the game. Will they be able to do so or will they face resistance from the Protea batters? Do join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 1, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. The England players are out in the middle. Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen will resume their innings for the hosts. Jofra Archer will start the proceedings for the second session. |
| 26.1 : J Archer to Plessis, Archer starts with a ball on the pads of du Plessis. He clips it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. |
| 26.2 : J Archer to Plessis, FOUR! This time clipped through mid-wicket. Another fuller length ball around off and middle, du Plessis uses his wrists and whips it to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 26.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Around off, it is defended. |
| 26.4 : J Archer to Plessis, FOUR! Second boundary of the over and du Plessis is on the move now. Another ball which is on the stumps line, du Plessis nicely flicks it. The ball races to the deep mid-wicket boundary. |
| 26.5 : J Archer to Plessis, Fuller one on off, du Plessis keeps it out. |
| 26.6 : J Archer to Plessis, Bouncer way over the head of ducking du Plessis. End of a top over for South Africa. Solid start of the session for them. 10 from the over. |
| James Anderson to bowl from the other end. 8-2-24-1 are his figures so far. |
| 27.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Anderson starts with a poor ball down the leg side. Van der Dussen lets it go the keeper. |
| 27.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full one on middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 27.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fuller and on off, van der Dussen does well to keep it out. |
| 27.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball coming into van der Dussen this time. He tucks it towards fine leg to get a run. |
| 27.5 : J Anderson to Plessis, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 27.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, Another leave as Anderson bowls this one on a good length outside off once again. |
| 28.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, On the pads, Rassie tucks it towards mid-wicket and takes a quick single. |
| 28.2 : J Archer to du Plessis, Fuller and around off, this time Faf pushes it wide of the cover fielder for a single. |
| 28.3 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Fuller and around off, it is defended. |
| 28.4 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Landed on a good length around off, van der Dussen looks to defend but the ball takes the inside half of the bat and goes to mid on. |
| 28.5 : J Archer to van der Dussen, On the pads again, van der Dussen looks to work it fine down the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. The ball goes behind and before Buttler can pick the ball, the batters cross ends for a leg bye. |
| 28.6 : J Archer to Plessis, Back of a length ball around off, du Plessis drops his wrists and allows the ball to go the keeper. |
| 29.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Landed around off on a good length, van der Dussen defends it off the back foot. |
| 29.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball just outside off, Rassie has the stumps covered as he lets it go to the keeper. |
| 29.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Huge appeal but not out says the umpire. No review from England. A big inside edge there saves van der Dussen. Good call form England to not go for the review. It pitches around off and draws batsman half forward. Rassie pushes at the ball and luckily manages an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 29.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, pushed to point. |
| 29.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Shortish around off, van der Dussen stays on the back foot and blocks it towards point. |
| 29.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fuller one just outside off, pushed to cover by Rassie. |
| 30.1 : J Archer to Plessis, On a good length on off, du Plessis keeps it out. |
| 30.2 : J Archer to Plessis, Good length delivery on middle, du Plessis defends it off the back foot. |
| 30.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Outside off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 30.4 : J Archer to Plessis, On a good length on leg, du Plessis looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 30.5 : J Archer to Plessis, BEATEN! An absolute jaffa from Archer. Slightly shortish length around off, du Plessis has to play at it. He hops a bit and pokes, luckily the ball goes a hint away and whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 30.6 : J Archer to Plessis, FOUR! Poor ball to finish the over. Short and wide outside off, du Plessis hammers it through the cover region. It races to the fence in a jiffy. |
| 31.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen defends it off the back foot. |
| 31.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on middle, Rassie defends it out. |
| 31.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 31.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Another ball which is outside off and it does not tempt van der Dussen into playing any fancy shot. |
| 31.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Beaten! Beauty from Anderson. It lands on a fuller length, van der Dussen this time goes for the drive but the ball shapes away and goes past the outside edge. |
| 31.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball around off, it is blocked off the back foot. |
| Given caught behind but du Plessis goes for the DRS straightaway. Front foot is fine. Is there an outside edge? Could be a massive blow. There is a gap as the ball goes past the bat but there is also a little spike on the Ultra Edge. It might be adjudged Not Out as there is a gap but with the on-field call going the other way, it can go either was as there is a spike. NOT OUT! The on-field umpire reverses his decision and that's a good call as there way a good gap between the bat and ball. So no |
| 32.1 : Archer to Plessis, NOT OUT! The decision is overturned and du Plessis survives. Very full and very wide from Archer. Du Plessis chases it and goes for the drive away from the body. He does not make any connection and Buttler behind the wicket catches and appeals along with Archer and the entire slip cordon. The umpire thinks and raises the finger. However, Faf does not think much and signals for the review straightaway. Let's see what the replays show. No problems with the front foot. Now, |
| 32.2 : J Archer to Plessis, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 32.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Landed on middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 32.4 : J Archer to Plessis, In the channel outside off, Faf makes a leave. |
| 32.5 : J Archer to Plessis, Fuller around off, pushed to cover. |
| 32.6 : J Archer to Plessis, Bouncer down the leg side. Du Plessis ducks under it. |
| Sam Curran is back for the first time in this session. 5-2-8-1, his figures so far. He was troublesome in his first spell. Can he once again get the breakthrough? |
| 33.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Sam starts with a length delivery which nips back in to the right-hander. Van der Dussen defends it with a straight bat. |
| 33.2 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, OUT! Caught! Yes, Sam can get the breakthrough. The bowling change does the trick for the visitors. The previous one came in to the right-hander, this one moves the other way. It is pitched on off, van der Dussen gets on his front foot and tries to play the classical front foot defense. The ball shapes away and finds the outside edge of the bat and goes straight towards first slip. England skipper, Joe Root there makes no mistake and takes a simple catch. Once |
| Quinton de Kock walks in with his side in a very poor situation. 4 already in the hut. He will look to make a handy contribution in this innings to bail the Proteas out. Not gonna be easy against this English bowling lineup though. |
| 33.3 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball around off, de Kock taps it to point to start his innings. |
| 33.4 : Sam Curran to Kock, Length delivery which comes back in on off. Quinton looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 33.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, Back of a length on off, de Kock blocks it. |
| 33.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball outside off, de Kock taps it to the right of the fielder at point. Quinton comes out looking for a quick run but Faf straightaway turns it down. The fielder there makes a very good stop and has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Even if he had hit, QdK would have been in. |
| Stuart Broad is back on. 8-3-22-1 are his figures so far. |
| 34.1 : S Broad to Plessis, Broad starts his new spell with a length ball away from the off pole. Du Plessis shoulders arms to it. |
| 34.2 : S Broad to Plessis, Once again Broad asks Faf to go for the drive by serving it outside off. Du Plessis has no interest to oblige to Broad's demand. |
| 34.3 : S Broad to Plessis, Broad goes full and on off. Faf pushes it to mid on. |
| 34.4 : S Broad to Plessis, Another one on the fourth stump line, Faf is happy to watch it carry to the keeper. |
| 34.5 : S Broad to Plessis, Outside off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 34.6 : S Broad to Plessis, Good length ball on off, Faf defends it to get through the over. |
| 35.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! De Kock is off the mark in style. You give a southpaw some width outside off, he will punish you. If you give it to de Kock he will just oblige and hit you the way he wants. Good shot this. Length ball outside off, de Kock just hits it right off the middle through point for a boundary. 100 up for the Proteas. |
| 35.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Now on the leg side. Curran is guilty of bowling on de Kock's pads. Quinton's eyes lit up looking at it and he flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 35.3 : Sam Curran to Kock, Length ball on off, de Kock looks to defend but does so off the outer half of his bat. |
| 35.4 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball on off, de Kock blocks it. |
| 35.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Third boundary of the over and de Kock is pouncing on all the mistakes from Curran. Once again Sam goes wide outside off, de Kock slashes it with ease and power through point for a boundary. |
| 35.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, Length ball on off, de Kock punches it through extra cover and gets a couple to get through the over. Expensive from Sam Curran, 14 off it. |
| 36.1 : S Broad to Plessis, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 36.2 : S Broad to Plessis, Absolute jaffa from Broad! Lands this one on a good length and on closer to off pole. The ball shapes away and goes past the outside edge of du Plessis. |
| 36.3 : S Broad to Plessis, OUT! Gone this time as the ball finds the edge this time. Broad follows the ripper with another one. He once again lands this one just around off. The ball once again shapes a hint away as du Plessis pokes at it by coming half forward. The ball this time takes the outside edge and goes to Root at first slip once again. The English skipper makes no mistake and takes the catch with ease. Faf departs after making a start and with it, half the side is back in the hut. |
| Dwaine Pretorius walks out to bat in his first outing in Tests. With half the side back in the hut and Broad having his tail up, he will have to justify his selection with the bat. |
| 36.4 : S Broad to Pretorius, Pretorius is off the mark straightaway. A good length ball on middle, it is worked towards square leg for a single. |
| 36.5 : S Broad to de Kock, Fuller and outside off, driven to the fielder at short extra cover. |
| 36.6 : S Broad to Kock,FOUR! De Kock seems to be playing on different surface. An overpitched ball alright but it still needs to be put away. He leans into the shot and slams this through covers. It whistles to the fence. Fourth boundary for de Kock in no time. However, end of a successful over by Broad. |
| 37.1 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, On a good length on middle, Pretorius looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 37.2 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Full delivery outside off, Pretorius drives it to point. |
| 37.3 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Good length delivery on middle, Pretorius defends it off the back foot. |
| 37.4 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Full delivery on middle, Pretorius drives it to mid on. |
| 37.5 : Curran to Pretorius, Full ball on off, pushed to mid on. |
| 37.6 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, On middle, it is defended. |
| 38.1 : S Broad to Kock, Broad starts the over by going full and outside off. He has seen de Kock going for the drive and that's why he tempts him there. Quinton though lets it go to the keeper |
| 38.2 : S Broad to Kock, Outside off, this time de Kock shoulders arms. |
| 38.3 : S Broad to Kock, Around off, defended towards mid off. |
| 38.4 : S Broad to Kock, In the channel outside off. de Kock makes a leave. |
| 38.5 : S Broad to de Kock, Another nice drive from de Kock. A full ball outside off, de Kock drills it through covers. Denly from third man hares after the ball and makes a diving stop. The umpires are not sure if the attempt is clean as they refer it upstairs. The third umpire checks multiple replays and then deems it in the favour of the fielding side. |
| 38.6 : S Broad to Kock, Another ball outside off, it is left alone. |
| Drinks Break! Around 3 hours of play has been done and all the three hours have belonged to the visitors. England have sent half the South African side back in the hut and have their back against the wall. Quinton de Kock is looking good but he needs a partner to hand around with him. Can the debutant, Dwaine Pretorius be that man who can support the South African wicket-keeper and take his side out of troubled waters? |
| 39.1 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Brilliant line and length from Curran. Another good length ball that pitches on middle and shapes away nicely. Pretorius looks to drive but makes no connection as the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 39.2 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Around off and middle, pushed to point. |
| 39.3 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Loose from Pretorius. Curran goes fullish and outside off, inviting the batter for the drive. Pretorius does that and drives away from his body. He once again makes no connection. |
| 39.4 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Around off, it is defended. |
| 39.5 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Huge appeal for LBW but it dies down quickly. A fullish length ball on the pads, Pretorius looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. They appeal but the umpire says not out. Hawk Eye comes in and shows that it was pitching outside leg. So a good call once again from England skipper to not go for the review. |
| 39.6 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Shortish around off, Pretorius taps it towards the off side off the back foot. |
| England have no front line spinner in this game so skipper Joe Root will roll his arm over. He is a wicket-taker and can be handy with the ball. |
| 40.1 : Joe Root to Kock, FOUR! Poor start from Root as he dishes this way to outside off. De Kock reaches it out and guides it to third man fence. |
| 40.2 : Joe Root to Kock, Outside off, de Kock shoulders arms to this one. |
| 40.3 : Root to Kock, In the air... but Anderson cannot reach there. The bait of coming to bowl almost paid off for Root. A flighted ball just outside off, inviting de Kock for the drive. He obliges and looks to slam it over long off. But the bat turns in his hand and he ends up lobbing the shot high towards mid off. Anderson hares from covers to get under the ball but he cannot get there and ends up missing out the chance of dismissing de Kock. |
| 40.4 : Joe Root to Pretorius, Flighted delivery on middle, Pretorius flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 40.5 : Joe Root to Kock, Tossed up delivery on middle, de Kock defends it off the front foot. |
| 40.6 : Joe Root to Kock, Floated delivery on middle, de Kock flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 41.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock drives it to covers. |
| 41.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, On a good length on off, Quinton defends it off the back foot. |
| 41.3 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length delivery on middle, de Kock defends it out. |
| 41.4 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Very well controlled pull from de Kock. Curran bangs it in short, Quinton picks it up early and gets on his back foot. He pulls it with control and power through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 41.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length delivery on middle, de Kock blocks it off the back foot. |
| 41.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, INSIDE EDGE AND FOUR! Length ball outside off, De Kock throws his bat at it looking to slam it through point. The ball though takes the lower half of his bat and goes to the right of the keeper. Buttler is wrong-footed and he dives but he cannot save it. The ball races away to the fine leg fence. |
| 42.1 : Joe Root to D Pretorius, Floated delivery on middle, Pretorius drives it through mid on for a single. |
| 42.2 : Joe Root to Kock, Tossed up delivery outside off, de Kock drives it through covers. The batsmen take a single. |
| 42.3 : Joe Root to Pretorius, SIX! Oh that is a monster. Floated on middle and off, Pretorius who is known for his T20 exploits shows what he is capable of as he hammers it over the long on fence, using the arc for a biggie. |
| 42.4 : Joe Root to D Pretorius, Follows the maximum with an easy single towards cover. |
| Has that carried? Looking at the England players reaction it looks like it hasn't but let's see what the replays have to say. |
| 42.5 : Root to Kock, Just shot! It has not carried. Slightly quicker from Root around off. De Kock looks to defend but the ball spins away from him. It takes the outside edge and goes towards first slip. Ben Stokes there looks to take it on the full, inches above the ground but looks like it has fallen short judging by Root and Stokes' reaction. The umpire takes it upstairs with the soft signal as 'Not Out'. Replay rolls in and it shows that the ball fell just short as it goes into the hands of S |
| 42.6 : Joe Root to Kock, Floated on off, de Kock plays it towards cover and keeps the strike with a single. |
| James Anderson is back on. 11-4-25-1 are his figures so far. |
| 43.1 : J Anderson to Kock, Outside off, de Kock offers no shot to this one. |
| 43.2 : J Anderson to Kock, FOUR! Up and over! De Kock is no mood to calm down as he once again throws his willow to this fuller ball outside off. This time the ball takes the outside edge and it flies over the slip cordon and into the fence. |
| 43.3 : J Anderson to Kock, Slightly short and just outside off this time, de Kock shoulders arms to this one. |
| 43.4 : J Anderson to Kock, EDGY FOUR! Another one off the outside edge! 150 comes up for South Africa. Another fuller ball which is just outside off. De Kock once again goes for the drive. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to third man fence, past the diving attempt of the gully fielder. 9th boundary for de Kock. |
| 43.5 : J Anderson to Kock, Fuller and around off, pushed through point for a single. |
| 43.6 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Good length ball around off, pushed to point. |
| 44.1 : Joe Root to Kock, Tossed up delivery on off, de Kock defends it off the front foot. |
| 44.2 : Joe Root to de Kock, Flighted delivery on middle, de Kock sweeps it towards the leg side. |
| 44.3 : Joe Root to Kock, Floated delivery on middle, de Kock sweeps it to mid-wicket. |
| 44.4 : Joe Root to de Kock, What was that! Another ball outside off, a tossed up one too. De Kock goes for the sweep again but the ball takes the outside edge and goes over the leaping Ben Stokes. A couple of runs. |
| 44.5 : Joe Root to Kock, Loopy delivery on middle, de Kock drives it through covers. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 44.6 : Joe Root to Kock, Flighted delivery on off, Quinton offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 45.1 : J Anderson to Pretorius, In the channel outside off, Pretorius makes a leave by covering his stumps. |
| 45.2 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Edgy FOUR! Now the edge flies to the fence off Pretorius' bat. A full ball outside off, Pretorius goes for the drive away from the body. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to the third man fence. |
| 45.3 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 45.4 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Full and on off, pushed towards cover for a single. 50-run stand is up between the two and these runs have come in quick time and against the run of play. |
| 45.5 : J Anderson to Kock, Fuller around off, pushed to cover by de Kock. |
| 45.6 : J Anderson to Kock, There it is. Fifty for Quinton de Kock, his 18th in Tests. A brilliant hand this from Quinton. A short ball on middle, de Kock pulls it towards mid-wicket and takes a run to reach the landmark. Brilliant attacking innings and he would be looking to reach the three figure mark from hereon. |
| 46.1 : Joe Root to Kock, Tossed up delivery on off, de Kock plays it to point. |
| 46.2 : Joe Root to Kock, Flighted delivery on off, Quinton taps it to point. |
| 46.3 : Joe Root to Kock, Loopy delivery on middle, de Kock blocks it off the back foot. |
| 46.4 : Joe Root to Kock, Floated delivery on off, Quinton punches it to point. |
| 46.5 : Joe Root to Kock, Floated delivery on off, Quinton drives it through covers. The batsmen take a run. |
| 46.6 : Joe Root to Pretorius, FOUR! Just short! Floated on off, Pretorius lofts it over long off. It looks like the ball hits the ropes on the full but the umpires go upstairs to check if that has hit the rope or not. Replay rolls in and after a few views the third umpire says it is a boundary to the on-field umpire as the ball hit the turf just before the ropes. |
| 47.1 : J Anderson to Kock, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 47.2 : J Anderson to Kock, Another ball outside off, de Kock makes second leave of the over. |
| 47.3 : J Anderson to Kock, Fuller around off, pushed to covers. |
| 47.4 : J Anderson to Kock, Good length ball on the pads, de Kock works it behind square leg for a single. |
| 47.5 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Landed outside off on a good length, Pretorius lets it go to the keeper. |
| 47.6 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Shortish ball around off, Pretorius taps it through point and takes a couple of runs. |
| Stuart Broad is back into the attack. 12-4-43-2 are his figures so far. |
| 48.1 : S Broad to Kock, Broad starts with a good length ball around off, de Kock pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 48.2 : S Broad to Kock, Brilliant fielding from Bairstow! A full ball around off, de Kock whips it through mid-wicket. Bairstow from mid on chases the ball down and then makes a diving stop just before the ropes. Saves a single and then quickly gets up and throws the ball to the keeper. |
| 48.3 : S Broad to Pretorius, On the pads, Pretorius flicks but misses to get hit on the pads. A stifled appeal but it clearly looked to be going down the leg side and hit high too. |
| 48.4 : S Broad to Pretorius, Outside off, Pretorius lets it go to the keeper. |
| 48.5 : S Broad to Pretorius, Fuller and on off, driven to long off. |
| 48.6 : S Broad to Pretorius, On middle, it is defended. |
| Jofra Archer is back on. 9-2-41-0 are his figures so far. |
| 49.1 : J Archer to Kock, BEATEN! Loose shot from Quinton. Full and outside off, de Kock looks to play away from the body but misses it. |
| 49.2 : J Archer to Kock, FOUR! Poor line from Archer. He bowls it full but too straight. De Kock simply flicks it to the fine leg fence. |
| 49.3 : J Archer to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock offers a solid defense on this one. |
| 49.4 : J Archer to Kock, Length delivery on middle, Quinton flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 49.5 : J Archer to Kock, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery! On a good length and outside off, de Kock looks to defend but misses it. |
| 49.6 : J Archer to Kock, Almost dragged on! Good length delivery on off, Quinton looks to cut but gets an inside edge on this one. It just misses the leg stump. |
| 50.1 : S Broad to Pretorius, Outside off, de Kock offers no shot to this one. |
| 50.2 : S Broad to D Pretorius, Full delivery on off, Pretorius drives it to covers. |
| 50.3 : S Broad to Pretorius, Outside off, Dwaine shoulders arms to this one. |
| 50.4 : S Broad to Pretorius, FOUR! Uppish but flicked nicely! A fuller ball on middle, Pretorius flicks it between short mid-wicket and mid on. Timed it brilliantly. |
| 50.5 : S Broad to Pretorius, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 50.6 : S Broad to Pretorius, Fuller and on off, driven towards mid on by Pretorius. |
| 51.1 : J Archer to Kock, FOUR! Glorious from de Kock! Just a push but it races to the fence. Fullish length ball on off, de Kock comes forward a hint and presents the full face of the bat. It races to the mid on fence quickly. Looking in a brilliant nick there, is de Kock. |
| 51.2 : J Archer to Kock, Bowls a bouncer outside off, de Kock sways away from it. |
| 51.3 : J Archer to Kock, NO BALL! Archer oversteps! On a good length on off, de Kock defends it off the back foot. |
| J Archer to Kock, Good length delivery on off, Quinton blocks it well. |
| 51.4 : J Archer to Kock, Outside off, Quinton shoulders arms to this one. |
| 51.5 : J Archer to Kock, Again outside off, de Kock leaves it alone. |
| 51.6 : J Archer to Kock, On a length on middle, de Kock flicks it through square leg for a single. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 1! |
| A solid unbeaten 76-run stand means that the hosts crawl back in the game and share this session with the visitors. Quinton de Kock is amidst a quickfire 64 off just 69 balls and he seem to be sighting the ball well. He got an able support from Pretorius after the wicket of skipper du Plessis. |
| The session started with Sam Curran coming to bowl and once again break the budding stand between van der Dussen and du Plessis. Broad then dismissed well set du Plessis to peg the hosts further. However, since then, a couple of chances did not go to hands as de Kock and Pretorius played their shots and got runs quickly. |
| Now, in the final session, how will things pan out for the hosts? Will these two continue to add runs quickly or will we see a flurry of wickets from the English bowlers? Interesting final session awaits us. Do join us in a short while. |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| The English players are back in the middle for the final session. Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius stride out in the middle too. The duo has looked solid and they would look to continue taking South Africa towards a good total. Sam Curran to start the proceedings for the visitors in this session. |
| 52.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Run straightaway in the final session. Good length ball outside off, de Kock punches it to deep point and gets a single. |
| 52.2 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Closer to the off pole from Sam. Dwaine defends it confidently towards cover-point and calls a loud wait. |
| 52.3 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, On the leg side but close to the body. Pretorius looks to tickle it fine down the leg side but misses. There is a stifled appeal from the English players but the umpire says no. |
| 52.4 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Pretorius gets off the mark for the session. Full on off, Dwaine pushes it to the right of mid off and calls for a quick single. Archer gets to the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. Even if he had hit, DP would have been in. |
| 52.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, Back of a length around off, de Kock looks to flick but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 52.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball on off, de Kock defends it towards mid on. |
| Jofra Archer to bowl from the other end after Tea. 11-2-51-0 are his figures so far. |
| 53.1 : J Archer to Pretorius, Good length ball on middle, Pretorius tucks it behind square leg for a single. |
| 53.2 : J Archer to Kock, Full and on middle, de Kock flicks but can't beat the mid-wicket fielder. |
| 53.3 : J Archer to Kock, Good length ball outside off, de Kock cuts but finds the gully fielder this time. |
| 53.4 : J Archer to Kock, Full and on the pads again, this time de Kock's flick goes to deep square leg and the batters cross ends. |
| 53.5 : J Archer to Pretorius, Shortish and on middle, Pretorius goes on the back foot and pushes it towards cover. |
| 53.6 : J Archer to Pretorius, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Pretorius looks to defend but misses it. |
| 54.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Short and wide outside off, de Kock cuts it through point for a single. |
| 54.2 : Sam Curran to D Pretorius, FOUR! Hammered! A short ball outside off, Pretorius goes on the back foot and slams it wide of the mid on fence. |
| 54.3 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, Now a couple to fine leg. A delivery on the pads of Pretorius clips it towards fine leg. The deep square leg fielder dives and makes a fine stop. |
| Pretorius has been given not out and England after a long chat goes for the review. Looks to be pitching outside leg to the naked eye. Yes, it is pitching outside leg so no need to check the impact. England lose their review. |
| 54.4 : Curran to Pretorius, NOT OUT! Pitching outside leg and Pretorius stays. England though loses the review. A fullish length ball on the pads, Pretorius looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. Curran along with the wicket keeper and entire slip cordon appeal but the umpire is unmoved. After a long chat, Root signals the 'T' and takes the decision upstairs. Here comes the replays, the front foot is okay. Hawk Eye time now, well, it has pitched outside leg so no need to check where it |
| 54.5 : Sam Curran to D Pretorius, OUT! Caught! Once again it is Sam Curran who has got the breakthrough. Brilliant ball this from Curran. Good length ball around off, in the channel of uncertainty. Pretorius expects the ball to come in but it goes away with the angle. Dwaine looks to defend hoping that it would shape in but it does not. He ends up getting a thick outside edge which goes straight to the man at first slip. Joe Root there takes another simple catch, his third of the innings. They l |
| Vernon Philander is the new batsman in. |
| 54.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Full on the pads, Philander flicks but Sibley at short mid-wicket makes an excellent stop diving to his right. |
| 55.1 : J Archer to Kock, On a good length on middle, de Kock drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 55.2 : Archer to de Kock, Edged but safe. What a delivery this is from Jofra. Trademark Archer this. Hits the deck hard on off and the ball shoots up off the surface. It is bowled at 140 kph but it looks like it comes a lot quicker than that. De Kock looks to defend on the on side but it rises on him and the ball hits the top of the bat. Luckily for Quinton and South Africa it falls in no man's land at point. |
| 55.3 : J Archer to de Kock, Short delivery on middle, de Kock pulls it through square leg for a single. |
| 55.4 : J Archer to Philander, Outside off, Philander offers no shot to this one. |
| 55.5 : J Archer to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander keeps it out. |
| 55.6 : J Archer to Philander, Good length delivery on leg, Vernon keeps it out. |
| 56.1 : Sam Curran to de Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock plays it to mid off. |
| 56.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Length delivery on middle, de Kock nudges it towards square leg. The batsmen take a single. |
| 56.3 : Sam Curran to V Philander, Full delivery on middle, Philander drives it to mid on. |
| 56.4 : Sam Curran to V Philander, FOUR! Nice way to get off the mark. Slightly fuller ball outside off, Philander comes forward and slams it through covers for a boundary. |
| 56.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, Around off, it is defended. |
| 56.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Huge appeal for LBW but nothing from the umpire. Curran goes full and on the stumps line, Philander looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. Curran makes a loud appeal but the umpire is unmoved. This time Root does not go for the review. |
| 57.1 : J Archer to Kock, BEATEN! Short and outside off, de Kock looks to cut but misses it. |
| 57.2 : J Archer to Kock, On a good length on leg, de Kock looks to flick but gets it off the thigh pad. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a run. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 57.3 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it towards point. The batsmen take a run. |
| 57.4 : J Archer to Kock, On a good length on middle, Quinton blocks it off the back foot. |
| 57.5 : J Archer to Kock, BEATEN! Short and outside off, de Kock looks to play an upper cut but misses it. |
| 57.6 : J Archer to Kock, On a length on middle, de Kock nudges it towards square leg for a run. |
| 58.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 58.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length delivery on middle, Quinton blocks it off the back foot. |
| 58.3 : Sam Curran to Kock, WIDE! Bowls it wide outside off, de Kock does not bother to play at that. |
| Sam Curran to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock defends it off the back foot. |
| 58.4 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length delivery on middle, Quinton defends it off the back foot. |
| 58.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock looks to defend but gets a bottom edge on this one. |
| 58.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock drives it to mid off. |
| 59.1 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Philander lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 59.2 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it to point. |
| 59.3 : J Archer to Philander, On a good length and outside off, Philander looks to cut but gets a bottom edge on this one. |
| 59.4 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bumper outside off, Philander watches it sail through to the keeper. |
| 59.5 : J Archer to Philander, Outside off, Vernon offers no shot to this one. |
| 59.6 : J Archer to Philander, Good length delivery on off, Philander blocks it off the back foot. |
| 60.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, On a length on middle, de Kock flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 60.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Length delivery on middle, Quinton flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a run. |
| 60.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, Outside off, de Kock shoulders arms to this one. |
| 60.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, Bowls a yorker on middle, Philander does well to dig it out. |
| 60.5 : Sam Curran to V Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it to mid off. |
| 60.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander tucks it towards the leg side. |
| James Anderson is back on. 14-4-43-1 are his figures so far. |
| 61.1 : J Anderson to Kock, Full delivery outside off, de Kock offers no shot to this one. |
| 61.2 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock blocks it off the back foot. |
| 61.3 : J Anderson to de Kock, Full delivery on middle, de Kock looks to drive but gets it off the inner half of the bat. It goes to mid on. |
| 61.4 : J Anderson to Kock, Good length delivery on off, de Kock defends it off the front foot. |
| 61.5 : J Anderson to Kock, Outside off, Quinton leaves it alone. |
| 61.6 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on middle, de Kock looks to defend but gets an inside edge. It misses the leg stump and it goes towards fine leg. The batsmen take a run. |
| Stuart Broad returns. 13-4-36-2 are his figures so far. |
| 62.1 : S Broad to Kock, EDGY FOUR! Shout for catch but nobody will as it goes uppishly in no man's land and ends up going to the third man fence. A fuller ball outside off to start the fresh over. De Kock reaches out and goes for the drive away from his body. The ball takes thick outside edge and goes to third man fence. |
| 62.2 : S Broad to Kock, Around off, pushed to mid on. |
| 62.3 : Broad to Kock, Appeal for LBW but nothing from the umpire. Good length ball around the pads, de Kock looks to work it on the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. An appeal follows but nothing from the umpire. No DRS from England either and replays roll in and suggest it to be a good call as the ball pitched outside leg. |
| 62.4 : S Broad to de Kock, Full and on middle, flicked straight to mid on. |
| 62.5 : S Broad to Kock, Another fullish ball around off and middle, de Kock tucks it towards mid on. |
| 62.6 : S Broad to Kock, On the pads again, de Kock works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 63.1 : J Anderson to Kock, Short and outside off, de Kock cuts it through point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 63.2 : J Anderson to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander looks to defend but gets hit on the hand. That could be nasty. |
| 63.3 : J Anderson to Philander, Good length delivery on middle, Philander blocks it off the back foot. |
| 63.4 : J Anderson to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it to point. |
| 63.5 : J Anderson to Philander, On a good length on off, Vernon blocks it well. |
| 63.6 : J Anderson to V Philander, FOUR! On a good length and outside off, Philander looks to punch but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a boundary. |
| 64.1 : S Broad to Kock, Outside off, Quinton does not bother to play at that. |
| 64.2 : S Broad to Kock, FOUR! Another edgy boundary! Short and outside off, de Kock looks to slash but gets an outside edge. It goes over the slip region and towards third man for a boundary. He moves into the 80s with that boundary. |
| 64.3 : S Broad to Kock, Fuller and on off, de Kock works it towards wide mid on and scampers for a couple of runs. |
| 64.4 : S Broad to Kock, Full delivery outside off, de Kock drives it to mid off. |
| 64.5 : S Broad to Kock, Full again on off, Quinton plays it to covers. |
| 64.6 : S Broad to Kock, On a good length on off, Quinton blocks it off the back foot. |
| 65.1 : J Anderson to Philander, Length delivery on middle, Philander flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 65.2 : J Anderson to de Kock, FOUR! Classic shot. Full and outside off, de Kock drives it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 65.3 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock taps it towards the off side. |
| 65.4 : J Anderson to Kock, On a length on leg, de Kock flicks it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 65.5 : J Anderson to Philander, Bowls it wide outside off, Philander shoulders arms to this one. |
| 65.6 : J Anderson to Philander, Good length delivery on off, Philander defends it out. |
| Ben Stokes is off the field right now as he has been struggling with dehydration. Not a good sign for the visitors. |
| 66.1 : S Broad to Kock, Full delivery on middle, de Kock flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 66.2 : S Broad to Philander, Outside off, Philander offers no shot on this one. |
| 66.3 : S Broad to Philander, Again outside off, Philander shoulders arms to this one. |
| 66.4 : S Broad to Philander, Good length delivery on middle, Vernon blocks it off the back foot. |
| 66.5 : S Broad to Philander, Outside off, Philander leaves it alone. |
| 66.6 : S Broad to Philander, On a good length on middle, Philander looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. |
| Drinks Break! Quinton de Kock has looked solid till now and Philander has done well to support him. They lost the only wicket of Pretorius but have done well after that. On the other hand, England would look to wrap up the innings as quickly as possible. Interesting final hour awaits. |
| 67.1 : J Anderson to Kock, Good length ball around off, de Kock pushes it to cover. |
| 0.0 : Also, there is a good news for the visitors. Ben Stokes is back on the field. So the issue is not as serious as one expected and they will be happy to have their vice-captain back on the field. |
| 67.2 : J Anderson to Kock, Length delivery outside off, de Kock strokes it through point for a single. |
| 67.3 : J Anderson to Philander, Back of a length on off, Philander hops up and keeps the ball down with a straight bat. |
| 67.4 : J Anderson to Philander, Good leave. Length ball swinging in from outside off. Philander reads it well and offers a very solid leave as the ball goes past the stump. |
| 67.5 : J Anderson to Philander, Length ball around off, Philander defends it solidly from within the crease. |
| 67.6 : J Anderson to Philander, A little bit of an extra bounce to end the over. Good length ball outside off, Philander looks to play it with a slant bat but misses. |
| Time for some leg spin. Joe Denly to operate with the ball. It will be interesting to see whether this is just a solitary over for change of ends or is he given a couple of overs to try and break this stand. |
| 68.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Denly starts with a flighted ball on the pads, de Kock turns it behind square on the leg side and gets a single to move to 93. |
| 68.2 : Joe Denly to Philander, Flatter on off, Philander hits it straight back to the bowler. |
| 68.3 : Joe Denly to Philander, Tossed up on off, Philander hits it straight to the left of the bowler. Denly gets down and deflects it towards mid on. Does not cost any runs. |
| 68.4 : Joe Denly to Philander, Flighted and turning away sharply from VP. He does well to defend it. |
| 68.5 : Joe Denly to Philander, Flighted leg spinner on the stumps, Vernon keeps it out. |
| 68.6 : Joe Denly to Philander, Around the pads, Philander flicks it to mid-wicket to get through the over. |
| 69.1 : J Anderson to Kock, Full and outside off, de Kock defends it off the front foot towards cover. |
| 69.2 : J Anderson to Kock, Full and coming in with the angle. It is on middle, de Kock flicks it to square leg and gets a single. |
| 69.3 : J Anderson to Philander, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Philander looks to defend but misses it. |
| 69.4 : J Anderson to Philander, FOUR! Nice shot. On a good length on off, Philander guides it towards third man for a boundary. |
| 69.5 : J Anderson to Philander, Outside off, Vernon lets it go. |
| 69.6 : J Anderson to Philander, Again outside off, Philander shoulders arms to this one. |
| 70.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flighted delivery on leg, de Kock drives it through mid on. The batsmen take a single. |
| 70.2 : Joe Denly to Philander, Tossed up delivery on off, Philander drives it through mid off for a run. |
| 70.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Floated delivery on middle, Quinton blocks it off the back foot. |
| 70.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, Loopy delivery on middle, de Kock keeps it out. |
| 70.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flighted delivery on middle, de Kock defends it out. |
| 70.6 : Joe Denly to Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock drives it to covers. |
| Sam Curran is back on. 15-5-48-3 are his figures so far. |
| 71.1 : Sam Curran to V Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it to mid off. |
| 71.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a good length on off, Vernon keeps it out. |
| 71.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, Good length delivery on middle, Philander blocks it well. |
| 71.4 : Curran to V Philander, Bouncer! A well directed one from Curran. It is right around the body line but Vernon sits under it but the ball clips his bat and goes towards fine leg and they take a run. |
| 71.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, OUT! Caught behind! De Kock falls in nervous 90s and he misses out on a well deserved hundred here. Big wicket and once again it is Sam Curran who has given Root the breakthrough. This young lad is some cricketer. His 4th wicket of the innings. Good length ball around off and shaping away. De Kock looks to defend it away from the body but the ball kisses the outside edge of the willow and goes straight into the mitts of Buttler. The 47-run stand is broken and England ha |
| Keshav Maharaj walks out to bat next. |
| 71.6 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Maharaj is off the mark. Good length ball which shapes in viciously. Keshav does well to flick it late on to the on side and get a single. |
| Jofra Archer is back on. 15-3-56-0 are his figures so far. |
| 72.1 : J Archer to Maharaj, Outside off, Maharaj shoulders arms to this one. |
| 72.2 : J Archer to Maharaj, Full delivery on off, Maharaj drives it to mid off. |
| 72.3 : J Archer to Maharaj, Bowls a bouncer, Maharaj does well to duck under it. |
| 72.4 : J Archer to Maharaj, Outside off, Keshav leaves it alone. |
| 72.5 : J Archer to Maharaj, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Maharaj lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 72.6 : J Archer to Maharaj, Outside off, Maharaj offers no shot to this one. |
| 73.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander defends it off the back foot. |
| 73.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it through point for a single. |
| Philander has been given out LBW but he has taken the decision upstairs straightaway. Front foot is fine. But a big inside edge. Not out it will be and the decision will be changed. |
| 73.3 : Curran to K Maharaj, NOT OUT! There is a clear inside edge on this one as Ultra Edge detects. On a good length on middle, Maharaj looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw and the umpire raises his finger. Maharaj straightaway takes the review. Ultra Edge clearly detects an inside edge. |
| 73.4 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 73.5 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, On the pads, Maharaj flicks it to fine leg for a single. |
| 73.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 74.1 : J Archer to Maharaj, FOUR! That is put away! Short and outside off, Maharaj cuts it hard through point for a boundary. |
| 74.2 : J Archer to Maharaj, Bowls a bouncer, Maharaj does well to duck under it. |
| 74.3 : J Archer to Maharaj, Outside off, Keshav leaves it alone. |
| 74.4 : J Archer to Maharaj, On a good length and outside off, Maharaj does not bother to play at that. |
| The umpires have gone upstairs to check the legitimacy of the catch. The soft signal is OUT! Let us see what the replays have to say. It looks clean and it is clean. Maharaj will have to go back here. |
| 74.5 : J Archer to Maharaj, OUT! Yes, the soft signal stays and Jofra has a wicket, he finally has one. A shortish length ball just around off, Maharaj plays looks to defend it coming forward. The ball takes the outside edge and goes low to Ben Stokes who pouches it inches above the turf. Maharaj is not sure if that carried to Stokes and he stands waiting. The umpire refers it upstairs with the soft signal being out. First the front foot is getting checked, it is fine. Now, did that carry? Yes, i |
| Kagiso Rabada is the new man in. |
| 74.6 : J Archer to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada defends it off the front foot. |
| 75.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it through point for a single. |
| 75.2 : Sam Curran to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada defends it off the back foot. |
| 75.3 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Good length delivery on off, Rabada keeps it out. |
| 75.4 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Bowls a bouncer, Rabada ducks under it. |
| 75.5 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Length delivery on middle, Kagiso nudges it towards the leg side. |
| 75.6 : Sam Curran to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada looks to defend but gets hit on the hand. |
| 76.1 : J Archer to Philander, Outside off, Philander offers no shot to this one. |
| 76.2 : J Archer to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander taps it to point. |
| 76.3 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander plays it to covers. |
| 76.4 : J Archer to Philander, FOUR! That is punished! Short and outside off, Philander cuts it hard through point for a boundary. |
| 76.5 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander ducks under it. |
| 76.6 : J Archer to Philander, Short delivery on leg, Philander looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 77.1 : Sam Curran to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada defends it off the back foot. |
| 77.2 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Bowls a yorker on middle, Rabada does well to dig it out. |
| 77.3 : Sam Curran to Rabada, FOUR! On a good length and outside off, Rabada looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a boundary. |
| 77.4 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Full delivery on middle, Rabada drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 77.5 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Good length delivery on middle, Kagiso blocks it well. |
| 77.6 : Sam Curran to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada defends it out. |
| 78.1 : J Archer to Philander, Good length delivery on off, Philander offers a back foot defense on this one. |
| 78.2 : J Archer to Philander, On a length on off, Philander plays it to point. |
| 78.3 : J Archer to V Philander, Full delivery on off, Vernon drives it to covers. |
| 78.4 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander does well to duck under it. |
| 78.5 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery on middle, Philander flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 78.6 : J Archer to Rabada, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Rabada looks to defend but misses it. |
| Joe Denly is back on. 2-0-3-0 are his figures so far. |
| 79.1 : Joe Denly to Philander, Tossed up delivery on middle, Philander drives it to mid on. |
| 79.2 : Joe Denly to Philander, Flighted delivery on middle, Vernon drives it towards mid on. |
| 79.3 : Joe Denly to Philander, Loopy delivery outside off, Philander shoulders arms to this one. |
| 79.4 : Joe Denly to Philander, Floated delivery on middle, Philander flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 79.5 : Joe Denly to Rabada, Tossed up delivery on off, Rabada keeps it out. |
| 79.6 : Joe Denly to Rabada, Flighted delivery on middle, Rabada defends it off the back foot. |
| Second new ball is available and England have taken it straightaway. Stuart Broad will have a go with it first up. 16-4-47-2 for him. |
| 80.1 : S Broad to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander defends it off the back foot. |
| 80.2 : S Broad to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Philander flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 80.3 : S Broad to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander keeps it out. |
| 80.4 : S Broad to Philander, Bowls it down the leg side, Philander looks to flick but misses it. |
| 80.5 : S Broad to Philander, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Philander looks to defend but misses it. |
| 80.6 : S Broad to V Philander, FOUR! Terrific shot. Full delivery outside off, Philander drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| James Anderson is back on. 19-4-61-1 are his figures so far. |
| 81.1 : J Anderson to Rabada, In the channel outside off, Rabada lets it be. |
| 81.2 : J Anderson to Rabada, Another good length ball outside off, Rabada covers his stumps and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 81.3 : J Anderson to Rabada, FOUR! Nicely done! A fuller ball outside off, Rabada gets his bat down and guides it between gully and point. It races to the third man fence and Rabada has his second boundary. |
| 81.4 : J Anderson to Rabada, Around off, it is defended off the back foot towards cover. |
| 81.5 : J Anderson to Rabada, Landed around off on a shortish length, Rabada keeps it out. |
| 81.6 : J Anderson to Rabada, FOUR! Brilliant drive and it reaches the fence. A fuller ball outside off again, Rabada drills it towards cover. The fielder there makes a half stop diving to his right but this has been drilled really hard. The ball eventually reaches the fence before the fielder can chase it down. Second boundary of the over for Rabada. These are very valuable runs for South Africa. |
| 82.1 : S Broad to Philander, On a good length on leg, Philander looks to flick but gets it off the pads. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a single. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 82.2 : S Broad to Rabada, WIDE! Bowls it wide outside off, Rabada does not bother to play at that. |
| S Broad to Rabada, Outside off, Rabada leaves it alone. |
| 82.3 : S Broad to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada blocks it off the back foot. |
| 82.4 : Broad to K Rabada, OUT! Through the gates! Superb from Broad. And South Africa lose the 9th wicket. A brilliant ball that pitches around off and comes back in with the angle. Rabada looks to defend but the ball comes back in sharply to beat the inside edge of the bat. It brushes the thigh pad and then goes to disturb the timbers behind. And, with that the umpires have called for STUMPS ON DAY 1. |
| Perfect way for England to end the day. Broad strikes on the very last ball of the day. End of a gritty, fighting and even Day 1 of the Test. The series has started off showing us that it is not going to be a walk in the park for either side. |
| South Africa after being put into bat got off to a horrible start losing Dean Elgar on the very first ball of the Test. Zubayr Hamza and Aiden Markram then tried to steady the ship but after a 32-run stand Markram too joined his opening partner back in the pavilion. Hamza looked good for his 39 but could not convert his start. Faf too failed to make the most of the start he got. Rassie van der Dussen failed to make a mark on his debut. Quinton de Kock though walked out with intent and started co |
| England will be happy with their efforts but they had their struggles as well. They got off to a dream start as James Anderson struck gold on the very first ball of the game in his 150th Test. Broad who has been struggling fought well to get 3 wickets and ended the day on a positive note. Jofra Archer struggled too but will be happy to get into the wickets column. However, the real star of the day was Sam Curran. In all honesty, whenever it looked like South Africa were getting on top, Sam got h |
| So, 277/9 is how we finish Day 1 here in Centurion. The pitch has something on offer for both, the batters as well as the bowlers. But as the saying goes, don't judge a pitch before both sides have bowled on it. So will South Africa be able to add any runs to their overnight score or will England get the final wicket early and come to bat? Join us to find out which way the match turns on Day 2. Join us on Friday, 27th December 2019 at 1000 local (0800 GMT) to find out. Till then, goodbye and che |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Almost an even first day in SuperSport Park. However, England would've been slightly disappointed after their effort in dismissing the tail. After removing half the side just over 100, England faced resistance from Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius. The duo added quickfire 87 runs. After their dismissal, Philander made sure they added further important runs. Broad struck on the last ball of the day to remove Rabada and finish the day on a high. Now, on Day 2, England would want to get rid of |
| We are ready to begin Day 2. The England players are out in the middle. Vernon Philander will be joined by Anrich Nortje. Stuart Broad will finish his over. |
| 82.5 : S Broad to Nortje, Broad starts the day with a back of a length ball but it is way too wide outside off to trouble Nortje. He drops his wrists and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 82.6 : S Broad to Nortje, Another ball which is outside off on a good length. It is easily left alone by Nortje. |
| Sam Curran to bowl from the other end to start the day. 1 wicket remaining and Sam needs that one to get his maiden fifer. Can he get it? |
| 83.1 : Sam Curran to V Philander, Fuller ball from Curran to start his spell on a fresh day. Philander pushes it to mid off. |
| 83.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, Good length ball around off, Vernon pushes it towards cover and takes a single. |
| 83.3 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Good length ball angled away from the right-hander. Nortje makes a leave. |
| 83.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Beaten! A full ball just outside off this time. Nortje this time is lured into the shot. He drives but makes no connection. |
| 83.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, In the channel outside off, Nortje covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 83.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Fuller and on off, Nortje comes forward and defends it towards mid off. |
| 84.1 : S Broad to Philander, FOUR! Nicely done and important runs these. A short ball outside off, Philander goes back and slashes it wide of the gully fielder. It races to the third man fence. |
| 84.2 : S Broad to Philander, A better throw would've made things interesting but two runs for Philander and South Africa nonetheless. A good length ball just around off, Philander pushes it through covers and looks to take two. Nortje is little slow in responding and the throw from sweeper cover comes but Broad is in front of the stumps to collect. He ends up disturbing the stumps with his hands. |
| Given caught behind by Philander reviews quickly. Surely some noise there. Let's see where it is coming from. Front foot is fine. There is a deflection as the ball passes the bat. Here comes the Ultra Edge. Clear edge and that will be end of the innings. |
| 84.3 : S Broad to Philander, OUT! Caught! There is a spike on Ultra Edge and Philander has to go. A good length ball which is outside off and it is shaping further away from Philander. He pokes at it away from his body and ends up nicking behind. Buttler catches it and celebrates. The umpire raises his finger but Philander goes for the review. Probably because it is there at his disposal. Don't think it is going to save him though. Here comes the replay. The front foot is okay. There seem to be a |
| So the innings has lasted just under 10 minutes on Day 2! The hosts have put up a fighting total after struggling at 111/5. All the batters except Quinton de Kock failed to get going after getting starts. De Kock's 95 along with supports from Dwaine Pretorius and Vernon Philander ensured that South Africa reach a score close to 300. |
| It was a controversial decision to bowl first but the English bowlers backed their captain's decision and were good with the cherry in hand. Broad and Sam Curran were the stars with the ball. The pair scalped 8 wickets equally amongst themselves. Archer was good in patches but was pretty inconsistent. James Anderson was good as well but got just a wicket on his 150th Test. All in all the visitors will be happy with their performance. |
| So South Africa have 284 on the board. The pitch has some assistance for the bowlers and it will not be an easy task for the England players. How will the openers fare? Join us after a brief break to find out. |
| 0.1 : K Rabada to Burns, NOT OUT! Excellent review and actually the credit has to be given to Sibley. Burns was not sure whether the ball had kissed the bat or not so he reviewed it after having a brief chat with Dominic. South Africa almost had a perfect start just like England. Full and swinging away from the southpaw. Burns looks to drive it straight but misses. There is a noise as the ball goes to the keeper. De Kock takes the catch and goes up in a confident appeal. The umpire agrees and rai |
| 0.2 : K Rabada to Burns, Wild ball. Length ball way outside off, Burns has no interest in playing that. |
| 0.3 : K Rabada to Burns, NO BALL! Poor start for Rabada. After the first ball he has gone way wide outside off, Burns shoulders arms to it. Rabada has overstepped and it has been caught by the umpire. |
| K Rabada to R Burns, NO BALL AND FOUR! Superb ball this but Rabada has overstepped here. Full and swinging in on off. Burns looks to play it on the on side but the ball goes off the outside edge through the gully region for a boundary. First runs off the bat. |
| K Rabada to Burns, On the pads, Burns looks to flick but misses and the ball hits the thigh pad. |
| 0.4 : K Rabada to Burns, Good length ball outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses. |
| 0.5 : K Rabada to Burns, On the pads, Burns once again looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pads. |
| 0.6 : K Rabada to Burns, Just short! Rabada fires one on the pads, Burns looks to flick but it goes off the edge and falls short of the diving man at short leg. |
| Vernon Philander to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Philander starts with a good length ball around off, it shapes away form Sibley. He lets it go to the keeper. |
| 1.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish one around off, it is defended. |
| 1.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Another length ball which is closer to off pole than the previous one but not enough to make Sibley play at it. |
| 1.4 : V Philander to Sibley, In the channel outside off, Sibley makes another leave. |
| 1.5 : V Philander to D Sibley, Just short! Brilliant line this from Philander. A good length ball around off, Sibley this time pokes at the ball but with soft hands. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to du Plessis at the second slip but on the bounce. Soft hands saved Sibley there. |
| 1.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Sibley makes another leave as Philander lands this one outside off on a good length. |
| 2.1 : K Rabada to Burns, Back of a length ball outside off, Burns sways away from it. |
| 2.2 : K Rabada to Burns, Bounce, pace and good carry on this one. Excellent ball. Rabada steams in and hits the deck hard with a 143 kph delivery around off. Burns looks to defend but the ball shapes away squaring Rory all ends up. It shoots on its way to the keeper and reaches Quinton over his head. |
| 2.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Bouncer! A very well directed one. It is right around his eye line. Burns does well to sway away from it. |
| 2.4 : K Rabada to R Burns, EDGED AND FOUR! Rabada is troubling Burns in every possible way here. Full and swinging away. Burns looks to drive it to the on side but gets squared up. It goes off the outside edge through the backward point region for a boundary. |
| 2.5 : K Rabada to Burns, A good solid front foot defense from Burns. On the stumps, RB blocks it. |
| 2.6 : K Rabada to Burns, On the pads, Burns tucks it to the leg side and keeps the strike. |
| 3.1 : V Philander to Burns, OUT! Caught behind! This time there is no need to review it as Burns knows he has got something on it. Absolute jaffa from Vernon Philander. He is one of the best bowler to left-handers and he has struck gold in the very second over here with a peach. Vernon bowls it on a length, in the channel of uncertainty. The ball goes with the angle but then straightens a bit. Rory looks to defend but gets a feather on it of his glove on its way to the keeper. De Kock takes it an |
| 0.0 : Joe Denly walks in way too early than he would've thought. 3 slips in place. |
| 3.2 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball outside off, Denly shoulders arms to it. |
| 3.3 : V Philander to Joe Denly, Good ball this. Inswinging from off, JD looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 3.4 : V Philander to Denly, On the pads, Denly glances it to mid-wicket. |
| 3.5 : V Philander to Denly, Back of a length on off, Denly defends it off his back foot. |
| 3.6 : V Philander to Denly, Length delivery on off, Denly gets right behind the line of the ball and defends it with a straight bat. End of a very successful over from VP. |
| 4.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a good length on leg, Sibley flicks it towards the leg side. |
| 4.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 4.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Bowls it down the leg side, Sibley lets it go. |
| 4.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, BEATEN! Good shape on this one! On a good length and outside off, Sibley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 4.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Flicked nicely! First boundary for Sibley! A fullish ball on middle of the right-hander. Sibley is really strong on anything on the pads. He flicks it to the mid-wicket fence nicely. |
| Given not out but Faf du Plessis goes for the DRS straightaway. Wait, what? Sibley is walking. He thinks he has nicked it. The umpire stops him and asks him to wait for the confirmation. The confirmation is that there is a clear spike on Ultra Edge. Sibley has to depart. |
| 4.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, OUT! Caught! Some drama though! Sibley has been given not out by the umpire. Faf du Plessis without even having a word with the bowler signals the 'T' straightaway. However, after he takes the DRS, Sibley starts going off. He did not do that immediately but after the decision has been taken upstairs, he starts walking. The umpire there stops him, probably to get everything confirmed. Now, time for the replays, front foot is okay. And a clear spike on the Ultra Edge. So, |
| England off to a disastrous start and out walks skipper Joe Root to rescue them. Can he help them? |
| 5.1 : V Philander to Denly, On the pads, Denly looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pads. |
| 5.2 : V Philander to Denly, Once again it on the pads, Denly looks to flick but once again misses. |
| 5.3 : V Philander to Denly, Close, close call this. Looks like height has saved Denly. Good length ball pitching on off and middle and jagging back in. Denly looks to defend but misses. The ball hits him over the knee roll and there is a huge appeal. The umpire though does not agree and shakes it away. Faf du Plessis does not review it and it is a good decision as the Hawk Eye later on shows that the ball was going to miss the stumps. |
| 5.4 : V Philander to Denly, On the fourth stump line, Denly leaves it alone. |
| 5.5 : V Philander to Denly, Away from the off pole, JD shoulders arms to it. |
| 5.6 : V Philander to Denly, Beauty to finish the over! Good length ball around off, the ball zips away a bit. Denly looks to defend but gets beaten. |
| 6.1 : K Rabada to Root, In the channel outside off, Root covers his sticks and lets it be. |
| 6.2 : K Rabada to Root, Another peach from Rabada! Fullish ball, closer to off pole. Root without moving his feet pushes at the ball with hard hands. He makes no connection and is beaten for the outside edge. Could've easily gone on to hit the off pole there. |
| 6.3 : K Rabada to Root, A brilliant bouncer now! It is on the body of Root. He hops and looks to fend it away. The ball hits the handle of the bat and goes to fine leg for a couple of runs. |
| 6.4 : K Rabada to Root, Another play and a miss! A good length ball in the channel outside off, Root once again feels for the ball and goes for the drive. Only to get beaten. Lucky not to edge that one. |
| 6.5 : K Rabada to Root, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 6.6 : K Rabada to Root, Shortish ball on off, Root goes on the back foot and defends it out. Testing over this from Rabada. |
| 7.1 : V Philander to Denly, Fuller around off, Denly comes forward and pushes it towards cover. |
| 7.2 : V Philander to Denly, Landed around off, it is blocked by Denly. Still searching for that run to get off the mark. |
| Philander was steaming in but the bails fell off at the non-striker's end and the umpire stops the bowler and asks him to steam in again. |
| 7.3 : V Philander to Joe Denly, Soft hands again! A good length ball around off, Denly waits for the ball to come to him and defends. The ball takes outside edge and goes towards second slip. The fielder there dives to his right to stop the ball. |
| 7.4 : V Philander to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 7.5 : V Philander to Denly, Outside off, Denly makes a leave. |
| 7.6 : V Philander to Denly, Fullish ball inviting for the drive but Denly is not lured into the shot. He lets it go to the keeper. |
| 8.1 : K Rabada to Root, FOUR! Timed superbly! Rabada bowls it full around off, Root comes forward and punches it through point for his first boundary. |
| 8.2 : K Rabada to Root, Bumper which goes way to high and it is outside off too. Root shows no interest. |
| 8.3 : K Rabada to Root, Angled into the batsman this time from a good length. Root looks to tuck it towards the leg side but ends up getting hit high on the thigh pads. |
| 8.4 : K Rabada to Root, FOUR LEG BYES! But off the helmet. A well directed bouncer from Rabada. Root is late in ducking under it. The ball hits the helmet and goes to to third man fence over the slip cordon. Root takes his helmet off and checks it. He seems fine. |
| The physio is out for the concussion test. A routine these days. Root looks absolutely fine but the umpires do not want to take any risks and the concussion test will be conducted. The umpires seize this opportunity and call for drinks as well. |
| 8.5 : K Rabada to Root, Good length ball outside off, Root does not disturb that. |
| 8.6 : K Rabada to Root, Another length delivery outside off, it swings back in after the stumps. Root leaves it alone. |
| 9.1 : V Philander to Denly, Around off, it is defended off the front foot. |
| 9.2 : V Philander to Denly, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 9.3 : V Philander to Denly, Full and around off, Denly looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 9.4 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball around off, Denly looks to leave the ball first but is late in removing his bat down. Ends up tapping it towards the off side. |
| 9.5 : V Philander to Denly, Fuller ball on middle, Denly looks to flick but misses. The ball hits the pads and goes fine leg for of leg byes. Still trying to get off the mark. |
| 9.6 : V Philander to Root, Landed around off, Root comes forward and defends. 5 maidens in a row from Philander. He has be so accurate in this spell. |
| 10.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Shortish around middle, pushed to mid on. |
| 10.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length ball around off and middle, it is defended. |
| 10.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Dropped! Initially it looked like it did not carry but it did. Oh dear! Van der Dussen is the man. Probably de Kock came in the way as he dived to his right to pouch the ball. A brilliant ball from Rabada once again and he cannot believe it as he has his face covered with his hands. A back of a length ball outside off, Denly pokes at it. The ball takes outside edge and goes towards first slip. De Kock throws himself to his right but cannot reach there. The ball goes in t |
| 10.4 : K Rabada to Denly, Sprayed down the leg side. Denly looks to flick but misses. |
| 10.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 10.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Denly is off the mark and the crowd applause. A good length ball around off, Denly taps it towards cover. 28th ball it is and Denly has a run. |
| Debutant Dwaine Pretorius is on. |
| 11.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, In the channel outside off to bowl the first ever ball in Tests from Pretorius. It is left alone. |
| 11.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, On middle, tucked towards mid-wicket. |
| 11.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, Another ball outside off, it is left alone. |
| 11.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 11.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Joe blocks it off the back foot. |
| 11.6 : D Pretorius to Joe Denly, Just away from the stumps. Good length ball on off, Denly looks to defend but he is a bit late on it. It hits the upper part of his bat and rolls behind. It goes past the stumps by just mere inches. |
| Rabada gets a rest Anrich Nortje has been brought back into the attack. |
| 12.1 : A Nortje to Root, Nortje starts with a back of a length ball outside off. He bowls this at 147 kph and makes the ball shoot up off the deck. Root leaves it alone. |
| 12.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a good length on off, Root defends it to covers. |
| 12.3 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery on off, Root taps it to point. |
| 12.4 : A Nortje to Root, A very intent-ful bouncer but good take from Quinton de Kock. It is around off, Root ducks under it. The ball keeps getting high on de Kock. He jumps, one might feel he even flew there to take it and save runs for his side. |
| 12.5 : A Nortje to Root, Outside off, Root shoulders arms to this one. |
| 12.6 : A Nortje to Root, FOUR! Educational edge this from Root! A 149 kph delivery bowled on a length around off, Root looks to defend but opens the face of the bat in the last moment to send it wide of the man at gully and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 13.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Outside off, Denly does not bother to play at that. |
| 13.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 13.3 : D Pretorius to Joe Denly, Length delivery on off, Denly looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 13.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Denly flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 13.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly blocks it well. |
| 13.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on middle, Denly keeps it out. |
| 14.1 : A Nortje to Root, FOUR! Length delivery outside off, Root goes on the back foot and punches it past the diving gully fielder towards third man for a boundary. |
| 14.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a good length on off, Root blocks it off the back foot. |
| 14.3 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery on middle, Root defends it off the back foot. |
| 14.4 : A Nortje to Root, Short delivery on off, Root cuts it to point. |
| 14.5 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery outside off, Root taps it towards covers and takes a run. |
| 14.6 : A Nortje to Denly, A real spicy delivery this from Nortje. Touches 150kph. It is on the pads, Denly looks to flick but misses. Nortje goes up in appeal but the umpire says no. |
| 15.1 : D Pretorius to Root, On a good length on off, the skipper defends it off the back foot. |
| 15.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root plays it to mid on. |
| 15.3 : D Pretorius to Root, On a good length on off, Root defends it off the front foot. |
| 15.4 : D Pretorius to Root, On middle, Root offers a back foot defense on this one. |
| 15.5 : D Pretorius to Root, Length delivery on off, Root punches it to point. |
| 15.6 : D Pretorius to Root, FOUR! Nicely played! On a good length on off, Root plays it with soft hands and guides it towards third man for a boundary. |
| 16.1 : A Nortje to Denly, FOUR! First one for him. That was boundary the moment it left the bat. A good length on middle, Denly uses his wrists and whips it to deep mid-wicket fence. That raced to the fence in a jiffy. |
| 16.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length delivery on middle, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 16.3 : A Nortje to Denly, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Denly looks to defend but misses it. |
| 16.4 : A Nortje to Joe Denly, FOUR! Nice shot. Second boundary of the over. Full delivery on middle, Denly drives it through mid on for a boundary. 50 up for England. |
| 16.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Length delivery on off, Denly plays it towards covers. The batsmen take a run. |
| 16.6 : Nortje to Root, Huge appeal for LBW but the umpire shakes it away. Very good ball this from Nortje. Pacy and coming in, Root looks to defend but it hits him on the pads. There is a huge appeal from the Proteas players but the umpire is not interested. Faf du Plessis does not go for the review as they feel there is a slight inside edge on this. |
| 17.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 17.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller around off, pushed to covers. |
| 17.3 : D Pretorius to Joe Denly, Full and on the stumps, Denly drives it to mid on where Rabada fumbles but no runs taken. |
| 17.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, FOUR! Clipped nicely! A good length ball on middle, Denly is very strong there. He flicks it with power and it beats the mid-wicket fielder and races to the fence. He is starting to look settled out in the middle now. |
| 17.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good leave now! A ball on a good length and in the channel. Denly covers his stumps and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 17.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 18.1 : A Nortje to Root, Full delivery outside off, Root drives it through point. Maharaj chases it and does well to stop it. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 18.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a good length on off, Root blocks it off the back foot. |
| 18.3 : A Nortje to Root, Bowls a bouncer, Root does well to duck under it. |
| 18.4 : A Nortje to Root, On a length on middle, the skipper flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 18.5 : A Nortje to Root, Bowls a quick bouncer on leg, Root ducks under it. It goes to de Kock who makes a one-handed stop. |
| 18.6 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery on off, Root defends it out. |
| Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. |
| 19.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on middle, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 19.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 19.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on middle, Denly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 19.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated delivery on off, Denly keeps it out. |
| 19.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on middle and leg, Denly offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 19.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on off, Denly keeps it out. |
| 20.1 : A Nortje to Root, On a good length on off, Root plays it towards point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 20.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 20.3 : A Nortje to Denly, Bowls a bumper, Denly ducks under it. |
| 20.4 : A Nortje to Denly, On a length on middle, Denly drives it towards mid on for a run. |
| 20.5 : A Nortje to Root, Outside off, the skipper leaves it alone. |
| 20.6 : A Nortje to Root, Length delivery on off, Root pushes it towards covers. The batsmen cross ends. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 2! |
| An even session for both sides then. England though have done well to recover from the early blows, courtesy, a fighting unbeaten stand between Denly and skipper Root. England was in trouble early on when Burns and Sibley departed early without troubling the scorers much. Denly got a life on 0 when Rassie spilled a chance at the first slip. Since then, Denly is looking solid out in the middle and Root too has himself set for a big one. |
| Rabada and Philander started for the Proteas brilliantly with the ball. Philander struck first when he removed Rory Burns in his second over. He has bowled very tight lines and length and has bowled 5 successive maidens. Rabada got rid of Sibley to put England in a troubled situation. Since then, South African bowlers could not manage to get another one. Nortje and Pretorius did bowl well too but without any success. The one over from the spinner was easily negotiated by the English batters. |
| Earlier in the day, England needed only 11 deliveries to get the final wicket of South Africa's innings to bundle them out on 284 runs. Curran who was shy of a wicket could not get the fifer and it was Broad who got the wicket of Philander. |
| Now, how will the afternoon session pan out? Will Root and Denly continue adding runs to this stand to take England in a commanding position in the game or will we see the Protea bowlers break the stand and get into the middle-order of England? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. The South African players are out in the middle. Joe Denly and Joe Root will resume their innings for England. Vernon Philander is marking his run-up and will start the proceedings for the second session. |
| 21.1 : V Philander to Root, Good length ball around off, pushed to covers by Root. |
| 21.2 : V Philander to Root, Root was in two minds there. A shortish length ball just outside off, Root first thinks to defend but at the last moment pulls his bat out of the line of the ball. |
| 21.3 : V Philander to Root, Beaten! This time he plays the defensive shot but is beaten. Kept slightly low as well. Another good length ball which is in the channel outside off. Root does not move his feet at all and drives to get beaten. |
| 21.4 : V Philander to Root, First runs off Philander after 33 dot balls. Brilliant stuff so far from Vernon. A good length ball around middle, Root takes a step forward and tucks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 21.5 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball around off, it is blocked. |
| 21.6 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball outside off, Denly stays on the back foot and pushes it towards cover. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end post the Lunch session. 6-0-22-1 so far from him. |
| 22.1 : K Rabada to Root, FOUR! Shot! A short ball outside off to start the fresh over. Root goes on the back foot and slashes it past point. It races to the fence. |
| 22.2 : K Rabada to Root, On middle, Root defends it off the back foot. |
| 22.3 : K Rabada to Root, Shortish outside off again, Root hops and pushes it towards point. |
| 22.4 : K Rabada to Joe Denly, Shortish around off again, Root goes on the back foot and taps it towards cover and takes off for a single. Maharaj gets to the ball and has a shy at the striker's end but misses. |
| 22.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Around off, it is defended. |
| 22.6 : K Rabada to Denly, FOUR! Glorious! Overpitched from Rabada and Denly pounces on it. He leans into the shot and creams it through covers. |
| 23.1 : V Philander to Joe Root, OUT! The England skipper is out of here and it is a body blow for England. Brilliant from Philander once again. Spot on with his line and length once again. Another ball in the channel outside off, Root can easily leave these alone. He though decides to have a poke at it. Joe ends up getting a tickle behind the wicket. De Kock takes the catch and celebrates. The umpire too raises the finger instantly and Root walks off. As he goes to the pavilion, punches his bat. |
| 0.0 : The captain is replaced by the vice captain. Ben Stokes, England's new superstar is the new man in. It has been Stokes' year and he has taken his side out of trouble a lot of times. He will once again need to do the same. Can he produce another rabbit out of the hat? |
| 23.2 : V Philander to Stokes, Landed on middle, it is defended. |
| 23.3 : V Philander to Stokes, On middle again, Stokes is right behind the line of the delivery to defend. |
| Philander steams in and once again pulls off from his bowling stride. Has his arms up in apology. Done a couple of times already. Not sure about the reason. |
| 23.4 : V Philander to Stokes, Outside off for the left-hander and on a good length, Stokes allows it to go to the keeper. |
| 23.5 : V Philander to Stokes, Another ball outside off which is shaping away from the left-hander. Stokes has his stumps covered as he lets it go to the keeper once again. |
| 23.6 : V Philander to Stokes, Make that third leave in a row as Philander dishes out another ball outside off on a length. |
| 24.1 : K Rabada to Joe Denly, FOUR! Crashed away! Short ball on middle, Denly rocks back and pulls it wide long on fence for a boundary. |
| 24.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Brilliant from Hamza at gully! A good length ball around off, Denly goes on the back foot and looks to run it down towards third man but Hamza dives to his right and saves runs for his side. |
| 24.3 : K Rabada to Denly, FOUR! Sprays down the leg side and gets the punishment. A ball on the pads on a good length, all Denly has to do is tickle it fine down the leg side. He does that nicely and the ball races to the fine leg fence. Rabada is leaking runs here. Not doing good to his partner who is bowling brilliantly at the other end. |
| 24.4 : K Rabada to Denly, Around off, tapped towards point. |
| 24.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length ball just outside off, Denly tucks it to point once again. |
| 24.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, left alone. |
| 25.1 : V Philander to Ben Stokes, Good length ball around off, Stokes taps it towards the gully fielder. |
| 25.2 : V Philander to Stokes, Landed on off, Stokes comes forward and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 25.3 : V Philander to Stokes, Fullish ball outside off, asking the left-hander to go for the drive. Stokes though is not interested as he makes a leave by covering his stumps. |
| 25.4 : V Philander to Stokes, Almost chopped on! A good length ball around off, Stokes defends it away from the body. The ball hits the lower part of the willow and balloons near the stumps. Stokes though is aware about it as he looks to keep the ball away. He does not need to do so as it does not go on the stumps anyway. |
| 25.5 : V Philander to Stokes, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 25.6 : V Philander to Stokes, Uppish but safe! Fuller and outside off, Stokes drives away from the body. The ball takes the outer half of the bat and goes to point uppishly. A lot of oohs and aahs from the slip cordon. |
| 26.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Back of a length ball around off, Denly pulls but finds mid on. |
| 26.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 26.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length ball around off, Denly defends it towards cover off the back foot. |
| 26.4 : K Rabada to Denly, FOUR! Nicely done! A short ball outside off, Denly hangs back and guides it between the second slip and gully fielder. It races to the third man fence. Another boundary off Rabada. |
| 26.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Shortish around off, Denly works it behind square leg and takes a single. |
| 3 slips and a gully are in place for Ben Stokes. |
| 26.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, Around off, it is defended. |
| Keshav Maharaj to bowl now. Just a over in the first session. A slip and a short leg in place for him. |
| 27.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up on off, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 27.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on off, Denly plays it to point. |
| 27.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Full around off, Denly this time skips down the track and looks to go downtown over long on. However, the ball hits the lower part of the bat and goes to mid on who fumbles but no runs costed. |
| 27.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 27.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, Denly keeps it out. |
| 27.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, FOUR! Over mid off! This time Denly reaches the pitch of this tossed up ball outside off and lofts it over mid off for a boundary. Looking really impressive ever since the first run he got. |
| Change of ends for Vernon Philander. He has created havoc from the other end. Can he do the same from this side. |
| 28.1 : V Philander to Ben Stokes, Full and around off, pushed to mid off. The fielder there fumbles and allows Stokes to take a single and get off the mark. |
| 28.2 : V Philander to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 28.3 : V Philander to Denly, Landed around off on a good length, Denly keeps it out. |
| 28.4 : V Philander to Denly, Fuller and outside off, Denly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 28.5 : V Philander to Denly, Flicked nicely! A good length ball on the pads, Denly whips it to mid-wicket. The mid on fielder chases it down and keeps the batters to a couple of runs. |
| 28.6 : V Philander to Denly, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| Change of ends for Rabada as well. 9-0-44-1, his numbers so far. He has struggled a bit post Lunch. Let's see whether the change of ends does the trick for him. |
| 29.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a good length on off, Stokes looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 29.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, Good length delivery on middle, Stokes offers a solid defense on this one. |
| 29.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a good length on off, Stokes plays it back to the bowler. |
| 29.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Good length delivery on middle, Stokes pushes it through mid on. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 29.5 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, FOUR! That is put away! Short delivery on middle, Stokes pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 29.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a good length on off, Ben blocks it off the front foot. |
| 30.1 : V Philander to Denly, Around off on a length, Denly blocks it out. |
| 30.2 : V Philander to Denly, Fuller ball around off, pushed to cover. |
| 30.3 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball angled into the batter, Denly does well to keep it out. |
| 30.4 : V Philander to Denly, Landed on middle, Denly flicks it between mid on and mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 30.5 : V Philander to Stokes, On a good length on middle, Stokes defends it off the back foot. |
| 30.6 : V Philander to Stokes, Bowls it down the leg side, Stokes looks to flick but misses it. |
| 31.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Brilliant from Maharaj at gully. A full ball outside off, Denly drills the drive nicely but Maharaj dives full length to his right to make a half stop. The ball rolls just away and before he can get up and get to the ball, the batters cross. |
| 31.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 31.3 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Whipped nicely! Full delivery on middle, Stokes drives it through mid on for a boundary. 100 up for England. |
| 31.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Length delivery on off, Stokes taps it to point. |
| 31.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a good length on off, Ben blocks it off the back foot. |
| 31.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a length on middle, Stokes tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| Anrich Nortje replaces Philander. 5-0-23-0 are his figures so far. |
| 32.1 : A Nortje to Denly, On a length on middle, Denly nudges it towards the leg side. |
| 32.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Length delivery on off, Denly taps it towards point and takes a single. |
| 32.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, On a length on middle, Stokes flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 32.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 32.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Bowls a bouncer, Denly does well to duck under it. |
| 32.6 : A Nortje to Joe Denly, FOUR BYES! Bowls a bumper, Denly ducks under it. It goes towards Quinton de Kock who jumps and tries to stop by leaping but he can only get a glove on it. It ends up going to the third man fence. |
| Keshav Maharaj returns. |
| 33.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Tossed up delivery on middle, Stokes blocks it off the back foot. |
| 33.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated delivery on off, Stokes blocks it well. |
| 33.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flighted delivery on middle, Stokes defends it out. |
| 33.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, SIX! Don't bother looking that was six the moment it left the bat. Flighted on off, Stokes gets down on one knee and smashes it over the mid-wicket fence for a big six. |
| 33.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, SIX! Two in a row. This one is a flat hit but once again hardly hit. Floated on off, Stokes once again gets down on one knee and slogs it flat over the mid-wicket fence for a maximum. 50-run stand is up between Ben Stokes and Joe Denly. |
| 33.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Restores calmness and defends it off the front foot. |
| Drinks! After losing the wicket of Root early in the session, the duo of Denly and Stokes have added 50-run stand between them in just 64 balls and are taking England towards a strong position. Rabada has been not at his best and has leaked runs. Philander from one end has kept things tight but has not got support from the other end. The Proteas need wickets quickly or else these two will add quick runs and take England's total closer to South Africa quickly. Interesting hour awaits. |
| 34.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Outside off, Denly offers no shot to this one. |
| 34.2 : A Nortje to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 34.3 : A Nortje to Denly, FIVE WIDES! Bowls a bouncer down the leg side, Denly does well to duck under it. It goes way past the keeper towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| A Nortje to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly keeps it out. |
| 34.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Outside off, Joe leaves it alone. |
| 34.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Length delivery on middle, Denly flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 34.6 : A Nortje to Stokes, On a good length on off, Stokes defends it off the back foot. |
| 35.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Mix up but safe. The throw is at the wrong end. A shortish ball around off, Denly taps it towards point. There is a bit of confusion in the mind of Denly but seeing Stokes rushing at the other end, Denly too takes off. The throw comes at the striker's end but Stokes was quick to reach his crease. De Kock throws the ball back to the bowler at the non-striker's end but by the time it reaches, Denly is home. |
| 35.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Tossed up ball on middle, it is defended off the front foot. |
| 35.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full delivery on off, Stokes drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 35.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy delivery on middle, Stokes flicks it through square leg for a single. |
| 35.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Denly drives it to mid on. |
| 35.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on off, Denly punches it to point. |
| 36.1 : A Nortje to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Effortless from Stokes! Fullish ball on off, Stokes punches it beautifully. It reaches to the long on fence quickly. Sweet timing. |
| 36.2 : A Nortje to Stokes, Around off, it is defended. |
| 36.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, FOUR! Improvisation at its best. Short and outside off, Stokes goes on the back foot and at the very last moment guides it over the slip cordon. One bounce and into the fence. |
| 36.4 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length ball around off, pushed to point. |
| 36.5 : A Nortje to Stokes, On middle, Stokes tucks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 36.6 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length ball angled into the right-hander, Denly works it towards fine leg for a single. |
| Pretorius replaces Maharaj. 4-1-10-0 are his figures so far. |
| 37.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller and off, pushed to mid off. |
| 37.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, FOUR! Gets to his 6th Test half ton in style! Brilliant shot. A full ball outside off, Denly leans into the drive and creams it through the covers. He has been superb so far and look to convert this into a big one. |
| 37.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, What a response from Pretorius. Lands this one on a good length just outside off and makes the batter poke at it. |
| 37.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Is there an edge? The umpire doesn't think so but Faf du Plessis has signaled the 'T'. The front foot is fine. Looks like an inside edge there. Yes, a faint spike is confirmed by the Ultra Edge. Superb review from South Africa. |
| 37.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, OUT! Caught behind! The Ultra Edge detects a faint inside edge and Denly has to depart. Pretorius gets his debut Test wicket and an important one too as South Africa have broken the partnership. 50 and gone, 6th time this has happened in Tests for Denly. Still searching his maiden Test ton. A superb ball from Pretorius. It is just ahead of the back of a length. It pitches and then comes back in as Denly comes forward and looks defends. He misses to do so and the ball |
| Jonny Bairstow joins Ben Stokes out in the middle. He has not been in the best of forms in the longest format of the game with the bat and there have been a lot of talks about it. He needs to play a big innings here to not just justify his selection but also retain his place in this playing 11. |
| 37.6 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, Landed on middle, Bairstow tucks it towards mid-wicket and takes a run to get off the mark. |
| 38.1 : A Nortje to Bairstow, On a good length on middle, Bairstow looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 38.2 : A Nortje to Bairstow, Good length delivery on off, Bairstow defends it off the back foot. |
| 38.3 : A Nortje to Bairstow, Full delivery on middle, Bairstow flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 38.4 : A Nortje to Bairstow, On a length on middle, Jonny tucks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 38.5 : A Nortje to Bairstow, OUT! Knocks him over! Nortje is the man who strikes for the first time and half the English side is back to the pavilion. Brilliant line and length this form Nortje. A good length ball from him which pitches outside off and then comes in nicely. Bairstow without any feet movement looks to defend. But the ball keeps low and comes back in to beat the defense of Bairstow. It goes behind and rattles the timber. Bairstow's poor run in Tests in 2019 continues. |
| Jos Buttler is the new batsman in. |
| 38.6 : A Nortje to Buttler, Fuller around off, pushed to cover. |
| 39.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On a good length on off, Stokes defends it towards point and takes a run. |
| 39.2 : D Pretorius to Buttler, FOUR! That is a gorgeous cover drive from Jos Buttler! Slightly overpitched around off, Buttler does not need second invitation. He just gets on his front foot and drives it deliciously through covers for a boundary. |
| 39.3 : D Pretorius to Buttler, On a good length on off, Buttler defends it off the front foot. |
| 39.4 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Just short of Pretorius. On a good length on off, Buttler hits it uppishly towards the bowler where it falls short of Dwaine Pretorius. |
| 39.5 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Outside off, Jos offers no shot to this one. |
| 39.6 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Length delivery on off, Buttler punches it through point. The batsmen get two runs. 150 up for England. |
| 40.1 : A Nortje to Stokes, On a good length on off, Stokes defends it off the back foot. |
| 40.2 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length delivery on off, Ben defends it out. |
| 40.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, OUT! Caught behind! Nortje gets his second wicket of the game and no prizes for guessing who has caught it. It is Quinton de Kock. His 5th catch of the innings and England from a commanding position have their backs against the wall. This is proper Test match wicket. Nortje hits the deck hard on a length at 144 kph. The ball shapes away just a bit. Stokes looks to defend but that little zip troubles him enough to take the outside edge and goes straight into the mitts of |
| Sam Curran is in now. Bailed England out on a few occasions when India toured England in 2018. Can he do so here? England would certainly hope so. Two slips, a short leg and a gully fielder placed for him. |
| 40.4 : A Nortje to Curran, Full delivery on middle, Curran flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 40.5 : A Nortje to Curran, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Curran looks to defend but misses it. |
| 40.6 : A Nortje to Curran, On a length and outside off, Curran plays it to the off side. |
| 41.1 : D Pretorius to Buttler, On a good length on off, Buttler defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 41.2 : D Pretorius to Jos Buttler, Full delivery outside off, Buttler drives it to covers. |
| 41.3 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Good length delivery on off, Jos blocks it off the front foot. |
| 41.4 : D Pretorius to Buttler, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Buttler looks to defend but misses it. |
| 41.5 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Outside off, Jos leaves it alone. |
| 41.6 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Length delivery on off, Buttler taps it to point. |
| 42.1 : A Nortje to Curran, On a good length on off, Curran defends it off the back foot. |
| 42.2 : A Nortje to Curran, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Sam looks to defend but misses it. |
| 42.3 : A Nortje to Curran, On a length on middle, Curran flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 42.4 : A Nortje to Buttler, Length delivery on middle, Buttler plays it to mid on. |
| 42.5 : A Nortje to Buttler, Good length delivery on middle, Buttler defends it off the back foot. |
| 42.6 : A Nortje to Buttler, On a good length on off, Jos keeps it out. |
| 43.1 : D Pretorius to Curran, On a length on leg, Sam flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 43.2 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Outside off, Buttler lets it go. |
| 43.3 : D Pretorius to Buttler, On a good length on off, Jos defends it off the front foot. |
| 43.4 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Outside off, Buttler shoulders arms to this one. |
| 43.5 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Again outside off, Jos does not bother to play at that. |
| 43.6 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Outside off, Jos leaves it alone. |
| 44.1 : A Nortje to Curran, Short of a length delivery, Curran looks to pull but misses it. |
| 44.2 : A Nortje to Curran, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Sam looks to defend but misses it. |
| 44.3 : A Nortje to Curran, EDGY FOUR! On a good length on off, Curran looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a boundary. |
| 44.4 : A Nortje to Curran, Full and on middle, Curran pushes it to mid on for a single. |
| 44.5 : A Nortje to Buttler, Landed on middle, flicked to mid on by Buttler. |
| 44.6 : A Nortje to Buttler, Good length ball around off, Buttler pushes it to point off the back foot. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2. |
| What a brilliant session of Test cricket we have witnessed here in Centurion. The pendulum of this match keeps moving. It looked like England were well and truly on top with Stokes and Denly going along their merry way. The latter got to his fifty and with the score reading 142/3, it looked like England will easily head into Tea with their noses well and truly in front. But as we have witnessed so many times in the recent past, and England collapse was not far away. From 142/3 the visitors found |
| South Africa would not be happy with how the first hour of the session played out. They bowled well but were unable to break that partnership. But the second hour saw the hosts get on top and take charge. Debutant Dwaine Pretorius provided his skipper the breakthrough they were desperately looking for. Anrich Nortje then joined the act and his two quick wickets has seen South Africa head into Tea being in the driver's seat. So what do we have in store for the final session? Can England make a co |
| ... Day 2, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session of the day. The South African players are out in the middle. Sam Curran and Jos Buttler will resume their innings for England. Vernon Philander will start the proceedings for the final session of the day. |
| 45.1 : V Philander to Curran, That one kept really low! A full ball outside off, Curran drives away from the body but the ball sneaks through the bat to the keeper who cannot gather the ball cleanly. |
| 45.2 : V Philander to Curran, Fuller and on off, pushed to mid off by Curran. |
| 45.3 : V Philander to Curran, On middle, Curran does well to defend it out off the front foot. |
| 45.4 : V Philander to Curran, FOUR! First runs of the session and its 4 of them. Short and wide outside off, Curran goes on the back foot and crashes it through cover-point for a boundary. |
| 45.5 : V Philander to Sam Curran, EDGY FOUR! Now, four lucky runs. A fuller ball around off, Curran looks to defend but the ball takes the outer half of the bat and goes to the third man fence between the slip cordon. |
| 45.6 : V Philander to Curran, Fuller and around off, pushed to mid off. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. |
| 46.1 : K Rabada to Buttler, Full toss on off, pushed to mid off. |
| 46.2 : K Rabada to Buttler, On the pads, Buttler tucks it behind square leg for a couple of runs. |
| 46.3 : K Rabada to Buttler, Beaten! Terrific line from Rabada. A good length ball around off, a hint of movement away from the batter is enough to beat the outside edge. |
| 46.4 : Rabada to Buttler, Around off, defended off the back foot. |
| 46.5 : K Rabada to Jos Buttler, FOUR! Superbly driven! A good length ball outside off, Buttler takes a step forward and slams it through covers for a boundary. |
| 46.6 : K Rabada to Jos Buttler, Bouncer and on middle, pulled to mid-wicket. |
| 47.1 : V Philander to Curran, Landed around off, Curran pushes it towards mid off. |
| 47.2 : V Philander to Curran, Shortish ball just outside off, Curran taps it through point for a single. |
| 47.3 : V Philander to Buttler, Landed around off, defended off the front foot by Buttler. |
| 47.4 : V Philander to Buttler, Fuller and on middle, Buttler works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 47.5 : V Philander to Buttler, Shortish ball outside off, Buttler reaches out to cut but makes no connection. |
| 47.6 : V Philander to Buttler, Good length ball just outside off, defended towards mid off. |
| 48.1 : K Rabada to Curran, FOUR! Superb timing! Rabada continues to leak runs here. A good length ball outside off, Curran goes on the back foot and punches it through the extra cover region. The mid off fielder gives the ball a chase but he cannot get there. |
| 48.2 : K Rabada to Curran, Rabada sprays down the leg side this time. Curran flicks but cannot make any connection. |
| 48.3 : K Rabada to Curran, Back of a length ball outside off, Curran drops his wrists and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 48.4 : K Rabada to Curran, Around off, Curran taps it towards point. |
| 48.5 : K Rabada to Sam Curran, OUT! Caught at short leg and Curran is out of here. Brilliant catch from Hamza. You need a very strong reflexes there and Hamza has that at this ball. A good length ball on middle, Curran flicks but hits it straight to Hamza at short leg. He gets down in time towards his left and pouches it nicely. Another timely wicket for the Proteas. It is second for Rabada and now South Africa are into the tail of England. South Africa still ahead by 108 runs. |
| Jofra Archer walks out to bat. Did not have a great outing with the ball and he is capable with the willow in hand. Can he hang in there and support Jos Buttler? |
| 48.6 : Rabada to Archer, Rabada goes for the yorker around off, Archer does well to dig it out towards gully. |
| 49.1 : V Philander to Buttler, Landed around off, it is defended by Buttler. |
| 49.2 : V Philander to Buttler, Fuller ball around off this time, Jos comes forward and keeps it out. |
| 49.3 : V Philander to Buttler, Good length ball outside off which is shaping away from the right-hander. Buttler lets it be. |
| 49.4 : V Philander to Buttler, That one kept low! Good length ball outside off, Buttler looks to drive but the ball keeps low and sneaks below the bat. |
| 49.5 : V Philander to Buttler, This one shoots off. A ball on a good length outside off, it rises after pitching. Buttler is in two mind weather to play at it or let it be. He, at the very last moment pulls his bat out of the line of the ball. |
| 49.6 : V Philander to Buttler, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 50.1 : K Rabada to Archer, On a good length on off, Archer defends it towards point. |
| 50.2 : K Rabada to Archer, Length delivery outside off, Jofra taps it to point. |
| 50.3 : K Rabada to Archer, Good length delivery on off, Archer blocks it off the front foot. |
| 50.4 : K Rabada to Archer, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Archer looks to defend but misses it. |
| 50.5 : K Rabada to Archer, Full delivery on off, Archer drives it to covers. |
| 50.6 : K Rabada to Archer, Short delivery on off, Archer looks to defend but gets hit on the glove. |
| 51.1 : V Philander to Buttler, OUT! Caught behind! Sixth catch of the match and it is a blinder behind the wicket from de Kock. Last recognized batsman is gone now and England are staring at a huge first innings lead. Sharp bouncer around off, Buttler hopes to push but the ball takes the outside edge and goes right of the keeper. De Kock throws himself to his right and gobbles the ball with both hands, in front of the first slip. Philander has three and England are 8 down. |
| 0.0 : Stuart Broad joins his pace bowling partner Jofra Archer out in the middle. |
| 51.2 : V Philander to Broad, Shortish ball just outside off, Broad taps it off the back foot. |
| 51.3 : V Philander to Broad, Beaten! Superb from Philander. A good length ball outside off, Broad pokes at the ball to get beaten. |
| 51.4 : V Philander to Broad, Full and on off, driven for a couple of runs through covers. |
| 51.5 : V Philander to Broad, Fuller and around off, Broad drives it to mid off. |
| 51.6 : V Philander to Broad, On middle, Broad looks to flick but misses to get hit high on the thigh pads. |
| 52.1 : K Rabada to Archer, Fuller and on off, Archer drives it through covers and before Maharaj from point get to the ball, the batters take a couple of runs. |
| 52.2 : K Rabada to Archer, Fuller and around off, pushed to point for a single. |
| 52.3 : K Rabada to Broad, Good length ball outside off, pushed to point. |
| 52.4 : K Rabada to Broad, OUT! Caught at gully! Terrific bowling from Rabada. Bowls a bouncer outside off, Broad can only push it in the hands of Elgar at gully. Bouncer has always troubled Broad and Rabada dished out one to send him back to the pavilion. 9 down and still behind 103. |
| James Anderson walks out at number 11 on his 150th Test. Any runs he will add now will be a bonus. |
| 52.5 : K Rabada to Anderson, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 52.6 : K Rabada to Anderson, Beaten! In the channel outside off, Anderson pokes at the ball to get beaten. |
| 53.1 : V Philander to Archer, Full and on middle from Philander, Archer gets his bat down in time to keep it out. |
| 53.2 : V Philander to J Archer, OUT! Knocks over the off stump and England are all out. Outstanding bowling from Philander. He has his fourth. A good length ball on off which goes straight after pitching. Archer looks to defend but misses. The ball goes behind and disturbs the off pole. ENGLAND ARE ALL OUT FOR 181! |
| Once again England collapse and after staying on the field for almost 85 overs, the visitors have failed to give their bowlers the rest they would have been looking for. After wrapping up South Africa 10 minutes into the morning. The hosts started off badly losing both the openers early on. Joe Root and Joe Denly then steadied the ship with a 55-run stand. Root though could not capitalise on their start. Stokes then continued the good work and at 142/3 it looked like England were in the driver' |
| A superb bowling display from the hosts. They started off brilliantly and it was a collective bowling effort from them. Vernon Philander was the undisputed star with the ball. He asked question to the English batsmen every time he bowled and also kept things tight. He bowled 14.2 overs and gave away just 16 runs picking up 4 wickets. Kagiso Rabada struggled initially but ended up with 3 wickets. Nortje and Pretorius were good too, picking up 2 and 1 wicket respectively. Maharaj was the only bowl |
| So South Africa have a 103 run lead and are comfortably in the command here. England will have to toil hard again and need to stay in the field for more than 90 minutes. Can they strike early and fight their way back in the game? Join us in a while to find out. |
| 0.1 : J Anderson to Markram, Anderson starts with a good length delivery starting on off. It swings away from Markram but he gets behind it and blocks it confidently with a straight bat. |
| 0.2 : J Anderson to Markram, Back of a length on off, Markram defends it with authority by getting right behind this. |
| 0.3 : J Anderson to Markram, James goes full for the first time on off. Markram pushes it to mid on. |
| 0.4 : J Anderson to Markram, Just behind fuller length outside off, Markram pushes it through cover-point for a couple of runs to get off the mark. |
| Given out LBW. That looks dead plumb to the naked eye. Markram has a word with his partner at the other end and signals the 'T'. No bat there. Here comes the Hawk Eye. Three reds it is. So, a review lost for South Africa in the very first over. |
| 0.5 : Anderson to Markram, OUT! That is dead plumb! Don't bother even taking the review on this one. But Markram thinks and not just thinks but takes it. Looks to be a poor call this one. A fuller ball around off, Markram looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. Massive appeal from the English players and umpire raises finger instantly. Markram is not sure. He slowly goes to his partner, they have a word and at the very end, opts for the DRS. Don't think it will save him though. Let's se |
| Zubayr Hamza is the next batsman in. |
| 0.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Outside off on a good length, it is left alone. |
| Stuart Broad to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Outside off, Elgar shoulders arms to this one. |
| 1.2 : S Broad to Elgar, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Elgar looks to defend but misses it. |
| 1.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Outside off, Elgar offers no shot to this one. |
| 1.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length delivery on off, Elgar defends it out. |
| 1.5 : S Broad to D Elgar, FOUR! Nicely played! Good length delivery on off, Elgar pokes at it with soft hands and the ball takes an outside edge. It goes between second slip and gully towards third man for a boundary. |
| 1.6 : S Broad to Elgar, On a good length on off, Elgar defends it off the front foot. |
| 2.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, On a length on middle, Hamza nudges it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 2.2 : J Anderson to Elgar, Length delivery on middle, Elgar flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 2.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, Full delivery on middle, Hamza looks to flick but gets it off the inner half of the bat. It goes towards mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 2.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, On a length on middle, Elgar flicks it towards the leg side. |
| 2.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, Good length delivery on off, Elgar defends it towards the off side. The batsmen take a run. |
| 2.6 : J Anderson to Hamza, Outside off, Hamza lets it go. |
| 3.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Almost dragged on! Broad has his hands on his head. A good length ball around off, Elgar looks to defend but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 3.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Good leave this time! Broad goes full just outside off, asking Elgar to drive. Elgar though is not interested as he covers his stumps and lets it be. |
| 3.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Beaten this time! Lands it just outside off and makes it move away from the poke of Elgar. |
| 3.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 3.5 : S Broad to Elgar, Full and on off, defended towards mid off. |
| 3.6 : S Broad to Elgar, Full and on the pads, Elgar tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 4.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, On a good length on middle, Hamza defends it off the back foot. |
| 4.2 : J Anderson to Hamza, Good length delivery on off, Hamza defends it towards point. |
| 4.3 : J Anderson to Hamza, On a good length on off, Hamza taps it towards point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 4.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, On a good length on off, Elgar plays it to point. |
| 4.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, Huge appeal but not out says the umpire. Root does not go for the DRS. Good call in the end as the replays show that it was going to miss the off pole. Coming to the ball, it's a good length ball outside off, Elgar looks to defend but misses. |
| 4.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Beaten! Good length ball outside off, Elgar pokes at the ball to get beaten. |
| 5.1 : S Broad to Hamza, Fuller on off, Hamza defends it off the front foot. |
| 5.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Broad hits the deck hard on off, Zubayr defends it off the back foot. |
| 5.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Full and on the pads, Hamza flicks it through mid-wicket and gets a single. |
| 5.4 : Broad to Elgar, Broad goes around the wicket and darts in on the pads with the angle. Elgar looks to flick but misses. The ball hits his pad and goes down the leg side. Broad goes up in a hopeful appeal but the umpire shakes it away. The batters meanwhile takes a single. |
| 5.5 : S Broad to Hamza, Around off, Hamza defends it with confidence. |
| 5.6 : S Broad to Hamza, Full on off, Hamza blocks it to get through the over. |
| 6.1 : J Anderson to Elgar, FOUR! Uppish but well placed. Full outside off, Elgar stretches out and lofts his drive over point for a boundary. |
| 6.2 : J Anderson to Elgar, FOUR! This one is straight down the ground. Anderson is once again guilty of going too full on off. Elgar gets on his front foot and drives it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 6.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, Smart cricket this from Elgar. Anderson pulls his length back and goes to the off stump line. Dean leaves it alone. |
| 6.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, FOUR! Third boundary off the over! Anderson is not looking like himself here. He now strays down the pads, Elgar flicks it with ease through the square leg fence. The man from fine leg gives it a chase but cannot stop the ball from reaching the fence. |
| 6.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, Away from the off pole, Elgar knows that he has already scored 12 runs off the over so there is no need to play that and he calmly leaves it alone. |
| 6.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Length delivery outside off, DE shoulders arms to it to get through the over. |
| 7.1 : S Broad to Hamza, Broad goes full and on middle and leg, Elgar glances it to mid-wicket. |
| 7.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Nicely played. Length delivery close to off pole. Hamza gets on his back foot and punches it to cover. |
| 7.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Solidly defended now. Good length ball once again the line is the same. Hamza defends it off his back foot towards mid off. |
| 7.4 : S Broad to Hamza, OUT! Caught! Another wicket which has come down the leg side. A very similar way to how Elgar got out in the first innings. Broad bowls one around the pads, down the leg side. Hamza is cramped for room as he tries to tickle it fine down the leg side. The ball kisses his bat and then the pads and goes to the left of the keeper. Buttler behind the stumps puts in a dive on that side and takes a very good catch. He puts an appeal along with the bowler and the umpire raises his |
| Faf du Plessis is the new man in. |
| 7.5 : S Broad to Plessis, Good length ball outside off, du Plessis leaves it alone. |
| 7.6 : S Broad to Plessis, That is a beauty! In the channel around off. It swings in but straightens after hitting the deck. Du Plessis lunges forward to defend but gets squared up. He is lucky not to edge it as the ball just about misses the outside edge. That is a trademark Broad delivery. |
| First bowling change of the innings and it sees Jofra Archer being brought on. He was not at his best in the first innings, can he make amends in the second? |
| 8.1 : J Archer to Elgar, FOUR! Done with ease! Not a welcome Jofra would have been looking for. Overpitched on off, Elgar just uses the pace of the ball and strokes it through mid off for an elegant boundary. |
| 8.2 : J Archer to Elgar, OUT! Caught! Three down and we still have cloe to an hour left for the close! How many more coming? Excellent ball but also a lovely catch from Jos Buttler. Superb comeback here from Jofra. He has the last laugh and got rid of Elgar with a peach. Good length ball pitching on off. It jags back in venomously. Elgar looks to defend but the ball comes back in a long way. It takes the inside edge of his defensive willow and goes over the stumps. Buttler dives to his right and |
| Rassie van der Dussen walks out to bat next. |
| 8.3 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Bouncer to welcome Rassie. It is down the leg side. Van der Dussen ducks under it. |
| 8.4 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Good length ball outside off. Rassie leaves it alone. The ball dies on its way to the keeper so Buttler misses it and it goes past him and they steal a leg bye. |
| 8.5 : J Archer to Plessis, Length delivery outside off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 8.6 : J Archer to Plessis, End of a very eventful over from Archer. A boundary and a wicket of it. |
| 9.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, Rassie defends it towards the off side and takes a quick single. |
| 9.2 : S Broad to Plessis, Good length delivery outside off, du Plessis defends it off the front foot. |
| 9.3 : S Broad to Plessis, On a good length on middle, du Plessis keeps it out. |
| 9.4 : S Broad to Plessis, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 9.5 : S Broad to Plessis, Length delivery outside off, Faf shoulders arms to it. |
| 9.6 : S Broad to Plessis, Very full on off. Almost a yorker, Faf does well to defend. |
| 10.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Back of a length on the body, van der Dussen flicks it to square leg for a single. |
| 10.2 : J Archer to Plessis, FOUR! Driven crisply! Slightly overpitched on off, du Plessis is onto it in a flash and creams his drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 10.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Back of a length on off, Faf defends this off his back foot. |
| 10.4 : J Archer to Plessis, FOUR! Crunched away! Length ball away from off, du Plessis shows aggressive approach and slashes this through covers for a boundary. |
| 10.5 : J Archer to Plessis, Now once again shows calmness and defends this length delivery astutely. |
| 10.6 : J Archer to Plessis, FOUR! Third boundary of the over and it is a very good over for the Proteas. Length ball delivery outside off. Faf likes the width on offer and he gets on his back foot and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| Drinks Break! England have bowled well now and have put presssure on South Africa by taking three wickets. On the other hand, the hosts would look to increase their lead and would want a big partnership from here. |
| Sam Curran to have a go with the ball for the first time in this innings after the break. He was very impressive in the first innings and finished with a 4-fer. Can he repeat his heroics? |
| 11.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Curran starts with a fuller ball outside off, Rassie drives it through covers and before the mid off fielder can get to the ball, van der Dussen takes three. |
| 11.2 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Landed on middle, du Plessis works it behind square leg for a run. |
| 11.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 11.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, van der Dussen taps it towards point. |
| EDGED AND TAKEN! Or is it? Has that been taken cleanly? Stokes has taken a very low catch in the slips. He does not look that confident but does not deny that the catch was taken either. The on-field umpires have gone upstairs with the soft signal as OUT! Let's see what the replays have to say. Clear BOUNCE. Guess Stokes knew that the ball had not gone straight into the hands. As a fielder, you know when the ball goes straight in. The first replay, the front on one, shows the ball landed in fron |
| 11.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, NOT OUT! Just short of Stokes at second slip, so the on-field umpire's decision will be overturned. Curran's celebrations will be short-lived. But a bBrilliant delivery. It is a fullish ball around off, van der Dussen looks to defend but the ball takes thick outside edge and goes to the left of Ben Stokes at second slip. He takes the catch and Curran celebrates. Stokes is not sure if that is a clean one though. The umpires get together and refer it upstairs wi |
| 11.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 12.1 : J Archer to Plessis, Good length ball on middle and it comes back in. Faf tucks it to square leg. |
| 12.2 : J Archer to Plessis, Length delivery on top of the stumps. Du Plessis defends it back to the bowler. |
| 12.3 : J Archer to Plessis, Back of a length on off, Faf punches it towards mid off. |
| 12.4 : J Archer to Plessis, Fuller on off, du Plessis pushes it to cover. |
| 12.5 : J Archer to Plessis, SIX! Faf has just gone after the bouncer here and got out of it getting the maximum result. Bouncer from Archer, Faf gets on his back foot and pulls it with confidence and power over the square leg fence for a biggie. |
| 12.6 : J Archer to Plessis, Good length delivery around off, it zips in. Faf taps it down towards third man and gets a single to get through the over. |
| 13.1 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length ball on off, du Plessis defends it off the front foot. |
| 13.2 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Full on off, Faf flicks it to square leg. |
| 13.3 : Sam Curran to Plessis, This one comes in. It is full outside off, Faf hits it back towards the bowler off the inner half of his bat. |
| 13.4 : Sam Curran to du Plessis, Full on off, du Plessis pushes it to mid off. |
| 13.5 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Very good ball. Yorker outside off. Faf looks to play it on the off side but it goes off the inside edge down to the leg side. |
| 13.6 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Full and going away from the right-hander from middle and off. Du Plessis plays it against the swing and tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 14.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Fuller on middle and off, Rassie flicks it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 14.2 : J Archer to van der Dussen, FOUR! Pulled with power and disdain. The South Africans have decided to take on Archer here. Back of a length on off, Rassie pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 14.3 : J Archer to van der Dussen, In the air and safe! Short ball from Archer. It gets quickly onto Rassie. He looks to pull but it goes off the upper half of the bat. It lobs towards the no man's land at mid-wicket and they take a single. |
| 14.4 : J Archer to Plessis, OUT! Faf du Plessis holes out! The ploy to go after Archer has backfired. Quick and back of a length delivery on middle. Faf takes his eyes off the ball and pulls it while going down on one knee. He hits it towards deep backward square leg. Sam Curran comes running in from fine leg and takes a good running catch. |
| South Africa have sent a nightwatchman as Anrich Nortje comes in next. |
| 14.5 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Bouncer! Rassie ducks under it. |
| 14.6 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Huge appeal for caught behind but the umpire says no. Good length ball pitching oaround off, Rassie looks to defend away from the body. There is a noise as the ball goes past the bat. Jofra initially does not think there is bat involved but he sees Root go up so even he does. Jofra thinks he has his man but Buttler does not believe it. Root, Archer and Jos have a brief chat but Buttler is sure there is nothing on it. Root goes with his keeper's gut and does not |
| 15.1 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Curran goes full outside off to Nortje first up. He lets it be. |
| 15.2 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Fuller and outside off once again, Nortje does not offer any shot again. |
| 15.3 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Snorter now! Curran bends his back and bangs this one short around off. He has Nortje fending it off his toes but luckily for Nortje, the ball misses everything and goes in the mitts of the keeper. |
| 15.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Around off on a good length, this time Nortje pushes it towards cover. |
| 15.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Full toss outside off, Nortje lets it be. |
| 15.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Full and on middle, Nortje defends it back to the bowler. |
| 16.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Short ball down the leg side. van der Dussen lets it be. De Kock does well to dive to his left and pouch the ball. |
| 16.2 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Another bouncer on middle, Rassie does well to sway away. |
| 16.3 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Good length ball around off, van der Dussen keeps it out. |
| 16.4 : Archer to van der Dussen, What a snorter this one! Brilliant brilliant stuff from Archer. He seems to be found his mojo for now. Bangs this one short around off, van der Dussen initially looks to defend but seeing the bounce on this one, tries to sway away. He ends up doing that well. Buttler behind the wicket makes a loud appeal but Archer goes up only after seeing Buttler appeal. The umpire shows no interest and England skipper does not opt for the review either. |
| 16.5 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Shortish and around off, it is blocked off the back foot. |
| 16.6 : J Archer to van der Dussen, In the channel outside off, van der Dussen looks to defend initially but pulls his bat away at the very last moment. |
| 17.1 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Full on off, Nortje defends it off the front foot and keeps that one out. |
| 17.2 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Length delivery away from off, Nortje does not go after it. |
| 17.3 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Good length delivery outside off, Anrich shoulders arms to it. |
| 17.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Superb bouncer but Nortje does well to duck under it. A bouncer aimed at the head of the batter there. |
| 17.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Good length ball around off and middle, Nortje keeps it out. |
| 17.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, FOUR! Full ball outside off, Nortje goes for the drive this time and connects it nicely. It races between point and gully and into the third man fence. |
| 18.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Around off, it is defended. |
| 18.2 : J Archer to van der Dussen, FOUR! Poor ball from Jofra. Full on the pads, Rassie flicks it with ease through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 18.3 : J Archer to van der Dussen, On the body, Rassie flicks it to the on side and gets a single. |
| 18.4 : J Archer to Nortje, Back of a length on the body. Anrich does well to defend it. |
| 18.5 : J Archer to Nortje, Pacy and on top of middle. Anrich moves away and keeps his bat hanging. The ball hits the inner half of his bat. |
| 18.6 : J Archer to Nortje, No Ball! Maybe the ball slipped out of Jofra's hand there. Knuckle ball but it goes wrong and it ends up being a beamer. Nortje ducks under it. |
| J Archer to Nortje, A dipping full toss. It is around the body. Nortje ducks under it. The square leg umpire signals it as no ball but Jofra is upset. He puts a very valid argument that the ball was dipping and the umpires after having a brief chat decide that they'll let that one pass. Lucky escape for Archer as that might have been end of his action with the ball. |
| Ben Stokes replaces Sam Curran. For the first time in this game Stokes is having a go with the ball. |
| 19.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On the pads, worked towards square leg. |
| 19.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Bouncer outside off, it is left alone. |
| 19.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, This is sprayed down the leg side now. Rassie lets it be. |
| 19.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Another bouncer. It is outside off, van der Dussen lets it pass to the keeper. |
| 19.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 19.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Good length ball angled into the batter, van der Dussen keeps it out. THAT WILL BE STUMPS ON DAY 2. |
| Another eventful day of Test match cricket comes to an end. A day that belonged to the bowlers. 15 wickets have fallen on the day. A look at the scorecard and one would feel South Africa are struggling at 72/4 but add that 103-run lead and the scorecard reads 175/4 and you would realize it is the hosts who are on top of this game. |
| After batting for just under 10 minutes early on in the day, the hosts did an impeccable job with the ball. The bowling led by Vernon Philander's 4-fer wrapped up the visitors for a paltry score of 181 giving them a lead of 103. Philander was well supported by Rabada, Nortje and Pretorius who scalped 3, 2 and 1 wicket respectively. |
| Another falter with the bat saw England lose the grip of the game. At one stage they were on top of the match but once again their batting crumbled like a cookie and from 142/3 the visitors bundled out for an under-par score of 181, giving the hosts a big lead. No one apart from Denly, Root, Stokes and Curran could manage to score more than 20 and that led to the tourists downfall. |
| England came back stronger in the day with the ball. Having given a big advantage to the hosts, England needed to strike early and they did coup 3 early blows. Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen counter-attacked and ensured that the lead went past 150 with 7 wickets in hand. Skipper Faf du Plessis surrendered in his counter-attack. Rassie and nightwatchman Anrich Nortje then added 10 runs and ensured they see off the day with the hosts potential 175/4. |
| So that is it from exciting Day 2. We now move to Day 3 which can not just be a crucial day but it also has the potential to be the final day of this Test. It is not an easy wicket to bat on and at this point of time the hosts are on top. But if England can manage to wrap them up under the lead of 250 then it will certainly be game on. Who will dominate Day 3? Join us on Saturday, 28th December 2019 to find out. The play begins at 1000 Local (0800 GMT). Till then, cheers! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| 175 is the lead for South Africa at the moment. They bowled brilliantly in England's first innings, bowling them out for a paltry 181. In return they lost 4 wickets but still remain on top in this Test match. Aiden Markram has been ruled out of the series due to a fractured finger. The visitors are not out of this yet and if they can pick up the remaining wickets quickly and restrict the lead to around 225, they will feel that they are still in with a chance. Jofra Archer was the pick of the bow |
| Meanwhile, Jos Buttler has gone down with a bug and Jonny Bairstow will be taking the gloves for the time being. We are ready to begin Day 3. The England players are out in the middle. Rassie van der Dussen and Anrich Nortje will resume their innings for the hosts. |
| Sam Curran to start the proceedings for England. 4-2-8-0 are his figures so far. He has been the best bowler for England in the first innings. |
| 20.1 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Starts with a full delivery outside off, Nortje lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 20.2 : Sam Curran to Nortje, On a length outside off, Anrich shoulders arms to this one. |
| 20.3 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Good length on off, Nortje defends it to mid off off the back foot. |
| 20.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Full delivery on off angling into the batsman, Anrich blocks it out. |
| 20.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, BEATEN! Beautiful delivery! On a length outside off, Nortje attempts to defend it but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 20.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, BEATEN! Curran bowls a full delivery outside off, Nortje attempts to drive it but fails to put any bat on it. |
| James Anderson will bowl from the other end. 4-0-19-1 are his figures so far. |
| 21.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fullish delivery on middle, Rassie flicks it to deep square leg and Sam Curran comes across from fine leg and makes a good diving stop. Two taken. |
| 21.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball on middle and leg, van der Dussen works it to mid-wicket. |
| 21.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, OHH! Rassie makes a risky leave! Good length ball around off tailing in, van der Dussen chooses to leave it but gets hit on the pads. The England players appeal but nothing from the umpire. They opt not to go for the review. Good decision in the end as the Hawk Eye later on shows that it was missing the off stump. |
| 21.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On off, pushed to point. |
| 21.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, Rassie works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 21.6 : J Anderson to Nortje, BEATEN! Good length ball outside off, Nortje looks to defend it off the back foot but the ball whizzes past his bat and into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 22.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Fullish on off, van der Dussen pushes it to mid off. |
| 22.2 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on off, Rassie defends it towards mid off and calls Nortje for a quick single. The fielder has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Nortje was well in though. |
| 22.3 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Fuller outside off, Nortje drives it through covers and picks up a couple before Sibley can come across and clean it up. |
| 22.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Good length on off, Nortje defends it out. |
| 22.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, On middle and leg, Anrich pushes it to mid on. |
| 22.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, BEATEN! Beautiful piece of bowling from Curran! Full delivery outside off, Nortje looks to drive it but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 23.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on middle, Rassie defends it to point. |
| 23.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Poor running! Almost threw his wicket there does Rassie van der Dussen! Back of a length delivery on off, Rassie defends it to cover and calls for a quick single. Sibley comes after it, slides and throws it at the bowler's end. He misses. Had he hit, van der Dussen would have been well out. This is not how Rassie would want to get out as he has got himself in on this difficult pitch. Lucky that Sibley missed the stumps. |
| 23.3 : J Anderson to Nortje, Good length ball outside off, Nortje whips it to the leg side for a single. |
| 23.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 23.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fullish on off, van der Dussen drives it towards cover for a single. |
| 23.6 : J Anderson to Nortje, On middle, Nortje defends it back. |
| 24.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen guides it towards third man for a run. |
| 24.2 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Length delivery on off, Nortje taps it through point for a single. |
| 24.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on off, Rassie keeps it out. |
| 24.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, van der Dussen drives it towards mid off for a run. |
| 24.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, On a good length on off, Nortje defends it off the front foot. |
| Anrich Nortje has been caught behind but he has taken the review straightaway. There was a definite noise but Nortje going upstairs straightaway indicates that the ball has hit him on his shoulder. Replay rolls in and it looks like it has hit his back shoulder. Ultra Edge comes next and it confirms that there was nothing as the ball goes past the bat it hit his shoulder. |
| 24.6 : Curran to Nortje, NOT OUT! Nortje survives as it has gone off the shoulder! Excellent review from Nortje and South Africa. This though was a snorker of a delivery from Sam Curran. He bowls a short of a length ball around off, Nortje hops to defend but it seems to have taken the outside edge of the bat. The England players put in an appeal immediately and the finger goes up. Nortje has reviewed it immediately and it is proved to be an excellent review. The Ultra Edge shows that it has not g |
| 25.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, van der Dussen shoulders arms to this one. |
| 25.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, van der Dussen flicks it through wide mid on. The fielder from wide long on does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 25.3 : J Anderson to Nortje, Bowls a bouncer, Nortje lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 25.4 : J Anderson to Nortje, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Nortje looks to defend but misses it. |
| 25.5 : J Anderson to Nortje, BEATEN AGAIN! Good length delivery outside off, Nortje looks to defend but misses it. |
| 25.6 : J Anderson to Nortje, Length delivery on middle, Nortje nudges it towards square leg for a run. |
| 26.1 : Sam Curran to Nortje, On a good length on off, Nortje looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards the slip region on one bounce. |
| 26.2 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Good length delivery on leg, Nortje looks to flick but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 26.3 : Sam Curran to Nortje, On a good length on off, Nortje blocks it off the front foot. |
| 26.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Bowls a bouncer, Nortje ducks under it. |
| 26.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Full delivery on leg, Nortje looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. Bairstow, the keeper is seen signaling to the bowler that it is drifting down. |
| 26.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, EDGY FOUR! Valuable runs. Good length ball outside off, Nortje looks to drive it but takes the outside edge and goes through the vacant gully region for a boundary. The lead moves to 195 now. |
| 27.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Length delivery on middle, Rassie flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 27.2 : J Anderson to Nortje, Outside off, Anrich offers no shot to this one. |
| 27.3 : J Anderson to Nortje, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Nortje sways away from it. |
| 27.4 : J Anderson to A Nortje, FOUR! Edgy but Nortje and South Africa will take it. Back of a length ball on off, Nortje looks to defend but it goes off the outside edge through gully and into the fence. |
| 27.5 : J Anderson to Nortje, Bowls a bumper outside off, Nortje sways away from it. |
| 27.6 : J Anderson to Nortje, Full delivery on middle, Nortje flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 28.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Bowls a bouncer, van der Dussen lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 28.2 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, Rassie drives it through mid on for a run. |
| 28.3 : Sam Curran to A Nortje, On a good length on off, Anrich defends it off the front foot. |
| 28.4 : Sam Curran to Nortje, Length delivery on off, Nortje taps it to point. |
| 28.5 : Sam Curran to Nortje, FOUR! Brilliant batting this! Nortje is batting like a proper batsman out there. Curran bowls a full delivery on middle, Anrich flicks this beautifully through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 28.6 : Sam Curran to Nortje, On a good length on off, Nortje defends it towards the leg side and takes a quick single. Curran gets to the ball, picks it and goes for a direct hit at the bowler's end but misses it. |
| Stuart Broad is into the attack. 5-2-6-1 are his figures. |
| 29.1 : S Broad to Nortje, Good length delivery on middle, Nortje defends it towards mid-wicket. Rassie sets off and comes halfway down the track but Nortje does well to send him back. The fielder goes for a direct hit at the bowler's end but misses it. Rassie van der Dussen would have been a goner. |
| 29.2 : S Broad to Nortje, On a length on middle, Nortje flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 29.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, Rassie drives it to mid off. |
| 29.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen blocks it off the front foot. |
| 29.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on middle, Rassie keeps it out. |
| 29.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, Rassie taps it to point. |
| Finally Archer is being brought into the attack for the first time today. |
| 30.1 : J Archer to Nortje, Archer starts with a back of a length ball outside off, Nortje guides it to the right of gully. The fielder dives and saves runs for his side. |
| 30.2 : J Archer to Nortje, Archer goes full on off, Nortje pushes it to mid off like a proper batsman. |
| 30.3 : J Archer to Nortje, This one skids off the surface. Back of a length around off, Nortje looks to play it towards point but misses. |
| 30.4 : J Archer to Nortje, Once again goes close to the body, Anrich defends it. |
| 30.5 : J Archer to Nortje, Length delivery around off, Nortje nudges it to point and gets a single. |
| 30.6 : J Archer to A Nortje, Direct hit and it would have been close. Good length ball outside off, van der Dussen strokes it towards point and calls for a quick single. Denly gets to the ball and has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. So Jofra's first has been dealt with relative ease by the duo. England are lacking ideas here and this partnership is starting to not just annoy them but take the game away from them. |
| 31.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen plays it towards mid off and takes a quick run. |
| 31.2 : S Broad to Nortje, Outside off, Nortje offers no shot to this one. |
| 31.3 : S Broad to Nortje, Good length delivery on off, Nortje blocks it off the front foot. |
| 31.4 : S Broad to Nortje, On a good length on middle, Anrich defends it off the back foot. |
| 31.5 : S Broad to Nortje, On middle, Nortje keeps it out. |
| 31.6 : S Broad to Nortje, Full delivery on middle, Nortje flicks it through mid-wicket. The fielder in the deep does well to stop it. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| An LBW appeal has been taken upstairs. It has been given not out by the umpire. Rassie van der Dussen is the man in question. It looks close and the replays show that it is umpire's call on hitting the leg stump. |
| 32.1 : Archer to van der Dussen, NOT OUT! It is umpire's call on hitting the stumps. Good length ball on middle and leg, van der Dussen moves towards the offside and attempts to flick it. He gets hit on the pads. The England players appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Stokes, who is captaining in place of Root goes for the review. Hawk Eye rolls in and it shows that it is umpire's call on hitting the leg stump. England don't lose the review. |
| 32.2 : J Archer to van der Dussen, On a good length on off, van der Dussen taps it towards point and takes a single. 50-run stand between Rassie van der Dussen and Anrich Nortje. |
| 32.3 : J Archer to Nortje, Good length delivery on off, Nortje keeps it out. |
| 32.4 : J Archer to A Nortje, FOUR BYES! The pacy bouncer has beaten everyone. A very quick bouncer from Jofra. It is well directed as well. Nortje sways away from it. Bairstow behind the stumps stretches to his maximum but it goes over him and to the fence. |
| 32.5 : J Archer to Nortje, FOUR! Nortje winning the battle here against Jofra. Fuller on middle, Anrich drives it through mid on and fetches himself a boundary. |
| 32.6 : J Archer to Nortje, Bouncer to end the over and once again Nortje sways away from it. |
| 33.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, EDGED AND FOUR! Runs starting to leak here. Full on off, van der Dussen looks to drive but the ball takes the outside edge and goes to the right of gully. Ben Stokes there dives on that side but the ball goes wide of him and to the fence. |
| 33.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, FOUR! This is right off the meat. Fuller on off, Rassie gets on his front foot and creams his drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 33.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Now shows calmness and leaves this length ball away from the off pole alone. |
| 33.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, FOUR! Exquisite cover drive from van der Dussen. Broad is once again guilty of overpitching it on off, van der Dussen gets on his front foot and plays a crispy drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 33.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Edged but safe again. Good length ball in the channel of uncertainty around off. Rassie looks to defend but the ball goes off the outside edge. He plays it with soft hands and hence the ball goes to the right of the man at slips on the bounce. He dives and tries to stop it but cannot do so cleanly and they steal a single. Much better from Broad. |
| 33.6 : S Broad to Nortje, Beauty to end the over! Broad hits the deck hard and makes the ball shape away off the pitch. Nortje looks to defend but gets squared up. |
| Drinks! An excellent hour of play for the Proteas. They have extended their lead to 236 and the overnight batsman of Rassie van der Dussen and Anrich Nortje are looking comfortable out there. England desperately need wickets otherwise the game will go away from them. Can they make their way back? |
| 34.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Length delivery on middle, van der Dussen flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 0.0 : Joe Root is still off the field and is yet to come back. Stokes is the standing captain. |
| 34.2 : J Archer to Nortje, Outside off, Anrich offers no shot to this one. |
| 34.3 : J Archer to Nortje, On a length on middle, Nortje nudges it towards the leg side. |
| 34.4 : J Archer to Nortje, Bowls a quick short ball on middle, Nortje does well to defend it. |
| 34.5 : J Archer to Nortje, Length delivery outside off, Nortje taps it through point. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 34.6 : J Archer to Nortje, Bowls again a short delivery, Nortje looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards point. |
| 35.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, FIVE WIDES! Poor keeping from Bairstow! Full delivery swinging away, outside off from the batsman, van der Dussen leaves it alone. Bairstow dives to his right to collect but fails to do so. The ball rolls to the third man fence. |
| S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball on middle, Rassie works it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 35.2 : S Broad to Nortje, Short delivery on leg, Nortje defends it off the back foot. |
| 35.3 : S Broad to Nortje, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Anrich looks to defend but misses it. |
| 35.4 : S Broad to Nortje, Bowls short on the body, Nortje looks to defend but gets hit on the body. |
| That is got to hurt. Anrich Nortje has been hit on his rib, just over his chest guard. He is down in pain but he is a tough lad. The physio is out now with an ice pack. Alos the floodlights are on as it has gone dark here in Centurion. |
| 35.5 : S Broad to Nortje, Bowls a short delivery down the leg side, Nortje looks to nudge but misses it. |
| 35.6 : S Broad to Nortje, In the air... but safe. Another well directed bouncer from Broad! Anrich Nortje takes his eyes off and looks to defend. It lobs off his glove and falls short of the man running in from mid-wicket. That could have gone anywhere but the fortune England are having this morning it was always going to fall away from the fielders. |
| 36.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, Full delivery on leg, van der Dussen flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 36.2 : J Archer to Nortje, Bowls it down the leg side, Nortje looks to flick but misses it. |
| 36.3 : J Archer to Nortje, On a length on middle, Anrich flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 36.4 : J Archer to Nortje, Bowls a bouncer, Nortje ducks under it. |
| 36.5 : J Archer to Nortje, Bowls a bumper outside leg, Nortje ducks underneath it. |
| 36.6 : J Archer to Nortje, On a length and outside off, Anrich taps it through point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 37.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, FIFTY! Maiden Test fifty for Rassie van der Dussen! Beautiful innings from the debutant. He has taken the Proteas to safer shores. Good length ball on off, van der Dussen defends it to point and takes a single to get to the milestone. Can he score a ton? |
| 37.2 : S Broad to Nortje, FOUR! Take that! Back of a length ball outside off, Nortje punches it off the back foot to the deep cover region for a boundary. |
| 37.3 : Broad to A Nortje, OUCH! Short delivery around middle and leg, Nortje hops to fend it uncomfortably but gets hit on the gloves. It flies to third man and the batters take a single. |
| 37.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, Rassie defends it out. |
| 37.5 : S Broad to Nortje, On middle and leg, Nortje looks to whip it but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. No harm done though. |
| 37.6 : S Broad to Nortje, BOUNCER! WIDE! It is bowled around middle, Anrich does well to duck under it. |
| S Broad to Nortje, Good length ball on middle, Nortje defends it off the back foot to the bowler. |
| Rassie van der Dussen has been adjudged LBW! He has taken it upstairs. The on-field call is out so even if the ball is clipping the stumps, he will have to continue his walk. |
| 38.1 : J Archer to van der Dussen, OUT! Umpire's call it is and Rassie's good knock comes to an end. Full ball pitching on middle and swinging in. Rassie looks to play it across the line but misses. He misses and the ball hits him on his pad. The English players go up in a confident appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Van der Dussen takes it upstairs straightaway. Replay rolls in and Hawk Eye shows that the ball is just about clipping the leg pole. Rassie will have to walk back but he does n |
| 0.0 : The hero from the first innings, Quinton de Kock walks out to bat now. South Africa in a much better position than they were when he walked out to bat in the first innings. |
| 38.2 : J Archer to Kock, Pacy length ball pitching on middle and leg. De Kock looks to defend but gets beaten by the pace and gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 38.3 : J Archer to Kock, Archer misses his line and sprays it down the leg side. |
| 38.4 : J Archer to Kock, SIX! De Kock is off the mark with a bang! Bouncer around the eye line from Archer. De Kock gets on his back foot and hooks it with power and right off the meat over the fine leg fence for a maximum. |
| 38.5 : J Archer to Kock, EDGED BUT SIX! Short again from Archer. De Kock goes for the pull but it goes off the upper half of his bat and sails over the fine leg fence for another biggie. Jofra has a smile on his face but he must be fuming from inside. |
| 38.6 : J Archer to Kock, Another short one down the leg side. De Kock throws his bat at it but misses it this time. |
| 39.1 : S Broad to Nortje, Short delivery on off, Nortje taps it towards point and takes a single. |
| 39.2 : S Broad to Kock, On a good length and outside off, de Kock looks to drive but misses it. |
| 39.3 : S Broad to Kock, Full delivery on middle, Quinton drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 39.4 : S Broad to Kock, On a length on middle, de Kock pushes it towards mid on. |
| 39.5 : S Broad to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock defends it off the front foot. |
| 39.6 : S Broad to de Kock, FOUR! De Kock has come with an attacking intent. This is a beautiful shot. Full and outside off, de Kock leans forward and hammers the drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 40.1 : J Archer to Nortje, OUT! Caught! Finally, finally England have got rid of the nightwatchman. Calling him a nightwatchman just does not sound right anymore as he has played a very, very good innings here. Nortje misses out on a well deserved fifty but he has done more than enough here. |
| 0.0 : Dwaine Pretorius is the next batsman in. |
| 40.2 : J Archer to Pretorius, Bouncer! Pretorius ducks under it. |
| 40.3 : J Archer to Pretorius, Another bouncer from Jofra. DP sits under this as well. |
| 40.4 : J Archer to Pretorius, FOUR! Back of a length ball outside off, Pretorius is quick to lash onto it. He gets on his back foot and punches it through covers for a boundary. |
| 40.5 : J Archer to Pretorius, Another punch off the back foot. This time it is through cover-point and gets a couple. |
| 40.6 : J Archer to Pretorius, On the pads, Pretorius flicks it fine down the leg side for a single. |
| Th standing skipper, Ben Stokes introduces himself into the attack. He has bowled only 1 over so far and that was a maiden. |
| 41.1 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Bowls a bouncer, Pretorius lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 41.2 : Ben Stokes to D Pretorius, OUT! CAUGHT! Brilliant bowling from Stokes on his return to the attack. Bowled a short one first up and then sets the batter up with a beautiful ball. Fullish delivery outside off, Pretorius looks to drive it off the front foot but it goes off the outside edge towards first slip. Dom Sibley stationed there takes a simple catch. England taking wickets in a heap here. Can they finish off the tail quickly? |
| Vernon Philander walks out to bat next. He was the star with the ball in the first innings and he also did well with the bat. Can he hang in there with de Kock and take South Africa's lead over 320? |
| 41.3 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Full delivery outside off, Philander leaves this ball alone. |
| 41.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Philander ducks under it. |
| 41.5 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Good length ball on off, Vernon defends it to mid on. |
| 41.6 : Ben Stokes to Philander, EDGED AND FOUR! Philander is off the mark with a lucky boundary. On a length outside off, Philander looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge through the gully region and into the fence. |
| 42.1 : J Archer to de Kock, SIX! Blink of an eye and de Kock has reached 22 already. He has come out in T20 mode here. Back of a length on the pads, de Kock picks it and lofts it over fine leg for a maximum. There is a man there but he is as good a spectator as us. |
| 42.2 : J Archer to Kock, FOUR! Short and pulled with power. It is a knuckle ball and short outside off, de Kock pulls it with confidence and power through mid on for a boundary. |
| 42.3 : J Archer to Kock, Wide! Bouncer bounces too high. De Kock was ready to play the pull but he sees it is going well over his head so he backs out of it. |
| J Archer to Kock, Slightly slower now from Archer. It is on a length around off, de Kock strokes it through covers and gets a couple. |
| 42.4 : J Archer to Kock, Full on off and middle, de Kock throws his bat at it but the ball goes off the inner half of his bat and the ball goes towards fine leg for one. |
| 42.5 : J Archer to Philander, Short again from Jofra. Vernon sways away from it. |
| 42.6 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery outside off, Vernon looks to defend it inside the line of the stumps. |
| 43.1 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Full delivery down the leg side, de Kock looks to flick it but misses it completely. |
| 43.2 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Outside off, de Kock drives this uppishly to deep cover where the fielder collects it on the bounce. |
| 43.3 : Ben Stokes to Philander, BEATEN! Excellent bowling from Stokes. Bowls a good length ball around off, Philander attempts to defend it but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 43.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a length outside off, Philander shoulders arms to this one. |
| 43.5 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Back of a length ball on middle, Philander works it to square leg and takes a single. The lead for South Africa is now 300. |
| 43.6 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Fullish delivery outside off, de Kock is happy to let the ball go to the keeper. LUNCH ON DAY 3. |
| A brilliant session for the hosts and they are completely in charge of this game here. Carrying a lead of 175, Rassie van der Dussen and nightwatchman Anrich Nortje took the game to the visitors. They added a 91-run stand with Rassie getting to his maiden Test 50. The partnership finally was broken as Rassie was caught in front of the stumps. Anrich Nortje, soon followed him and fell for a very well played 40. Pretorius too did not last long but Quinton de Kock came out with a plan. His plan was |
| It was a morning to forget for the tourists. Their bowlers were all over the place. They needed to get early wickets but failed in their pursuit to get rid of the nightwatchman. They have got three wickets with Jofra Archer picking up 2 and stand-in skipper, Ben Stokes getting 1 but they have been well below par. Illness to Joe Root and Jos Buttler has not helped their case as they look out of ideas out in the middle. The frustration in the English camp has been very much visible as Broad and St |
| So South Africa are head and shoulders ahead in this game. They already have a healthy lead but will look to add more and kill this game off. England are down but not completely out of it. If they can somehow get the remaining 3 wickets quickly then they certainly will think they still have a shot. What is in store for us in the second session? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| We are all set to begin the second session! Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander make their way to the middle. James Anderson will start for the visitors. South Africa lead by 300. How many more runs will they add? |
| 44.1 : J Anderson to Philander, Starts with a good length ball on middle, Philander works it to mid-wicket. |
| 44.2 : J Anderson to Philander, Back of a length on middle, Vernon stands tall and blocks it out. |
| 44.3 : J Anderson to Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander pushes it to mid off. |
| 44.4 : J Anderson to Philander, Fullish outside off, Philander makes a leave to the keeper. |
| 44.5 : J Anderson to V Philander, FOUR! What a shot that is! Anderson bowls a half-volley outside off, Philander leans forward and creams the drive through covers for a boundary. First one in this session. |
| 44.6 : J Anderson to Philander, Good length ball outside off, Vernon pushes it to deep cover and crosses over for a single. |
| Ben Stokes to bowl from the other end. 3-1-6-1 are his figures so far. |
| 45.1 : Ben Stokes to V Philander, FOUR! South Africa are off to a flurry here. They are wearing whites but playing like they are in colored clothes here. Stokes starts with a back of a length ball on off, Vernon gets on his back foot and pulls it over mid-wicket. The ball bounces inside the ropes and goes away to the fence. |
| 45.2 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it to covers. |
| 45.3 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander defends it off the front foot. |
| 45.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander does well to duck under it. |
| 45.5 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a good length on middle, Philander looks to defend but gets an inside edge on it. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a single. |
| 45.6 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Outside off, de Kock offers no shot to this one. |
| 46.1 : J Anderson to V Philander, EDGY! Good length ball on off, Philander looks to defend but it goes off the outside edge past the diving second slip fielder. The third man fielder comes across and cleans it up. A single taken. |
| 46.2 : J Anderson to Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock drives it towards mid off where the fielder makes an excellent stop. The batsmen still take a single. |
| 46.3 : J Anderson to Philander, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Philander looks to defend but misses it. |
| 46.4 : J Anderson to Philander, On a length on off, Vernon plays it towards point. |
| 46.5 : J Anderson to Philander, Good length delivery on off, Philander looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 46.6 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock plays it towards point and takes a run. |
| 47.1 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Full delivery on leg, Quinton looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. |
| 47.2 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Good length delivery outside off, de Kock looks to go after it but misses it. |
| 47.3 : Ben Stokes to de Kock, On a good length on off, Quinton looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 47.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Good length delivery on off, Philander offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 47.5 : Ben Stokes to Philander, FOUR! BEAUTIFUL! A half volley but still had to be put away! It is bowled outside off, Vernon drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 47.6 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a good length on off, Vernon blocks it off the front foot. |
| 48.1 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on off, de Kock blocks it well. |
| 0.0 : Joe Root is back on the field. That is a good sign for the visitors. |
| 48.2 : J Anderson to Kock, Full delivery on middle, Quinton drives it towards mid on. |
| 48.3 : J Anderson to Kock, Good length delivery on off, de Kock blocks it off the front foot. |
| 48.4 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on middle, de Kock blocks it off the front foot. |
| 48.5 : J Anderson to Kock, Full delivery on middle, de Kock drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 48.6 : J Anderson to Kock, On a good length on middle, de Kock looks to defend but gets hit on the gloves. |
| Quinton de Kock seems to have gotten hurt on his finger off the last ball. The physio has been called into check. |
| 49.1 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander does well to duck under it. |
| 49.2 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a good length on off, Vernon defends it off the front foot. |
| 49.3 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it to point. |
| 49.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, NO BALL! Stokes oversteps! Good length delivery on middle, Vernon blocks it off the back foot. |
| Ben Stokes to Philander, On a good length on middle, Philander looks to defend but gets an inside edge on it. It goes towards fine leg. The batsmen take a run. |
| 49.5 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Short and outside off, Quinton looks to drive but misses it. |
| 49.6 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Bowls a bouncer, de Kock lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 50.1 : J Anderson to Philander, Outside off, Philander offers no shot to this one. |
| 50.2 : J Anderson to Philander, On a length on off, Philander taps it to point. |
| 50.3 : J Anderson to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander plays it towards covers for a run. |
| 50.4 : J Anderson to Kock, Good length delivery on off, de Kock blocks it off the back foot. |
| 50.5 : J Anderson to de Kock, Full delivery on off, Quinton drives it towards mid off. |
| 50.6 : J Anderson to Kock, Length delivery on middle, de Kock nudges it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 51.1 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Length delivery on off, de Kock taps it to point. |
| 51.2 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Low full toss on middle, de Kock drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 51.3 : Ben Stokes to Kock, OUT! Caught behind! Ben Stokes gets his second of the game. Better from Stokes here. He pitches the ball up outside off. De Kock lunges forward and looks to defend but the ball tails away just a tad and kisses the outside edge of Quinton's willow. There is an appeal from the keeper and Stokes but surprisingly it is not a loud one. The bigger surprise is de Kock does not wait for umpire's decision and starts walking. This is very good sportsmanship from de Kock. In the a |
| Keshav Maharaj is the next batsman in. |
| 51.4 : Ben Stokes to Maharaj, On a good length on leg, Maharaj looks to defend but misses it and gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 51.5 : Ben Stokes to Maharaj, Length delivery on middle, Maharaj flicks it through square leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 51.6 : Ben Stokes to V Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it to mid off. |
| 52.1 : J Anderson to K Maharaj, On a good length on off, Maharaj plays it to point. |
| 52.2 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Good length delivery on off, Maharaj keeps it out. |
| 52.3 : J Anderson to K Maharaj, Short delivery on leg, Maharaj pulls it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 52.4 : J Anderson to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 52.5 : J Anderson to Philander, Length delivery on off, Vernon taps it to point. |
| 52.6 : J Anderson to Philander, On a length on off, Philander defends it towards covers for a single. |
| 53.1 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it towards point for a run. |
| 53.2 : Ben Stokes to Maharaj, On a length on leg, Maharaj flicks it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 53.3 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Ouch! That's hit him right on the box. Everyone knows how painful that is. Vernon is wincing in pain. Good length ball around off, Philander looks to push but gets an inside edge and the ball goes and hits him flush in the unmentionables. |
| Without anyone's surprise the physio is out to have a check on Philander. |
| 53.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a good length on middle, Philander looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 53.5 : Ben Stokes to V Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it towards mid off. |
| 53.6 : Ben Stokes to Philander, On a length on off, Philander plays it towards covers for a single. |
| Jofra Archer is back on. 13-1-83-4 are his figures so far. |
| 54.1 : J Archer to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Philander looks to drive but gets it off the inner half of the bat. It goes through mid-wicket. The fielder in the deep does well to stop it. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 54.2 : J Archer to Philander, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Philander looks to swing at this one but misses it. |
| 54.3 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery on middle, Philander flicks it over mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 54.4 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bumper, Vernon lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 54.5 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander ducks underneath it. |
| 54.6 : J Archer to Philander, Short delivery on off, Philander plays it towards point for a run. |
| Sam Curran is back on. 9-3-25-0 are his figures so far. |
| 55.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, WIDE! Bowls it wide outside off, Philander offers no shot to this one. |
| Sam Curran to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 55.2 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, FOUR! Wow! What a shot! Length ball outside off, Maharaj lofts it over covers for a boundary. Naseer Hussain on air says he is better than a tail-ender in his opinion and one can hardly argue with that. He is no walkover with the bat. |
| 55.3 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Play and a miss! On a good length and outside off, Maharaj looks to defend but misses it. |
| 55.4 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, On a good length on middle, Maharaj plays it towards mid on. |
| 55.5 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Short delivery on middle, Maharaj pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 55.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Good length delivery on off, Philander blocks it off the front foot. |
| 56.1 : J Archer to Maharaj, On a good length on off, Maharaj blocks it off the back foot. |
| 56.2 : J Archer to K Maharaj, Good length delivery on off, Maharaj looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a run. |
| 56.3 : J Archer to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander ducks under it. |
| 56.4 : J Archer to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Philander drives it through mid on for a run. |
| 56.5 : J Archer to Maharaj, Short delivery on middle, Maharaj pulls it over mid-wicket for a single. |
| 56.6 : J Archer to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| Drinks! South Africa are leading this game by a mile now. Since the Lunch break, they have lost only 1 wicket and have swelled their lead to 345 runs. That lead is very good on this wicket. England, on the other hand, are looking down and out. They are in need of something special if they have to make a comeback in this game. It looks highly difficult. Will they be able to do it? |
| 57.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander lofts it over covers. Broad chases the ball from mid off, slides and cleans it up. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 57.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a good length on off, Philander defends it off the front foot. |
| 57.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, Full delivery on off, Philander drives it through covers. Stuart Broad, again coming after it from mid off. He slides and collects it. Two taken. |
| 57.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, Bowls a bouncer, Philander lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 57.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, Length delivery on middle, Philander flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. The lead is now 350 for South Africa. |
| 57.6 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Good length delivery on off, Maharaj keeps it out. |
| 58.1 : J Archer to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander tucks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 58.2 : J Archer to Maharaj, Short delivery on leg, Maharaj pulls it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 58.3 : J Archer to Philander, Length delivery on middle, Philander nudges it towards the leg side. The batsmen take a run. |
| 58.4 : J Archer to Maharaj, OUT! CAUGHT! Finally, the short ball does the trick for England. 5-fer for Archer. Though he has not been at his best and has been expensive, Archer has been the wicket-taking bowler that England were craving for. Short of a length on middle, Maharaj looks to pull but it goes off the top edge towards fine leg. Sam Curran settles himself under it and takes a simple catch. The lead is now 353. |
| Kagiso Rabada is the last man in. |
| 58.5 : J Archer to Philander, Short ball on middle, Philander pulls it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 58.6 : J Archer to Rabada, Full delivery on middle and leg, Rabada works it to mid-wicket. |
| 59.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Philander drives it towards mid on. The batsmen take a single. |
| 59.2 : Sam Curran to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada defends it off the front foot. |
| 59.3 : Sam Curran to Rabada, FOUR! Nicely played! On a length outside off, Rabada camps back on his back foot and punches it to the deep cover region for a boundary. |
| 59.4 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Good length delivery on off, Rabada defends it to point. |
| 59.5 : Sam Curran to Rabada, On a good length on off, Rabada guides it towards third man for a run. |
| 59.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Length delivery on off, Philander taps it towards point for a single. |
| 60.1 : J Archer to Philander, WIDE! Bowls a bouncer outside leg, Philander does well to duck under it. |
| J Archer to Philander, Short of a length delivery, Philander looks to pull but gets a top edge. It goes towards fine leg where Sam Curran picks the ball on one bounce. The batsmen take a single. |
| 60.2 : J Archer to Rabada, Length delivery on off, Rabada taps it to point. |
| 60.3 : J Archer to Rabada, Short delivery outside off, Rabada looks to pull but gets a bottom edge on this one. It goes towards the keeper on one bounce. |
| 60.4 : J Archer to Rabada, FOUR! That is hit with power! Short ball outside off, Rabada stands tall and powers it through covers for a boundary. |
| 60.5 : J Archer to Rabada, Bowls a bumper, Rabada ducks under it. |
| 60.6 : J Archer to Rabada, Bowls a well directed bouncer, Rabada ducks underneath it. |
| 61.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, Full delivery on off, Vernon defends it to point and takes a single. |
| 61.2 : Sam Curran to Rabada, SIX! Rabada is on fire and gives a smile after hitting that! Good length delivery on off, Rabada thrashes it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. |
| 61.3 : Sam Curran to Rabada, Fullish delivery outside off, Rabada pushes it to deep point and takes a single. |
| 61.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, OUT! CAUGHT! It took a fantastic catch from Jonny Bairstow to end the innings of South Africa. Shorter delivery outside off, Philander looks to play the upper cut to third man but gets a faint outside edge behind to the keeper. Bairstow leaps high in the air and pouches it with one hand. Terrific stuff. Philander knows that he is out and starts walking off. SOUTH AFRICA ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 272 WITH A LEAD OF 375. |
| So 376 is the target for England. South Africa will be very happy with their efforts with the bat here. The hosts with a lead of 103 did not get off to a good start in their second innings. Having lost both the openers early, they were stuttering at 165/5 but debutant Rassie van der Dussen and nightwatchman Anrich Nortje took the game away from the visitors with a 91-run stand. Rassie scored his maiden fifty but he could not last long. Anrich Nortje fell 10 short of his fifty. It looked like Eng |
| England struggled in the field today. They failed to build on the threat they posed on Day 2. They looked lethargic and out of ideas today and illness did not help their case as Jos Buttler and Joe Root struggled to get on the field. The latter did come out but clearly looked at discomfort. Archer was expensive but ended up with a hard fought 5-fer. Stokes was good with the cherry as he got two. Anderson, Broad and Curran looked jaded but ended up with one wicket apiece. |
| So England have a mammoth task in hand if they are to win this game. On a day where they have looked down and out they will need to find a way to lift themselves up in the dressing room and put on a fight. South Africa, on the other hand, are clearly in the driver's seat and without a doubt favourites to take the lead in the series. Can England find a way to rise back from the ashes or will the Proteas roar loud and take a lead in this 4-match Test series. Join us in a short while for England's |
| 0.1 : K Rabada to R Burns, EDGED AND FOUR! England are underway but not in a convincing fashion. Full on the off stump line, Burns looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge through the point region for a boundary. |
| 0.2 : K Rabada to R Burns, Full on off, Burns drives it through mid off and picks up a couple before the fielder can clean it up. |
| 0.3 : K Rabada to Burns, OHH! That was quick from the fielder. Good length ball on middle, Burns flicks it to short leg. Rudi Second, the substitute there tries to throw it at the stumps but misses it. Burns was in though. |
| 0.4 : K Rabada to Burns, Fullish outside off, Rory lets it go to the keeper. |
| 0.5 : K Rabada to Burns, Good length ball on off, Burns defends it off the back foot. |
| Rory Burns has been adjudged LBW but after a chat with his partner he has taken it upstairs. It looks very close here. Touch and go one feels. Hawk Eye rolls in and it shows that the ball is pitching in line. The impact is umpire's call. And the wicket is ... 'MISSING'! Burns will survive. |
| 0.6 : Rabada to Burns, NOT OUT! Burns survives! The ball was going onto miss the stumps. Brilliant delivery from Rabada and he will feel that he deserved a wicket there. Full delivery on off swinging into the batsman, Burns looks to push it but misses to get hit on the pads. The Proteas appeal and the umpire after some thought gives it out. Burns reviews it immediately. Hawk Eye shows that it is pitching in line but is going on to miss the off stump. Excellent review from Burns and will now look |
| Vernon Philander to bowl from the other end. He was the tormentor-in-chief with the ball in the first innings and has a good Test match overall so far. He was also good with the bat in both the innings. |
| 1.1 : V Philander to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 1.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley offers no shot to this one. |
| 1.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length delivery outside off, Sibley does not bother to play at that. |
| 1.4 : V Philander to Sibley, On a length on middle, Sibley flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 1.5 : V Philander to Sibley, On a good length on off, Dominic blocks it well. |
| 1.6 : V Philander to Sibley, On off, Sibley defends it out. |
| 2.1 : K Rabada to Burns, FOUR! Classy from Rory Burns! Rabada dishes out a full delivery outside off, Burns lunges forward and creams the drive through mid off for a boundary. |
| 2.2 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns defends it off the front foot. |
| 2.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Full delivery on leg, Burns flicks it towards fine leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 2.4 : K Rabada to Burns, FOUR BYES! That is too high! Bouncer around middle, Burns ducks under it. De Kock jumps but only manages to get finger tips on it. The ball rolls to the fence behind the keeper. |
| 2.5 : K Rabada to Burns, Good length ball outside off, Rory lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 2.6 : K Rabada to Burns, BOUNCER! Rory Burns ducks under it. |
| 3.1 : V Philander to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley defends it off the front foot. |
| 3.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 3.3 : V Philander to Sibley, On a good length and outside off, Sibley looks to play at it but leaves it at the last moment. |
| 3.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Dominic lets it go. |
| 3.5 : V Philander to Sibley, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Sibley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 3.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length delivery on off, Dominic blocks it off the front foot. |
| 4.1 : K Rabada to Burns, FOUR! Nicely played! Good length ball outside off, Burns leans forward and drives it through gully for a boundary. |
| 4.2 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns defends it towards short leg. |
| 4.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Length delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through square leg. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 4.4 : K Rabada to Burns, Bowls a bouncer, Burns ducks under it. |
| 4.5 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns blocks it off the back foot. |
| 4.6 : K Rabada to Burns, Bowls it down the leg side, Burns looks to flick but misses it. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 3! |
| A session which clearly belonged to the South Africans. They are well and truly on top of this game and have a very healthy score of 376 to defend. England have had a tiring day so far in the field but they'll be happy that Burns and Sibley have successfully managed to see off 5 overs and the visitors go for Tea with all 10 wickets in hand. They need another 352 runs to win. It's a tough task but in no way it is impossible. They will need to bat out of their skin though and need to take it sessi |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session of Day 3. The South African players are out in the middle. Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley will resume their innings for England. Vernon Philander will start the proceedings for the final session. |
| 5.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Full delivery outside off, Sibley defends it to cover and takes a single. |
| 5.2 : V Philander to Burns, Full delivery on middle, Burns plays it to mid off where Rabada dives to stop it but can only parry it to mid off. Burns takes off for a single and makes it easily. The fielder has a shy at the stumps and hits but no damage done. |
| 5.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, left alone. |
| 5.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish outside off, Dominic lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 5.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Fuller one outside off, Sibley does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 5.6 : V Philander to Sibley, BEATEN! That is lovely bowling from Philander! Good length ball around off, Sibley looks to defend it but the ball cuts him in half and goes into the mitts of the keeper. |
| Anrich Nortje will bowl from the other end. |
| 6.1 : A Nortje to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns defends it towards covers and takes a single. |
| 6.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Sibley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 6.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a good length on off, Dominic defends it off the back foot. |
| 6.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length delivery on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 6.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a length on off, Sibley taps it to point. |
| 6.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley blocks it well. |
| 7.1 : V Philander to Burns, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 7.2 : V Philander to Burns, On off, Rory defends it out. |
| 7.3 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Burns shoulders arms to this one. |
| 7.4 : V Philander to Burns, Bowls it down the leg side, Burns looks to flick but misses it. |
| 7.5 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Rory offers no shot to this one. |
| 7.6 : V Philander to Burns, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off swinging a little bit, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 8.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Length delivery down the leg side, Sibley looks to flick but misses it. |
| 8.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley defends it off the back foot. |
| 8.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley offers no shot to this one. |
| 8.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Again outside off, Sibley lets it go. |
| 8.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a good length on off, Dominic taps it to point. |
| 8.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley does not bother to play at that. |
| 9.1 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns taps it towards the off side. |
| 9.2 : V Philander to R Burns, EDGED, DROPPED, FOUR! Get your knives out. Who is to be blamed? Rassie van der Dussen, of course, because he has put a sitter down. But then, was it really a sitter? Imagine that you are playing a gaming console wherein you have to shoot at a target. You concentrate, aim and then fire. But suddenly, a bird flies out of nowhere just in front of the target. What are the chances of you missing your shot? Pretty close to 100 percent. Unless you are Orlando Bloom in Lord |
| 9.3 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Burns flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 9.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 9.5 : V Philander to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley defends it off the back foot. |
| 9.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley offers no shot to this one. |
| 10.1 : A Nortje to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Burns keeps it out. |
| 10.2 : A Nortje to Burns, FOUR! Excellent shot. Full delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 10.3 : A Nortje to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns blocks it off the front foot. |
| 10.4 : A Nortje to Burns, Good length delivery on middle, Rory defends it out. |
| 10.5 : A Nortje to Burns, FOUR! Beautiful shot from Burns! Fullish in length on middle, Rory whips it to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. |
| 10.6 : A Nortje to Burns, On a good length on off, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 11.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley offers no shot to this one. |
| 11.2 : V Philander to Sibley, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Sibley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 11.3 : V Philander to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley defends it towards covers and takes a run. |
| 11.4 : V Philander to Burns, Length delivery on off, Burns plays it towards point for a run. |
| 11.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley lets it go. |
| 11.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Length delivery outside off, Sibley slaps it through covers. The fielder chases it and does well to stop it. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 12.1 : A Nortje to Burns, On a length on off, Burns plays it towards covers for a run. |
| 12.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length delivery on middle, Dominic flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 12.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a good length on off, Dominic blocks it off the back foot. |
| 12.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length delivery on middle, Sibley keeps it out. |
| 12.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, Ohh! That is a miracle delivery. Nortje steams in and hits the deck hard outside off. Sibley looks to defend it away from his body but the ball shapes away just a tad to miss the outside edge by a whisker. |
| 12.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, FOUR! Magical delivery is followed by a real loosener. It is on the pads of Sibley, easy pickings for him as he just turns it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| Pretorius is into the attack. |
| 13.1 : D Pretorius to Burns, Outside off, Burns offers no shot to this one. |
| 13.2 : D Pretorius to Burns, England off to a solid start! Short ball on off, Burns pulls it to deep square leg for a single to bring up the 50-run stand. The job is not done at all here and this pair needs to convert this into a big, big one. |
| 13.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 13.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Length delivery on off, Sibley plays it to point. |
| 13.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley defends it off the back foot. |
| 13.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 14.1 : A Nortje to Burns, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Burns ducks under it. |
| 14.2 : A Nortje to Burns, Outside off, Rory leaves it alone. |
| 14.3 : A Nortje to Burns, Late swing on this one. Back of a length on off, Burns misreads the length of the ball and in the end defends it awkwardly as it comes back in. |
| 14.4 : A Nortje to Burns, Length delivery on leg, Burns flicks it through square leg for a single. |
| 14.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a length on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 14.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Beautiful. Good line and length from Nortje. It is just outside off and it moves a bit as well. Sibley tries to have a feel of the ball but misses. Nortje starting to ask questions here and that too real tough ones. |
| 15.1 : D Pretorius to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns plays it to point. |
| 15.2 : D Pretorius to Burns, Burns almost falls in the trap there. Length ball well outside off, Pretoius wants Rory to drive. Burns goes for it and almost edges it behind to the keeper. Luckily for England and RB, it misses the edge. |
| 15.3 : D Pretorius to Burns, Good length delivery on middle, Burns blocks it off the back foot. |
| 15.4 : D Pretorius to Burns, On a good length on off, Rory blocks it off the front foot. |
| 15.5 : D Pretorius to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Rory defends it off the front foot. |
| 15.6 : D Pretorius to Burns, On a good length on middle, Rory defends it out. |
| 16.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 16.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley does not bother to play at that. |
| 16.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Bowls a bumper, Sibley does well to duck under it. |
| 16.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 16.5 : A Nortje to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns plays it towards covers. |
| 16.6 : A Nortje to Burns, FOUR! Rory Burns is looking strong. Full delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. The fielder chases after it from mid-wicket but fails to do so. |
| 17.1 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley flicks it to short mid-wicket. |
| 17.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a good length on off, Dominic keeps it out. |
| 17.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley lets it go. |
| 17.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Length delivery on middle, Dominic flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 17.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 17.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Again outside off, Sibley does not bother to play at that. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back on. 3-0-18-0 are his figures so far. |
| 18.1 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns looks to flick but gets a leading edge towards mid off. |
| 18.2 : K Rabada to Burns, Length delivery on off, Burns defends it towards covers. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 18.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a good length on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 18.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Poor bowling from Rabada! Drifts this one on the pads, Sibley flicks it through square leg for a boundary. |
| 18.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, Dominic offers no shot to this one. |
| 18.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length delivery on middle, Sibley defends it off the front foot. |
| 19.1 : D Pretorius to Burns, On a good length on leg, Burns looks to flick but gets it off the pads. It goes towards fine leg. The batsmen get a run. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 19.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, FOUR! What a shot! Right off the middle of the bat. Full on middle and off, Sibley gets on his front foot and just times it to perfection through mid on for a boundary. He did not hit it hard, just timed it beautifully. |
| 19.3 : D Pretorius to D Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley drives it to mid on. |
| 19.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length on middle, Sibley flicks it towards the leg side. |
| 19.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, Sibley offers no shot to this one. |
| 19.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Again outside off, Sibley lets it go. |
| 20.1 : K Rabada to Burns, Outside off, Burns offers no shot to this one. |
| 20.2 : K Rabada to Burns, Length delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through square leg. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 20.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Outside off, Rory shoulders arms to this one. |
| 20.4 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns defends it off the front foot. |
| 20.5 : K Rabada to R Burns, Ouch! That must have shaked him up a bit. A back of a length delivery on off, it shoots up and comes with the angle. It is also bowled at a fierce pace of 145 kph. Burns looks to defend but then evade. It is too quick though and the ball hits him on his glove and lobs short towards point. |
| 20.6 : K Rabada to Burns, Full delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through square leg. Two runs taken. |
| 21 overs of the game done and we have spinner into the attack. The only frontline spinner of the game, Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. He was not needed for a big spell in the first innings. He just bowled the 4 overs. |
| 21.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up delivery on middle, Sibley defends it off the front foot. |
| 21.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted delivery on off, Sibley blocks it off the front foot. |
| 21.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Outside off, Dominic offers no shot to this one. |
| 21.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated delivery on off, Sibley blocks it off the front foot. |
| 21.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted delivery on middle, Dominic flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 21.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on off, Dominic blocks it off the front foot. |
| Drinks! England are going well about this chase. They are still a long way back in this game and cannot get over themselves here. Just like England, South Africa too look out of ideas with the ball. They are all over the place with their lines and lengths and need to sort out their plan. But the hosts must be aware, a wicket here and things might start exploring for England. They still have a lot of runs to play with. |
| 22.1 : K Rabada to Burns, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Burns sways away from it. |
| 22.2 : K Rabada to Burns, FOUR! Burns brings his fifty up with a boundary. His 6th in Tests, he is certainly starting to come good and solidifying his place in this English Test side as an opener. Length ball around off, Burns waits for it and guides in the gap through point for a boundary. |
| 22.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Back of a length on off, RB defends it off his back foot. |
| 22.4 : K Rabada to Burns, FOUR! Gorgeous shot from Burns. Overpitched on off by Rabada. Burns is well-set out there and he is quick to pounce on this mistake and slash his drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 22.5 : K Rabada to Burns, Peach of a delivery this from Rabad. Almost got the better of Burns there. Good comeback from Rabada. He steams in and hits the deck hard around off. It moves away a bit from the southpaw. Burns tries to get on top of it and drive it to the off side but gets beaten comprehensively by the movement. |
| 22.6 : K Rabada to Burns, On the pads, Rory tucks it to the on side. End of an eventful over. |
| 23.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, BEATEN! Flighted delivery outside off, Sibley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 23.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up delivery on off, Dominic defends it off the front foot. |
| 23.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated delivery on middle, Sibley flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 23.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 23.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted delivery on off, Sibley defends it off the front foot. |
| 23.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley drives it towards mid on. |
| 24.1 : K Rabada to R Burns, Full delivery on middle, Burns drives it through mid on. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 24.2 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 24.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Back of a length ball outside off, Rory initially looks to pull but then sees it is away from him so he leaves it alone. |
| 24.4 : K Rabada to Burns, Gem of a delivery from Rabada. This ball shows why he is one of the best pacers going around. Hits the deck hard around off, it looks to be coming in with the angle but it straightens up as the ball hits the deck. Burns looks to defend but is once again beaten all ends up. |
| 24.5 : K Rabada to Burns, Outside off, Burns does not bother to play at that. |
| 24.6 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns keeps it out. |
| 25.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, BEATEN! Tossed up delivery outside off, Sibley looks to defend but misses it. |
| 25.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Against the spin but very nicely played. Maharaj bowls it on middle and leg. It is a little too straight in line. Sibley gets on his front foot and flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 25.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated delivery outside off, Sibley lets it go. |
| 25.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted delivery on middle, Sibley defends it off the front foot. |
| 25.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on middle, Sibley looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 25.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On off, Sibley offers a forward defense on this one. |
| 26.1 : K Rabada to Burns, Bowls a bouncer, Burns ducks under it. It goes to de Kock who fails to collect the ball and it goes past him. The batsmen don't take the single. |
| 26.2 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Rory defends it off the front foot. |
| 26.3 : K Rabada to Burns, Bowls a bumper, Rory does well to duck under it. De Kock fails to collect it cleanly as well but no byes conceded. |
| 26.4 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns defends it off the back foot. |
| 26.5 : K Rabada to Burns, Length delivery on off, Burns plays it towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 26.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Amazing shot. On a length and outside off, Sibley punches it through point for a boundary. |
| 27.1 : K Maharaj to Burns, Tossed up delivery on middle, Burns pushes it through mid on for a run. |
| 27.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated delivery on middle, Sibley tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 27.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on off, Sibley blocks it off the back foot. |
| 27.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted delivery on off, Sibley blocks it well. |
| 27.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley drives it towards mid on. |
| 27.6 : Maharaj to Sibley, OUT! Caught and bowled! Soft, soft dismissal to end a very good opening stand. Big wicket for South Africa, they desperately needed to break the stand and it is the left-arm spinner who has done the trick. Floated delivery, slightly short on off. Sibley gets on his back foot and looks to push it back to the bowler. He does so but uppishly and the ball goes straight back to Maharaj and he takes an easy catch. Sibley has had his struggles against left-arm spinners. He had |
| Joe Denly is the new batsman in. |
| 28.1 : K Rabada to Burns, Outside off, Burns leaves it alone. |
| 28.2 : K Rabada to Burns, Full delivery on middle, Burns pushes it to mid on. |
| 28.3 : K Rabada to R Burns,FOUR! Beautiful shot. Full outside off, Burns is quick to get on his front foot and drive it right off the middle of the bat through covers for a boundary. He has lost his partner but Burns is not losing his focus. If he sees a bad ball he will punish it. |
| 28.4 : K Rabada to Burns, Outside off, Rory offers no shot to this one. |
| 28.5 : K Rabada to Burns, Full delivery on middle, Burns defends it to covers. |
| 28.6 : K Rabada to Burns, Length delivery outside off, Burns taps it through point. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 29.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 29.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated delivery on off, Denly drives it through mid off. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 29.3 : K Maharaj to Burns, Loopy delivery on middle, Burns keeps it out. |
| 29.4 : K Maharaj to Burns, Flighted delivery on middle, Burns looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 29.5 : K Maharaj to Burns, Tossed up delivery on middle, Burns comes down the track and defends it. |
| 29.6 : K Maharaj to Burns, Floated delivery on middle, Rory comes down the track and blocks it. |
| Vernon Philander is back on. 6-2-13-0 are his figures so far. |
| 30.1 : V Philander to Denly, Appeal for Lbw but the umpire shakes it away. Height looked to be an issue hence the appeal too was a half-hearted one. Good length ball on off, it jags back in. Denly looks to defend but he misses and the ball hits him on the thigh pad of his back leg. There is a not-so-confident appeal from Philander and co. but nothing from the umpire. Hawk Eye later on rolls in and it shows that it was going well over the stumps. Hence even Faf did not signal the 'T'. |
| 30.2 : V Philander to Denly, On a good length on middle, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 30.3 : V Philander to Denly, Good length delivery on middle, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 30.4 : V Philander to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Denly flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 30.5 : V Philander to Denly, 100 up for England. They have got off to a good start here in this big chase but cannot lose their focus here. They need another 276 runs to win. Length ball on the pads, Denly turns it behind square on the leg side and takes a single to bring triple figure scores for England. |
| 30.6 : V Philander to Burns, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 31.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on middle, Denly pushes it towards mid on. |
| 31.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on off, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 31.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on off, Joe blocks it off the front foot. |
| 31.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on middle, Denly blocks it well. |
| 31.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated delivery on middle, Denly tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 31.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on off, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 32.1 : V Philander to Burns, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 32.2 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 32.3 : V Philander to Burns, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 32.4 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 32.5 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Burns shoulders arms to this one. |
| 32.6 : V Philander to Burns, On a length on middle, Rory flicks it towards mid-wicket where Elgar makes a fine stop. The batsmen still manage to take a run. |
| 33.1 : K Maharaj to Burns, Flighted delivery on off, Burns comes down the track and looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. It goes to du Plessis at first slip on the bounce and throws the ball. |
| 33.2 : K Maharaj to R Burns, Short delivery on middle, Burns pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 33.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on off, Denly blocks it well. |
| 33.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Outside off, Denly lets it go. |
| 33.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted delivery on middle, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 33.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on off, Joe keeps it out. |
| 34.1 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns defends it off the back foot. |
| 34.2 : V Philander to Burns, Length delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 34.3 : V Philander to Denly, On a length on off, Denly taps it through point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 34.4 : V Philander to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 34.5 : V Philander to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 34.6 : V Philander to Denly, Outside off, Joe does not bother to play at that. |
| 35.1 : K Maharaj to Burns, Tossed up delivery on middle, Burns defends it towards the leg side. |
| 35.2 : K Maharaj to R Burns, FOUR! A hit-me delivery from Maharaj and Burns obliges with power. Drag down outside off, Burns pulls it with disdain through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 35.3 : K Maharaj to Burns, Flighted delivery on off, Burns keeps it out. |
| 35.4 : K Maharaj to Burns, Floated delivery outside off, Burns looks to sweep but misses it and gets hit on the pads. |
| 35.5 : K Maharaj to Burns, Loopy delivery on middle, Burns looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 35.6 : K Maharaj to Burns, Tossed up delivery on off, Rory blocks it off the front foot. |
| 36.1 : V Philander to Denly, On a good length on middle, Denly nudges it towards the leg side. |
| 0.0 : The keeper is upto the stumps now for Philander. Good ploy this from South Africa as Denly has been standing in front of the crease to negate the swing. This will force Joe back inside his crease. |
| 36.2 : V Philander to Denly, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Denly looks to defend but misses it. |
| 36.3 : V Philander to Denly, On a length on middle, Denly flicks it through square leg. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 36.4 : V Philander to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 36.5 : V Philander to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly blocks it well. |
| 36.6 : V Philander to Denly, Close call but it looked to be going down the leg side and also height seemed to be an issue as well. Good length ball on off, it jags back in. Denly looks to defend but misses and the ball hits him around the knee roll. Philander and his teammates go up in appeal but the umpire shakes his head. South Africa do not go for the review either. |
| Pretorius is back on. 4-1-7-0 are his figures so far. |
| 37.1 : D Pretorius to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns nudges it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 37.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Length delivery on off, Denly offers a back foot defense on this one. |
| 37.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on middle, Denly keeps it out. |
| 37.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on middle, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 37.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly defends it out. |
| 37.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, Full delivery on off, Denly drives it towards mid off. |
| Change of ends for the left-arm spinner. Maybe Faf du Plessis and Maharaj feel this end has more cracks on offer outside off of the southpaw. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to R Burns, Tossed up delivery outside off, Burns drives it through covers. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Burns, Flighted delivery on middle, Burns blocks it off the back foot. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Burns, Loopy delivery on middle, Rory defends it out. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Burns, Floated delivery on off, Rory plays it to point. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Burns, Tossed up delivery on middle, Burns sweeps it towards the leg side. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Burns, Loopy delivery on off, Burns blocks it off the back foot. |
| 39.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Full delivery on off, Denly drives it to covers. |
| 0.0 : Quinton de Kock is back up to the stumps. This time to Dwaine Pretorius. |
| 39.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on off, Joe keeps it out. |
| 39.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on middle, Denly keeps it out. |
| 39.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on middle, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 39.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 39.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, FOUR! Good shot. Not too much power but just a well-timed punch. Good length ball outside off, Denly gets on his back foot and punches it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to Burns, Floated delivery on off, Burns defends it out. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Burns, Tossed up delivery on middle, Rory blocks it well. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Burns, BEATEN! Flighted delivery outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Burns, Loopy delivery on off, Burns blocks it off the back foot. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to R Burns, Floated delivery on off, Burns looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes past first slip towards third man. Pretorius chases it, slides and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up delivery on middle, Denly defends it out. THAT WILL BE STUMPS ON DAY 3! |
| Another end of a proper, unpredictable day of Test cricket here in Centurion. This match has been evenly poised and at the end of Day 3 it is still an even contest. The pendulum has kept swinging. South Africa started the day with a good lead of 175. They added further 200 to it courtesy of a fifty from Rassie van der Dussen and supporting roles from Nortje, de Kock and Philander. |
| Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers as he ended up with a 5-fer but he was expensive. The other English bowlers looked jaded, out of ideas and tired. A couple of players, namely Buttler and Root struggled with illness as well. And with a target of 376 to chase, it looked like the day and the match belonged to South Africa. |
| But as has been the story of this Test so far, England got back up after being down and out for the majority of the day. Sibley and Burns laid the foundation of the chase. The duo added a 92-run stand for the opening wicket to give the English fans some hope. Burns got to his fifty and is still out there looking very good. He has been solid in his approach and has made most of the chance he got when Rassie van der Dussen put him down on 20. His opening partner Dominic Sibley got out against the |
| Is it the pitch or is there some issue with the mentality? As just like England, South African bowlers too looked out of sorts. They were not consistent with their lines and lengths and struggled to find their rhythm. The bowlers were not aided by some sloppy fielding as Rassie van der Dussen put down Burns who is making him and the hosts pay. They did manage to break the opening stand, courtesy of their spinner, Keshav Maharaj. But all-in-all, the hosts need to sort themselves up and come back |
| So 255 runs more is what England require. South Africa need 9 wickets to win this game. Nobody knows who is on top as both the teams at the end of the day have an equal chance to take the lead in this series opener. The pitch looked good to bat on Day 3 and looking at it, all the criticism Joe Root got for bowling first is starting to backfire. What do we have in store on Day 4? It might just be the last day of this Test and can go either way. Join us on Sunday, 29th December at 1000 local (0800 |
| ... Day 4, Morning session ... |
| One of the two Boxing Day Tests is done. It was the hosts, Australia who decimated New Zealand. Where is the second Boxing Day Test heading? This one is evenly poised. Both the sides have a chance to win it and no one knows which way this game is heading. It has been a topsy-turvy game so far. The hosts need 9 wickets and are aware of England's habit of collapsing so they will still fancy themselves. The visitors, on the other hand, don't need to look too far away for inspiration as it was very |
| Day 4 is all set to begin! England need 255 to win this Test and have 9 wickets in hand to do so. Rory Burns and Joe Denly make their way out to the middle. Vernon Philander will start the proceedings. |
| 41.1 : V Philander to Burns, Philander starts the day right on the money. Good length ball on top of off. Burns starts his day by calmly blocking this with a straight bat. |
| 41.2 : V Philander to Burns, Philander once again bowls on the off stump line, Burns gets on his back foot and defends it. |
| 41.3 : V Philander to Burns, Philander now goes away from the off pole and there is some extra bounce and away swing on this one. Rory covers his stumps and lets it go. |
| 41.4 : V Philander to Burns, This one looks to be coming in but straightens after the ball pitches. Burns watches it till the end and does not have a poke at it. He shoulders arms to this one. |
| 41.5 : V Philander to Burns, Vernon wants Burns to go for the drive as he tempts him with another length ball outside off. Rory is a calm man and he has no interest in falling in that trap. |
| 41.6 : V Philander to Burns, Good start for Philander. Maintains his line and length and bowls it outside off. Asking Burns the question but Rory is in no hurry and leaves the last ball alone to get through the first over of the day. Maiden to start the day! |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. |
| 42.1 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 42.2 : K Rabada to Denly, On a length on middle, Denly flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 42.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, Denly offers no shot to this one. |
| 42.4 : K Rabada to Denly, EDGED AND FOUR! First runs of the day but it is not in the most convincing way. Rabada hits the deck hard on off, it tails away a bit. Denly looks to defend but the away swing squares him up and the ball goes off the outside edge through the vacant gully region for a boundary. |
| 42.5 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 42.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, Denly leaves it alone. |
| 43.1 : V Philander to Burns, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Burns looks to defend but misses it. |
| 43.2 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on off, Rory keeps it out. |
| 43.3 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Burns makes a calm leave on this one. |
| 43.4 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns blocks it off the back foot. |
| 43.5 : V Philander to Burns, Again outside off, Rory does not bother to play at that. |
| 43.6 : V Philander to Burns, Length delivery on middle, Burns nudges it towards the leg side. |
| 44.1 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on leg, Denly looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 44.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Joe blocks it off the back foot. |
| 44.3 : K Rabada to Denly, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off which kept a little low, Denly looks to defend but misses it. |
| 44.4 : K Rabada to Denly, On off, Joe blocks it off the back foot. |
| 44.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, Denly lets it go. |
| 44.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Bowls it down the leg side, Denly looks to flick but misses it. |
| There is a slight halt in play as a hammer is brought out for leveling the landing area. |
| 45.1 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns defends it towards mid-wicket. |
| 45.2 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Burns shoulders arms to this one. |
| 45.3 : V Philander to Burns, Again outside off, Burns offers a calm leave on this one. |
| 45.4 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery outside off, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 45.5 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Rory offers no shot to this one. |
| 45.6 : V Philander to Burns, Again outside off, Burns leaves it alone. |
| 46.1 : K Rabada to Joe Denly, SIX! First shot of real aggression and intent from England. It is Denly who has taken the charge. A much-needed pressure reliving shot after barrage of dot balls. Rabada goes short, Denly is ready for it and pulls it with sheer confidence and power over mid-wicket. He has timed it perfectly and the ball sails over the fence for a biggie. First one of the innings. |
| 46.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, it bounces a touch after pitching. Denly lets it go and de Kock hops and collects it with one hand. |
| 46.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Bowls a bouncer, Denly ducks under it. |
| 46.4 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on middle, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 46.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Bowls a bouncer, Joe lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 46.6 : K Rabada to Denly, On a length on off, Denly plays it to point. |
| 47.1 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on off, Burns keeps it out. |
| 47.2 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Rory blocks it off the front foot. |
| 47.3 : V Philander to Burns, On a length on off, Burns taps it to point. |
| 47.4 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery on middle, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 47.5 : V Philander to Burns, On a good length on middle, Burns defends it off the back foot. |
| 47.6 : V Philander to Burns, Length delivery on middle, Rory flicks it towards mid-wicket where Elgar makes a fine stop. |
| 48.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Denly sways away from it. |
| 48.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, Joe lets it go. |
| 48.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, Denly does not bother to play at that. |
| 48.4 : K Rabada to Denly, Again outside off, Joe shoulders arms to this one. Third consecutive leave from Denly. |
| 48.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Length delivery on middle, Denly flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a run. |
| 48.6 : K Rabada to Burns, Almost a tub out of nowhere! Substitute Rudi Second produces a chance out of nowhere. Rabada delivers on the body, Burns flicks it but it goes on the bounce to the man at short leg. Burns is out of his crease and Second has a quick shy at the keeper's end but unfortunately it goes just past the stumps and towards deep point. They steal a single. That would have been some wicket and an unfortunate way if you are an English supporter. |
| 49.1 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery outside off, Burns leaves it alone. |
| 49.2 : V Philander to Burns, Again outside off, Burns makes a calm leave on this one. |
| 49.3 : V Philander to Burns, Outside off, Burns does not bother to play at that. Third consecutive leave for Rory Burns. |
| 49.4 : V Philander to Burns, On off, Burns defends it off the front foot. |
| 49.5 : V Philander to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Rory blocks it off the back foot. |
| 49.6 : V Philander to Burns, Length delivery on leg, Burns flicks it through square leg for a single. |
| 50.1 : K Rabada to Burns, On a length on middle, Burns flicks it through mid-wicket. Philander runs, chases and cleans it up. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 50.2 : K Rabada to Burns, Good length delivery on off, Rory blocks it off the front foot. |
| 50.3 : K Rabada to Burns, On a good length on off, Rory blocks it well. |
| 50.4 : K Rabada to Burns, Length delivery on middle, Burns flicks it through mid-wicket. The fielder comes across from fine leg and stops the ball from reaching the fence. The batsmen take three. Good running between the wickets. |
| 50.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length delivery outside off, Denly offers no shot to this one. |
| 50.6 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly blocks it well. |
| First bowling change of the day. Anrich Nortje is into the attack. 6-1-20-0 are his figures so far. |
| 51.1 : A Nortje to Burns, Bowls a bouncer, Burns does well to duck under it. |
| 51.2 : A Nortje to Burns, OUT! Caught! The bowling change has done the wonders for the hosts. Nortje strikes in his second ball of the over. Big, big wicket for the Proteas and this could be the wicket that puts the South Africans back in the driver's seat. Nortje goes short and it is well directed as well as it is very close to the body. The ball hurries onto Burns. He looks to pull it but he is very late in his shot. The ball hits the upper half of the bat and goes high in the air. It goes towa |
| Joe Root, the England skipper, makes his way out to the middle, replacing Rory Burns. |
| 51.3 : A Nortje to Root, OHH! Nortje bowls a good length ball around middle, Root hops to defend it but gets hit on the thigh pad. Nortje appeals confidently but the umpire shakes his head. It seems that it is going a bit too high. The South Africans think of a review but decide against it. |
| 51.4 : A Nortje to Root, Full delivery on off, Root defends it back to the bowler. |
| 51.5 : A Nortje to Root, BEATEN! That kept a little low. On a length outside off, Root looks to defend it but it sneaks under his bat and into the keeper's gloves. |
| 51.6 : A Nortje to Root, PLAY AND A MISS! Poor shot! Root does not need to play at that. Short of a length ball outside off, Root looks to play the cut but misses it altogether. |
| 52.1 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the back foot. |
| 52.2 : K Rabada to Denly, SIX! What has happened there? Nortje does not know where the ball is. Short of a length ball on off, Denly looks to pull it but gets a top edge towards fine leg. Nortje stationed there, loses the ball in the air and looks to take evasive action. In the end it goes for a biggie. Rabada has his hands on his head. Could have been easily another wicket. |
| 52.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Joe blocks it off the back foot. |
| 52.4 : K Rabada to Denly, Bowls a bumper, Denly ducks under it. |
| 52.5 : K Rabada to Denly, On a good length on middle, Denly defends it towards mid on. |
| 52.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Joe blocks it well. |
| 53.1 : A Nortje to Root, On a length on middle, Root defends it towards mid-wicket. |
| 53.2 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery on off, the skipper defends it off the back foot. |
| 53.3 : A Nortje to Root, On a good length on off, Root keeps it out. |
| 53.4 : A Nortje to Root, Bowls a bouncer, Root ducks under it. |
| 53.5 : A Nortje to Root, FOUR! Nicely played! Length delivery outside off, Root guides it towards third man for a boundary. That is a shot which brings him a lot of runs but also gets out sometimes says Nasser Hussain on air. |
| 53.6 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery on off, Root blocks it off the front foot. |
| Drinks! South Africa have been very disciplined so far in this session. They have not given many runs and have even managed to pick the wicket of Rory Burns. England, on the other hand, still have a lot of time to go after this target. Root has just come out while Denly has looked good apart from that top edge which Nortje did not pick. Can the Proteas pick up few more wickets before Lunch? |
| Dwaine Pretorius to have a go with the ball after the break. |
| 54.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Denly defends it back to the bowler. |
| 54.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fullish ball outside off, Joe lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 54.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a length on middle, Joe rocks on his back foot and blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 54.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, FOUR! Hammered! Poor ball but it has to be put away. Short delivery on off, Denly gets into position and thrashes the pull through mid-wicket for a boundary. 150 up for England. Need more 223 runs to win. |
| 54.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, On middle, blocked back to the bowler. |
| 54.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, OUCH! That took off after pitching! Good length ball on middle which bounced a bit extra. Denly looks to defend it but it hits the gloves and rolls to square leg. |
| 55.1 : A Nortje to Root, FOUR! Beautiful shot from Root! Back of a length delivery outside off, Root hops and punches the ball crisply through covers for a boundary. |
| 55.2 : A Nortje to Root, Fullish on middle, Joe defends it back to Nortje off the front foot. |
| 55.3 : A Nortje to Root, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Root ducks under it. |
| 55.4 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball on off, Root defends it to point. |
| 55.5 : A Nortje to Root, WIDE! A bouncer bowled around middle, Root ducks under it. De Kock jumps to collect it but fails to collect it. A wide is signaled by the umpire. |
| A Nortje to Root, Outside off, left alone by Root. |
| 55.6 : A Nortje to Root, Fuller delivery outside the off stump line, Root lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 56.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a good length on off, Denly defends it off the front foot. |
| 56.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on middle, Joe keeps it out. |
| Denly has been adjudged LBW! It looks very close and Denly after having a word with Root has taken it upstairs. The on-field call is out so all it needs to do is just clip the stump for South Africa to get their second wicket of the day. |
| 56.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, OUT! LBW! Umpire's call. The ball is just clipping the leg pole but it is enough for Denly to walk back. The pressure the opening bowlers build is starting to pay off as the new bowlers are getting the breakthrough. A wicket that South Africa wanted. A wicket that South Africa have got. Both the well-set batsmen are out of here and South Africa on top here. Very good bowling from Pretorius. Good length ball pitching around off and coming back in. Denly looks to flick |
| Ben Stokes is the new man in. Can he repeat his Headingley heroics? |
| 56.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Full delivery on off, Stokes defends it out. |
| 56.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball around off, Stokes stands tall and defends it to point. |
| 56.6 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Outside off, left alone. |
| 57.1 : A Nortje to Root, Full delivery on off, Root pushes it wide of mid off where Rabada slides and collects it. No run. |
| 57.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a length on middle, Root works it to square leg. |
| 57.3 : A Nortje to Root, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Root ducks under it. |
| 57.4 : A Nortje to Root, Fullish on off, Root looks to defend but it goes off the inside half of the bat which just rolls past the leg stump. No harm done though. |
| 57.5 : A Nortje to Root, Back of a length on middle at 144 kph, Root hops and defends it well onto the pitch. |
| 57.6 : A Nortje to Root, On a length on middle, Root looks to fend it away but gets hit on the gloves. He takes his glove off the bat immediately after playing at it. |
| 58.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Back of a length delivery on off, Stokes pushes it to point. |
| 58.2 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball on off, Ben defends it to covers. |
| 58.3 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On off, Stokes pushes it to cover. |
| 58.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On a length on middle and off, Stokes blocks it to cover. |
| 58.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Fullish on off, Stokes leans forward and defends it out. |
| 58.6 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Outside off, Stokes leaves it alone. Good over from Pretorius comes to an end. |
| 59.1 : A Nortje to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root whips it to short leg. |
| 59.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a length outside off, Root guides it to deep point for a single. |
| 59.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, Fullish delivery outside off, Stokes lets it go to the keeper. |
| 59.4 : A Nortje to Stokes, Full on off, Stokes defends it off the front foot. |
| 59.5 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length on middle and leg, Stokes whips it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 59.6 : A Nortje to Root, FOUR BYES! What happened there? Short of a length delivery outside off, Root lets it go. De Kock and the first slip fielder goes after it but fails to do so. The ball rolls to the third man fence. |
| 60.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Fullish ball outside off, Stokes shoulders arms to this one. |
| 60.2 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball outside off, Stokes does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 60.3 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Outside off, left alone. |
| 60.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Fullish on middle and off, Stokes comes down the pitch and whips it to deep mid-wicket for a couple. The fielder comes across and cleans it up. |
| 60.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Length delivery on off, Stokes plays it back to the bowler. |
| 60.6 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Fullish on off, Stokes pushes it to cover. |
| 61.1 : A Nortje to Root, OHH! That must have hurt. Good length ball on off which bounces a little more after pitching. Root attempts to fend it away but hits the arm and goes towards fine leg for a single. Root drops his bat and then takes off for the run. |
| 0.0 : Joe Root is in pain here and he has had some tough time with his illness as well. The physio is out now with the spray. Root looks reasonably okay. Also, some pickle juice for the English skipper. |
| 61.2 : A Nortje to Ben Stokes, Well fielded! Full delivery on off, Stokes looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge towards second slip. Faf there dives and makes a good stop. Saved a certain boundary. |
| 61.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length ball on middle, Stokes defends it back to the bowler. |
| 61.4 : A Nortje to Stokes, BEATEN! Nicely bowled but a poorer shot! Short of a length ball around middle and off, Stokes attempts to pull it but misses it altogether. |
| 61.5 : A Nortje to Stokes, This time gets some bat on it does Stokes. Short on off, Stokes pulls it to deep mid-wicket and picks up a single. |
| 61.6 : A Nortje to Root, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Root ducks under it. |
| 62.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Very full delivery on off, Stokes defends it out. |
| 62.2 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Fullish on off, Stokes pushes it to mid off. |
| 62.3 : D Pretorius to Stokes, BEATEN! This is lovely bowling from Pretorius! Fuller one outside off, Stokes looks to defend it but the ball whizzes past the outside edge of the bat and goes into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 62.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Stokes covers his off stump and defends this full one back to the bowler. |
| 62.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length delivery outside off, Stokes lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 62.6 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back on. 15-1-71-0 are his figures so far. |
| 63.1 : K Rabada to Root, Starts with a full delivery outside off, Root lets it go. |
| 63.2 : K Rabada to Joe Root, That's kept low! Good length ball on off keeping low, Root looks to defend it but it goes off the bottom half of the bat towards the slip cordon. Quinton de Kock dives to his right and stops it. |
| 63.3 : K Rabada to Root, Good length ball on middle, Root flicks it to square leg and crosses over for a single. The fielder has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Anyway, Stokes was well in. |
| 63.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fullish delivery outside off, Stokes shoulders arms to this one. |
| 63.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, Back of a length delivery on off, Stokes stands tall and blocks it out. |
| 63.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, Cries for catch it but it is wide of Rabada! Full delivery on middle, Stokes pushes it back to the bowler uppishly. Rabada dives to catch but it is wide of him. He does not get any hand on it. The ball hits the stumps at the bowler's end and rolls to mid off. |
| Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. 10-3-16-1 are his figures so far. |
| 64.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Starts with a flighted delivery on middle, Root lunges forward and defends it out. |
| 64.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Loopy delivery on off, Root pushes it to mid off and takes a single. |
| 64.3 : K Maharaj to Ben Stokes, Full delivery on off, Stokes works it to mid-wicket. |
| 64.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, BEAUTIFUL BOWLING! Tosses this one up outside off pitching on the rough, Stokes lunges to defend but it spins and beats the bat going onto hitting the thigh pad. |
| 64.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 64.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, defended out by Stokes. |
| 65.1 : K Rabada to Root, On a good length on off, Root blocks it off the back foot. |
| 65.2 : K Rabada to Root, Good length ball on off, Root defends it out. |
| 65.3 : K Rabada to Root, Short ball around middle and leg, Root does well to duck under it. |
| 65.4 : K Rabada to Root, Back of a length delivery on middle, Root works it to short leg. Rudi Second, the substitute, collects it on the bounce. |
| 65.5 : K Rabada to Root, Fullish on off, Root defends it to point. |
| 65.6 : K Rabada to Joe Root, EDGED! Full delivery on off, Root looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge to third man for a single. With that, it is LUNCH ON DAY 4. |
| Another evenly poised session in this Test but it will be South Africa who will be the happier of the two sides. The Proteas bowlers were sub-par with the ball on Day 3 but they started off well on Day 4. Rabada and Philander built pressure but it was Nortje and Pretorius who bore the fruit of that. The pair managed to get rid of a very well-set Burns and after a while even sent Denly packing. The hosts have 205 runs to play with and need 7 wickets to win this Test. |
| England started off the day cautiously. They took the defensive approach. Burns and Denly ate some deliveries and scored 18 runs before Burns departed. Denly too did not last long after it. The visitors have two of their best batters in their captain Joe Root and vice-captain Ben Stokes out in the middle. The pair managed to watch out the remaining time before Lunch and ensured that they do not have any further casualties heading into the break. The onus will be on this pair to build a big partn |
| So 50 runs and 2 wickets came in this session. England need further 205 runs to win. South Africa need 7 wickets. What do we have in store for the second session? Can South Africa take advantage or will Stokes and Root take the tourists out of troubled waters? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 4, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. The South African players are out in the middle. Joe Root and Ben Stokes will resume their innings for England. Vernon Philander will start the proceedings for the second session. |
| 66.1 : V Philander to Root, Starts with a good length ball on off, Root pushes it to gully. |
| 66.2 : V Philander to Root, Full on off, Root lunges forward and defends it out. |
| 66.3 : V Philander to Root, Fullish delivery outside off, Joe does not fiddle with it and lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 66.4 : V Philander to Joe Root, FOUR! BEAUTIFUL! Absolutely beautiful. Wonderful way to start the session for the visitors. Philander dishes out a half volley on middle, Root drives it past the diving Rabada and into the long on fence. Rabada does get a hand to it but fails to do so. |
| 66.5 : V Philander to Root, On a length on off, Root defends it to point off the back foot. |
| 66.6 : V Philander to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root works it to backward square leg for a single. |
| Anrich Nortje to bowl from the other end. 12-3-33-1 are his figures so far. |
| 67.1 : A Nortje to Root, Nortje starts with a full delivery on middle, Root flicks it to square leg. |
| 67.2 : A Nortje to Root, Back of a length delivery on middle, Root hops and blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 67.3 : A Nortje to Root, Short of a length on off, Root jumps and guides it to third man for a run. |
| 67.4 : A Nortje to Stokes, BEATEN! Very good delivery from Nortje. Full delivery outside off, Stokes wants to have a feel of it but misses it completely. Good carry for de Kock as well. |
| 67.5 : A Nortje to Stokes, On middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 67.6 : Nortje to Stokes, Full delivery down the leg side, Stokes looks to flick it but misses. Nortje puts in an appeal but nothing from the umpire. |
| A hammer is brought to level the landing area again for Philander. |
| 68.1 : V Philander to Root, FOUR! Beautiful shot but a poor delivery as well! Short delivery outside off, Root hops and punches it to the cover-point region for a boundary. |
| 68.2 : V Philander to Root, Back of a length delivery on off, Root defends it to the point region and takes a single. |
| 68.3 : V Philander to Stokes, On middle, defended to the leg side. |
| 68.4 : V Philander to Stokes, Good length delivery outside off, Stokes comes down the track and looks to defend it but it goes off the inside edge onto the pads. |
| Seeing Ben Stokes come down the track, Quintin de Kock has got his helmet on and he is now standing up to the stumps for Philander. |
| 68.5 : V Philander to Stokes, Full delivery outside off, Stokes pushes it to cover. |
| 68.6 : V Philander to Stokes, Back of a length on middle, Stokes tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 69.1 : A Nortje to Root, Short delivery on middle and leg, Root hops and attempts to flick it but gets hit on the thigh pad. The ball rolls to the keeper. |
| 69.2 : A Nortje to Root, Full delivery on off, Root looks to flick it but it goes off the leading edge through the cover region. The batters take two before the fielder can clean it up. |
| 69.3 : A Nortje to Root, Short ball outside off, Root defends it out. |
| 69.4 : A Nortje to Root, FOUR! Nicely timed from Root! Root has started well after the Lunch break! Full delivery on middle, Root whips it towards the deep mid-wicket region for a boundary. Vernon Philander chases after it and fails to reach it on time. |
| 69.5 : A Nortje to Root, On off, defended off the back foot to point. |
| 69.6 : A Nortje to Root, BOUNCER! It is bowled down the leg side, Root ducks under it. |
| Keshav Maharaj is back for the first time in this session. There are a few rough patches available for him and he has pitched a few ball in there whcih has troubled the visitors. Can he take another wicket and utilize the use of the patches? |
| 70.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, FOUR! Thrashed by Stokes! Maharaj starts with a flighted delivery on off, Ben bends on his knees and sweeps it to the deep square leg region for a boundary. |
| 70.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy ball on off, Stokes defends it back to the bowler. |
| 70.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 70.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, FOUR! Stokes is looking to attack ths spinner here. Floated ball on off, Stokes dances down the track and plays it uppishly over the cover region for a boundary. |
| 70.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter delivery on middle and leg, Stokes looks to flick it but misses to get hit on the pads. The ball rolls to square leg and the batters steal a leg bye. |
| 70.6 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! England are turning it on at Centurion. Short delivery outside off, Root goes on his back foot and punches it through covers for a boundary. 200 up for England. |
| Change from both the ends. Dwaine Pretorius is back on. He has a wicket to his name, can he strike another one before the new ball is available? |
| 71.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On a length on middle, Stokes flicks it through square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 71.2 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Back of a length delivery on middle, Stokes works it to mid-wicket. |
| 71.3 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Fullish on middle and leg, Stokes defends it to the leg side. |
| 71.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball on off, Stokes defends it to cover. |
| 71.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On a length on middle, Ben whips it to mid-wicket where Rudi Second slides to stop the ball. |
| 71.6 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On middle, defended to mid on off the back foot. |
| 72.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Shorter delivery outside off, Root off the back foot punches it to cover-point. Pretorius slides and stops it. A single taken. |
| 72.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter delivery on middle and leg, Stokes works it to the leg side. |
| 72.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, OUT! Chopped on! Maharaj is in cloud 9, South African players are on cloud 9! England's crisis man, the miracle man of Headingley is out of here. Massive wicket in this game. No Ben Magic here in Centurion as Maharaj has got the king-sized wicket of Ben Stokes. Maharaj bowls it slightly short but on the rough. It puts Ben Stokes in two minds, whether to play at it or let it go. He tries to dab it down towards third man but the ball is too close to do it. The ball turns |
| Jonny Bairstow replaces Ben Stokes out in the middle. |
| 72.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Floated outside off, Bairstow leaves it alone. |
| 72.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Tossed up on off, Bairstow defends it. |
| 72.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Flighted on off, Bairstow blocks it to get through the over. End of a brilliant over from Maharaj. Might just be the game changing over. |
| 73.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery outside off keeping very low, Root looks to push at it but sneaks under his bat and goes into the mitts of the keeper. Root looks shocked after that delivery. |
| 73.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Things are now happening after that wicket! Good length ball on middle, Root looks to defend it but hits him around the box. Looks fine to continue. |
| 73.3 : D Pretorius to Root, BEATEN! Brilliant stuff from Pretorius! Good length ball around off, angling away from the batsman. Root looks to defend it but misses it. Suddenly after the wicket the ball has started doing something off the pitch. |
| 73.4 : D Pretorius to Root, FOUR! Poor bowling this though! Full delivery on the pads, Root just helps it on its way to the backward square leg for a boundary. Keshav Maharaj comes, slides but fails to stop it. |
| 73.5 : D Pretorius to Root, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 73.6 : D Pretorius to Root, Outside off, left alone. |
| 74.1 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy delivery on middle, Jonny defends it back to the bowler. |
| 74.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, On middle, defended out. |
| 74.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, FOUR! This is not good bowling from Maharaj! Short and wide outside off, Bairstow rocks back and punches it through covers for a boundary. |
| 74.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Floated on off, Bairstow lunges forward and blocks it to cover. |
| 74.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Tossed up ball on middle, Jonny defends it back. |
| 74.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, On middle, Jonny lunges forward and blocks it out. |
| 75.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root whips it to mid-wicket. |
| 75.2 : D Pretorius to Root, On off, Root guides it to gully for nothing. |
| 75.3 : D Pretorius to Root, Fuller one on middle, Root defends it back to the bowler. |
| 75.4 : D Pretorius to Root, On off, Root defends it solidly. |
| 75.5 : D Pretorius to Root, Length outside off, left alone by Root. |
| 75.6 : D Pretorius to Root, OHH! Good length ball on middle and leg, Root moves towards the off side and looks to flick it but misses. It is hit on the pads and rolls to the leg side. Pretorius appeals but nothing from the umpire. A leg bye taken. |
| 76.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Ohh! This is going to send chills down the England batting line up. Maharaj bowls it short outside off, Root tries to dab it down towards third man but fails to do so. Guess why? Because the ball has stayed low and refused to bounce. Lucky for Root that was not on the stumps. |
| 76.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter one outside off, Root guides it to point and takes a single. The fielder dives and stops it. |
| 76.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy delivery on off, Bairstow defends it to cover. |
| 76.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Full on off, Bairstow pushes it to cover. |
| 76.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Outside off, pushed to deep cover for a single. |
| 76.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter one outside off, Root defends it out to point. |
| 77.1 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, Full one on middle, Jonny pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 77.2 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, Outside off, Bairstow does not fiddle with it and shoulders arms. |
| 77.3 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, Fuller outside off, Bairstow pushes it to cover for nothing. |
| 77.4 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, On a length on middle, Bairstow solidly defends it to mid on. |
| 77.5 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, Good length on off, Jonny defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 77.6 : D Pretorius to Bairstow, On middle, Jonny lunges and blocks it to the off side. |
| 78.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter delivery outside off, Root punches it to deep cover for a single. |
| 78.2 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy delivery on middle and leg, Bairstow defends it out. |
| 78.3 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, On middle, blocked back to Maharaj. |
| 78.4 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Flat one on middle, Jonny blocks it out. |
| 78.5 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Loopy delivery on middle, Bairstow plays it back to the bowler. |
| 78.6 : K Maharaj to Bairstow, Flighted delivery on middle, Bairstow blocks it to square leg. |
| So this is the last over before the new ball is available. It will be interesting to see whether Faf du Plessis opts it straightaway and start attacking with Philander and Rabada or he waits back and lets Maharaj have a few more go with this old cherry. He has been able to grip and turn the ball from the rough and also there have been some uneven bounce on offer. |
| 79.1 : D Pretorius to Joe Root, Full delivery on off, Root pushes it to mid off. The fielder slides and makes a good stop. No run in the end. |
| 79.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle which kept a little low, Root gets his bat down in time and defends it. |
| 79.3 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length ball on middle, Root works it to deep square leg and picks up a couple. |
| 79.4 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root drives it back to Pretorius. |
| 79.5 : D Pretorius to Root, On a length on off, Root defends it to point. |
| 79.6 : D Pretorius to Root, OHH! Good length ball around off, Root looks to defend it but gets hit on the pads. It lobs off to Zubayr Hamza at gully who catches it sliding forward. The Proteas appeal but the umpire says no. Good decision in the end as the Hawk Eye shows that the impact was outside off. The South Africans do not think of a review. |
| Faf has opted to take the second new ball as soon as it has become available and Rabada will start with it. Will this decision work out or will it backfire? |
| 80.1 : K Rabada to Bairstow, FOUR! Rabada starts with a poor delivery down the pads. Full delivery on middle, Bairstow whips it beautifully to deep mid-wicket and picks up a boundary. |
| 80.2 : K Rabada to Bairstow, OUT! Caught! The new ball has done its magic and Faf's decision to take the new ball has taken just two deliveries to do its magic. Full and swinging away from Bairstow. He looks to play it away from his body and ends up getting a thick outside edge which flies to the man at gully. Zubayr Hamza there gets it in an awkward height but he hops and makes it look easy. Looks like he has hurt himself too with the new ball but at this moment it does not matter as South Afric |
| Jos Buttler is the next batsman in. He has a big responsibility in his hands and needs to support his skipper if they are to chase it down. Remember both these players struggled with illness yesterday and Buttler did not even take the field on Day 3. |
| 80.3 : K Rabada to Buttler, BEATEN! Beautiful stuff from Rabada! Good length delivery around off with some swing away. Buttler looks to defend it but goes past the outside edge of the bat. No harm done. |
| 80.4 : K Rabada to Buttler, BEATEN! Why is Buttler going after these? Full delivery outside off, Buttler looks to drive it but again misses to get any bat on it. |
| 80.5 : K Rabada to Buttler, Good length ball closer to the off pole, Buttler this time manages to get bat on ball as he defends this one. |
| 80.6 : K Rabada to Buttler, BEATEN! Excellent over from Rabada comes to an end. Another one on a length outside off, Buttler looks to defend it but fails to get any bat on it. A successful over from Rabada. |
| Vernon Philander comes back into the attack to operate from the other end with the second new ball. |
| 81.1 : V Philander to Root, Full delivery outside off swinging away, Root shoulders arms to this one. |
| 81.2 : V Philander to Root, On off, Root lunges forward and blocks it to cover. |
| 81.3 : V Philander to Root, BEATEN! Root does not need to play at those. An outswinger outside off, Root flashes at it but misses it altogether. |
| 81.4 : V Philander to Root, Outside off, Root lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 81.5 : V Philander to Root, Fullish outside off, Root decides to make a leave to the keeper. |
| 81.6 : V Philander to Root, Another one outside the off stump line, Joe lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 82.1 : K Rabada to Buttler, Fuller one outside off, Buttler lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 82.2 : K Rabada to Buttler, Short delivery outside off, Buttler gets off the mark by pushing this to deep cover for a single. |
| Root is not ready as Rabada comes on to bowl. He pulls away just as Kagiso was about to bowl. |
| 82.3 : K Rabada to Root, On a length on middle and off, Root looks to defend it but gets hit on the thigh pad. The ball rolls to the off side. |
| 82.4 : K Rabada to Root, Good length delivery outside off, Root lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 82.5 : K Rabada to Root, On off swinging in, Root makes a good leave. |
| 82.6 : Rabada to Root, Good length delivery on middle, Root attempts to defend but it goes off the inside edge to the off side. The Proteas appeal but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 83.1 : V Philander to Buttler, On a length outside off, Buttler lets it go. |
| 83.2 : V Philander to Buttler, Full delivery swinging away, Jos shoulders arms to this one. |
| 83.3 : V Philander to Buttler, Outside off, Buttler shoulders arms to this one. |
| 83.4 : V Philander to Buttler, Good length delivery on off, Buttler defends it to cover. |
| 83.5 : V Philander to Buttler, Fullish one outside off, left alone by Buttler. |
| 83.6 : V Philander to Buttler, Buttler defends this length ball on middle back to the bowler. |
| 84.1 : K Rabada to Root, Outside off, Root shoulders arms to this one. |
| 0.0 : Oh ho! It has gone very dark all of a sudden and the floodlights are on now. |
| 84.2 : K Rabada to Root, On a good length on off, Root defends it off the back foot. |
| 84.3 : K Rabada to Root, Bowls a bouncer, Root does well to duck under it. |
| 84.4 : K Rabada to Root, Good length delivery on off, the skipper keeps it out. |
| 84.5 : K Rabada to Root, On a good length on off, Joe blocks it well. |
| 84.6 : K Rabada to Root, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Root looks to defend but misses it. |
| 85.1 : V Philander to Buttler, Full delivery on middle, Jos flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 85.2 : V Philander to Buttler, Fuller one outside off, Buttler lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 85.3 : V Philander to Buttler, Good length ball on off, Jos defends it to point. |
| 85.4 : V Philander to Buttler, Fullish ball outside off, Buttler shoulders arms to this one. |
| 85.5 : V Philander to Buttler, Outside off, left alone by Buttler. |
| 85.6 : V Philander to Jos Buttler, FOUR! This should give Buttler some confidence. This is a superb shot from Jos! Overpitched slightly on off, Buttler gets on his front foot and drives it perfectly off the middle of the bat through extra covers for a boundary. |
| 86.1 : K Rabada to Root, FOUR! Classic shot! Back of a length delivery outside off, Root punches it off the back foot with one hand of the bat. It goes through gully for a boundary. |
| 86.2 : K Rabada to Root, On a length on middle, Root defends it out. |
| 86.3 : K Rabada to Root, Fullish on middle, Root plays it back to the bowler. |
| 86.4 : K Rabada to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root attempts to defend it but it goes off the inside edge to fine leg. A single taken. |
| 86.5 : K Rabada to Buttler, Good length delivery on off, Buttler defends it out to cover. |
| 86.6 : K Rabada to Buttler, Back of a length ball on middle, Jos works it to the leg side. |
| Anrich Nortje is back on. 14-3-40-1 are his figures so far. |
| 87.1 : A Nortje to Root, Starts with a full delivery outside off tailing in, Root leaves it alone. |
| 87.2 : A Nortje to Root, OUT! Caught behind! Is this the end of this chase here? Joe Root is out of here and once again the bowling change has done the trick. Nortje with the bat, Nortje with the ball. Nortje winning the game for his side. Anrich steams in and hits the deck hard on off, it is in the corridor of uncertainty. The ball nips away off the deck. Root lunges forward to get a feel of the ball. All he does is get a good, fat outside edge which goes straight into the gloves of Quinton de K |
| Sam Curran is the new man in. He is no walkover with the bat and if he can support Buttler out there, England will be still in with a chance. |
| 87.3 : A Nortje to Curran, Full delivery on off, Curran looks to flick it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. No run. |
| 87.4 : A Nortje to Curran, BEATEN! Excellent bowling from Nortje. He has looked the best bowler for the Proteas. Good length ball outside off, Curran looks to defend it but misses it altogether. |
| 87.5 : A Nortje to Curran, On a length on off, Sam defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 87.6 : A Nortje to Sam Curran, Fullish on off, Curran pushes it to mid off. |
| 88.1 : K Rabada to Buttler, Full delivery down the leg side, Buttler looks to flick it but it seems that it has gone off the pads. De Kock dives and makes a half stop. Quinton looks distraught thinking that it was a drop but the Ultra Edge shows that there was no bat. |
| 88.2 : K Rabada to Buttler, BEATEN! Good length ball outside off, Buttler looks to defend it but misses it altogether. |
| 88.3 : K Rabada to Buttler, PLAY AND A MISS! Short of a length delivery outside off, Buttler looks to push it off the back foot but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 88.4 : K Rabada to Buttler, OHH! On a length on off swinging in, Buttler looks to flick but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 88.5 : K Rabada to Buttler, Full delivery on middle, Jos looks to flick it but gets a leading edge which goes towards gully. No run. |
| 88.6 : K Rabada to Buttler, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 89.1 : A Nortje to Sam Curran, EDGED AND FOUR! Luck favoring Sam Curran! Good length ball outside off, Curran looks to drive it but hits the outside edge which goes between the guly and the second slip fielder into the fence. |
| 89.2 : A Nortje to Curran, On a length on off, Curran defends it to cover and picks up a single. |
| 89.3 : A Nortje to Buttler, FOUR! Audacious! Buttler finally shows his class. Back of a length delivery outside off, Buttler pushes it off the back foot through the extra cover region for a boundary. |
| 89.4 : A Nortje to Jos Buttler, Good length delivery on middle, Buttler hops to flick it but it seems to have gone off the inside edge, onto the pads towards short leg. The replays show that it has indeed gone off the edge. Luckily for Buttler, it falls wide off the fielder. |
| 89.5 : A Nortje to Buttler, SIX! Hammered! Short of a length ball on middle, Buttler rocks on his back foot and pulls it with absolute disdain over the deep square leg region for a biggie. There are two fielders stationed there but it has gone way over the fence. |
| 89.6 : A Nortje to Buttler, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 90.1 : K Rabada to Curran, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Curran looks to defend but misses it. |
| 90.2 : K Rabada to Curran, Bowls a bouncer, Sam does well to duck under it. Good take by Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. |
| 90.3 : K Rabada to Curran, FOUR! Thrashed. England are looking to counter-attack here. Full delivery outside off, Curran hammers it through covers for a boundary. 250 up for South Africa. |
| 90.4 : K Rabada to Curran, OUT! Caught! Rabada strikes yet another one. The dangerous Curran has also gone now. This is a brilliant ball from Kagiso. Its starts on off and it looks like it will go away with the angle but the ball straightens up after pitching. Curran looks to defend but gets a good outside edge which goes straight to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. De Kock's 8th catch of the game and he has had a very good Test. 125 more needed for England to win. South Africa just 3 wickets a |
| Jofra Archer is the new man in. He needs to hang in there and let Buttler face as many deliveries as possible. |
| 90.5 : K Rabada to Archer, FOUR! Off the mark straightaway is Archer! Good length ball outside off, Archer punches it off the back foot to the deep point region. Zubayr Hamza puts in a terrific run from deep point and slides but can only parry it into the fence. |
| 90.6 : K Rabada to Archer, BEATEN! Excellent delivery! Good length ball outside off, Archer looks to defend it but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 91.1 : A Nortje to Buttler, Good length delivery on middle, Buttler looks to flick but gets a leading edge towards cover. A single taken. |
| 91.2 : A Nortje to Archer, Back of a length ball on off, Archer pushes it to point. |
| 91.3 : A Nortje to Archer, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle. Archer ducks under it. |
| 91.4 : A Nortje to Archer, OUT! CAUGHT! Nortje has picked up his third wicket. Brilliant stuff from Anrich and the hosts are just two wickets away from a terrific victory. Back of a length ball from Nortje, Archer looks to push it to the off side but gets a thick outside edge towards first slip. Rassie van der Dussen who is standing there takes a simple catch. Look at the celebrations. They are ecstatic. Once again England have collapsed after giving a tough fight. |
| Stuart Broad walks out at number 10. |
| 91.5 : A Nortje to Broad, Nasty delivery! Short of a length delivery on middle and off, Broad hops and looks to defend it. It hits the grille of the helmet. Luckily for him, no damage done. That could have really hurt. |
| 91.6 : A Nortje to Broad, Good follow-up delivery from Nortje. After dishing out a short delivery, Nortje goes for a full delivery on middle, Broad plays it back to the bowler. |
| South Africa are just 2 wickets away from sealing this game so the umpires have decided to extend this session. |
| 92.1 : K Rabada to Buttler, SIX! That is a terrific shot from Jos Buttler. Full delivery on off, Buttler clears his one leg and hammers it over long on for a maximum. The umpires checks whether it is a six or a boundary. The replays show that it has landed way over the ropes. |
| 92.2 : K Rabada to Buttler, OUT! Buttler holes out! His counter-attacking approach does not last long and it has to be game, set and match here. South Africa have held their nerves and delivered here. All the main batters are out of here and England are just a wicket away from sealing this game. Back of a length ball on off, Buttler looks to pull but he does not get it off the middle. It hits the upper half of his bat and goes high up in the air. It does not travel the distance and goes towards l |
| James Anderson is the last man in. |
| 92.3 : K Rabada to Broad, Short ball on middle, Broad stands tall and pulls it through mid-wicket for a couple. Maharaj chases after it and cleans it up. |
| 92.4 : K Rabada to S Broad, EDGY! Good length ball, Broad makes room but Rabada follows him. Stuart looks to cut it but gets an inside edge which goes past the keeper to fine leg. Nortje comes across and cleans it up. Two Taken. |
| 92.5 : K Rabada to Broad, Just wide! Full delivery on middle, Broad flicks it uppishly to mid-wicket. Maharaj makes a good effort as he dives in an attempt to catch it but is just wide of him. The fielder runs across from deep square leg and picks it up. Another couple. |
| 92.6 : K Rabada to Broad, OUT! TIMBER! You miss I hit says Rabada. And that is that for this game. Brilliant performance from South Africa. Broad was just going after every ball here and this, you might feel that it was coming. Yorker on middle, Broad makes room to play it to the off side but misses it completely. Rabada though does not miss and the ball goes on to hit the middle stump. Rabada finishes with four wickets. SOUTH AFRICA WIN BY 107 RUNS. |
| End of a fascinating Test and what a start we have to the series. The momentum of the game kept swinging in from here to there right from the first day but in the end, it was the hosts who have held their nerves and played better cricket for the majority part to win the game comfortably in the end and take the lead in this 4-match series. |
| After winning the toss and opting to bowl, Root's controversial decision seemed to be paying off as the hosts were struggling at 111/5 but Quinton de Kock's 95 took the hosts' score to 284 and that proved to be a big turning point. Sam Curran was the star with the ball as he picked up a 4-fer. Broad too ended up with 4 wickets in the first innings. |
| In reply, England had to take the lead to justify their skipper's decision to bowl first. They got off to a good start but a batting collapse from the visitors saw them going from 142/3 to being bowled out for 181. Only 4 batters could go past the score of 20 and thanks to Denly's 50, they managed to have some respectability to the total. Vernon Philander was the star for the Proteas with the ball as his consistent lines and lengths continued to ask questions and he ended up with a 4-fer. |
| South Africa started their 2nd innings with a lead of 103 but they once again got off to a torrid start. They were stuttering with the score reading 62/4, with the lead of just 175. But Rassie van der Dussen and nightwatchman Anrich Nortje calmed the hosts nerves with their 91-run stand. Rassie scored his maiden fifty whereas Nortje scored a very crucial 40. Vital contributions from Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander took the hosts lead to 376. Which was too much for the visitors in the end. J |
| England gave a strong reply and got the chase off to a solid start. Openers Burns and Sibley watched off the difficult times with the new ball and mustered a 92-run opening stand before Sibley departed. Denly then joined Burns and the duo continued the good work before Burns fell 16 short of his century. Denly too did not last long but Stokes and Root then once again calmed the nerves but once again there was another English collapse on the cards. At one stage it looked England would take it hom |
| It was a good bowling performance from the hosts in the final innings. They were made to toil hard at the start but they kept their cool and did not lose their patience. It paid off once again as they were able to wrap up the tourists for 268 and win the game with a comfortable margin of 107 runs. Rabada and Nortje were the pick of the bowlers in the second innings. Picking up 4 and 3 wickets respectively. The lone front line spinner, Keshav Maharaj was good with the ball as well as he picked u |
| Time now for the presentation as we find out what the skippers have to say and who is a named the Man of the Match. |
| Joe Root, the England skipper. He says that it has been a really tough week for them. Adds that some went down with a bug over the last week but credit to them for giving a tough fight. Says that it has not been long since they have seen such chases from a similar group of players. States that they were in a similar position at Headingley but then they got over the lineAdds they lost the game during the collapse in the first innings but is pleased with a better performance in the second. Credit |
| South Africa skipper, Faf du Plessis says that they knew that the last couple ofm months as a Test team had been difficult for them. Says it was a good Test as both the teams toiled hard for this win. Tells everyone is happy and thinks this is a start of a new chapter and theyb are once again improving as a team but is aware that it is going to be a tough task. on Philander's bowling, he says he bowled well but then also says that both the sides bowled really well. Tells Day 3 was good to bat as |
| For his brilliant batting performance with the bat i the first innings and his record breaking catches behind the stumps Quinton de Kock has been named the Man of the Match. De Kock says that he walked out and understood the situation. Credits the English bowlers for bowling well on the wicket and troubling them. Quinton admits when he went out he had thought of leaving the balls but says his mind made him do a lot of things other than the plan and he played his shots. On his hand, Quinton says |
| So that is it from the final international game of the year and decade. It is South Africa who take the lead in this 4-match series and start their new tenure under Head Coach Mark Boucher with a win and end the year on a high. The series now moves to the 2nd Test in Cape Town. That match will begin on 3rd January. Join us at 1030 Local (0830 GMT) for that one. Till then, goodbye and have a great end to the year! |
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