| 0.0 : After 5 consecutive losses, South Africa bagged a win. It was not an easy one as England posed challenges at different phases. However, all-round South African performance trumped them in the end with the Protea pacers utilizing the second new ball well to shot down the threat from the English batters in the 4th innings. Now, the caravan moves to Newlands, Cape Town, a ground which is a happy hunting one for the hosts. Pieter Malan is set to make his Test debut as he replaces the injured Aiden M |
| Update - Just before the toss, England have been dealt another blow as Jofra Archer has been ruled out of this Test due to an elbow injury. He will have second scan to understand the extent of his injury. Looks like a long list of changes is coming from the English side. |
| Toss - Up goes the coin and it lands in favour of England. They choose to bat first. |
| ENGLAND (PLAYING XI) - Zak Crawley (IN PLACE OF RORY BURNS), Dominic Sibley, Joe Denly, Joe Root (C), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope (IN PLACE OF JONNY BAIRSTOW), Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Dominic Bess (IN PLACE OF JOFRA ARCHER), Stuart Broad, James Anderson. |
| SOUTH AFRICA (PLAYING XI) - Pieter Malan (DEBUT, IN PLACE OF AIDEN MARKRAM), Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Dwaine Pretorius, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje. |
| Joe Root, England skipper, tells that the surface is looking good to bat. Thanks the supporters for coming all the way from England to support them. Mentions three changes in the side that are Zak Crawley coming in for Rory Burns, Ollie Pope coming in for Jonny Bairstow and Dominic Bess is in for Jofra Archer. Says that Zak is a fine player who had a great season with Kent and now he has a chance to show how good he is. Feels this game is a challenge for everyone. On Ollie's inclusion, Root ment |
| Faf du Plessis, South Africa skipper, says that he would've batted first on this wicket too. Tells that in the first session of Day 1, there's always something on the wicket. Tells that they would try to get 3-4 wickets in the first session. On Pieter Malan's debut, du Plessis says that it's a great chance for him and it's always good to be playing in front of your home crowd. Says that they have just won one Test and not really a lot of things change for them. Adds that there are still three Te |
| Both teams are making their way out to the ground to stand in respect of their respective National Anthems. England is up first followed by South Africa. |
| The English openers, Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley walk out to the middle. The Protea players are already on the field. Vernon Philander will start the proceedings for the hosts with the ball. Zak Crawley to face first up. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : V Philander to Crawley, Philander starts with a good length ball around off, Crawley comes forward and blocks it off the front foot. |
| 0.2 : V Philander to Crawley, This time Vernon bowls it in the channel outside off, Crawley makes a leave. |
| 0.3 : V Philander to Crawley, Beauty! Brilliant line and length from Philander. He pitches this one around off and makes it move away just a hint. Crawley pokes to get beaten. |
| 0.4 : V Philander to Crawley, Follows it with another ripper! Pitches this one around off on a good length. Crawley has to play at it. He comes forward and looks to defend but a hint of movement is enough to beat the outside edge. |
| 0.5 : V Philander to Crawley, This time Philander strays on the pads of Crawley. He easily works it behind square leg for a single to get the scoreboard ticking. |
| 0.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Landed around off on a length, it is defended. A tight over from Philander. Always on the money is the Big Vern and nothing different here either from him. |
| Kagiso Rabada will bowl from the other end. Three slips and a gully in place for him. |
| 1.1 : K Rabada to Crawley, Rabada is on the money straightaway too! A good length ball around off from him. Unlike Philander, Rabada makes it come into the right-hander. Crawley looks to defend but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 1.2 : K Rabada to Crawley, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 1.3 : K Rabada to Crawley, Fullish ball outside off, some late swing on it too. Crawley looks to reach out and drive but pulls his bat away at the last moment. |
| 1.4 : K Rabada to Zak Crawley, Fuller again, this time just outside off, Crawley leans into the shot and drives it through covers. Before Maharaj can get to the ball with a slide, the batters take three. |
| 1.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Off the mark nicely! Not a very good ball from Rabada as he bowls it full and too straight. Sibley easily flicks it to the deep mid-wicket fence. First boundary of the innings. |
| 1.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fuller ball just outside off, late swing on it too. Sibley looks to dig it out but gets beaten. |
| 2.1 : V Philander to Crawley, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 2.2 : V Philander to Crawley, Beaten! Brilliant from Philander. Another ball around off on a good length. It once again moves away from the forward defensive poke of Crawley. |
| 2.3 : V Philander to Crawley, Landed fullish around off, Crawley keeps it out. |
| 2.4 : V Philander to Crawley, Good length ball around off again, blocked onto the pitch by Zak. |
| 2.5 : V Philander to Crawley, Slightly fuller and around off, Crawley takes a good stride forward and blocks it out nicely. |
| 2.6 : V Philander to Crawley, OUT! Caught Behind! Brilliant from de Kock behind the wicket. Superb from Philander too. Continues bowling on the fourth stump channel on a good length. It swings away a bit. Crawley looks to defend off the front foot but the ball takes the outside edge and goes behind. De Kock moves to his right nicely and pouches it in his mitts. Top start for the Proteas. |
| Joe Denly is the new man in. |
| 3.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Slightly fuller around off, asking the batter to drive but Sibley is not lured into the shot as he makes a leave. |
| 3.2 : K Rabada to D Sibley, EDGY FOUR! Length ball around off, Sibley looks to work it on the leg side but the ball takes the thickish outside edge and goes between third slip and gully. It races to the third man fence. |
| 3.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 3.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball around middle, tucked towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 3.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Fullish and outside off again, Denly lets it be. |
| 3.6 : K Rabada to Joe Denly, Just short! Slightly fuller and outside off, Denly pokes at the ball with hard hands. The ball takes the outer half of the bat and goes to the gully fielder on the bounce. |
| 4.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, Sibley defends it off the back foot to the leg side. |
| 4.2 : V Philander to Sibley, On a length on off, Dominic stands tall and defends it to point. |
| 4.3 : V Philander to Sibley, On off, Sibley plays it with soft hands and guides it to gully. The fielder slides and makes the stop. |
| 4.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish outside off, left alone by Sibley. |
| 4.5 : V Philander to D Sibley, Just ahead of good length area, Sibley comes forward to defend but the ball takes thick outside edge and goes to second slip but on the bounce. |
| 4.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Good leave! A good length ball that lands outside off, it comes back in nicely but Sibley has his timbers covered as he lets it go to the keeper. |
| 5.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Shortish length ball outside off, Denly has no problems in shouldering his arms. |
| 5.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Fuller ball on off, Denly keeps it out. |
| 5.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 5.4 : K Rabada to Denly, Landed around off, Denly comes forward and pushes it to mid off. |
| 5.5 : K Rabada to Denly, In the channel outside off, Denly makes another leave. |
| 5.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Driven well but straight to the point fielder. So, Denly will remain on nought. A fuller ball outside off, Joe reaches out and creams the drive but straight to the fielder. |
| 6.1 : V Philander to Sibley, FOUR! Whipped away! A gift on the pads from Philander. Overpitcvhed on the pads, Sibley flicks it brilliantly and it races to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 6.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Shortish length ball around off, Sibley rides the bounce and taps it towards covers. |
| 6.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Ripper! Absolute ripper! Good length ball around off, Sibley comes forward to defend but the ball moves away from his bat and goes behind. Lucky not to edge that one. |
| 6.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Follows it with another beauty. He can just keep landing the ball on the same spot and keep bothering the batters. That's what he is doing with Sibley. Pitches it slightly closer to the off pole on a good length and makes it move away from the defensive poke of Sibley. |
| 6.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Now this one comes back in. Good length ball around off, it comes into Sibley sharply as he looks to defend it off the back foot. Sibley looks to defend but it seems like the ball took the inside edge and went onto the pads. |
| 6.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 7.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length around off, Denly pushes it towards cover by getting behind the line of the ball. |
| 7.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Another one which is on a good length around off, Denly blocks it out. |
| 7.3 : K Rabada to Denly, FOUR! Denly is off the mark in good fashion. A good length ball outside off, Denly reaches out and drives it square through point to get his first boundary of the innings. |
| 7.4 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, Denly this time covers his stumps and lets it be. |
| 7.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Punched nicely! A fuller ball around off, Denly this time punches it through point. The ball is racing towards the fence but Malan from gully chases it down and keeps the batters to two. |
| 7.6 : K Rabada to Denly, In the channel outside off from Rabada, Denly makes a leave now. |
| 8.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Full delivery outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 8.2 : V Philander to D Sibley, FOUR! Beautiful shot from Sibley. This will give him a lot of confidence. Fullish on off, Sibley leans forward and creams the drive through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 8.3 : V Philander to Sibley, On middle, Dominic defends it off the back foot. |
| 8.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish delivery outside off, Sibley does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 8.5 : V Philander to Sibley, BEATEN! Lovely delivery from Philander! Good length delivery around off nipping away from the batsman, Sibley looks to defend it but misses altogether. Philander seems interested for caught behind but the umpire shakes his head. Faf du Plessis is not interested for the review. |
| 8.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length ball outisde off, Sibley lets it go to the keeper. |
| 9.1 : K Rabada to Joe Denly, On a length on off, Denly looks to defend it but it goes off the inner half of the bat towards square leg. A single taken. |
| 9.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball outside off, Sibley makes a leave to the keeper. |
| 9.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length on middle, Dominic blocks it to square leg. |
| 9.4 : K Rabada to D Sibley, Full on middle, Dominic works it to mid-wicket. |
| 9.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fullish outside off, Sibley lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 9.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Sibley ducks under it. |
| 10.1 : V Philander to Denly, Good length delivery on middle but it bounces extra, Denly looks to defend it but it hits the handle of the bat and goes towards the leg side. No run. |
| 10.2 : V Philander to Denly, On a length outside off shaping away, Joe looks to defend it but fails to get any bat on it. Brilliant bowling from Philander. |
| 10.3 : V Philander to Denly, Fullish on off, Denly taps it to point. |
| 10.4 : V Philander to Joe Denly, FOUR! Hammered away! Short of a length on middle, Denly gets into position quickly and pulls it to the deep square leg region for a boundary. The fielder gives it a chase from fine leg but fails to cut it off. |
| 10.5 : V Philander to Denly, On a length on off, Joe defends it off the back foot. |
| 10.6 : V Philander to Denly, Short of a length on middle and leg, Joe ducks under it. |
| 11.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fullish outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 11.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball outside off, Sibley sways away from it. |
| 11.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and off, Dominic does well to evade it. |
| 11.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length delivery outside off, Sibley lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 11.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley flicks it to deep square leg and picks up a single. |
| 11.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Outside off, left alone by Denly. |
| Change in bowling for the first time as Anrich Nortje comes into the attack. |
| 12.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Nortje starts with a fullish delivery on off, Sibley blocks it to point. |
| 12.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, On middle, Dominic plays it back to the bowler. |
| 12.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Full one on off, Sibley moves to the off side and defends it to mid on. |
| 12.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Length ball outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 12.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, Fullish delivery on off, Sibley takes a stride forward and drives it through covers. The fielders from mid off and cover hare after it. The former slides and cleans it up. Two taken. |
| 12.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a length outside off, Sibley lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| Double change! Time for spin now as Keshav Maharaj has been introduced early into the attack. A slip and a short leg in place for him. |
| 13.1 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Starts with a flighted ball on off, Denly pushes it to cover. |
| 13.2 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, On off, Denly drives it to long off and picks up a single. |
| 13.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle and leg, Sibley works it to mid-wicket. |
| 13.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, OHH! Looped up ball on middle, Sibley comes down the track and looks to push it to the leg side but gets a thick outside edge. It rolls towards point. |
| 13.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Poor bowling! Full delivery down the leg side, Sibley will not miss out on these as he just flicks it to the deep square leg region for a boundary. |
| 13.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up ball on middle, Sibley defends it back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| Drinks! An hour of play done and dusted then. After losing Crawley early, Sibley along with Denly have done well to keep the scoreboard ticking. Philander, like always, bowled really well and got rid of the English opener. Rabada too has bowled well but has been slightly fuller on this wicket. Nortje and Maharaj have bowled an over each and will look to break this budding stand to break the momentum of England. An interesting hour of play awaits. |
| 14.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Denly whips it wide of mid on for a single. |
| 14.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length ball on off, Sibley defends it to point. |
| 14.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Fullish delivery on middle, Dominic plays it back to the bowler. |
| 14.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, On off, Sibley blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 14.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, Fullish outside off at 143 kph, Sibley lets it through to the keeper. |
| 14.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Length ball on off, Sibley stands tall and defends it out to cover. |
| 15.1 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Loopy delivery outside off, Denly pushes it to cover. |
| 15.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated on middle, Denly defends it back. |
| 15.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Outside off, pushed to cover. |
| 15.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on off, Denly drives it to cover. |
| 15.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter delivery outside off, Denly punches it to the cover fielder. |
| 15.6 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, On off, pushed down to long off and a single is taken. |
| 16.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Joe blocks it to mid on. |
| 16.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length ball on off, Denly defends it solidly to cover. |
| 16.3 : A Nortje to Denly, FOUR! Errs in line does Nortje here and Denly makes full use of it. Short of a length down the leg side, Denly just helps it on its way to the fine leg fence. |
| 16.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Length ball on the fourth stump line, Denly makes a good leave to the keeper. |
| 16.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Shortish around off, Denly blocks it off the back foot. |
| 16.6 : A Nortje to Denly, Back of a length on off, Denly punches it to cover. |
| Just two overs for Maharaj as Dwaine Pretorius is brought into the attack. |
| 17.1 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Starts with a full delivery outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to it. |
| 17.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length on off, Sibley rocks on his back foot and punches it to cover. |
| 17.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Length on off, Dominic taps it to the slip cordon. |
| 17.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Fullish delivery on middle, Sibley goes on his front foot and defends it solidly back to the bowler. |
| 17.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Sibley defends it solidly back to Pretorius. |
| 17.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On off, Sibley blocks it to cover. |
| 18.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Fullish on off, Denly blocks it to mid off. |
| 18.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Length on off, Denly rocks on his back foot and defends it off the back foot and onto the pitch. |
| 18.3 : A Nortje to Denly, BOUNCER! Bowled around middle and leg, Joe ducks under it. |
| 18.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Fullish on middle, Joe solidly plays it back to Nortje. |
| 18.5 : A Nortje to Joe Denly, Short on middle, Denly pulls it to deep mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 18.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, On middle, Sibley pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 19.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller one on off, Denly takes a stride forward and defends it to cover. |
| 19.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length delivery on middle angling in, Denly looks to work it to the leg side but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball rolls to square leg. |
| 19.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, On middle, flicked to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 19.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, FOUR! Overpitched and punished! Full one on middle and leg, Sibley flicks it beautifully through mid-wicket for a boundary. 50 up for the visitors. |
| 19.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Length ball on middle, Sibley pushes it to mid on. |
| 19.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, left alone. |
| 20.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length on middle, Denly works it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 20.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a length on off, Sibley blocks it to point. |
| 20.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, On middle, Dominic defends it to cover. |
| 20.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, On middle, Dominic defends it to cover. |
| 20.5 : A Nortje to D Sibley, FOUR BYES! Goes way over Sibley's head! Nortje bowls a bouncer around middle and leg, Sibley ducks under it. Quinton jumps in an attempt to pouch it but it goes over and into the fence for four byes. |
| 20.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length ball on middle and leg, Sibley works it to leg gully. |
| The keeper is upto the stumps. |
| 21.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller delivery on off, Denly defends it to the bowler. |
| 21.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, On middle, Denly is solid in his defense and does so towards mid on. |
| 21.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length on off, Denly looks to defend it but it goes off the bottom edge and onto the pads. |
| 21.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length on middle, Denly whips it to mid-wicket. |
| 21.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Short on off, Denly punches it to cover. |
| 21.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller one on middle, defended back to Pretorius. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back for the second burst. 6-1-20-0 so far from him. |
| 22.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fullish outside off, Sibley shoulders arms. |
| 22.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, EDGY FOUR! Sibley has been leaving those well but goes after this one. Good length delivery outside off, Sibley pokes at it with hard hands but gets an outside edge which goes between the second slip and the gully fielder. The ball races to the third man fence quickly. The boundary brings 50-run stand between the two. |
| 22.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Length ball outside off, Sibley lets this one through to the keeper. |
| 22.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, left alone by Sibley. |
| 22.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, BEATEN! Ripper from Rabada! Dishes out a length ball around off moving away. Sibley attempts to defend it but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 22.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a length on off, Dominic camps back and defends it out. |
| 23.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, On off, Denly blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 23.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length ball on middle, Denly tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 23.3 : D Pretorius to Joe Denly, Fullish delivery on off, Joe drives it but finds the mid off fielder. |
| 23.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller one on middle, Denly blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 23.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Another one which is full on middle, Joe pushes it to mid on. |
| 23.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, On off, Denly lunges forward and defends it to cover. |
| 24.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball outside off, Sibley lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 24.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Nicely played! Fullish on off, Denly strides forward and drives it through mid off and picks up a couple before the fielder can clean it up. |
| 24.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball on middle, Sibley stands tall and plays it back to Rabada. |
| 24.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, BEATEN! Beautiful delivery! Back of a length ball outside off, Sibley looks to defend it but misses. |
| 24.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, OUT! CAUGHT! Outstanding from Rabada and the patience of bowling in the channel outside off pays off. Good length ball, shaping away a bit. Sibley looks to defend off the back foot but it hits the outside edge and goes towards first slip. Quinton de Kock dives to his right and pouches it safely. Sibley could have left that one alone. The hosts have struck just before Lunch and the budding stand has been cut short. |
| With just a few minutes left for the Lunch, Joe Root, the England skipper, walks out to the middle. Can he survive this tricky phase? |
| 24.6 : K Rabada to Root, Full on middle, Root defends it out to mid on. |
| 25.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, On middle, Denly defends it back to the bowler. |
| 25.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, On a length on off, Denly looks to defend it but gets an outside edge which goes to cover. No run. |
| 25.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, Length ball on off, Joe pushes it to cover. |
| 25.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length on middle, Denly works it to mid-wicket. |
| 25.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fuller one on off, Denly strides forward and solidly blocks it to cover. |
| 25.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length outside off, Denly leaves it alone. Quinton fails to collect it cleanly. The ball rolls to the off side. |
| 26.1 : K Rabada to Root, Back of a length ball on middle, Root looks to duck under it but it does not bounce as much and hits him around the chest. Luckily, for Root there is no damage done. |
| 26.2 : K Rabada to Root, BEATEN! Nicely bowled! Good length ball on off, Root attempts to defend it off the back foot but the ball whizzes past the bat and into the mitts of the keeper. |
| Rabada was charging in but Root bails out at the last moment. Root was not even looking at the bowler. Might not please KR and probably the umpire too. |
| 26.3 : K Rabada to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root works it to mid-wicket. |
| 26.4 : K Rabada to Root, On a length on middle, Root plays it to the leg side. |
| 26.5 : K Rabada to Root, FOUR! Beautiful shot! Back of a length on off, Root stands tall and punches it through the point region for a boundary. |
| 26.6 : K Rabada to Root, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Keshav Maharaj to bowl the final over before Lunch. |
| 27.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated ball on middle, Denly whips it to mid-wicket. |
| 27.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on off, Denly plays it back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| 27.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, pushed to point. |
| 27.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on middle, Denly defends it to Maharaj. |
| Silly point comes in, trying to create some pressure. |
| 27.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter delivery on middle, JD works it to the leg side. |
| 27.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, BEATEN! First signs of some spin from Maharaj on this wicket. Beautiful bowling though from the left-arm spinner though. Tosses this one up on off, spinning away. Denly goes on his front foot and looks to defend it. He misses it altogether. Brilliant ball to end the session. With that it is LUNCH ON DAY 1. |
| A shared session then. England were moving along nicely after the early blow, courtesy, a nice and compact 50-run stand between Sibley and Denly. After opting to bat first, England lost Crawley early but Sibley and Denly saw off the initial threat from Philander and Rabada after that. Once they got themselves settled, the duo batted well. It looked like both of them will see off the session but Sibley found himself poking at the ball he should've left alone and ended up losing his wicket. Denly |
| The Proteas were brilliant with the ball, especially Philander who bowled on consistent lines and lengths. He got the reward as well as he removed Crawley in the 3rd over. After that, he along with Rabada did find a couple of outside edges but they went to the vacant region. Rabada broke the good-looking stand to end the session on an even note. Nortje and Pretorius were good too but they did not threaten much. |
| Now, post Lunch, Denly and Root will look to build another good stand and take England towards a good total. The hosts, on the other hand, will be eager to see the back of a few players in the coming session. Stay with us to find out. |
| ... Day 1, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. The South African players stride out in the middle. The two batters for England, Joe Denly and Joe Root walks out to the middle too. Vernon Philander to start the session for the Proteas. Here we go... |
| 28.1 : V Philander to Root, Philander starts with a good length ball around off, Root taps it towards point. |
| 28.2 : V Philander to Root, Shortish this time and once again around off, Root goes on the back foot and defends. |
| 28.3 : V Philander to Root, In the channel outside off this time, Root covers his stumps and lets it be. |
| 28.4 : V Philander to Root, Landed around off on a good length, pushed to covers. |
| 28.5 : V Philander to Root, Shortish ball outside off, Root taps it towards point where the fielder misfields and allows a single. |
| 28.6 : V Philander to Denly, Beauty to end the over! Back of a length ball just outside off, Denly hops and then pokes at the ball. It moves away sharply to beat the outside edge. |
| Keshav Maharaj will bowl from the other end. 3-1-6-0 are his figures. |
| 29.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Maharaj starts the spell by a flighted fuller ball around off, Root defends it out. |
| 29.2 : K Maharaj to Root, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 29.3 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! Cut away! Shortish ball just outside off, Root goes on the back foot and cuts it through point. Rabada gives it a chase, slides to pull the ball back but in vain. |
| 29.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Outside off, driven to covers. |
| 29.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter one around off again, Root taps it through cover-point for a single. |
| 29.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Lands this one around off and makes it turn further away. Denly allows it to go to the keeper. |
| 30.1 : V Philander to Root, FOUR! Punched nicely! A good length ball outside off, Root goes back and punches it to the deep point fence. |
| 30.2 : V Philander to Root, Shortish ball outside off, Root this time taps it to third man for a single. |
| 30.3 : V Philander to Denly, Landed around off, it is defended towards cover. |
| 30.4 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball around off, Denly blocks it right under his eyes. |
| 30.5 : V Philander to Denly, Shortish ball on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 30.6 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball on off, pushed to mid on. |
| 31.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter ball just outside off, Root pushes it to covers. |
| 31.2 : K Maharaj to Root, On off, driven back to the bowler. |
| 31.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Shortish ball outside off, tapped towards covers. |
| 31.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Fuller ball outside off, Root goes for the sweep but does not connect it well. It goes towards square leg off the inner half of the bat for a single. |
| 31.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter one outside off, it is kept out. |
| 31.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted fuller ball around off, Denly comes forward and blocks it. |
| 32.1 : V Philander to Root, Shortish ball just outside off, tapped towards point. |
| 32.2 : V Philander to Root, Good length ball on off, Root looks to defend but the ball takes the inner half of the bat and goes behind square on the leg side. A single taken. |
| 32.3 : V Philander to Denly, Slightly short around off, Denly tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 32.4 : V Philander to Denly, Beaten! Nicely bowled! Good length ball outside off, Denly is drawn into the shot as he comes forward and looks to drive. The ball shapes away to beat the outside edge. |
| 32.5 : V Philander to Denly, This time he gets right behind the line of the ball and defends it off the front foot. |
| 32.6 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball on off, pushed to mid on. |
| 33.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Fuller ball around off, Root drives it through cover. Nortje from there does well to save runs for his side. Just a single. |
| 33.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Full and on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 33.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy ball around off, defended. |
| 33.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Slower through the air around off, it is defended. |
| 33.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated ball around off, Denly comes down the track and looks to defend but goes off the pads towards point. Maharaj appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 33.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Fuller ball outside off, Denly drives it well but straight to covers. |
| 34.1 : V Philander to Root, Good length ball around middle, worked towards square leg. |
| 34.2 : V Philander to Root, Fuller ball just outside off, Root drills it nicely but cannot beat Elgar at cover. |
| 34.3 : V Philander to Root, Length ball on off, Root pushes it towards point for an easy run. |
| 34.4 : V Philander to Denly, On off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 34.5 : V Philander to Denly, In the corridor of uncertainty. Denly lets it be. |
| 34.6 : V Philander to Denly, Fuller around off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 35.1 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, Loopy ball on off, Root eases a single through mid off. |
| 35.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, On middle, pushed to mid on. |
| 35.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 35.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Shortish ball outside off, Denly looks to cut but ends up bottom edging it towards point. |
| 35.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Quicker one outside off, Denly stays on the back foot and pushes it towards point. |
| 35.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, FOUR! Finally runs, four of them for Denly. Maharaj bowls it short and outside off, Denly rocks on the back foot and slaps it through covers for a boundary. Runs after 48 balls. |
| Anrich Nortje is back on. 5-0-9-0 are his figures. |
| 36.1 : A Nortje to Root, Nortje starts with a full ball on middle, Root works it towards deep square leg. Before the fine leg fielder can get to the ball, a couple of runs for Root. |
| 36.2 : A Nortje to Root, Outside off, an easy leave for the English captain. |
| 36.3 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball around off, Root blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 36.4 : A Nortje to Root, Good running! Fuller ball around off and middle, Root uses his wrists and works it to deep mid-wicket. Before the fielder can get to the ball, Root takes three. |
| 36.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Another couple! Good aggressive running from Denly and Root. Another good length ball on middle, Denly works it nicely between fine leg and deep square leg. A couple more. |
| 36.6 : A Nortje to Denly, Bouncer down the leg side. Denly ducks under it. De Kock does well to move to his left and pouch the ball. |
| 37.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Flighted fuller ball around off, Root drives it straight to the cover fielder. |
| 37.2 : K Maharaj to Root, On middle, it is defended. |
| 37.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Quicker one on the pads, Root works it towards mid-wicket and thinks of a single but seeing the fielder getting to the ball quickly, he decides against it. |
| 37.4 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! Swept nicely! A fuller ball outside off, Root gets in the position and sweeps it brilliantly to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 37.5 : K Maharaj to Root, On middle, it is blocked. |
| 37.6 : K Maharaj to Root, In the air... but safe. Another fuller ball outside off, Root looks to sweep again but this time he gets a top edge. However, it drops in no man's land just ahead of fine leg. A single taken. |
| 38.1 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball around off, it is blocked off the back foot. |
| 38.2 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball just outside off, it is defended. |
| 38.3 : A Nortje to Root, 100 up for England. Good length ball around off again, Root easily taps it towards third man for a single. |
| 38.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Shortish ball on the body, Denly looks to pull but the ball hits the gloves and goes to de Kock on the bounce. |
| 38.5 : Nortje to Denly, Ouch! On the helmet this time. Nortje bangs this one around off and it comes back in. Denly looks to duck under it but he is late in doing so. The ball hits the helmet and goes towards mid-wicket. They cross for a leg bye and we will have the mandatory concussion test now. Looked alright while crossing for the leg bye. |
| The physio is out in the middle. Time for the concussion test now. Few questions being asked to Denly. The helmet is getting checked too as Denly sips water. Looks calm and composed out there. The umpires are having a word with him now. He is okay and we are ready to move ahead. |
| 38.6 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball around off, it is defended off the front foot by Root. |
| 39.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated on off, Denly blocks it out. |
| 39.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 39.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on middle, Denly defends it solidly. |
| 39.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Full delivery on middle, Denly works it to mid on. |
| 39.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, On middle, Denly blocks it out. |
| 39.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Slower through the air and on middle, Denly looks to work it on the leg side but ends up getting a soft leading edge which goes towards the off side. |
| 40.1 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball around off, it is defended. |
| 40.2 : A Nortje to Root, Another length ball on off, Root keeps it out. |
| 40.3 : A Nortje to Joe Root, FOUR! Dropped! Oh dear! How costly will this be. Slightly fullish ball from Nortje. Root is lured into the drive. No feet movement from him as he drives away from his body. The ball takes the thick outside edge and goes to van der Dussen at first slip quickly. De Kock dives to his right to catch but it is far from his reach. Dussen then looks to latch onto it by moving to his left but he cannot hold on it. It races to the fence behind him. |
| 40.4 : A Nortje to Root, Around off, blocked towards mid off. |
| 40.5 : A Nortje to Root, OUT! Caught! The drop costs South Africa nothing as Nortje has bounced out the English skipper with a brilliant bouncer. Brilliant from Nortje. 148 kph bumper on middle, Root looks to duck under it but he is quite late in doing so. He ends up lobbing the ball towards de Kock. De Koock pouches it easily. The bowler appeals but de Kock is not very sure. The umpire signals nothing but Root walks off. Rassie and de Kock will be the relieved men. South Africa break another goo |
| Ben Stokes replaces his skipper out in the middle. |
| 40.6 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length ball around off, Stokes keeps it out. |
| 41.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated ball on off, Denly defends it out. |
| 41.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy ball on middle and leg, Joe works it to the leg side. |
| 41.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, BEATEN! Flatter delivery outisde off, Denly goes on his back foot to cut but misses it altogether. |
| 41.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, FOUR! Poor ball this from Keshav Maharaj! Drifts this one down the leg side, Denly nudges it down to the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 41.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 41.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, On middle, Denly works it to mid-wicket. |
| 42.1 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length ball on off, Stokes defends it out of the back foot. |
| 42.2 : A Nortje to Ben Stokes, Short delivery on middle, Ben Stokes pulls it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 42.3 : A Nortje to Denly, On a length on off, Denly defends it to point. |
| 42.4 : A Nortje to Denly, BOUNCER! Bowled around middle, Denly ducks under it. |
| 42.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Fullish delivery on off, Joe pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 42.6 : A Nortje to Denly, Fullish delivery outside off, Denly lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| Drinks! England started well after Lunch, keeping the scoreboard ticking especially Joe Root. But just before Drinks, Root fell to a vicious bouncer from Nortje. South Africa have done really well and now would hope that they get a few more wickets before Tea. Nortje has bowled well while Maharaj has kept it tight. |
| 43.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated ball on off, Stokes defends it off the front foot. |
| 43.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy delivery on middle, Stokes works it to mid-wicket. |
| 43.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter delivery on middle, Ben tucks it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 43.4 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Floated on off, Denly pushes it to cover. |
| 43.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, Denly lunges and blocks it out. |
| 43.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter delivery outside off, Joe lets it go to the keeper. |
| 44.1 : A Nortje to Stokes, Fullish on middle, Ben whips it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 44.2 : A Nortje to Denly, On off, pushed back to Nortje off the front foot. |
| 44.3 : A Nortje to Joe Denly, Short delivery on off, Denly pulls it comfortably to deep mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 44.4 : A Nortje to Stokes, On a length on middle, Stokes goes on his back foot and blocks it to mid on. |
| 44.5 : A Nortje to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Nicely played but Philander cannot get to it. Full delivery on off, Stokes strokes it through mid off. Philander tries to come across and slides to get a hand on it. The ball goes through and into the long off fence. First one for Stokes in this innings. |
| 44.6 : A Nortje to Stokes, Good length ball on middle, Ben defends it out of the back foot to the off side and crosses over for a single. |
| 45.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated one on middle, Stokes comes down the track and flicks it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 45.2 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Loopy on off, Joe pushes it to cover. |
| 45.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up on middle, Joe flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 45.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 45.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Looped up ball on off, Denly pushes it to cover. |
| 45.6 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Floated one on middle, Joe plays it to mid on and takes a quick single to keep strike for the next over. |
| 46.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Good length ball on middle, Joe works it wide of mid on and takes a single. |
| 46.2 : A Nortje to Stokes, Short of a length delivery on middle at 91 mph. Stokes looks to pull it but misses to get hit on the elbow. No harm done though. |
| 46.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, Nortje bowls another short one but this one is down the leg side. Stokes just helps it on its way to fine leg. A single taken. |
| 46.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Fullish on middle, Denly whips it to deep mid-wicket and before the fielder can come across and clean it up, the batters pick up a couple. |
| 46.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Short of a length delivery on middle, Joe pulls it to deep mid-wicket and crosses over for a single. |
| Shoo away, hadeda! No, we are not joking. A hadeda has actually brought the game to a bit of a halt here. Anrich Nortje was charging in to bowl but he was stopped by Ben Stokes as he saw the bird casually pecking the grass at mid on, looking for food. Nortje goes back, tries to shoo the bird away but in a more of 'mind-your-own-business' style, it continues to go about its stuff and ignores Nortje. Eventually, Stokes, after realizing that he can watch the details better in a Discovery Channel be |
| 46.6 : A Nortje to Stokes, Fullish on middle, Ben tucks it to mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 47.1 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Fullish delivery on off, Denly drives it to long off and takes a single. |
| 47.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flat one on middle, Stokes works it to deep square leg and gives Denly the strike. |
| 47.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, OUT! TIMBER! Right trhough the gate! What a delivery to get rid of the set batsman! Maharaj now gets into the wickets column. Arm ball on off, Denly strides forward to defend but the ball sneaks between the bat and pad going onto hitting the off stump. He trudges off after a long vigil out in the middle. A good knock from him but he should've had kept it out. |
| Ollie Pope walks in at no. 6. |
| 47.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, Loopy ball on off, Pope defends it off the front foot. |
| 47.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, On off, Ollie defends it out. |
| 47.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Flatter one on middle, Pope pushes it back to Maharaj. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back. 9-1-31-1 from him so far. |
| 48.1 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Starts with a full delivery on off, Stokes flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 48.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, Back of a length delivery on middle, Stokes hops and defends it to point. |
| 48.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, Good length ball outside off, Ben shoulders arms to it. |
| 48.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fullish on off, Stokes pushes it to mid off. |
| 48.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, On off, Stokes lunges forward and pushes it to mid off. |
| 48.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, Back of a length ball on off, Stokes defends it out to the off side. |
| 49.1 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full delivery on middle, Pope pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 49.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, Loopy delivery on middle, Ollie blocks it out. |
| 49.3 : K Maharaj to O Pope, Flatter delivery outside off, Pope cuts it to point. |
| 49.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, Loopy delivery on middle and leg, Pope works it to square leg. |
| 49.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, On off, Pope lunges forward and defends it out. |
| 49.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Tossed up ball on middle, Ollie defends it out to the bowler. |
| 50.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fuller one on off, Ben pushes it to mid off. |
| 50.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, BEATEN! Short of a length delivery outside off, Stokes pokes at it but misses it. |
| 50.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, On middle, Stokes pushes it back to KR. |
| 50.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, FOUR! Pulled away with disdain! Short delivery on middle, Stokes hammers the pull through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 50.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a length outside off, Ben leaves it alone. |
| 50.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, On middle, Stokes plays it back to the bowler. |
| 51.1 : K Maharaj to Pope, Floated on middle, Pope blocks it onto the pitch. |
| 51.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, Loopy on middle, Pope comes down the track and works it wide of mid on. Philander chases after it from mid off and cleans it up but cannot stop the batters from taking three. Pope is off the mark. |
| 51.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter one on middle, Stokes pushes it back to the bowler but does so uppishly. It lands just short of Maharaj. |
| 51.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 51.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, Ben works it to the leg side. |
| 51.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy delivery on middle, Stokes pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 52.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Full delivery on middle, Stokes works it to mid-wicket. |
| 52.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, FOUR! Lovely from Stokes! Fullish delivery on off, Stokes creams the drive through the covers to pick up another boundary. |
| 52.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a length outside off, Stokes lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 52.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Rabada bowls a short one on middle, Stokes pulls it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 52.5 : K Rabada to Pope, Back of a length delivery on off, Pope guides it towards third man. Pope hares after it and cleans it up. Two taken. |
| 52.6 : K Rabada to Pope, Fullish outside off, Ollie leaves it alone. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is back into the attack. 5-4-5-0 are his figures. |
| 53.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball on middle, Stokes works it to deep square leg and takes a single. |
| 53.2 : D Pretorius to Pope, Good length on middle, Pope works it to mid-wicket. |
| 53.3 : D Pretorius to Pope, On off, pushed back to Pretorius. |
| 53.4 : D Pretorius to Pope, Fullish on middle, Pope plays it to the bowler. |
| 53.5 : D Pretorius to Pope, Full one on off, Pope defends it solidly. |
| 53.6 : D Pretorius to Pope, Good length ball on middle, Pope flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 54.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, On off, pushed to mid off by Stokes. |
| 54.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, Good length ball on middle, Ben defends it back to the bowler. |
| 54.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, Length ball on middle and leg, Stokes stands tall and works it to mid-wicket. |
| 54.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fullish outside off, Stokes makes a leave to the keeper. |
| 54.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, Back of a length delivery on middle, Ben blocks it out solidly. |
| 54.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, Rabada dishes out another good length on off, Stokes taps it to gully. |
| 55.1 : D Pretorius to Pope, Full delivery outside off, OP leaves it alone. |
| 55.2 : D Pretorius to Pope, Full one on middle, Pope works it to short mid-wicket. |
| 55.3 : D Pretorius to Pope, On off, Pope is solid in defense and does so towards cover. |
| 55.4 : D Pretorius to Pope, Fullish one on off, Pope lunges forward and blocks it out. |
| 55.5 : D Pretorius to Pope, Good length ball on middle, Ollie works it towards one of the short mid-wicket fielders. |
| 55.6 : D Pretorius to Pope, Dwaine dishes a full ball on off, Pope drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 56.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fuller one outside off, Stokes blocks it to cover. |
| 56.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a length on middle, Ben defends it off the back foot to mid-wicket. |
| 56.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, Short of a length ball on middle, Stokes pulls it behind square and picks up a couple before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 56.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, EDGY FOUR! Ooohhh... almost another wicket. Very rare from Stokes. He is a positive player, so he either goes hard at the balls or lets them go. Very rarely do we see him so indecisive about shot-making. This was one of those moments. A length ball outside off, Ben is in two minds, whether to play at that or let it go. In the end, he does try that run-down-to-third-man shot but is late and gets a thick outside edge. Luckily for him, it goes between second slip and gully |
| 56.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, Good length ball on middle, Stokes blocks it out. |
| 56.6 : K Rabada to Stokes, On a length on off, Stokes defends it out onto the pitch and says no for a single. TEA ON DAY 1. |
| Another solid session of play where neither of the sides will be heading into the break with disappointment. England, unlike the first session, started on a better note but lost skipper Root, courtesy a vicious bumper from Nortje. Denly dug in well but became a victim of Maharaj as he left a gap between his bat and pad. Both Root and Denly will rue the fact that they did really well to grind it out but could not go onto score a big one. Stokes has looked solid so far and would look to build a st |
| The bowling from the South Africans was once again on target. None of the bowlers offered any freebies or easy runs and kept things tight from either ends. In the process, Nortje and Maharaj ended up with a wicket. Pretorius too has been superb in his 7-over spell in which he has given just 6 runs. In the final session, the Protea bowlers will look to take a few quick wickets and put the visitors under the pump. How will things pan out in the final session? We will soon find out. Join us for th |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| Time for the action in the final session. The Protea players make their way out in the middle. Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope walk out as well. Pope to face the first ball. Keshav Maharaj with the ball first up. A slip and a silly mid off in place. Here we go... |
| 57.1 : K Maharaj to O Pope, Maharaj starts with a floated ball on middle, Pope works it to mid-wicket. |
| 57.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, Looped up ball on middle, Ollie defends it back to Maharaj. |
| 57.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, Flatter delivery on middle and leg, Pope works it to square leg. If he had missed, might have been out LBW. |
| 57.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, On off, Ollie pushes it to cover. |
| 57.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Flat one on middle, Pope flicks it to square leg and takes a single. |
| 57.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full delivery on off, Stokes drives it back to the bowler who collects it on the bounce. |
| Vernon Philander to bowl from the other end. 10-2-21-1 are his numbers so far. |
| 58.1 : V Philander to Pope, Full one outside off, Pope lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 58.2 : V Philander to Pope, BEATEN! Beautiful piece of bowling from Philander. Bowls it on back of a length, probably hitting a crack on the pitch and deviates away. Pope looks to defend it off the back foot but seems to have missed it completely. There is a mild appeal for caught behind but nothing from the umpire. Ultra Edge confirms there is no spike when the ball goes past the bat. |
| 58.3 : V Philander to O Pope, FOUR! Lovely. Fullish delivery on off, Pope lunges forward and creams the drive through extra covers for a boundary. First one for Pope. |
| 58.4 : V Philander to Pope, On a length on off, Ollie defends it out. |
| 58.5 : V Philander to Pope, Fullish delivery on off, Pope drives this through covers and picks up a couple. Malan hares after it and cleans it up. |
| 58.6 : V Philander to Pope, On a length on off, Pope looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge through gully. Malan chases it and slides to make the stop. Two taken. |
| 59.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy delivery on off, Stokes comes down the track and blocks it out. |
| 59.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter delivery on middle, Ben works it to the leg side. |
| 59.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full on middle, Stokes flicks it to deep mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 59.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, On middle, Ollie dances down and flicks it to the leg side for a single. |
| 59.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated ball on middle, Stokes pushes it down to long on and crosses over for a single. |
| 59.6 : K Maharaj to O Pope, Tossed up ball outside off, Pope pushes it to cover. |
| 60.1 : V Philander to Stokes, Philander dishes a full one on off, Stokes defends it off the front foot. |
| 60.2 : V Philander to Stokes, Good length ball on off, Stokes takes a few steps forward and then blocks it out off the back foot. |
| 60.3 : V Philander to Stokes, On a length on middle and leg, Stokes works it to deep square leg and picks up another run. |
| 60.4 : V Philander to Pope, FOUR! Errs in line does Philander and Pope does not miss out. Full delivery on the pads, Pope flicks it beautifully through the mid-wicket region for a boundary. |
| 60.5 : V Philander to Pope, Good length on off, Ollie solidly defends it out. |
| 60.6 : V Philander to Pope, Back of a length in the channel, Pope punches it to point off the back foot. |
| 61.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter one on middle, Stokes works it to the leg side. |
| 61.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Another flat one with some spin, Stokes works it to square leg. |
| 61.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, Stokes comes down the track and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 61.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Loopy delivery on middle, Ben dances down and pushes it to mid on. |
| 61.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 61.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle and leg, worked to square leg where the fielder makes a good sliding stop. |
| 62.1 : V Philander to Pope, Fuller one on middle, Pope defends it solidly off the front foot. |
| 62.2 : V Philander to Pope, Fuller one outside off, Ollie lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 62.3 : V Philander to Pope, On off, Pope lunges forward and blocks it to cover. |
| 62.4 : V Philander to Pope, Good length on off, Pope taps it to point. |
| 62.5 : V Philander to Pope, Vernon bowls another one which is full outside off, Pope solidly pushes it to point. |
| 62.6 : V Philander to Pope, On off, driven to mid off. |
| 63.1 : K Maharaj to Ben Stokes, Short of a length on middle, Stokes pulls it to square leg. The fielder fails to collect it cleanly but no run. |
| 63.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter one on middle, Ben defends it out. |
| 63.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flat on middle and leg, Ben blocks it, |
| 63.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, Stokes tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 63.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full on middle, Ben pushes it to mid on. |
| 63.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, SIX! Finally we see a maximum in this game! Maharaj tosses this one up on middle, Stokes puts on his dancing shoes and hammers it over the long on region for half a dozen. |
| Anrich Nortje is back on. 11-0-34-1, his figures so far. |
| 64.1 : A Nortje to Pope, Nortje starts with a fuller one outside off, Ollie does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 64.2 : A Nortje to Pope, SAFE! Almost did the trick! Short of a length on middle, Pope is late on his pull but gets a top edge but luckily for him it just goes over Vernon Philander at mid off. Before he can clean it up the batters take a single. |
| 64.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, On a length on off, Stokes defends it out. |
| 64.4 : A Nortje to Stokes, Where has that come from? Back of a length ball around off which bounces a little more than what Stokes expected. He looks to defend but gets hit on the gloves. Very well bowled from Nortje. |
| 64.5 : A Nortje to Stokes, FOUR! Smashed! Back of a length ball outside off, Stokes stands tall and punches it through the covers for a boundary. 50-run stand is up between the two. England needed it after losing two quick wickets. |
| 64.6 : A Nortje to Stokes, On middle, Stokes works it to deep square leg and takes a single. |
| 65.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, FOUR! A poor ball and Stokes makes full use of it. Not a length to bowl to a batsman like Stokes. Short of a length on middle, Stokes camps back and pulls it to deep square leg for a boundary. |
| 65.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, Ben defends it back to Maharaj. |
| 65.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On middle, Stokes flicks it to the leg side for a single. |
| Close, close, pretty close! No, says umpire Kumara Dharmasena. Inside edge? Missing leg? Faf du Plessis signals for the LBW review. Seems to be going down leg to the naked eye. UMPIRE'S CALL. It is clipping the leg stump on height! |
| 65.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, NOT OUT! Umpire's call it is on hitting the stumps. It is not a bad decision to review in the end as it looked very close. Maharaj floats this one up on middle and leg, Pope looks to defend it but gets hit flush on the pads. Maharaj appeals but the umpire shakes his head. Maharaj is confident and convinces Faf to go for the review. The Ultra Edge rolls in and it shows that there was no bat on it. The Ball Tracker is up now and it is umpire's call on hitting the leg stump |
| 65.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 65.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, On middle, pushed towards mid on. |
| 66.1 : A Nortje to Pope, Full and around off, pushed towards mid on for a very quick single. |
| 66.2 : A Nortje to Stokes, Full and around off, Stokes walks forward and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 66.3 : A Nortje to Stokes, OUT! CAUGHT AT COVER! Gosh, gosh, gosh. Both sides would be thinking about that word. Just when England seemed well on top, right from nowhere, a wicket has fallen. And it is the man who scored a double century the first time he batted here in Tests. Ben Stokes looks at the ground crestfallen. He takes half a minute or so and then trudges off. This is a big boost for the Proteas. Full and outside off, Stokes looks to drive but his bottom hand comes off the bat. As a res |
| Jos Buttler walks in now. Under a lot of criticism. Needs runs. Needs big runs. For starters, he should be there when the first ball is bowled tomorrow morning. With the bat in hand. |
| 66.4 : A Nortje to Jos Buttler, Streaky start. Full and around off, Buttler looks to work it to the leg side but the ball moves away slightly and goes off the leading edge through the covers. A single taken. |
| 66.5 : A Nortje to Pope, A bouncer now, Pope ducks. |
| 66.6 : A Nortje to Pope, Around off, solidly defended back to the bowler. |
| 67.1 : K Maharaj to Jos Buttler, Loopy delivery on middle, Buttler works it wide of mid on and takes a single. |
| 67.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, On off, Pope lunges forward and defends it out. |
| 67.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, Flat one on middle and leg, Ollie pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 67.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, Fuller one outside off, Pope drives it to cover for nothing. |
| 67.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Tossed up ball on middle, Pope comes down the pitch and flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 67.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Loopy delivery around off, Ollie takes a stride forward and pushes it to point. |
| 68.1 : A Nortje to Buttler, FOUR! That will give Buttler some confidence. He has been out of touch for some while now. On a length outside off, Buttler camps back and punches it off the back foot through covers for a boundary. Two fielders chase after it but the ball wins the race. |
| 0.0 : There we go again. He is unafraid, the hadeda. Halts play for a bit again, hopping across on the outfield. |
| 68.2 : A Nortje to Buttler, Full on off, Jos defends it out to Nortje. |
| 68.3 : A Nortje to Buttler, FOUR! But Buttler was lucky there. If he had hit, it would have been crashing into the stumps. Nortje bowls a full delivery on middle, Buttler moves to the off side and manages to get bat on it and flicks it to the fine leg region for a boundary. |
| 68.4 : A Nortje to Buttler, Short of a length around off, Buttler looks to pull at first but then gets his bat out in time. Lets it go to the keeper. |
| 68.5 : A Nortje to Buttler, Full delivery on off, Jos defends it out. |
| 68.6 : A Nortje to Buttler, Good length ball on off, Buttler taps it to point and calls Pope for a quick single. The fielder has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Pope was in though. |
| 69.1 : K Maharaj to Buttler, FOUR! Clever shot but risky as well. Floated ball on middle, Buttler plays the paddle sweep to fine leg. Vernon Philander hares after it and slides to make a stop. The umpires go in to check it is a four. The replays confirm that Philander has touched the ropes. |
| 69.2 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 69.3 : K Maharaj to Buttler, On off, defended off the back foot to cover. |
| 69.4 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Flatter delivery on middle, Jos defends it out. |
| 69.5 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Was that a drop catch? From the reactions it certainly does like it. Floated on off, Buttler drives it uppishly to silly mid off. It goes in between the legs of him and through mid off. A single taken. The replays show that it might have burst of his hands but even if it was, it was a tough one. |
| 69.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 70.1 : A Nortje to Pope, Full on middle, Pope defends it out. |
| 70.2 : A Nortje to Pope, Good length on middle, Ollie solidly blocks it. |
| 70.3 : A Nortje to Pope, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Pope ducks under it. |
| 70.4 : A Nortje to Pope, Short of a length on middle, Pope has no problems in ducking under it. |
| 70.5 : A Nortje to O Pope, Just short! Full delivery on off, Pope looks to drive it but gets a thick outside edge which goes towards second slip. The fielder comes forward in an attempt to catch but it falls short. Luck favouring Pope out there. |
| 70.6 : A Nortje to Pope, On a length outside off, Pope leaves it alone. |
| 71.1 : K Maharaj to Buttler, SIX! Gets that one does Buttler. Floated ball on middle, Buttler dances down and heaves it over the long on region for a biggie. |
| 0.0 : There is a slight halt in play as the ball was lost after that six from Buttler. |
| 71.2 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Flatter delivery outside off, Buttler pushes it to point. |
| 71.3 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Short ball on off, Jos pushes it to cover. |
| 71.4 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Floated ball on off, Buttler lunges and blocks it to point. |
| 71.5 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Flatter delivery on off, Buttler cuts but finds the point fielder. |
| 71.6 : K Maharaj to Buttler, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is back on. |
| 72.1 : D Pretorius to O Pope, Well fielded! Full delivery outside off, Pope drives it beautifully through covers and picks up a couple. Malan puts in a terrific run and makes a good sliding stop. |
| 72.2 : D Pretorius to Pope, Full outside off, left alone. |
| 72.3 : D Pretorius to Pope, On off, Pope drives it beautifully but finds the cover fielder. |
| 72.4 : D Pretorius to Pope, Good length ball on middle and leg, Pope works it to square leg. |
| 72.5 : D Pretorius to O Pope, EDGY FOUR! Luck is favouring Ollie Pope out at Newlands. Full delivery on middle, Pope looks to push it but gets a thick outside edge which goes between the second slip and gully fielder. It flies into the fence. |
| 72.6 : D Pretorius to Pope, Full delivery on off, Ollie pushes it to cover. |
| Drinks! An hour of play which has belonged to both sides. Stokes and Pope started well before Stokes threw it away with a poor shot. Buttler has come in and is looking edgy out there. Pope, though has looked comfortable and England need to put up a good partnership. South Africa will not be too disappointed but they would have been a little happier if they prized out a few more wickets. |
| 73.1 : K Maharaj to Buttler, On middle, punched off the back foot. |
| 73.2 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Full on middle, Buttler comes down the track and pushes it to long on for a single. |
| 73.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 73.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full and around off, Pope comes down the track and blocks it. |
| 73.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 73.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Around off, well defended. |
| 74.1 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Oh dear...rash, very rash. But this is also a sign that he is looking to be positive. He adopted this technique of walking down the track in the Test matches against India and it worked for him. He is at his best when he is busy. But this time, he walks into the shot, pushes at the ball but misses due to the late movement. |
| 74.2 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Around off, watchfully defended. |
| What happened there? Pretorius comes running in but aborts his runup midway. |
| 74.3 : D Pretorius to Jos Buttler, FOUR! SWEET! Full and outside off, Buttler comes forward and drives this through the covers! |
| 74.4 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Around off, on a length, watchfully blocked out. |
| 74.5 : D Pretorius to Buttler, Outside off, played through point for a couple. |
| 74.6 : D Pretorius to Buttler, OUT! Caught behind! Oh my. Did we say Buttler is at his best when he is busy at the crease? He is now gone. Just what South Africa would have wanted before the second new ball is taken. The walk on the move has removed Buttler. Pretorius maintains his line and length outside off and Jos, by habit, looks to push. But the ball nibbles away off the seam and squares him up. |
| Into the all-rounders now. Sam Curran is the first of them. |
| 75.1 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full and around off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 75.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, On middle, worked straight to short leg. |
| 75.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, Comes down the track this time and drives but finds the bowler. |
| 75.4 : K Maharaj to O Pope, Full and wide outside off, plenty of flight, Pope reaches out and drives it straight to cover. |
| 75.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Outside off, pushed straight to cover. |
| 75.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Comes down the track now and defends. |
| 76.1 : D Pretorius to Curran, Around off, solidly defended. |
| 76.2 : D Pretorius to Curran, That was a ripper. On a length outside off, coming back in a long way, Curran looks to work it to the leg side but the ball shapes back in, beats the inside edge, hits the thigh and goes towards gully. |
| 76.3 : D Pretorius to Curran, Around off, this is defended stoutly. |
| 76.4 : D Pretorius to Curran, Cover drive to mid on. No, I am not done for the day. Yet. Full and outside off, Sam looks to drive but the ball swings back in and goes off the inner half of the bat towards mid on. |
| 76.5 : D Pretorius to Curran, This time the cover drive is timed perfectly but straight to cover. |
| 76.6 : D Pretorius to Sam Curran, INSIDE EDGE, MISSES THE STUMPS, FOUR! Things are happening here. A length ball outside off, Curran pushes at it away from his body. The ball though, comes in and cramps him for room. The inside edge is eked out and it goes behind, but JUST over the stumps, to the fine leg fence! |
| 77.1 : K Maharaj to Pope, Tossed up outside off, driven towards long off for a single. |
| 77.2 : K Maharaj to Curran, Oohhh... Curran lunges to defend but the ball spins in, probably off the rough. Don't see much though. It bounces, takes the inside edge but there is no short leg. A run taken towards square leg. |
| 77.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full and outside off, Pope lunges to defend. |
| 77.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 77.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Short and outside off, Ollie rocks back to cut but finds point. |
| 77.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full again, OP reaches out and blocks. |
| 78.1 : D Pretorius to Curran, A length ball outside off, coming in, watchfully defended. |
| 78.2 : D Pretorius to Curran, On a length, outside off, coming in with the angle, pushed back to the bowler again. |
| 78.3 : D Pretorius to Sam Curran, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 78.4 : D Pretorius to Curran, Around off, pushed towards mid on. |
| 78.5 : D Pretorius to Curran, FOUR! Nicely done. Though, Pretorius will not mind it too much. Not a bad ball, by no means a half volley outside off. Curran has actually come forward and driven a ball which is short of full, on the up. There is a short extra cover and a mid off close to him, in place. But Sam has thread that gap to precision. |
| 78.6 : D Pretorius to Curran, OUT! BOWLED! Now, Sir Geoffrey, sir Geoffrey, where are you? Ian Chappell, where art thou? Both of you, if present at the ground, or in the commentary box, would have said, 'Kid, you have a bat in hand. Just make use of that. You are not here to leave balls.' Terrible misjudgement from Sam. Not that a misjudgement is ever sweet. But that is a saying, so went with the flow. |
| Dominic Bess walks in at number 9, replacing Curran. |
| 79.1 : K Maharaj to Pope, Short and outside off, cut straight to point. |
| 79.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, Outside off, punched off the back foot. |
| 79.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, Full and on middle, Pope comes down the track and looks to flick but hits it in the air. But there is no short leg or short mid-wicket present. |
| 79.4 : K Maharaj to Pope, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 79.5 : K Maharaj to O Pope, Floated outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 79.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Interesting. THE SECOND NEW BALL HAS BEEN TAKEN. One might have thought Faf might delay it, due to this late burst of wickets. VERNON PHILANDER to make the first use of it. 13-3-34-1 so far. |
| GoaRocks - 'Hurray! The second new ball taken? Now, all out! Yippee!' |
| 80.1 : V Philander to Bess, OUT! Caught behind! Philander strikes with the first ball in his first spell with the second new ball. That is the end of Bess. England in a mess. A typical Vernon dismissal. Ask questions. Put the ball in that avenue of apprehension. Sow the seed of doubt in the batsman's mind. Should I play? Should I leave? Will the ball move away? Will the ball come in? What if I lose my stumps like Curran did? Poor Bess cannot be blamed entirely. He sees pitch around the 4th stump |
| 0.0 : Stuart Broad walks in at number 10, replacing Bess. |
| 80.2 : V Philander to Broad, A length ball, around middle, swinging in, Broad misses his flick and is hit on the pads. |
| 80.3 : V Philander to Broad, Around off, tucked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 80.4 : V Philander to Pope, Aha... Movement through the air for Vernon. Outside off, on a length, Ollie flashes a drive but misses. |
| 80.5 : V Philander to Pope, And again. This is slightly wider outside off, OP launches a massive cover drive, only to miss again. |
| 80.6 : V Philander to Pope, Goes for the booming inswinger but ends up spraying it on the pads. Pope flicks it towards square leg in the deep for a single. |
| Kagiso Rabada to share the second new ball with the big Vern. 14-3-47-1 so far. |
| 81.1 : K Rabada to Pope, No looseners. A perfect start. Full and just outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 81.2 : K Rabada to Pope, Around off, defended towards cover. |
| 81.3 : K Rabada to Pope, A bouncer on middle, Pope ducks. |
| 81.4 : K Rabada to O Pope, A length ball outside off, Ollie looks to defend but the ball moves away and takes the outside edge. Goes towards point. |
| 81.5 : K Rabada to Pope, Gets the single he wanted. A length ball outside off, OP steers it behind point for a run. |
| 81.6 : Rabada to S Broad, OUT! BOWLED! Broady, Broady, what happened there? Poor lad. 73 matches before he got on the helmet by a vicious Varun Aaron bouncer. Has never been the same since. He is always expecting a bouncer first up. Bowlers all over the world are terrorizing him now, threatening bouncers, but then slipping in fuller ones. Rabada does exactly that. Broad is deep in his crease, expecting a short one. But he gets a fuller one. Now, here is the height of all misfortunes. Stuart does |
| James Anderson is the last man in. |
| 82.1 : V Philander to Pope, Full and wide outside off, Pope slashes hard to sweeper cover. Does not take the single. |
| 82.2 : V Philander to Pope, Beauty. On a length outside off, Ollie looks to push but the ball moves away late off the seam and beats the outside edge. |
| 82.3 : V Philander to Pope, Full and straight, pushed towards mid on. |
| 82.4 : V Philander to Pope, Full and wide outside off, OP drives it through point for a single. 2 balls left for Jimmy to survive. |
| 82.5 : V Philander to Anderson, 1 survived. The crowd cheers. Plenty of English supporters today. Full and outside off, Anderson shoulders arms. |
| 82.6 : V Philander to Anderson, Both balls survived. Full and wide outside off, either a bad ball or bowled with a plan to tempt Jimmy into the drive. But it is left alone. |
| 83.1 : K Rabada to Pope, A short ball wide outside off, Pope slashes hard but misses. |
| 83.2 : K Rabada to O Pope, A bit wider outside off, Ollie crashes this in front of sweeper, just past cover. Keshav Maharaj has a bit of an area to sweep to his right. So by the time he covers that portion, two runs are taken. |
| 83.3 : K Rabada to Pope, Full and outside off, wide again, OP crashes this through the covers but this time, straight to Maharaj at sweeper. |
| 83.4 : K Rabada to Pope, FOUR! A cheeky shot! A shot which plenty of youngsters love to play these days. That is not to suggest that I am old, by any means. A short ball, around off, coming in with the angle, following the batsman. Pope initially looks to duck but at the last moment, plays the upper cut, right back over the keeper's head! One bounce and into the fence. |
| 83.5 : K Rabada to Pope, Outside off, once again, Ollie looks to play the ramp but misses. |
| Everybody is being brought up now. |
| 83.6 : Rabada to Pope, MISCALCULATION! Pope is on his haunches, smiling. That was not how he calculated. A short ball outside off, Pope looks to clobber that back past the bowler. But he mistimes it. Rabada stretches out his left hand but it just eludes him and beats mid off. Now, Anrich Nortje is running after it from mid off and Pope has to think about a single or three. He chooses the latter. Takes two and Jimmy is ready for the third, turning blind. But Pope rightly sends him back, as he is n |
| 84.1 : V Philander to Anderson, Close call. Full and outside off, Anderson pushes at it away from his body and gets a thick inside edge. It just misses the leg stump, en route fine leg. A single taken. |
| 84.2 : V Philander to Pope, Full and outside off, pushed straight to cover. |
| 84.3 : V Philander to Pope, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 84.4 : V Philander to Pope, Down the leg side, worked straight to mid-wicket. |
| 84.5 : V Philander to Pope, FOUR! Just over! Full and outside off, Pope walks into the shot and lofts it over mid off. Kagiso Rabada moving to his left leaps but the ball goes over him. |
| 84.6 : V Philander to Pope, FOUR! Much better shot this time. A length ball, on middle, Pope comes down the track and lofts it over mid on. One bounce and into the ropes. 250 UP FOR ENGLAND! |
| 85.1 : K Rabada to Anderson, Cheer from the crowd! Jimmy keeps one out from this over. A length ball around off, Anderson gets right behind this one and blocks. |
| 85.2 : K Rabada to Anderson, Outside off, another solid defense, to the off side. |
| 85.3 : K Rabada to Anderson, Ooohhh... nervy. A length ball outside off, JA looks to play the upper cut, but then misses due to the steep bounce. |
| 85.4 : K Rabada to Anderson, Good bowling. Targets the yorker, bowls it very full and straight. But Anderson keeps it out. The crowd cheers again. |
| 85.5 : K Rabada to Anderson, Jimmy gets some runs! Well, the crowd has actually stood up as one to applaud. Landed outside off, on a length, JA plays this away from his body and gets it through cover-point. Two runs taken. The stand is worth 20 now, from 23 balls. |
| 85.6 : K Rabada to Anderson, A sharp bouncer, outside off, Jimmy looks to fend but the ball keeps on rising and coming in. Beats his poke. Anderson has seen off an entire over. |
| Anrich Nortje returns. 15-1-51-2 so far. |
| 86.1 : A Nortje to Pope, Short and outside off, cut behind point to get his half century. To NOT get his half century. Team first. First ball. Denies the single. |
| 86.2 : A Nortje to Pope, A length ball outside off, coming in with the angle, Pope looks to tap and run but then changes his mind. |
| 86.3 : A Nortje to O Pope, Outside off, flashed through point. No single taken again. |
| 86.4 : A Nortje to Pope, A bouncer on off, Ollie ducks and sways at the same time, in time. |
| The field comes up now. So do the two batsmen, towards each other, for a brief chat. Mind games. Everyone is ready but at the last moment, Nortje goes towards mid off for some strategy discussion. |
| 86.5 : A Nortje to O Pope, HALF CENTURY FOR OLLIE POPE! Just his second in Tests but it has been his best innings so far in this format. Because it has been under immense pressure. A short ball outside off, Pope pulls it uppishly, through the massive vacant areas at mid-wicket. Dean Elgar gives it a good chase from deep square leg and puts in a slide to stop the ball. Three runs taken. |
| 86.6 : A Nortje to Anderson, OOOHH... ALMOST! Full and around middle, Anderson looks to flick and it nearly goes straight to short leg! Lands just short. |
| 87.1 : K Rabada to Pope, That stays low. On a length outside off, Pope stays inside the line and pushes hard but the ball shoots low and beats the inside edge. Lands short of the keeper. |
| 87.2 : K Rabada to Pope, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| Just an FYI - around 10 minutes left for Stumps. Even if England get bowled out now, South Africa WILL NOT bat tonight. |
| 87.3 : K Rabada to Pope, Landed outside off, dabbed to third man. No single taken. |
| 87.4 : K Rabada to Pope, FOUR! There he goes again! What is more interesting is, Faf's reaction. He throws his arms in the air, as if to ask his bowler - 'Why did you bowl that?' Because just before this ball, the captain removed that man from fly slip and got him to second slip. So short ball was definitely not the plan. But Rabada, like a bad student, does not pay heed to his captain's instructions. Bowls it short and Pope ramps it over the keeper, to the third man fence. |
| A fly slip comes in place again. |
| CAUGHT! But has Rabada overstepped? Dear me, he has! Schoolboy stuff. The umpires are checking whether the batsmen crossed when the catch was being taken. Yup. Jimmy on strike now. |
| 87.5 : K Rabada to Pope, CAUGHT OFF A NO BALL! This is really poor from Rabada. First, he does not bowl to the field and second, he has overstepped now. A short ball again, at the body, Pope comes down the track and looks to swat this out of the park. But he is cramped for room and gets a top edge. The ball swirls in the air towards fine leg where Vernon Philander comes running in, does really well to focus on the ball and takes a very good catch. The players are ready to head off the field but u |
| K Rabada to Anderson, Around middle and leg, tucked towards square leg. |
| 87.6 : K Rabada to Anderson, Around middle and leg again, worked towards square leg again. An eventful over, should have been the last of the day and the innings but KG... gone to junior KG. |
| 88.1 : A Nortje to Pope, Short and outside off, cut through point but does not take the single. |
| 88.2 : A Nortje to Pope, Landed outside off, played straight to point. |
| 88.3 : A Nortje to Pope, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 88.4 : A Nortje to Pope, Short and outside off, cut straight to deep point. |
| 88.5 : A Nortje to Pope, A bouncer, down the leg side, ducked under. |
| 88.6 : A Nortje to Pope, Another bouncer, down the leg side again, ducked under again. OVER AND TIME, says Paul Reiffel. STUMPS ON DAY 1! |
| Exclude that last manic half an hour and it has been a wonderful day for South Africa. You lose the toss and have the opposition 9 down for a shade over 250, of course you will be happy. But looking at the inconsistent bounce in the pitch, wonder if England would not be too unhappy? |
| A day of starts for England. Apart from Zak Crawley, every dismissed batsman in the top 7 got in but then got out. They stuck in there, saw off difficult periods but just when it was time to reap benefits of that hard work, they threw it away. The period before the second new ball then decelerated their progress rapidly. Buttler fell in the 75th over and the visitors lost 4/13 in the span of 43 balls. But then, they were saved by the Pope. Well, jokes apart, not THE Pope, but Ollie Pope. |
| It is very difficult to bat with a partner of lesser ability than yours and Pope learnt that here. But he kept his cool and just hung in there. He managed to farm the strike with James Anderson and has added 28 crucial runs so far, getting his half century also in the process. Who knows how vital they might turn out to be? |
| South Africa's bowling coach Charles Langeveldt need not be too unhappy either. He will be worried about that poor last 30 minutes but on the whole, it was a decent outing for his bowlers. Everyone bowled well but Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius were the most impressive. The question always asked is not what can your strike bowlers do. But what can your backup guys after the strike bowlers do. Nortje and Pretorius did not disappoint. They sustained the pressure built up by the opening bowlers |
| Right! 9 wickets fall on Day 1 then. Should have been 10 but Rabada overstepped. What will Day 2 hold in store? Do England have enough? Mind you, they are not done yet. Can they get to 300? Can Pope play a blinder and reach his century? Can Anderson rekindle his 2009 Cardiff memories from the Ashes and hang around? Ufff... too many questions. Take a break. Sleep over those. Think over those. Or rather, do neither. Just ignore the questions and come back on Saturday, 4th January, 2020 at 10.30 am |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| South Africa should've been coming out to bat now but Rabada overstepped late in the day and well, Pope and Anderson then added 28 unbeaten runs to take England towards a decent first innings total. 262 on the board with 1 wicket in hand. How many more can England add to this total? Can they get around the 300-run mark? Big mental advantage, you know. The hosts will be eager to get rid of the final wicket to bundle out England before the total gets even bigger. We will soon find out how things |
| The South Africans walk out to the middle and they will be hoping that it is not for a long time as they have to take just one wicket. Out come the overnight batters too, Ollie Pope and James Anderson. Kagiso Rabada will start off the proceedings with James Anderson on strike. Here we go! |
| 89.1 : K Rabada to Anderson, Runs straightaway! A fuller ball outside off from Rabada, Anderson dabs it towards gully where the fielder cannot cleanly stop the ball. A single for Anderson on the very first ball. Now, Pope will look to farm the strike from hereon. |
| 89.2 : K Rabada to Pope, Fuller and outside off, it is pushed to covers by Pope. |
| 89.3 : Rabada to Pope, Yorker around off, Pope jams it out. |
| 89.4 : K Rabada to Pope, Full and on middle again, Pope whips it wide of long on and before the long on fielder can get to the ball, a couple of runs for Pope. |
| 89.5 : K Rabada to Pope, Bouncer on middle and leg. Pope ducks under it with ease. |
| 89.6 : K Rabada to O Pope, Quick run! Pope will keep the strike. A back of a length ball on middle, Pope does well to tuck it towards square leg and takes a quick single. |
| Anrich Nortje to bowl from the other end. Just 1 slip in place. |
| 90.1 : A Nortje to Pope, Nortje starts with a good length ball around off, Pope comes forward and blocks it towards mid off. |
| 90.2 : A Nortje to Pope, Shortish around off, tapped towards cover by Pope this time. |
| 90.3 : A Nortje to Pope, Fuller again, Pope pushes it towards sweeper cover. Singles are on offer for Pope but he is not interested. Boundaries are what he is looking for and singles only on the 5th or 6th ball, if possible. |
| 90.4 : A Nortje to Pope, Beaten! First time this morning! Good length ball just outside off, Pope pokes at the ball to get beaten as it straightens a touch. |
| 90.5 : A Nortje to Pope, Goes for the mighty pull to this one but does not make any connection. A back of a length ball on middle, Pope looks to pull but fails. Called one for the over as it was just around Pope's head height. |
| 90.6 : A Nortje to O Pope, WIDE! Another bumper which is over the head of Pope and this time the umpire calls it wide. This is around off, Pope lets it be. |
| A Nortje to Pope, Over mid off! Just a single again and Pope keeps the strike again. A short of a length ball outside off, Pope looks to slam it over mid off but mistimes it. However, the timing is good enough to clear Philander at mid off. The batters can get a couple before Philander can get to the ball but only one is what they want. |
| 91.1 : K Rabada to Pope, Oops! Misjudgement on the part of Pope. He thought he'd be able to steal the second but that wasn't on offer. A fuller ball on middle, Pope works it towards long on and takes off for the run. Only a single as the fielder there rushed to the ball quickly. So, 5 potential ball for Anderson to survive. |
| 91.2 : K Rabada to Anderson, Anderson does well with the first one he faces. A fuller ball on off, James taps it towards cover. |
| 91.3 : K Rabada to Anderson, This time he is beaten but no edge on it so he won't mind. A good length ball around off, Anderson looks to defend but plays down the wrong line to get beaten. |
| 91.4 : K Rabada to Anderson, Landed around off, Anderson keeps it out. |
| 91.5 : K Rabada to J Anderson, OUT! Caught at slip! Rabada has done the job for the Proteas and as Anderson cannot manage to see off the over. A shortish ball outside off, Anderson looks to fend at it, away from his body off the back foot. An outside edge is induced and it goes straight to van der Dussen at first slip. ENGLAND ARE ALL OUT FOR 269. |
| 17 legal deliveries is all South Africa needed to remove the final wicket and close the innings. No century for Pope then but he has played a very important hand to take the English total to 269. Rabada finishes off with a 3-fer here. |
| Earlier on Day 1, England opted to bat first after winning the toss. Apart from Crawley, all the batters got start but could not convert them into a big one as South Africa kept taking wickets at regular intervals. England looked at a decent position when they were 221/5 but a collapse saw them slump to 234/9. Pope hung on with Anderson for the final wicket and scored an unbeaten half ton. |
| South African bowlers were excellent on Day 1 and did not offer any easy run for the visitors. They struck early but England did offer resistance with a few partnership but before they could turn into a bigger one, South Africa chipped away the wickets to keep their total to 269. |
| 0.1 : J Anderson to Elgar, Anderson starts with a good length ball on middle, Elgar defends it out to mid off. |
| 0.2 : J Anderson to Elgar, Back of a length ball on off, Elgar defends it out to point. |
| 0.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, South Africa and Elgar are underway! Fuller one outside off, Elgar pushes it through covers and crosses over for a single. |
| 0.4 : J Anderson to Malan, Full delivery on middle, Malan defends his first ball in international cricket back to the bowler. |
| 0.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish ball nipping away, Pieter leaves the ball alone to the keeper. |
| 0.6 : J Anderson to Malan, FOUR! First runs for Pieter Malan in Test cricket! This will give him a lot of confidence. Short delivery outside off, Malan stands tall and punches it through the cover region for a boundary. Gives a smile after hitting that shot. |
| Stuart Broad with the ball from the other end. 2 slips and a gully for him. |
| 1.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Fuller ball on off first up from Broad. Elgar leans and pushes it to mid off. |
| 1.2 : S Broad to Elgar, FOUR! Punched nicely! First one from Elgar's bat. Another fuller ball around off, Elgar just punches it on the front foot. It races to the long off fence in a jiffy. |
| 1.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length ball outside off, it is angled into the left-hander. Elgar covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 1.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Landed around off on a good length, Elgar looks to defend but the ball takes the inner half of the bat and goes to square leg. |
| 1.5 : S Broad to Elgar, FOUR BYES! That's through everyone. A good length ball which is once again angled into Elgar. He looks to defend but the ball comes back in sharply to beat his inside edge. Buttler behind the wicket fails to collect the ball either. It goes behind him and into the fence. |
| 1.6 : S Broad to Elgar, FOUR! This is a brilliant shot! Full and outside off, Elgar reaches out and drives it through point for another boundary. |
| 2.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Outside off, Malan covers his stumps and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 2.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length around off, tapped towards covers. |
| 2.3 : J Anderson to Malan, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 2.4 : J Anderson to Malan, Another leave as Anderson bowls it on a good length ball outside off. |
| 2.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Make that third leave in a row as Malan once again covers his stumps and allows the ball to go to the keeper. |
| 2.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Gets slightly fuller and around off, Malan this time comes forward and defends it. |
| 3.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Shortish length ball outside off, Elgar makes a leave to start the over. |
| 3.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Another ball which is outside off, Elgar has nothing to do with it once again. Broad needs to get closer to the off pole and make Elgar play. |
| 3.3 : S Broad to Elgar, He does that on this one. Bowls it around off and on a slightly fuller length, Elgar gets behind the line of the delivery and defends. |
| 3.4 : S Broad to Elgar, This one is pitched on off and it comes into Elgar. He blocks it off the back foot. |
| 3.5 : S Broad to Elgar, Another one on off, Elgar once again makes a solid block. |
| 3.6 : S Broad to Elgar, Fuller and on off this time, Elgar looks to drive but gets an inside edge. The ball goes between his legs but luckily does not go on the stumps. |
| 4.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length ball on middle, worked towards square leg by Malan for a single. |
| 4.2 : J Anderson to Elgar, Fuller and on middle, Elgar works it in front of square leg. |
| 4.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, Good length ball on off, Elgar waits and at the last moment taps it towards gully where the fielder does well to stop the ball with a tumble to his left. |
| 4.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, On middle, Elgar pushes it to mid on. |
| 4.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, Around off, pushed to point. |
| 4.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Nicely done! A fuller ball around off, Elgar runs it down through point and gully and before the fielder can get to the ball, a couple for him. |
| 5.1 : S Broad to Malan, Good length ball on middle, blocked towards mid-wicket. |
| 5.2 : S Broad to Malan, Beauty from Broad! Fuller and just outside off. As Malan comes forward to defend the ball shapes away from his and bat. Luckily for him, it does not take the outside edge. |
| 5.3 : S Broad to P Malan, Another ball around off on a fullish length, Malan pushes it to point. |
| 5.4 : S Broad to Malan, Outside off this time, an easy leave for Malan. |
| 5.5 : S Broad to Malan, In the channel again but too wide to make Malan play. He shoulders arms. |
| 5.6 : S Broad to Malan, Another leave to see off the over as Broad dishes out another good length ball outside off. |
| 6.1 : J Anderson to Elgar, Good length ball on off, Elgar defends it to mid off. |
| 6.2 : J Anderson to Elgar, Fullish delivery outside off, Dean shoulders arms to this one. |
| 6.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, On a length on off, Elgar blocks it off the back foot to point. |
| 6.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, Fuller ball on off, Elgar solidly defends it back to the bowler. |
| 6.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, Length ball on middle and leg, Elgar works it to deep square leg and picks up a couple. |
| 6.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, EDGY FOUR! Just short! Good length ball on off, nipping away, Elgar looks to defend it but gets squared up. It goes off the outside edge towards first slip. It bounces in front of him and goes between his legs into the fence. |
| 7.1 : S Broad to Malan, OUT! Caught! Broad strikes and the debutant has to depart! Brilliant bowling from him. A slightly shortish ball outside off which shapes away after pitching. He can easily let this go to the keeper but this time he has a poke at it. The away movement means an outside edge is induced and it goes to Root at first slip. He takes it in front of his face nicely. Poor, poor shot this one from the debutant. |
| 0.0 : Zubayr Hamza is the new man in. |
| 7.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Fuller ball around off, Hamza comes forward and keeps it out. |
| 7.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length ball on middle and leg, Hamza defends it out to mid on. |
| 7.4 : S Broad to Z Hamza, Length ball on off, Zubayr looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge towards gully who collects it on a bounce. |
| 7.5 : S Broad to Hamza, On off, Hamza pushes it back to Broad. |
| 7.6 : S Broad to Hamza, BEATEN! Excellent. Just excellent stuff from Broad. Good length ball outside off, moving away from the batsman. Hamza looks to defend it off the back foot but fails to get anything on it. A successful over comes to an end from Broad. |
| First change from England. Sam Curran is brought into the attack. He picked up four wickets in the first innings of the first Test. Can he make an impact here as well? |
| 8.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, FOUR! Curran starts with a poor delivery on the pads, Elgar whips it away to the deep mid-wicket region for a boundary. The fielder from deep square leg comes across but gives up the chase. |
| 8.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Another one down the leg side, Elgar flicks it to the deep mid-wicket region and takes three before Crawley from deep square leg hares across and collects it. 7 from the first two balls to start with from Curran. |
| 8.3 : Sam Curran to Hamza, Better from Curran! Good length ball outside off, Hamza leaves it alone. |
| 8.4 : Sam Curran to Hamza, On off, Zubayr gets off the mark by guiding this towards point and taking a single. |
| 8.5 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Fullish delivery on middle, Elgar works it to mid-wicket. |
| 8.6 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full ball outside the off stump line, Dean lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 9.1 : S Broad to Hamza, FOUR! Brilliant shot from Hamza! Positive cricket! That's how he likes to play. Full delivery on off, Hamza leans forward and creams the drive through the cover region for a boundary. Stokes chases after it but does not manage to get there in time. |
| 9.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length ball on middle, Zubayr defends it out off the back foot. |
| 9.3 : S Broad to Hamza, On off, driven towards mid off where the fielder dives and stops the ball. No run. |
| 9.4 : S Broad to Hamza, On a length on off, nipping in. Hamza defends it out solidly. |
| Stuart Broad has got an official warning for running on the danger area. First one of the innings. |
| 9.5 : S Broad to Hamza, OUT! CAUGHT! Excellent catch from Stokes and Broad gets his second wicket. South Africa are in a spot of bother. Back of a length ball outside off, nipping away. Hamza looks to defend it off the back foot but gets a thick outside edge towards second slip. Stokes there, dives to his right and pouches it just inches above the ground. Brilliant. Broad is making the ball talk from his end at Newlands. |
| Drinks! A brilliant hour for England then. After bundling out quickly, they have removed two Protea batters inside 10 overs. It is Stuart Broad who is doing the damage. Elgar has looked solid but his partners, not so good so far. Here's his skipper Faf du Plessis coming in to join him out in the middle. Can these two occupy the crease and build a decent stand together? An intriguing hour awaits. |
| 9.6 : S Broad to Plessis, Good length ball on middle, Faf defends it back to the bowler. Broad shows some aggression and underarms the ball towards du Plessis. Stares exchanged. |
| 10.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Good length on middle and leg, Elgar defends it to mid on. |
| 10.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Fuller one on off, Dean blocks it out to point. |
| 10.3 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On off, Elgar is solid in defense. |
| 10.4 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Good length on off, Elgar blocks it out to cover off the back foot. |
| 10.5 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Fullish one on middle, Dean pushes it to mid off. |
| 10.6 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On a length on middle, Elgar works it to mid-wicket. |
| 11.1 : S Broad to Plessis, Good length ball outside off, Faf makes a good leave to this one. |
| 11.2 : S Broad to Plessis, Very full delivery on middle, du Plessis pushes it down to mid on. |
| 11.3 : S Broad to Plessis, On a length on off, Faf stands tall and defends it to point. |
| 11.4 : S Broad to Plessis, Fullish delivery outside off, Faf lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 11.5 : S Broad to Plessis, Outside off, left alone. |
| 11.6 : S Broad to Plessis, Good length ball on off, du Plessis blocks it out. |
| 12.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Nicely bowled! Well played too. Very full delivery on middle, Elgar gets his bat down in time and blocks it out. |
| 12.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Back of a length ball outside off, Elgar pushes it to deep point and takes a single. |
| 12.3 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Good length ball on middle, du Plessis defends it out to Curran. |
| 12.4 : Sam Curran to Plessis, Short of a length on middle, Faf works it to square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 12.5 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On a length on off, Elgar defends it to cover. |
| 12.6 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On off, pushed to point for nothing. |
| James Anderson is back on. |
| 13.1 : J Anderson to Plessis, Full delivery on middle, Faf defends it to mid on off the front foot. |
| 13.2 : J Anderson to Plessis, On a length on middle, du Plessis blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 13.3 : J Anderson to Plessis, Good length delivery with extra bounce. Faf looks to defend but it hits then splice of the bat and rolls onto the pitch. |
| 13.4 : J Anderson to Plessis, Good length outside off, du Plessis shoulders arms to this one. |
| 13.5 : J Anderson to du Plessis, OUT! CAUGHT! Anderson returns and picks up the big fish, the South African skipper. Excellent bowling. Full delivery around off, du Plessis looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes to second slip. Stokes stationed there moves to his left and takes a simple catch. The hosts slip further. 40 for 3 in no time. Not the start South Africa would have wanted. |
| Rassie van der Dussen is the new man in. |
| 13.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length on middle, Rassie defends it out. Excellent over comes to an end from James Anderson. |
| First signs of spin! Dominic Bess is into the attack. |
| 14.1 : D Bess to D Elgar, FOUR! UPPISH BUT SAFE! Bess starts with a floated ball outside off, Elgar lunges forward and looks to drive but it goes uppishly. Luckily for Elgar it goes wide of the diving fielder and into the extra cover fence. Not sure whether the fielder got his hand on it. |
| 14.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on middle, Dean defends it out. |
| 14.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated ball on middle, Elgar works it to the leg side and says no for the single. |
| 14.4 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, played back to the bowler. |
| 14.5 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter delivery on middle, Dean works it to mid-wicket. |
| 14.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Looped up ball on middle, Elgar pushes it back to Bess. |
| 15.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length outside off, moving in a bit. van der Dussen leaves it alone. |
| 15.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball outside off, Rassie does not fiddle with it and lets it through to the keeper. |
| 15.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, EDGY FOUR! Things are happening here at Newlnads. Luck for Rassie van der Dussen. Back of a length ball outside off, Rassie pokes at it but gets a thick outside edge which goes between the second slip and the gully fielder. Stokes dives to his right but the ball goes quickly past him and into the fence. |
| 15.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length outside off, this time van der Dussen shoulders arms to it. |
| 15.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on middle, Rassie defends it to short leg. |
| 15.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, van der Dussen defends it to the off side. |
| 16.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on off, Elgar pushes it to cover and picks up a single. |
| 16.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter delivery on middle and leg, van der Dussen works it to deep square leg and takes a single. 50 up for the Proteas. |
| 16.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Flat one on off, Elgar rocks back and blocks it to cover. |
| 16.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Looped up ball outside off, Elgar pushes it to cover. |
| 16.5 : D Bess to Elgar, On off, Dean defends it off the back foot. |
| 16.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Tosses this one up on middle, Elgar gently pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 17.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fullish delivery on off, Rassie defends it to cover. |
| 17.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, BEATEN! That is a peach of a delivery. Good length delivery around off, moving away from the batsman. Rassie attempts to defend it but just whizzes past the ou8tside edge of the bat and into the keeper's gloves. |
| 17.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. |
| 17.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, Rassie guides it to point. |
| 17.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fuller one outside off, Rassie lunges and then decides to leave the ball alone. |
| 17.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fullish ball outside off, van der Dussen makes a good leave to the keeper. |
| 18.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter one outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 18.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Fuller one on middle and leg, Elgar pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 18.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Looped up ball on off, Rassie prods forward and defends it out. |
| 18.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, van der Dussen defends it to short leg. |
| 18.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated on off, pushed to cover for a single. |
| 18.6 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, Elgar solidly defends it back to the bowler. |
| Rassie van der Dussen. has been given out LBW and he has reviewed it immediately. If Rassie has not hit it, he is plumb. Let's see what happens. |
| 19.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, NOT OUT! Rassie van der Dussen is survived by a big inside edge. Brilliant review from him. Full delivery on middle, van der Dussen looks to push but misses to get hit on the pads. There were two noises though. Anderson and the rest appeal. The umpire agrees and gives it out. Rassie has reviewed it immediately. The Ultra Edge rolls in and it shows that there was an inside edge. |
| 19.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, Rassie pushes it to point and takes a single. |
| 19.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, Full delivery on off, pushed through covers for a couple. |
| 19.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, The batsman has driven it through mid off. |
| 19.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, On off, defended to cover. |
| 19.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Good length on middle, Elgar works it to the leg side and picks up a single. |
| 20.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter one on middle, Elgar works it to the leg side. |
| 20.2 : D Bess to Elgar, On off, defended off the front foot to cover. |
| 20.3 : D Bess to D Elgar, Fullish on middle, Elgar plays it down to long on for a single. |
| 20.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Looped up ball on middle and leg, Rassie defends it to short leg. |
| 20.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flat one on middle and leg, van der Dussen works it to square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 20.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Floats this one up on off, Elgar defends it out to point. |
| Ben Stokes is introduced into the attack. |
| 21.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Stokes starts with a good length ball on off, van der Dussen defends it off the back foot. |
| 21.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Fuller one outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 21.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, BEATEN! What a ball from Stokes! Fuller one in the channel of uncertainty, moves away. Rassie looks to defend but misses it altogether. |
| 21.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On middle, flicked to deep mid-wicket and a couple is taken before the fielder can clean it up. |
| 21.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On a length outside off, van der Dussen leaves it alone. |
| 21.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full one outside off, Rassie van der Dussen lets the ball go to the keeper. LUNCH ON DAY 2. |
| England's session by a mile. They could not add much to their overnight score of 262/9 but their bowlers have been excellent in reply. They came out with a mission in hand and that was to pick up as many wickets as they can. Broad and Anderson did just that. The former started the procession with two quick wickets of Pieter Malan and Zubayr Hamza. Anderson then joined the party picking up the all-important wicket of Faf du Plessis. They could have had another wicket but an inside edge saved Rass |
| South Africa, on the other hand, got the last wicket quickly but did not do justice with the bat at all. After a decent start from the openers, Pieter Malan was the first one to fall playing a shot to a one which he could left alone. Hamza and du Plessis soon followed him and the hosts were in tatters early on in the innings. They could have lost Rassie too but he survived due to an inside edge. Elgar has looked good and with van der Dussen, he will look to consolidate and stitch a big partnersh |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| The second session is all set to begin! Dean Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen make their way out to the middle to resume their innings. They still trail by 209 runs. The England players are also making their way out. Sam Curran will start for the visitors. Bowled just three overs in the first session. |
| 22.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Curran starts with a full delivery on middle, Elgar pushes it down to mid on. |
| 22.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Good length on middle, Elgar works it to backward square leg and picks up a couple. |
| 22.3 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Fullish on off, Elgar lunges forward and pushes it to cover. |
| 22.4 : Sam Curran to D Elgar, FOUR! That is a fine, fine shot from Elgar. Curran dishes a half volley on middle, Elgar prods forward and creams the drive through mid on for the first boundary of the session. |
| 22.5 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Back of a length on off, Elgar taps it to gully. |
| 22.6 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On off, Dean defends it out. |
| Stuart Broad will bowl from the other end. 6-4-12-2 are his figures. |
| 23.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Broad returns with a full delivery on off, Rassie pushes it to cover and crosses over for a single. |
| 23.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length ball on middle, Elgar works it to mid-wicket. |
| 23.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Fullish on middle, Elgar defends it back to the bowler. |
| 23.4 : S Broad to Elgar, FOUR! Valiant effort from Denly! Short of a length delivery down the leg side, Elgar just helps it on its way to fine leg. Denly comes across, dives but in the end the ball touches the ropes. |
| 23.5 : S Broad to Elgar, On off, defended to mid off. |
| 23.6 : S Broad to Elgar, On a length on off, Elgar pushes it to deep cover and will keep strike for the next over. |
| 24.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Back of a length on off, Elgar punches it to backward point and crosses over for a single. |
| 24.2 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle and leg, Rassie flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 24.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Just short! Fuller one outside off, van der Dussen looks to push at it but it takes the outside edge. It goes on the bounce to the gully fielder. |
| 24.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On middle, Rassie blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 24.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, FOUR! Sumptuous! Not a great delivery from Curran as well. Full delivery on off, van der Dussen lunges forward and creams the drive through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 24.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On off, Rassie defends it out. |
| 25.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Full delivery outside off, Elgar lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 25.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Back of a length on off, Elgar stands tall and pushes it to point. |
| 25.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Full delivery on off, Dean pushes it to cover. |
| 25.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Well fielded! Fullish delivery down the leg side, Elgar works it down to fine leg and picks up a couple to move to 49. Denly comes across and slides to clean it up. |
| 25.5 : S Broad to Elgar, FIFTY! 14th one for Elgar in Tests. He has looked the only comfortable out there but he knows that it is only half the job done. Needs to continue to score a big one there and get his side closer to England's score. He gets there by guiding this length ball on off to point and taking a single. |
| 25.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 26.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Fullish delivery outside off, Dean leaves the ball alone. |
| 26.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Good length ball on off, Elgar guides it to point. |
| 26.3 : Sam Curran to D Elgar, FOUR! Poor bowling! Cannot bowl there at this pace. Short delivery on middle, Elgar camps back and pulls it to the deep square leg region for a boundary. |
| 26.4 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Back of a length ball on middle, Dean blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 26.5 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On a length outside off, Elgar pushes it to deep cover and calls for a single. |
| 26.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On off, pushed to deep cover for a single. |
| 27.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, BEATEN! What a delivery from Stuart Broad! How come that did not take the edge? Good length ball on off, nipping away, Rassie looks to defend but misses it altogether. Broad starts celebrating but sees that no one else is supporting him so he backs out. |
| 27.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, van der Dussen looks to flick it but gets hit on the pads. |
| DRAMA! Broady Pody gets a wicket! No, Broady Pody does not get a wicket! What is happening? Rassie van der Dussen has been caught behind but Stuart Broad has overstepped! |
| 27.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, OUT! CAUGHT! No it's not! It is a NO BALL and Broad returns the gift which Rabada gave in the first innings. This was a peach of a delivery though from Broad. Good length delivery around off, bouncing a little more. Rassie van der Dussen looks to defend it off the back foot but gets a glove back to the keeper. Buttler pouches it safely. The umpire gives it out and Rassie starts walking. But wait, he has been told to stay back as the on-field umpires want to check |
| S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball outside off, van der Dussen drives it through covers for three before the fielder can come across and clean it up. 50 run stand is up between the two. |
| 27.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length around off, Elgar looks to defend but it goes off the inside edge almost rolling on to stumps. Elgar tries to push it away with his bat but it lands safely anyway. |
| 27.5 : S Broad to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 27.6 : S Broad to Elgar, Full delivery on off, Dean pushes it to cover. |
| Dominic Bess is back on. 4-0-10-0 so far. |
| 28.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Landed outside off, spinning in, worked strai9ght to short mid-wicket. |
| 28.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full and around middle, van der Dussen drives this straight back but Bess dives to his right and makes a half-stop, parrying the ball to short mid-wicket. |
| 28.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full and tossed up outside off, smothered away. |
| 28.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Around middle, worked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 28.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up again, Rassie leans and pushes this through the covers for a single. |
| 28.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Landed outside off, a puff of dust is emanated as the ball lands on the rough generated from the footmarks, Elgar lets it go. |
| Ben Stokes is back on. |
| 29.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, FOUR! Lovely from Rassie van der Dussen. Fullish ball to start from Stokes. Van der Dussen makes a good stride forward and creams the drive through extra covers for a boundary. It is uppish for a while but it is in the gap. The replays show that Stokes had overstepped by a big margin but it was not given. Wonder what is the umpire doing out there. It happened in South Africa's first innings as well. |
| 29.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. |
| 29.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, pushed to point. |
| 29.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full delivery outside off, Rassie shoulders arms. |
| 29.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Back of a length delivery on off, Rassie punches it to point. |
| 29.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 30.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated ball on off, Elgar leans forward and pushes it to point. |
| 30.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Flat one on middle, Dean defends it back to the bowler. |
| 30.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Fullish on middle, Elgar plays it wide of the bowler, towards mid on. No run. |
| 30.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter delivery outside off, Elgar pushes it to deep cover and crosses over for a single. |
| 30.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tosses this one up on middle, Rassie looks to defend but it goes off the inside edge which goes towards square leg. A single taken. |
| 30.6 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, pushed back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| 31.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Back of a length on off, Rassie camps back and blocks it to cover. |
| 31.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Short of a length ball on middle, Rassie pulls it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 31.3 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, Fullish on middle, Elgar works it through mid-wicket and picks up a couple. Broad hares after it and collects it. 100 up for the hosts. |
| 31.4 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, Good length ball down the leg side, Elgar looks to flick but misses it. |
| 31.5 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, Back of a length ball on middle, Elgar hops and blocks it to Stokes. |
| 31.6 : Ben Stokes to D Elgar, OUCH! That is nasty! Short delivery on middle, Elgar hops to defend but gets hit on the gloves. It just bounces short of the first slip fielder. No harm done. |
| 32.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up delivery on middle and leg, Rassie works it to mid-wicket. |
| 32.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Fuller one outside off, van der Dussen pushes it to cover. |
| 32.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Looped up ball on off, defended out solidly. |
| 32.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, FOUR! That's an excellent shot from Rassie van der Dussen. Floated ball outside off, Van der Dussen takes a good stride forward and drives it through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 32.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated on middle, Rassie blocks it out. |
| 32.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flighted ball on middle, Rassie is solid in defense. |
| 33.1 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, Short delivery around middle and leg, Elgar pulls it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 33.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Good length ball on the pads, Rassie works it to deep square leg and takes a run. The replays show that is another no ball from Stokes but not given. Horrendous umpiring. |
| 33.3 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, Close! Full delivery on off, Elgar pushes it to cover-point and takes off for a quick run. The fielder comes across and then has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. Had he hit, Elgar would have been in though as the dive would have saved him. |
| 33.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Short of a length on middle, Rassie pulls it to the leg side for a single. |
| 33.5 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, Fullish ball outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 33.6 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, On off, defended out to the bowler. |
| There is a slight halt in play as Elgar might have hurt himself after that dive in the previous over. |
| 34.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated ball on middle, van der Dussen pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 34.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Looped up ball on middle, Elgar works it to leg side. |
| 34.3 : D Bess to Elgar, On off, defended it to the off side. |
| 34.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on off, Dean defends it to point. |
| 34.5 : D Bess to Elgar, Flighted outside off, Dean drives it to cover. |
| 34.6 : D Bess to D Elgar, Floated on middle, Dean works it to mid on. |
| 35.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full one on off, Rassie pushes it to mid off. |
| 35.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Fuller one on off, van der Dussen pushes it through covers and picks up a couple. |
| 35.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Good length ball on middle, Rassie works it to deep mid-wicket and takes another couple before the fielder can clean it up from deep mid-wicket. |
| 35.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On a length on middle, Rassie defends it back to the bowler. |
| 35.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Short of a length on middle, Rassie looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. It goes towards the leg side and a leg bye is taken. |
| 35.6 : Ben Stokes to Elgar, On middle, Dean works it to the leg side and crosses over for a single. |
| Drinks! |
| 36.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on off, Elgar pushes it to cover. |
| 36.2 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 36.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter delivery on middle, Elgar whips it to square leg. |
| 36.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on middle, Elgar defends it out to the off side. |
| 36.5 : D Bess to Elgar, Tossed up delivery outside off, Elgar pushes it past the diving fielder towards deep cover for a single. |
| 36.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter delivery on middle, Rassie flicks it to square leg. |
| 37.1 : J Anderson to Elgar, Anderson returns with a good length ball outside off, Elgar lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 37.2 : J Anderson to Elgar, Back of a length ball on off, Elgar guides it to point and crosses over for a single. |
| 37.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length on middle and leg, Rassie defends it to the leg side. |
| 37.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Back of a length delivery on off, Rassie hops and defends it off the back foot. Anderson stumbles on his followthrough. |
| 37.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length on middle, Rassie works it to mid-wicket. |
| 37.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, OHH! Fuller delivery outside off, moving in a little. Rassie makes a good leave to this one. |
| 38.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated ball on off, Elgar pushes it to short cover. |
| 38.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Full delivery on middle and leg, Elgar pushes it down to long on for a run. |
| 38.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up ball on middle, Rassie defends it out. |
| 38.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full on off, pushed to cover. |
| 38.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter delivery on middle, whipped to square leg. |
| 38.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy delivery outside off, Rassie leans forward and drives it through covers for a single. |
| 39.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Back of a length delivery on off, Rassie hops and defends it to cover. |
| 39.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, JUST SHORT! Stokes signals it has not carried! Brilliant delivery on off, Rassie van der Dussen looks to defend it out but takes the thick outside edge. It goes towards Stokes at second slip and he dives to his left and collects. There is some excitement but Stokes gets up and signals it has bounced in front of him. He is having all the luck in this game so far. |
| 39.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fuller one outside off, moving in. Rassie lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 39.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On off, defends it off the back foot. |
| 39.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length on off, van der Dussen defends it to point. |
| 39.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Fuller delivery on middle, Rassie pushes it to mid on for nothing. |
| 40.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated ball on middle, Elgar pushes it down to long on and crosses over for a single. |
| 40.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Fullish on off, Rassie leans and pushes it to deep cover for a single. |
| 40.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter one outside off, Elgar guides it to point. |
| 40.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy one on off, Elgar prods forward and blocks it to cover. |
| 40.5 : D Bess to Elgar, On off, pushed to the cover fielder. |
| 40.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Flat one on middle, Dean defends it to the bowler. |
| 41.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, Rassie defends it solidly to cover. |
| 41.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a length on off, Rassie looks to defend but it takes the inside half of his bat and rolls to square leg. The batters manage to pinch a single. |
| 41.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, Fullish on off, Elgar pushes it to mid off. |
| 41.4 : J Anderson to D Elgar, Fuller one outside off, Elgar drives it to deep cover. But before Sam Curran can come across from deep point, the batters take a couple. |
| 41.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, On a length on middle, Elgar defends it to point. |
| 41.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Fullish outside off, Elgar leaves the ball alone. |
| 42.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full and around off, solidly defended. |
| 42.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full on middle, pushed towards mid on for a single. Sorry, long on. For some reason, Joe Root is offering these easy singles. |
| 42.3 : D Bess to Elgar, There is another one. On middle and leg, now Elgar pushes this towards long on for a run. |
| 42.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Fired in from around the wicket on middle, van der Dussen blocks it in a hurry. |
| 42.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Thrown up outside off, driven away from his body, through the covers, for one. |
| 42.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Almost a yorker, outside off, pretty full, Elgar digs it out. |
| 43.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, that stays low, van der Dussen brings his bat down in time to defend. |
| 43.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Wide outside off, left alone. |
| 43.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 43.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, A good length ball, outside off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 43.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and just outside off, Rassie gets a big stride forward to block it towards cover. |
| 43.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 44.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Short and outside off, cut straight to point. |
| 44.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Full and around off, pushed towards long on for a single. |
| 44.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Action replay of the previous delivery. |
| 44.4 : D Bess to Elgar, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 44.5 : D Bess to Elgar, Full again, watchfully blocked out. |
| 44.6 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, pushed towards the bowler. |
| 45.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, EDGED, DROPPED! Ben Stokes, off all the people. Anderson does the hard work, bowls it on a length outside off and makes Rassie go for the drive. |
| 45.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. |
| 45.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and just outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 45.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, On a good length outside off, defended awkwardly. |
| 45.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 45.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, That is a snorter. On a length outside off, van der Dussen feels for it but the ball suddenly kicks up after pitching. Just about beats the outside edge. A testing over from Jimmy. |
| ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT goes the crowd. The skipper has decided to introduce himself. 20 minutes to go to Tea. |
| 46.1 : Joe Root to Elgar, Full and wide outside off, left alone. |
| 46.2 : Joe Root to Elgar, Closer than the previous one, left alone again. |
| 46.3 : Joe Root to Elgar, Short and outside off, punched straight to cover. |
| 46.4 : Joe Root to Elgar, A bit of round-arm from Joe Root, full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 46.5 : Joe Root to Elgar, Full and around middle now, pushed back to Joe again. |
| 46.6 : Joe Root to Elgar, Full and straight, driven back to Root. |
| 47.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, left alone. |
| 47.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. The stand moves to 90 now. South Africa trail by 139. |
| 47.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, Outside off, pushed through point for a single to get to 70. |
| 47.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, That nips back in off the deck, Rassie looks to defend but the ball cuts him into half. Beats the bat and hits the pad. |
| 47.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, Rassie pushes this with a loose bottom hand and the ball goes uppishly, but well wide of the bowler, towards mid off. |
| 47.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, van der Dussen comes forward to defend but the ball takes the outside edge. Does not carry to gully. |
| 48.1 : Joe Root to Elgar, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. That was uppish, but well wide of the diving short mid-wicket. |
| 48.2 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 48.3 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Outside off, punched through the covers. The batsmen take the second on the throw and a better one could have had Elgar at the bowler's end. |
| Mike Haysman on air informs us that since Lunch 12 NO BALLS HAVE NOT BEEN CALLED! Boy, are the umpires relying too much on the third umpire? Perhaps on checking when a wicket goes down? |
| 48.4 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 48.5 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Down the leg side, flick shot missed. |
| 48.6 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| Sam Curran returns. 6-1-27-0 so far. |
| 49.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full and outside off, Elgar comes forward and blocks. |
| 49.2 : Sam Curran to D Elgar, FOUR! That is really good work. Takes the partnership to 98. A half tracker, around middle, coming at a very nice height for the batsman, around tummy high, Elgar does not miss out. Swivels and pulls it through square leg for a boundary. It is very important that England sustain the pressure built up by Anderson. |
| 49.3 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full on middle, Dean pushes it with soft hands towards short mid-wicket. First, he asks his partner to wait, then, when he sees the fielder misfield, calls for two. But later, he sees Stuart Broad get across to his left from mid on and shouts a loud NO. So just a single in the end. |
| 49.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Around middle, worked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 49.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, driven straight to short extra cover. |
| 49.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Around off, pushed back with a loose bottom hand. |
| 50.1 : Joe Root to Elgar, Full and down the leg side, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 50.2 : Joe Root to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 50.3 : Joe Root to Elgar, There he was, chasing a wide one. Full and outside off, hits the footmarks, generates a puff of dust, Elgar looks to drive but misses. |
| 50.4 : Joe Root to Elgar, 100-RUN STAND IS UP! Slowly and surely, South Africa are making themselves comfortable in the driver's seat. Around middle, rucked through square leg for a run. |
| 50.5 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Full and around middle, pushed towards short mid-wicket. |
| 50.6 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 51.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full and just outside off, watchfully defended back to the bowler. |
| 51.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full again, around off, Elgar brings his bat down at the last moment to defend. |
| 51.3 : Sam Curran to Elgar, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 51.4 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Down the leg side, Elgar misses his flick and the ball goes off his pads towards square leg. A leg bye taken. |
| 51.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Aha! The hadada is here! Shaun Pollock on air says that it is the same bird which has come on both the days and is pecking at the worms. Teaching the value of persistence and patience to the human beings playing this game of cricket. |
| 51.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler with an ugly, awkward stance. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2, SA TRAIL BY 128! |
| A session which could have gone England's way. A session which should have gone England's way. But due to their own mistake, they find it going to their opponents. This is a sort of wicket where one brings two and the visitors did get three quickly in the first session. But in the second, when they got Rassie van der Dussen caught behind, Broad had overstepped and since then, luck has gone against them. |
| When the rub of the green goes your way, you get all kinds of luck. Rassie van der Dussen is experiencing that at the moment. First, he got a reprieve by a Stuart Broad no ball on 16. Then, he survived a dropped catch by Ben Stokes on 43. He has soldiered on to 46 and will be determined to make the most of his luck now. |
| Gritty. Ugly. Awkward. That is Dean Elgar's defense. But who would care if he is scoring runs? He has hung in there, seen three partners walk off, got some blows on his body but has been undeterred. He has reached 77 now and his century might go a long way in South Africa getting a sizeable lead. The deficit is 128 now - so a good session should see the Saffas reduce it down to the 40s at least by Stumps. |
| Paras 2 and 3 were all South Africa. Now, England. Is everything lost? Do they get the feeling that the whole world is against them? Luck not going their way, catches not being taken... wickets not coming... what do they do? BELIEVE. Just do a bit of a flashback and check what happened last evening. The bowling has not been bad that much but the patience is being tested. South Africa were enormously patient on Friday and were rewarded. England just need to hang around. But yes, they need to stop |
| 33 overs are left in the day. Can England at least break this stand? Join us back at 3.30 pm local (1330 GMT). |
| ... Day 2, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session of the day. South Africa are going along nicely and they will look to get closer to the lead. Dean Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen make their way out to the middle. The England players are also out in the ground. Can England pick up further wickets? Dominic Bess will start after the break. |
| 52.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Starts with a full delivery on off, Elgar pushes it to cover. |
| 52.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter delivery outside off, Dean lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 52.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Fullish on middle, Dean plays it back to Bess. |
| 52.4 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, Elgar pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 52.5 : D Bess to Elgar, Flat one on off, Elgar blocks it to point. |
| 52.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on middle, Dean defends it back to the bowler. |
| Stuart Broad will bowl from the other end. 9-2-25-2, his figures so far. |
| 53.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Broad starts with a fuller one on off, van der Dussen drives it to mid off. |
| 53.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a length on off, Rassie defends it to cover for nothing. |
| 53.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fullish on off, Rassie solidly blocks it out. |
| 53.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fuller one on off, driven nicely towards mid off where the fielder slides and makes a stop. |
| 53.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length delivery outside off, keeping low, Rssie does not fiddle with it and lets it go through to the keeper. |
| 53.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, Rassie defends it to the off side. Maiden over from Broad. |
| 54.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on off, Elgar defends it to cover. |
| 54.2 : D Bess to Elgar, FOUR! Beautifully played! Floats this up, does Bess! Elgar strides forward and lofts it over the bowler's head for a boundary. |
| 54.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Looped up ball on middle, Elgar works it to the leg side and takes a single. |
| 54.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle and leg, Rassie is solid in defense. |
| 54.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On off, van der Dussen defends it out. |
| 54.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up ball outside off, van der Dussen pushes it to cover for another dot. |
| 55.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length ball on off, Elgar looks to defend but it hits the under edge of the bat rolling going onto hit the boot. Elgar has hurt himself due to that. |
| 55.2 : S Broad to Elgar, On a length on middle, Dean tucks it to deep square leg and takes a run. |
| 55.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Shot! Full delivery outside off, van der Dussen drives it nicely but it goes on one bounce to the cover fielder. |
| 55.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball on off, Rassie defends it to cover. |
| 55.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, FOUR! FIFTY! Back-to-back fifties for Rassie van der Dussen in Tests! Brilliant innings. On a length outside off, Rassie opens the face of his bat and then guides it past the diving fielder at gully. It rolls onto the fence. Can he convert this to a maiden ton? |
| 55.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone by Rassie. |
| 56.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on off, Elgar prods and defends it out. |
| 56.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on off, Elgar pushes it to cover. |
| 56.3 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, pushed down to long on for a single. |
| 56.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter delivery on middle, Rassie tucks it to square leg. |
| 56.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loops this one up on middle, Rassie solidly blocks it. |
| 56.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated one on middle, Rassie goes on his front foot and blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 57.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length ball on middle and leg, Elgar works it to square leg. |
| 57.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Fullish on off, Dean taps it towards point and calls van der Dussen for a quick single. What is happening? Another no ball not called by the umpire. |
| 57.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a length outside off, van der Dussen leaves it alone. |
| 57.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. |
| 57.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, OHH! How did that miss the stumps? It's all about luck for Rassie van der Dussen in this innings so far. Back of a length on off, keeping a little low, Rassie looks to defend but it sneaks under his bat and goes just over the off stump. |
| 57.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a length outside off, Rassie lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 58.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on off, Elgar pushes it to point. |
| 58.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Full on middle, Dean plays it back to Bess. |
| 58.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Looped up ball on middle, Dean works it to square leg. |
| 58.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Shorter outside off, Elgar pushes it to point for nothing. |
| 58.5 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle and off, Elgar strides forward and blocks it. |
| 58.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Tosses this one up on middle, Elgar works it to mid-wicket. |
| 59.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length delivery outside off, too wide to trouble van der Dussen to play at it. |
| 59.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fullish delivery on off, bouncing a touch more. Rassie looks to defend but gets hit on the gloves. It rolls to point. |
| 59.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fuller delivery outside off, Rassie pushes this to cover. |
| 59.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On middle, pushed towards mid on for a dot ball. |
| 59.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a length on middle, Rassie whips it wide of mid on and crosses over for a single. |
| 59.6 : S Broad to Elgar, Short of a length down the leg side, Elgar tucks it to fine leg and keeps strike for the next over. |
| 60.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Tossed up on middle, Elgar pushes this down to long on and takes a single. |
| 60.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, Rassie works it to square leg. |
| 60.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Bess tosses this one on middle, Rassie prods forward and plays it back to the bowler. |
| 60.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, van der Dussen plays it to the leg side. |
| 60.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle and leg, Rassie whips it but it hits the short leg fielder on the boot. |
| 60.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On middle, pushed to mid-wicket. Rassie wants the run but Elgar sends him back. |
| 61.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Short delivery down the leg side, Elgar plays the pull down to fine leg and takes a single. |
| 61.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fullish on middle, Rassie pushes it to mid on. |
| 61.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a length on off, van der Dussen defends it to cover. |
| 61.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Too wide outside off, Rassie has no problems in leaving it alone. |
| 61.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, BOUNCER! Nicely bowled this! It is bowled around middle, Rassie looks to hook at first but then decides to leave it at the last moment. It will count as a play and a miss. |
| 61.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Another bumper on middle and leg, this time Rassie ducks under it. |
| 62.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated one on off, Elgar defends it out. |
| 62.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on off, Elgar looks to drive it but hits the bottom edge and goes back to the bowler. |
| 62.3 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, defended out. |
| 62.4 : D Bess to Elgar, OUT! CAUGHT! Ho ho ho! Are we dreaming? No, we are not! A wicket indeed has fallen. And this time, IT IS NOT A NO BALL. A poor shot from Elgar. Very rarely do we see him doing this but he has thrown it away after playing an excellent innings. He and van der Dussen were running away with the game and this might just bring the visitors back in it. Bess floats this one up outside off, Elgar strides forward and looks to lift it over mid off. However, the ball is not that full |
| Quinton de Kock replaces Elgar out in the middle. |
| 62.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On middle, flicked to short leg. |
| 62.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy delivery on middle, Rassie blocks it out. |
| Ben Stokes returns into the attack. |
| 63.1 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Fullish delivery on middle and leg, Quinton de Kock whips it to deep square and picks up a couple to get off the mark. The fielder comes across from deep square leg and cleans it up. |
| 63.2 : Ben Stokes to Kock, On a length outside off, de Kock punches it to deep point and takes off for a quick couple before the fielder can hare across and throw it back to the keeper. |
| 63.3 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Fullish outside off, Quinton leaves the ball alone to the keeper. |
| 63.4 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Good stop! Full delivery on middle, de Kock pushes it back and Stokes jumps and makes the stop with his left-hand. Saved some runs there. |
| 63.5 : Ben Stokes to Kock, On off, pushed to point. |
| 63.6 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Short of a length ball on middle and leg, Quinton works it to deep mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 64.1 : D Bess to Kock, Floats this one on off, Quinton pushes it to cover. |
| 64.2 : D Bess to Kock, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 64.3 : D Bess to Kock, Flighted delivery on middle, de Kock defends it out. |
| 64.4 : D Bess to de Kock, EDGY FOUR! Lucky for de Kock. Flighted ball outside off, de Kock looks to drive it but gets an outside edge past the first slip fielder and into the third man fence. |
| 64.5 : D Bess to Kock, Short delivery outside off, Quinton cuts it nicely through point. Broad hares after it and collects it. Two taken. |
| 64.6 : D Bess to Kock, Floated on middle, de Kock pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 65.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On a length on middle, Rassie works it to mid-wicket. |
| 65.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, FOUR! That is a long hop, on middle, van der Dussen rocks back and pulls it through mid-wicket and gets a boundary! |
| 65.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Outside off, Rassie looks to defend but gets a thick outside edge. The ball does not carry to the gully fielder. |
| 65.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, FOUR! That is a bad ball. Down the leg side, tickled to the fine leg fence. |
| 65.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 65.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, A length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms. |
| 66.1 : D Bess to Kock, Full on middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 66.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 66.3 : D Bess to Kock, Full on middle, pushed through mid on for one. |
| 66.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, smothered back to the bowler. |
| 66.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Outside off, driven back to the bowler again. |
| 66.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Outside off, Rassie pokes at it and gets a thick outside edge. It goes behind gully. A run taken. |
| 67.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, A length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 67.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, A bouncer now, on middle, ducked under. |
| 67.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full and outside off, pushed towards cover. |
| 67.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, A length ball on middle, tucked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 67.5 : Ben Stokes to Kock, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 67.6 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 68.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full and around middle, watchfully defended towards short leg. |
| 68.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Outside off, pushed through mid on for a single. |
| 68.3 : D Bess to Kock, Landed outside off, a touch wide, let through. |
| 68.4 : D Bess to Kock, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 68.5 : D Bess to Kock, On middle, pushed through mid on for a run. |
| 68.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Landed around off, tucked towards short leg. |
| 69.1 : Ben Stokes to Kock, A length ball, on middle, tucked through square leg for a single. |
| 69.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. |
| 69.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Outside off, punched towards cover. |
| 69.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Landed outside off, played straight to point. |
| 69.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full and around off, van der Dussen looked to defend but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 69.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| DRINKS BREAK. Hmmm... so, this Test does get interesting all of a sudden. England have managed to dislodge the Elgar-van der Dussen stand but de Kock being de Kock has flown away already. 15 in 20 balls. Is he aiming for a quickfire 50 tonight? The deficit is 84 now. If he hangs around till Stumps, that deficit might come down into single digits as well. |
| 70.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full and around off, defended in front of short leg. |
| 70.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Around off, a touch short, worked past short leg for a single. |
| 70.3 : D Bess to Kock, Full and around off, pushed towards the bowler. |
| 70.4 : D Bess to Kock, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 70.5 : D Bess to Kock, FOUR! Up and over! That is de Kock as we all know. Full and outside off, Quinton comes down the track and lofts it over mid off. Two bounces and into the ropes. |
| 70.6 : D Bess to Kock, Full and outside off, pushed with a lunge through the covers for a single. |
| 71.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Curran starts with a fullish ball on middle, Quinton pushes it towards mid on. |
| 71.2 : Curran to de Kock, OUT! CAUGHT! What has Quinton de Kock done here? Everybody knows that he loves to play positive cricket but was there any need of that shot? Just like yesterday, the last session is seeing wickets. Slower delivery outside off, Quinton is early into his shot but gets a leading edge. It goes high up in the air towards mid off. James Anderson moves to his left from mid off and takes a simple catch. Quinton is dejected and looks at the ground before walking off. |
| Vernon Philander is the new man in. |
| 71.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, BEATEN! Lovely followup delivery to Philander. Good length outside off, Venron looks to defend it but the ball whizzes past the outside edge and into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 71.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander defends this one solidly. |
| 71.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, On off, pushed to cover. |
| 71.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Short of a length outisde off, Philander pushes it to deep point and takes a single. |
| 72.1 : D Bess to Philander, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 72.2 : D Bess to Philander, Flatter one outside off, Vernon pushes it to cover. |
| 72.3 : D Bess to Philander, Loopy delivery on middle, Philander defends it back to the bowler. |
| 72.4 : D Bess to Philander, Full delivery outside off, Philander leans forward and drives it through extra cover. Two taken before the fielder comes across and cleans it up. |
| 72.5 : D Bess to Philander, Flat one on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 72.6 : D Bess to Philander, Tosses this one up on middle, Vernon plays it towards mid off. |
| 73.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On a length on off, Rassie defends it to point and takes a single. |
| 73.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, Good length ball on off, Vernon defends it off the back foot to mid off. |
| 73.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, Back of a length ball on middle, Philander camps on his back foot and defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 73.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, Fullish delivery on off, Vernon drives it straight to the cover fielder. |
| 73.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, On off, Philander drives but cannot pierce the gap at cover. |
| 73.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Back of a length ball around off, Vernon drops his wrists and guides this towards the third man region. The fielder comes across, slides and makes the stop. Two taken. |
| 74.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 74.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Outside off, van der Dussen lunges and defends it to the point region for a single. |
| 74.3 : D Bess to Philander, Flatter one on middle, Vernon solidly defends it out. |
| 74.4 : D Bess to Philander, Tosses this one on off, Philander pushes it to cover. |
| 74.5 : D Bess to Philander, Flatter one on off, Philander blocks it to point. |
| 74.6 : D Bess to Philander, On off, driven towards mid off for nothing. |
| 75.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Good length ball on middle, Rassie works it to mid-wicket. |
| 75.2 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Fullish ball on middle and leg, van der Dussen pushes it down to mid on. |
| 75.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On off, pushed towards deep cover and takes a run. |
| 75.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a length on off, Philander guides it to gully who collects it on the bounce. |
| 75.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, Good length ball on off, Philander taps it to the off side and takes another run. 200 up for the hosts. |
| 75.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, OUT! CAUGHT! Another one bites the dust! Sam Curran does it again for England. Stokes takes a brilliant catch again at second slip. Good length ball outside off, bouncing a little more. Van der Dussen looks to run it down but it hits the top half of his bat and goes to second slip. Ben dives to his right and takes an excellent catch. Rassie has to go after playing an excellent knock. But, should have gone on to score a hundred. South Africa needed him to get t |
| Dwaine Pretorius is the next man in. |
| 76.1 : D Bess to Philander, Around middle, defended watchfully to the leg side. |
| 76.2 : D Bess to Philander, A touch short, kicks up, but Philander plays it down in front of short leg. |
| 76.3 : D Bess to Philander, A touch short, tucked towards short leg, who tries to duck but the ball hits his back. |
| 76.4 : D Bess to Philander, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 76.5 : D Bess to Philander, Tossed up outside off, defended to the off side. |
| 76.6 : D Bess to Philander, Down the leg side, Philander tucks it towards fine leg. Stuart Broad chases it down from backward square leg but then the hadada comes in his way. He tries to be cautious, fearing that the ball will hit the bird, but it calmly hops across, perfectly giving way to the ball. The crowd cheers that. A single taken. |
| 77.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, Fuller one on off, Philander drives it to mid off. |
| 77.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, Back of a length on off, Vernon stands tall and defends it to cover. |
| 77.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, Outside off, Vernon makes a leave to the keeper. |
| 77.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, On a length on middle, VP solidly plays it back to the bowler. |
| 77.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, Short of a length outside off, Philander pushes it to deep cover and takes a single. |
| 77.6 : Sam Curran to Pretorius, On middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 78.1 : D Bess to Philander, Floated one on middle, Vernon defends it to short leg. |
| 78.2 : D Bess to Philander, On off, Philander defends it to cover. |
| 78.3 : D Bess to Philander, Flatter one outside off, Vernon pushes it towards point and a single is taken. |
| 78.4 : D Bess to Pretorius, Floated ball on off, Pretorius lunges forward and pushes it to cover. |
| 78.5 : D Bess to Pretorius, Full one on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 78.6 : D Bess to Pretorius, TOP EDGE AND FOUR! Lucky! Short of a length ball on middle and leg, Pretorius looks to sweep it but it goes off his top edge and over the short fine leg fielder. It rolls onto the fence. |
| 79.1 : Sam Curran to Philander, Good length ball on off, Vernon looks to defend but it goes off the outside edge towards gully. |
| 79.2 : Sam Curran to Philander, EDGY BUT SAFE! Fullish outside off, Philander looks to push but gets an outside edge to second slip. Stokes dives a little to his right to catch it but it bounces just short of him. |
| 79.3 : Sam Curran to Philander, On off, defended off the back foot. |
| 79.4 : Sam Curran to Philander, Fuller one outside off, Vernon leaves it alone. |
| 79.5 : Sam Curran to Philander, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Philander ducks under it. |
| 79.6 : Sam Curran to Philander, Fullish outside off, Vernon has no problems in leaving this one alone. |
| The second new ball is due now and it has been taken immediately. James Anderson is back on. 14-6-28-1, are his figures so far. |
| 80.1 : J Anderson to Pretorius, DROPPED! Lady luck is with South Africa today! The second new ball almost did the trick! Good length ball swinging away from the batsman. Pretorius looks to defend but takes the outside edge going towards second slip. Stokes usually does not drop those but this one he puts it down. He bends on his knees to his and moves to his left. He gets two hands to it but does not hold on. |
| 80.2 : J Anderson to Pretorius, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 80.3 : J Anderson to Pretorius, Good length ball on off, Pretorius defends it out. |
| 80.4 : J Anderson to Pretorius, OUT! CAUGHT! Ben Stokes does not drop this one and the new ball actually does the trick in the end. Fullish delivery on off, moving away a lot. Pretorius looks to push at it but it goes off the outside edge to second slip. Stokes, ohh Stokes, drops one and takes another. He moves to his right and pouches it with both hands. This was a tough catch and Stokes has done wonderfully well. Wait, the replays roll in and it shows that Ben had caught it with just one hand. |
| Keshav Maharaj is the new man in. |
| 80.5 : J Anderson to Maharaj, On a length on off, defended back to the bowler. |
| 80.6 : J Anderson to Maharaj, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| Stuart Broad is back on. 14-5-34-2 so far. |
| 81.1 : S Broad to Maharaj, A ripper to start! Boy, is this second ball talking or what? 3 overs and 5 balls left now for the end of day's play. Full and outside off, delivered with a scrambled seam, Maharaj pushes at it tentatively but the ball moves away, just enough, to beat the outside edge. |
| 81.2 : S Broad to Maharaj, Good length ball outside off, Maharaj lets this ball go to the keeper. |
| 81.3 : S Broad to Maharaj, BEATEN! Maharaj does not need to play at that! This is poor batting. Full delivery outside off, nipping away. Keshav goes on his front foot in an attempt to drive but misses it altogether. |
| 81.4 : S Broad to Maharaj, Well played from Maharaj! Fuller one outside off, Maharaj leans forward and drives it through covers. Joe Denly hares after it and makes a sliding stop. The umpires check whether it is a clean save and the replays show that it is. Average running though. Maharaj wants the third but Philander drops his gloves at the bowler's end. So only two in the end. |
| 81.5 : S Broad to Maharaj, Short of a length outside off, Maharaj looks to play it at first but then decides to leave it alone. |
| 81.6 : S Broad to Maharaj, On off, defended out by Maharaj. |
| 82.1 : J Anderson to Philander, BEATEN! The new ball is doing all sorts of things out there in the middle. Beautiful bowling from Anderson. Full delivery around off swinging away. Philander looks to defend it off the front foot but misses it altogether due to the swing on it. |
| 82.2 : J Anderson to Philander,On a length on off, Vernon defends it to cover. |
| 82.3 : J Anderson to Philander, On middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 82.4 : J Anderson to Philander, Shot! Full delivery outside off, Vernon drives it through covers and picks up three before the fielder can come across and collect it before it reaches the ropes. |
| 82.5 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Good length on middle and leg, Maharaj works it to backward square leg and takes a single. |
| 82.6 : J Anderson to Philander, Well left in the end. Full delivery outside off, this one coming in. Vernon makes a good leave to that one. |
| 83.1 : S Broad to Maharaj, Good length ball on middle, Maharaj defends it back to the bowler. |
| 83.2 : S Broad to Maharaj, Fullish on off, Keshav taps it to point for nothing. |
| 83.3 : S Broad to Maharaj, BEATEN! That is a snorker of a delivery! Short of a length outside off, Maharaj plays it well as he drops his wrists at the last moment and sways away from it. |
| 83.4 : S Broad to Maharaj, Full delivery on off, Maharaj drives it to mid off. |
| 83.5 : S Broad to Maharaj, Good length ball on off, Maharaj defends it to cover. |
| 83.6 : S Broad to Maharaj, Good length ball on off, Keshav pushes it to the cover fielder. |
| 84.1 : J Anderson to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Philander defends it out off the front foot. |
| 84.2 : J Anderson to Philander, Outside off, left alone by Philander. 4 more balls for him to survive the day. |
| 84.3 : J Anderson to Philander, Good length ball on middle and leg, Philander works it to square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 84.4 : J Anderson to Maharaj, OUT! CAUGHT! A wicket to end the day! That is a terrific ball. It ends a brilliant session for England. On a length on off, nipping in, Maharaj looks to flick but it goes off the inside edge onto the pads. It then lobs off to third slip where Sibley takes the catch running forward. Anderson first appeals for LBW but then sees Dominic Sibley taking the catch. He appeals again and Kumar Dharmasena, the on-field umpire gives it out signaling that it has hit the inside e |
| Whoa! What happened? What is it in that last 15 overs in the day? Day 1 saw 4 wickets fall for 13 runs in 43 balls. Day 2 sees 3 wickets fall for 15 runs in 53 balls. Dim light? Anxiety of finishing the day safely? No idea. It has hurt both teams but it is England who find themselves on top now. |
| What an action-packed day. Does anyone even remember what happened in the second session? People were yawning, shoulders were drooping, defensive fields were set and Elgar was batting. Normally, when he bats, he causes a lot of frustration to the fielding side. Because it appears as if he is being beaten but he never gets out. That second session saw 81 runs being scored without a wicket lost. At Tea, South Africa, 3 down and just 128 behind, yes, JUST 128 behind, were looking in full control to |
| It was the third session on Day 1 which rocked England. It was the third session again on Day 2 which rocked the Proteas. It started with Dean Elgar, throwing his wicket out of nowhere, just like Ben Stokes did last evening. Quinton de Kock tried to play a quickfire knock, just like he did in the previous Test but he lived by the sword and died by it. He added 20 in just 26 balls but his wicket opened the floodgates. South Africa slipped from 191/5 to 215/8 in 63 balls. Advantage England. |
| A reminder of the opening session, where England did not make too many runs this morning but managed to get three Protea wickets which also included that of the skipper Faf. The Saffas were in trouble at 40/3 but then Elgar, van der Dussen, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes bailed them out. The first two forged a nice partnership, while Broad got Rassie's wicket but overstepped. Stokes, on the other hand, missed a catch of van der Dussen as well. |
| Now, to England's bowling. Cannot really criticize the bowlers. They bowled their hearts out. But Joe Root's captaincy was questionable. He just allowed the game to drift away in the second session, allowing easy singles. Then, he changed tactics in the third, stopping the runs, which eventually resulted in the flow of wickets. Anderson got 3 but the pick of the day was Stuart Broad who was relentless. Sam Curran showed the value of cutters in this format as well, getting rid of the dangerous de |
| 54 is the drift between England and South Africa at the moment. On this pitch, it looks a bit too much for the Proteas. They need to try and get as close as possible to the visitors' total and make this a one-inning shootout. Don't forget, the hosts are going to be batting last on this pitch. Would not want to chase anything above 150. |
| England had 1 wicket left entering into Day 2 but a set batsman as well in Ollie Pope. South Africa have 2 wickets left going into Day 3 but it is going to be Vernon Philander who has to control the batting on Sunday. Rabada and Nortje are no pushovers but they need to bat sensibly. Join us back on January 5, 2020 at 10.30 am local (0830 GMT) for all the action. ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| South Africa ended Day 2 on a bad note. They lost 4 wickets for 24 runs in the latter stages of the day and have Vernon Philander as the only batsman who can grind out some runs for them. They still trail by 54 runs and Philander would be hoping that the two remaining batters support him out in the middle and get the team as close to England's score. The visitors, on the other hand, would want to get the two remaining wickets as soon as possible and then swell their lead to give the home team a |
| We are all set to begin Day 3. Vernon Philander and the new batsman, Kagiso Rabada make their way out to the middle. They are still 54 runs behind. Can they take the lead? We will soon find out. The England players are also out in the middle. James Anderson will finish his over. |
| 84.5 : J Anderson to Rabada, OUT! CAUGHT! What a start to Day 3 for England! That is some bowling from James Anderson! On a length, outside off, nipping away. Rabada looks to defend this with little to no foot movement and the ball takes a faint outside edge back to Buttler who makes no mistake. Anderson appeals and the umpire raises his finger. A wicket off the last ball of Day 2 and now a wicket off the first ball on Day 3. Anderson is on fire. |
| Anrich Nortje is the last man in and he will be facing the hat-trick ball against James Anderson. Can he survive against it? |
| 84.6 : J Anderson to Nortje, Yes, he can! Anderson bowls a good length ball outside off, Nortje leaves this ball alone. |
| Stuart Broad to bowl from the other end. |
| 85.1 : S Broad to Philander, BEATEN! Wild drive from Philander! Full delivery outside off, Philander looks to play an expansive drive to this one but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 85.2 : S Broad to Philander, On a length outside off, hitting a crack on the pitch, causing it to bounce a little more. Philander looks to punch but misses it altogether due to the extra bounce on it. |
| 85.3 : S Broad to V Philander, On a length on off, Philander looks to defend but goes off the outside edge and rolls towards gully. |
| 85.4 : S Broad to Philander, On off, defended off the back foot. |
| 85.5 : S Broad to Philander, Fuller one on off, Vernon pushes it to deep cover and takes a single. Nortje has to survive one ball of Broad now. |
| 85.6 : S Broad to Nortje, Fullish outside off, Anrich shoulders arms to it. |
| 86.1 : J Anderson to V Philander, Would have been gone for all money! There was no run there. Good length ball on off, Vernon gets a thick edge towards gully and takes off for a run. Pope there dives and gets up. He throws it at the keeper's end but misses it. Had he hit, Nortje would have been goner. He was nowhere in the picture. |
| 86.2 : J Anderson to Nortje, BEATEN! Beautiful from Anderson. Fullish delivery around off, Nortje looks to defend but gets squared up. He misses and the ball goes into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 86.3 : J Anderson to Nortje, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 86.4 : J Anderson to Nortje, Good length ball outside off, Nortje leaves it alone. |
| 86.5 : J Anderson to Nortje, FOUR! Lovely batting from Nortje. The trail is now below 50. Full delivery on the pads, Nortje flicks it beautifully to the deep square leg region for a boundary. |
| 86.6 : J Anderson to Nortje, On a length on off, Anrich attempts to defend but takes the inside edge and hits the pads. The ball rolls to point for no run. |
| 87.1 : S Broad to Philander, On a length on middle, Philander goes on his toes and defends. |
| 87.2 : S Broad to Philander, Outside off, pushed towards point for a single. 4 balls for Nortje to negotiate in this over now. |
| 87.3 : S Broad to Nortje, Bouncer outside off, Nortje awkwardly sways away from it. |
| 87.4 : S Broad to Nortje, Fullish delivery outside off, Nortje lets the ball go through to the keeper. |
| 87.5 : S Broad to Nortje, Fullish on middle, Anrich pushes it down to mid on. |
| 87.6 : S Broad to Nortje, On off, Nortje defends it well towards cover. That will be the end of another over and Nortje is doing well, for now at least. |
| 88.1 : J Anderson to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Vernon blocks it towards mid off and a single is taken. |
| 88.2 : J Anderson to Nortje, On a length on off, Anrich pushes it to point. |
| 88.3 : J Anderson to Nortje, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Nortje looks to duck but falls down in the process. |
| 88.4 : J Anderson to Nortje, Another bumper around off this time, Anrich ducks under it comfortably. |
| 88.5 : J Anderson to Nortje, Good length delivery on middle, Anrich defends it out to mid on. |
| 88.6 : J Anderson to A Nortje, OUT! CAUGHT! 5-fer for James Anderson, his 28th in Test cricket! Brilliant from Stokes as well as he takes a stunning catch in the slip cordon. This is a terrific ball from James Anderson. A good length ball outside off, inducing the drive from Anrich Nortje. The batter obliges but he manages just an outside edge on it. The ball flies to the right of first slip and to the left of second slip. Stokes from second slip dives to his left and takes a superb catch to end |
| 26 balls is all it took for the English bowlers to take the two remaining South African wickets. They have put in an incredible effort in the field as they go back to the pavilion with a lead of 46 runs. Anderson and Broad were terrific from the start. They reduced the hosts to 40/3 and then there was a period of lull when there was a terrific stand of 117 runs between Elgar and van der Dussen. That was a period when 12 no balls were not picked by the on-field umpire, a wicket of a no ball and a |
| The hosts, on the other hand, would be disappointing with their performance. Apart from Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen, no one got going. They were 40 for 3 in no time and then a comeback of sorts happened. A 117-run stand between Elgar And van der Dussen made everyone think that they are in control. But once, Elgar and Quinton de Kock threw away their wickets. They never recovered and conceded a valuable lead of 46 runs. The Protea bowlers have a tough ask ahead and they need to pick up regula |
| 0.1 : K Rabada to Crawley, Rabada starts with a length ball outside off, it is left alone by Zak Crawley. |
| 0.2 : K Rabada to Crawley, FOUR! England are underway and in style! Full ball on the pads, Crawley flicks this one off his pads and the ball races away to the mid-wicket fence. |
| 0.3 : K Rabada to Crawley, Again Rabada bowls one outside off, Crawley leaves it alone. |
| 0.4 : K Rabada to Crawley, On off again, driven to the man at mid off. |
| 0.5 : K Rabada to Crawley, FOUR! Crawley has come out as a confident man here. This time it is a full ball on off by Rabada, Crawley gets on the front foot and just drives it through mid off for a boundary. |
| 0.6 : K Rabada to Crawley, Rabada ends the over by bowling a length ball on middle, Crawley looks to defend but the ball goes off the inside edge and rolls towards fine leg. |
| Vernon Philander will bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Philander starts with a good length ball on middle, Sibley defends it back to the bowler. |
| 1.2 : V Philander to Sibley, On a length ball on off, Dominic defends it to cover. |
| 1.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish delivery outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to it. |
| 1.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Sibley defends this good length ball on middle and leg, Sibley defends it to mid-wicket. |
| 1.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length ball on off, Sibley pushes it to point off the front foot. |
| 1.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Fuller one on off, Sibley blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 2.1 : K Rabada to Crawley, Short delivery on off, Zak looks to pull but is early into his shot. He gets hit on the body and the ball rolls back to the keeper. |
| 2.2 : K Rabada to Crawley, On a length on off, Crawley solidly defends it back to the bowler. |
| 2.3 : K Rabada to Crawley, Length ball on middle, Crawley works it through square leg and takes a couple before the fielder can come after it and clean it up. |
| 2.4 : K Rabada to Crawley, Full delivery nipping in a little, Crawley makes a good leave to this one. |
| 2.5 : K Rabada to Crawley, Back of a length outside off, Crawley shoulders arms to it. |
| 2.6 : K Rabada to Crawley, On middle and leg, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 3.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Full delivery on off, Sibley defends it back to the bowler. |
| 3.2 : V Philander to Sibley, On a length outside off, Dominic does not fiddle with it and shoulders arms to it. |
| 3.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length on off, Sibley defends it to point. |
| 3.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, left alone by Sibley. |
| 3.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Sibley is away! Good length ball on middle, Sibley works it to backward square leg and picks up a couple. |
| 3.6 : V Philander to Sibley, On a length outside off, Sibley lets it go to the keeper. |
| 4.1 : K Rabada to Crawley, Good length delivery on off, keeping a little low. Crawley gets his bat down in time and defends it to the leg side. |
| 4.2 : K Rabada to Crawley, Nasty!!! Short of a length ball on off, Crawley looks to pull the ball but it hits the edge of the bat and goes onto hit the grill of the helmet. |
| There is a slight halt in play as Crawley is checking his helmet after getting hit on the last ball from Rabada. |
| 4.3 : K Rabada to Crawley, Fullish delivery outside off, Crawley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 4.4 : K Rabada to Crawley, Good length ball on off, Crawley defends it to the off side. |
| 4.5 : K Rabada to Crawley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Crawley looks to duck under but gets hit on the shoulder. Rabada gives a look after that delivery to Zak after that. |
| 4.6 : K Rabada to Crawley, Length ball on off, Crawley defends it out. |
| 5.1 : V Philander to D Sibley, Good length ball on off nipping away. Sibley attempts to defend it but takes the outside edge and goes towards gully. |
| 5.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length on off, Dominic this time solidly blocks it out to cover. |
| 5.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Full delivery on off, moving away. Sibley defends it to point. |
| 5.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Fuller one outside off, this one is coming in. Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 5.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Appeal by South Africa but turned down! Height maybe? Good length ball around off, swinging in. Sibley shoulders arms but gets hit on the thigh pad. Philander appeals but the umpire Kumar Dharmasena shakes his head, signalling height as the issue. South Africa did not even consider going for the review. |
| 5.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Well fielded! Fuller one outside off, Sibley drives this beautifully towards mid off. Maharaj comes across and slides to make an excellent stop. |
| 6.1 : K Rabada to Crawley, Another nasty one! Back of a length ball on middle, Zak attempts to flick this one but it goes on to hit the thigh pad. Rabada has been all over Crawley so far in this opening session. |
| 6.2 : K Rabada to Crawley, Short of a length ball on middle, Crawley hops and defends it to short leg. |
| 6.3 : K Rabada to Crawley, FOUR! Very full delivery down the leg side, Crawley just helps it on its way to the fine leg region for a boundary. |
| 6.4 : K Rabada to Crawley, On middle, flicked to deep square leg for a single. |
| 6.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball on off, Sibley stands tall and blocks it out to point. |
| 6.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Length ball on middle, Sibley solidly pushes it back to mid on. |
| 7.1 : V Philander to Crawley, Full delivery outside off, Crawley leaves this ball alone. |
| 7.2 : V Philander to Crawley, Good length ball on the fourth stump line, Zak does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 7.3 : V Philander to Crawley, Good length ball on middle, Crawley flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 7.4 : V Philander to Crawley, Fullish delivery outside off, nipping in a little. Zak lets it through to the keeper. |
| 7.5 : V Philander to Crawley, Good length ball outside off, Crawley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 7.6 : V Philander to Crawley, FOUR! Good stuff from Crawley. He hasn't had easy out there but this will give him some confidence. Philander dishes out a full delivery on middle, Zak whips it to the deep mid-wicket region for a boundary. |
| 8.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Length ball outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 8.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, BEATEN! Brilliant from Rabada! Back of a length ball in the channel of uncertainty. Sibley looks to defend off the back foot but it whizzes past the bat and into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 8.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fullish outside off, Sibley lets it go to the keeper. |
| 8.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length on middle and leg, Sibley tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 8.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length on middle, Sibley works it to square leg for nothing. |
| 8.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, On off, Sibley defends it off the back foot to point. |
| First change! Anrich Nortje is into the attack. |
| 9.1 : A Nortje to Zak Crawley, EDGY FOUR! Anrich Nortje comes into the attack and induces an edge straightaway. Starts with a length ball around off, Crawley looks to drive but gets a thick outside edge which flies through gully and into the third man fence. |
| 9.2 : A Nortje to Crawley, Full delivery outside off, Zak leaves it alone. |
| 9.3 : A Nortje to Crawley, Back of a length delivery on off, Crawley rocks back and defends it out. |
| 9.4 : A Nortje to Crawley, Excellent fielding! Short of a length ball on middle, Crawley pulls it away handsomely towards deep mid-wicket but Pretorius comes across from deep square leg and slides to collect it with just a single hand. Two taken. |
| 9.5 : A Nortje to Crawley, BEATEN! Short of a length outside off, Zak looks to punch it off the back foot but fails to make any connection with it. |
| 9.6 : A Nortje to Crawley, The batsman has driven it through mid off. |
| Drinks! An excellent hour of play for England. They bowled out South Africa first and then have survived the first hour unscathed. Sibley is looking good out there while Crawley after looking uncomfortable has started to get into the groove. They now would be looking to build onto their lead. South Africa desperately need wickets to get back in this game. |
| 10.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 10.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full delivery outside off, Dominic lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 10.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fullish outside off, Sibley once again makes a leave to this one. |
| 10.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, Sibley works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 10.5 : K Rabada to Zak Crawley, OUT! CAUGHT! Excellent catch from Quinton de Kock and Rabada gets his reward for his persistence. Brilliant stuff. Fullish delivery outside off, Crawley looks to drive without moving his feet and gets a thick outside edge towards first slip. De Kock dives to his right and pouches it with both his hands in front of Rasie van der Dussen who was moving to his left. Rabada is ecstatic. Can they get few more wickets before Lunch? |
| 10.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length delivery on off, Denly defends it to mid on. |
| 11.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length ball on off, Sibley camps back and blocks it out to the leg side. |
| 0.0 : Joe Denly is the new man in. |
| 11.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, Fullish delivery on middle, Sibley works it to mid-wicket. |
| 11.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Snorker of a delivery from Nortje! Short of a length ball on middle, Sibley looks to defend but gets hit on the gloves and lobs towards square leg. A single taken. |
| 11.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Length ball on middle, Denly looks to work it to the leg side but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 11.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Back of a length ball on off, Denly hops and defends it out. |
| 11.6 : A Nortje to Denly, On off, defended back to the bowler. |
| 12.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Poor delivery from Rabada! Full delivery on the pads, Sibley will not miss out on those he just flicks it nicely towards the deep square leg region for a boundary. |
| 12.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball on off, Dominic defends it out to cover. |
| 12.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full delivery outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to it. |
| 12.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length delivery on middle, Sibley works it to square leg and crosses over for a single. The fielder has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Denly was in though. |
| 12.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Fullish delivery on off, Denly prods forward and defends it out. |
| 12.6 : K Rabada to Denly, FOUR! That is a beautiful way to get off the mark. Rabada dishes out a full delivery on off, Denly gets into position and creams the drive through mid off for a boundary. Nortje runs after it but fails to get there in the end. |
| 13.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length ball on the off pole line, worked towards the mid-wicket region for a single. |
| 13.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Length ball on off, left alone by Denly. |
| 13.3 : A Nortje to Denly, This time a length ball on the off pole line, the batter blocks it out. |
| 13.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Length ball on middle and off, Denly hops and works this one towards the leg side. |
| 13.5 : A Nortje to Joe Denly, This time pushes the length ahead a bit does Nortje. Denly drives the ball towards mid on. |
| 13.6 : A Nortje to Denly, On the hips of Denly, he works the ball towards the man at square leg. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is into the attack for the first time. |
| 14.1 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Pretorius starts with a length ball outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to it. |
| 14.2 : Pretorius to Sibley, An appeal for LBW but it is turned down. On a length on middle, Sibley looks to flick but gets hit on the elbow and the ball goes onto the pads before rolling to the leg side. Pretorius appeals but nothing from the umpire. The Proteas think of a review but decide against it. |
| 14.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length delivery on middle, Sibley defends it out. |
| 14.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, FOUR! That's not the place to bowl to Sibley. He is very strong there. Full delivery on middle, Sibley whips it through mid-wicket and the ball races into the fence. |
| 14.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Outside off, left alone. |
| 14.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, Sibley solidly blocks it out. |
| 15.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Fuller one on off, Denly pushes it back to Nortje. |
| 15.2 : A Nortje to Denly, OHH! Good length ball on middle, nipping in, Joe looks to flick it but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 15.3 : A Nortje to Denly, Full on middle, Denly pushes it to mid on. |
| 15.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Short of a length ball outside off, Denly sways away from it. |
| 15.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Back of a length on off, Denly defends it to cover and takes a quick single. |
| 15.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, FOUR! This is poor, poor bowling from Nortje. Short of a length delivery on the pads, Sibley works it to the fine leg region for a boundary. The lead now moves to 94. |
| 16.1 : D Pretorius to Denly, FOUR! Beautiful shot from Denly. Low full toss on middle, Denly whips it through mid-wicket and the ball goes into the fence. The Proteas are losing their lines and lengths out in the middle. 50 up for the visitors. |
| 16.2 : D Pretorius to Denly, Denly defends this length ball on middle to the leg side. |
| 16.3 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fullish delivery on off, Joe defends it off the front foot back to the bowler. |
| 16.4 : D Pretorius to Denly, Good length ball on middle and leg, Denly works it to mid-wicket. |
| 16.5 : D Pretorius to Denly, On off, defended solidly off the back foot by Denly. |
| 16.6 : D Pretorius to Denly, Fullish delivery on off, Joe blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 17.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Nortje dishes out a full ball on off, Sibley pushes it to mid off. |
| 17.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, BEATEN! Nicely bowled! South Africa have to bowl more on this channel! Back of a length ball outside off, Sibley goes on his back foot to defend but gets squared up and misses it. |
| 17.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Short of a length ball on off, Sibley blocks it out to mid on. |
| 17.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Full delivery on off, Sibley defends it out. |
| 17.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, BOUNCER! Nortje bowls this around middle, Sibley ducks under it. |
| 17.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Well well! What happened there? On a length on middle, Sibley looks to defend but it goes off the inside edge towards short leg. Sibley moves out of his crease and Pieter Malan at short leg collects the ball but does not throw it back. Sibley has to dive back in his crease. |
| Possibly the last over before Lunch and Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. He will try to bowl quickly and buy another over before the break for the Proteas. |
| 18.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Maharaj starts with a flighted ball on middle, Denly plays it back to the bowler. |
| 18.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy delivery on middle, pushed back to Maharaj. |
| 18.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, defended out by Denly. |
| 18.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated ball on off, Denly strides forward and defends it out to silly point. |
| 18.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tosses this one up on middle, Joe blocks it out solidly. |
| 18.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Looped up ball on off, Denly blocks it to the off side. |
| Keshav Maharaj cannot speed through the over and that will be Lunch on Day 3. The England players will be mightily pleased with the proceedings in the morning session as they are comfortably on top in this game. |
| The day started in perfect fashion for the visiting team as James Anderson dismissed Kagiso Rabada off the first ball of the day. Philander and Nortje stuck around for some time but Anderson struck again to wrap up the innings and give England a 46-run lead. The England openers started in positive fashion, especially Zak Crawley as he punished the bad balls but suffered against some bouncers bowled by Rabada. He eventually lost his battle against the young South African as Kagiso dismissed Zak f |
| So, what does the second session hold in store for us? The track looks pretty lifeless and so do the South African bowlers. Will they be able to come back with more energy in the afternoon session and disrupt the English momentum? Join us after the break to find out! |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| We are all set to begin the second session of Day 3. Dominic Sibley and Joe Denly are making their way out to the middle. They have a lead of 98. The Protea players are also making their way out. Vernon Philander will start the proceedings for the hosts. He has three slips in place. |
| 19.1 : V Philander to D Sibley, Philander starts with a full ball on off, Sibley works it to the man at mid on. |
| 19.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Length ball on off, left alone by Dominic. |
| 19.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Another fullish ball on middle and off, Sibley works it towards the man at short mid-wicket. |
| 19.4 : V Philander to Sibley, First run of the session as Sibley works the ball in front of square towards the leg side and takes a single. |
| 19.5 : V Philander to Denly, Length ball on off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 19.6 : V Philander to Denly, Almost carried that one! Elgar thought he was in the game there. Full ball on middle, Denly works it towards mid-wicket but does so a bit uppishly. The ball is in the air for a bit but falls just short of Elgar. |
| Keshav Maharaj will bowl from the other end. |
| 20.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Spin on offer straightaway. Floated on the off pole line, it pitches and turns away from Sibley. Dominic defends solidly though. |
| 20.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off again, Sibley defends with the full face of the bat. |
| 20.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Outside off, Dominic plays this one towards the man at cover-point. |
| 20.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Sibley comes onto the front foot and pushes this ball towards cover. Looks for a single but not on offer. |
| 20.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up on off, Dominic has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 20.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Sibley has pushed that ball towards the off side. Second maiden in a row for Keshav Maharaj. |
| 21.1 : V Philander to Denly, Length ball on off, Denly defends it towards the off side off the back foot. |
| 21.2 : V Philander to Denly, This time a touch fuller, Denly prods forward and defends it. |
| 21.3 : V Philander to Denly, Back of a length ball outside off, left alone by Denly. |
| 21.4 : V Philander to Denly, Good length ball on the pads, on middle. Denly flicks it straight to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 21.5 : V Philander to Denly, Length ball on off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 21.6 : V Philander to Denly, Fuller ball on off, worked down to the man at mid on. |
| 22.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Little bit of turn again for Maharaj as he floats this one on the off pole line. Sibley works it towards the leg side. |
| 22.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Single for Sibley and that brings up the 100-run lead for England. Floated on middle and leg, Sibley works this one towards the man at mid-wicket and takes a quick single to get to the other end. |
| 22.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated on off, defended towards the off side by Denly. |
| 22.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, FOUR! Maharaj floats one on middle and off, Denly dances down the track and smashes this one over mid off for a boundary. Cries for a catch but no fielder stood a chance. |
| 22.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up on off, Denly pushes this one towards the off side. |
| 22.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Another one which is tossed up on off, Denly defends it back to the bowler. |
| 23.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Length ball on off, left alone by Sibley. |
| 23.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Fuller one on middle, driven down to the man at mid on. |
| 23.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Length ball on off, played towards point. |
| 23.4 : V Philander to Sibley, Bowled in the channel outside off, Sibley defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 23.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Outside off, left alone by Dominic. |
| 23.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Again Philander bowls one outside off, Sibley makes the leave. |
| 24.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Up and over! Floated ball on off, Denly strides forward and lifts this over the cover region. The fielder chases after it and cleans it up. The batters take three. |
| 24.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on off, with some spin on it. Denly defends it towards point. |
| 24.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Full on middle, Sibley defends it back. |
| 24.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter delivery on middle, worked to the leg side for a single. |
| 24.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floats this one up on off, Sibley looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes on the bounce to Faf at first slip. |
| 24.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, EDGY FOUR! Just wide of Faf at first slip! Lucky, very lucky. Tossed up ball outside off, Sibley looks to drive it but edges it which goes just past the diving Faf at first slip and into the fence. |
| 25.1 : V Philander to Denly, BEATEN! On a length outside off, Denly looks to defend but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 25.2 : V Philander to Denly, Full delivery on middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 25.3 : V Philander to Denly, On a length on middle, Denly works it to the leg side. |
| 25.4 : V Philander to Denly, Fullish outside off, Denly lets it go to the keeper. |
| 25.5 : V Philander to Denly, Length ball on off, defended towards the off side. |
| 25.6 : V Philander to Denly, This time on the hips, Denly works it towards the leg side. 5th maiden out of 8 overs for Philander. |
| 26.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Full delivery down the leg side, Sibley just helps it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 26.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on the off side, Sibley pushes it towards mid off and races through for a single. |
| 26.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, This time Denly pushes it towards cover and takes another quick single. |
| 26.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up on off, worked to the man at mid on. |
| 26.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Outside off, played to the man at point. |
| 26.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Another one on off, this time it is pushed to the man at cover-point. 6 runs off the over. |
| 27.1 : V Philander to Joe Denly, Full ball on middle and off, driven towards the man at cover. |
| 27.2 : V Philander to Denly, Another one which is full in length, Denly pushes it back to Philander who fakes a shy at the striker's end. Trying to ignite a spark. |
| 27.3 : V Philander to Denly, Full ball on the pads, flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 27.4 : V Philander to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 27.5 : V Philander to Denly, Philander bowls another one, wicket-to-wicket. Denly defends it onto the pitch. |
| The keeper, Quinton de Kock, has come up to the stumps now. |
| 27.6 : V Philander to Denly, Outside off, Denly drives this towards cover but the man there to dive and gather the ball. 6 maidens out of 9 overs for Philander. Unbelievable consistency. |
| 28.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery down the leg side, Sibley pads it away. |
| 28.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle, blocked out by Sibley. |
| 28.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Down the leg side, padded away by Dominic. |
| 28.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up on the pads, Sibley looks to flick but misses it to get hit on the pads. It lobs off to short leg. Looks like that is the plan. |
| 28.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle, Sibley blocks it to mid-wicket. |
| 28.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Comes around the wicket does Maharaj and bowls a flighted ball on off, Sibley prods forward and defends it to cover. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back on. |
| 29.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Good length ball outside off, Denly lets it go to the keeper. |
| 29.2 : K Rabada to Denly, In the air... Safe! Well fielded as well. Rabada dishes a full delivery outside off, Denly drives but does so uppishly. It goes over cover and is racing into the fence. Maharaj hares after it and slides to make an excellent stop. Two taken. The umpire go upstairs to check whether it is a clean save and the replays show that Keshav has done really well. |
| 29.3 : K Rabada to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 29.4 : K Rabada to Denly, On a length outside off, Denly punches it through covers and picks up a single. |
| 29.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball outside off, Sibley lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 29.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, left alone. |
| 30.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 30.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Pitched outside leg, Denly pads it away. |
| 30.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Another one which is pitched outside leg, this time Denly goes for a powerful sweep but misses. |
| 30.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Again outside the leg pole line, Denly pads it away. |
| 30.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Outside off this time, Denly blocks it out. |
| 30.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Last ball of the over and bowled down the leg side. Padded away by Denly to get through the over. |
| 31.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 31.2 : K Rabada to D Sibley, Fullish ball on off, pushed down to the man at mid on. |
| 31.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 31.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Rabada bowls a full ball on middle, Sibley drives this one straight down the ground but Rabada stops it with his boot and the ball deflects off it towards mid off. |
| 31.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Length ball on middle, blocked out off the back foot. |
| 31.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Another one on middle, Sibley goes on his toes and defends. |
| 32.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated down the leg side, Denly pads it away. |
| 32.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter one on middle, Denly defends it to cover. |
| 32.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Looped up down the leg side, Denly prods forward and pads it away again. |
| 32.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flighted ball on the pads, Denly looks to sweep it but hits the pads and rolls to square leg. |
| 32.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, Fuller on middle and leg, Denly pushes it to point. |
| 32.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, On middle and leg, blocked out to the bowler. |
| 33.1 : K Rabada to D Sibley, FOUR! Creams it! Full ball outside off, Sibley gets down on one knee and drives it in the gap in the cover region for a boundary. 50-run stand comes up with this beautiful stroke. England are effectively 124/1. |
| 33.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, left alone. |
| 33.3 : K Rabada to D Sibley, Good length ball on middle, pushed to the man at mid on. |
| 33.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Little bit of indecision here between the batters but in the end no harm done. Good length ball on off, Sibley pushes it towards cover and sets off for a single. Denly is hesitant but obliges very late. The man at cover picks up the ball and has a shy at the striker's end but misses. Replays roll in and show that even if he had hit, Denly was well in. |
| 33.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Denly goes onto the back foot and has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 33.6 : K Rabada to Denly, Back of a length ball on the body, Denly pushes it towards the off side. |
| 34.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter delivery outside off, cut to point for a single. |
| 34.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 34.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Denly has pushed this tossed up delivery towards wide mid off for a single. |
| 34.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Bowled outside off by Maharaj, left alone. |
| 34.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Sibley prods forward and defends this ball. |
| 34.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle and leg, Sibley flicks this one towards mid-wicket. |
| DRINKS! England have done really well here after the Lunch break. They are going at a sedate pace but have not lost a wicket. They lead by 127 runs and would be hoping to swell the lead to as much as they can. South Africa, on the other hand, need to break this partnership and then hope to make further inroads to get back in this game. |
| 35.1 : K Rabada to Denly, Rabada starts after the mini-break with a length ball outside off which is left alone by Denly. |
| 35.2 : K Rabada to Denly, Full ball on middle and off, Denly drives it down the ground. Rabada bends down and gets a hand to the ball, trying to deflect it onto the stumps at the non-striker's end but Sibley in the meantime gets back inside the crease. |
| 35.3 : K Rabada to Denly, Bouncer on middle and off, ducked under by Denly. |
| 35.4 : K Rabada to Denly, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 35.5 : K Rabada to Denly, Back of a length ball on middle, pulled to square leg for a single by Denly. |
| 35.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, pushed down to mid on. Rabada conceding runs unlike Philander who has been super-consistent. |
| 36.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated on middle, Denly pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 36.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Loopy on middle, Joe works it to mid-wicket. |
| 36.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated on middle, Denly blocks it out. |
| 36.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up ball on the pads, Denly looks to sweep but gets hit on the pads. No harm done. |
| 36.5 : K Maharaj to Denly, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 36.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter one on off, Denly pushes it to silly point where Pieter Malan makes the stop. |
| Anrich Nortje is back on. 5-1-13-0 are his figures in this innings so far. |
| 37.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Nortje starts with a ball outside off, Sibley plays it towards point and takes a run. |
| 37.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Length ball on the body, Denly pulls this one towards square leg for a couple. |
| 37.3 : A Nortje to Denly, On the pads of Denly, he looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. The batters steal a leg bye as the ball rolls towards the leg side. |
| 37.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Bouncer on off, ducked under. |
| 37.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 37.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, On the pads, flicked towards the leg side for nothing. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Maharaj comes over the wicket and bowls down the leg side. Denly sweeps but the man at deep backward square leg stops it and the batters take a run. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads again, flicked towards square leg for one. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Pitched outside leg, padded away. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Another one which is pitched outside leg, Denly sweeps it towards backward square leg for one. It is getting difficult to figure out what the plan is here by the Proteas. They are just conceding runs at the moment without posing any danger. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Maharaj comes around the wicket and bowls one outside off now. Sibley leaves it alone comfortably. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated nearer to the off pole now, Sibley prods forward and defends. |
| 39.1 : A Nortje to Denly, Outside off, left alone. |
| 39.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Length ball on the body, defended towards the leg side. |
| 39.3 : A Nortje to Denly, Denly rocks back and defends it off the back foot. |
| 39.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Back of a length ball on middle, Denly goes back and pulls towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 39.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, On off, defended towards the off side by Sibley. The contest has become very stagnant right now with no side coming out with a positive approach. |
| 39.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Full ball on middle, pushed down to the man at mid on. End of another over of which only 1 run came. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Looped up ball down the leg side, Denly looks to sweep but it goes off his pads and towards short fine leg. A leg bye taken. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on off, Sibley pushes it to cover. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Finally, finally, we see a boundary. Flatter one outside off, Sibley waits for it and punches it through the covers for a boundary. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tosses this one up on middle, Sibley drives it past the diving Maharaj down to long on for a single. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Looped up ball on middle and leg, Denly works it to mid-wicket. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Denly, On off, pushed to mid off. |
| 41.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Sibley ducks under it. |
| 41.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, Back of a length on middle, Sibley tucks it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 41.3 : A Nortje to Denly, BOUNCER! Nortje dishes this one around middle, Denly does well to duck under it. |
| 41.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Comes over the wicket does Nortje and bowls a length ball on off, Denly defends it to point. |
| 41.5 : A Nortje to Denly, Full delivery on off, Joe defends it to mid off. |
| 41.6 : A Nortje to Denly, Short of a length outside off, Denly punches it to deep point and takes a single. |
| 42.1 : K Maharaj to Denly, Floated on the pads, Denly works it to mid-wicket. |
| 42.2 : K Maharaj to Denly, Flatter one down the leg side, Denly pads it away. |
| 42.3 : K Maharaj to Denly, Tossed up ball on the leg stump line with some extra bounce. Denly looks to pad it away but gets hit on the gloves. No run. |
| 42.4 : K Maharaj to Denly, Down the leg side, Joe once again pads it away. |
| 42.5 : K Maharaj to Joe Denly, Short of a length delivery on middle, Denly pulls it to backward square leg and takes a single. |
| 42.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Maharaj comes around the wicket and bowls a flat one outside off, Sibley punches it to cover. |
| 43.1 : A Nortje to Denly, MISFIELD! Full delivery on middle, Denly pushes it towards mid on where Rabada allows the ball to pass through him and it is rolling towards the fence. By the time Rabada can recover and clean it up, the batters pick up a couple. |
| 43.2 : A Nortje to Denly, Very full down the leg side, Denly looks to flick it but misses it. De Kock dives to his left and makes the stop. Seems to have hurt himself in the process. |
| 43.3 : A Nortje to Denly, Short delivery on middle, pulled to mid-wicket. |
| 43.4 : A Nortje to Denly, Fullish on off, Denly pushes it to cover. |
| 43.5 : A Nortje to Denly, OUT! CAUGHT! Finally, we have seen a wicket fall. Brilliant delivery from Nortje. Another start from Denly and throws his wicket. It has been a trend. Short delivery on off, Denly looks to pull but it takes the top edge and goes towards fine leg. Pretorius runs forward and tumbles to take an excellent catch. South Africa would hope that this opens the floodgates and give them a chance in this game. |
| Joe Root is the new man in. |
| 43.6 : A Nortje to Root, Bouncer first up to Root. It is bowled around off, Root sways away from it. |
| 44.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated ball on the pads, Sibley looks to pad this one away but gets hit on the elbow area. |
| 44.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on middle, Sibley defends it back to the bowler. |
| 44.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, Dominic works it to square leg. |
| 44.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off, Sibley defends it to cover. |
| 44.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on the pads spinning away, Sibley looks to defend off the front foot but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 44.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flat one on off, pushed to mid off. |
| 45.1 : A Nortje to Root, Short delivery down the leg side, Root pulls it to backward square leg and a single is taken. |
| 45.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, Fullish on middle and leg, Sibley pushes it to mid on. |
| 45.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Back of a length ball on off, Sibley stands tall and blocks it to the off side. |
| 45.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Comes around the wicket and dishes a short ball around middle, Sibley hops and defends it out to short leg. |
| 45.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, Short delivery on middle, Sibley works it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 45.6 : A Nortje to Root, Another short one on middle, Root pulls it wide of mid on and crosses over for a single. |
| 46.1 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! Time for some innovation! Maharaj bowls a full delivery on middle, Root goes on his knees and reverse sweeps the ball towards the third man region for a boundary. |
| 46.2 : K Maharaj to Root, BEATEN! Not this time says Maharaj. Floated ball down the leg side, Root looks to play the reverse sweep again but misses it and it goes on to hit Quinton de Kock on the chest. |
| 46.3 : K Maharaj to Root, On off, pushed to point and a single is taken. |
| 46.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle, defended to short leg. |
| 46.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off, Sibley prods forward and defends it out. |
| 46.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on off, Sibley defends it off the back foot. TEA ON DAY 3. |
| A session that has belonged to England. They have gone about their business smoothly and calmly. They have added just 57 runs but have lost just a one wicket and that was off Denly. Dominic Sibley and Joe Denly started slowly after Lunch and were looking good to go into Tea unscathed but Nortje, at the last moment, bounced out Denly. Since then, Root and Sibley have managed to see out the remaining overs and they go into the break with a lead of 156. |
| Not much can be said of the hosts. They bowled tight lines and lengths, especially Maharaj but were not rewarded with a wicket. Nortje was the pick of the bowlers as he kept on bowling short and finally got the reward that South Africa wanted. A wicket. England are still ahead in this game and for the Proteas to make a comeback in this game, they need to pick up quick wickets. Will they be able to do it or will the visitors continue to swell up their lead. |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| The final session is all set to get underway! Joe Root and Dominic Sibley walk out to the middle. The lead is now 156 and England would want to swell their lead to as much as possible. The South Africans are also making their way out to the ground. Kagiso Rabada will start for the hosts. |
| 47.1 : K Rabada to Root, Rabada starts with a short delivery on middle, Root gets the first run of the session by pulling this to deep square leg for a single. |
| 47.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball on middle, Sibley rocks on his back foot and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 47.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Fullish ball outside off, Sibley lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 47.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, On middle, defended off the front foot towards mid-wicket. |
| 47.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length on off, Sibley defends it to cover. |
| 47.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a length on middle, Dominic works it to mid-wicket. |
| Keshav Maharaj will bowl from the other end. |
| 48.1 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, Just short! Flatter one on off, pitching on the rough. Root plays it with soft hands and guides it to first slip. Luckily, it falls in front of Faf. |
| 48.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Looped up ball down the leg side, Root looks to sweep but misses it altogether. |
| 48.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated ball on the pads, Root looks to defend but hits the pads and rolls to the off side. |
| 48.4 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! This is poor bowling from Maharaj! Bowls a full one down the leg side, Root sweeps it past the keeper and into the fence. |
| 48.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Down the leg side, Root pads it away. |
| 48.6 : K Maharaj to Root, The batsman offers no stroke and gets hit on the pad. |
| 49.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Nicely played from Sibley! Short of a length from Rabada! Sibley stands tall and punches it through the covers for a boundary. Two fielders chase after it but fail to get there. Moves to 48. |
| 49.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around off, Dominic sways away from it. |
| 49.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 49.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length ball outside off, Sibley pushes it to point off the back foot. |
| 49.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, FIFTY! Miaden fifty for Sibley in Tests! It has been an excellent innings so far. He has got starts in his previous innings and he has finally managed to convert one to a half ton. Good length ball on off, Sibley guides it through gully and picks up a couple. |
| 49.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Short ball outside off, Dominic sways away from it. |
| 50.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated ball on middle, Root plays the reverse sweep to deep point for a single. |
| 50.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on off, Sibley pushes it to cover and takes a single. |
| 50.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated down the leg side, Root pads it away. |
| 50.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Quicker one on middle, Root defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 50.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Flighted ball down the leg side, Root looks to play the reverse sweep but gets an inside edge which goes towards first slip. |
| 50.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Down the leg side, Root looks to play the sweep it but misses it altogether. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is back on. 2-0-8-0 are his figures. |
| 51.1 : D Pretorius to D Sibley, Full delivery on off, pushed to cover. |
| 51.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley pushes it down to mid on. |
| 51.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On off, pushed to cover off the front foot. |
| 51.4 : D Pretorius to D Sibley, EDGY FOUR! Sibley is riding his luck here! Fullish delivery on off, Sibley looks to defend with soft hands but it takes the outside edge and the ball goes through gully and into the fence. |
| 51.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, FOUR! No luck this time! It is a proper cricketing shot! Overpitched delivery on middle and leg, Sibley flicks it through mid-wicket and collects a boundary. |
| 51.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 52.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter delivery down the leg side, Root looks to play then reverse sweep but then sees it is too wide and then lets it go to the keeper. |
| 52.2 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, Fullish delivery on off, pushed to long off for a single. |
| 52.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated ball on the pads, Sibley pads it away. |
| 52.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter delivery down the leg side, Sibley flicks to short leg for a single. |
| 52.5 : K Maharaj to Joe Root, Loopy on of, pushed to cover. |
| 52.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Flighted on middle, root sweeps it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 53.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Fuller ball on off, pushed to mid on. |
| 53.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Whoa! That hit the crack. Probably first time Pretorius has landed the ball there. It is just behind good length. It pitches and then shoots off. Root awkwardly defends as the ball hits the upper part of his bat. |
| 53.3 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on off, Root pushes it to point. |
| 53.4 : D Pretorius to Root, On off, root comes forward and defends it out to the bowler. |
| De Kock comes upto the stumps. |
| 53.5 : D Pretorius to Root, Back of a length ball on off, Root blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 53.6 : D Pretorius to Root, Good piece of fielding! Full delivery on middle, Root drives it straight back. Rassie van der Dussen who is standing at silly mid on dives to his left and stops it. |
| 54.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR BYES! But was it? Flighted ball down the leg side, Root looks to pad it away but it misses the keeper as well and goes into the fine leg fence. The umpire signals four byes. Faf du Plessis is not happy with the umpire's decision and is asking him if Sibley did not play a shot then why were the runs given. |
| 54.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads again, Sibley pads it away this time. |
| 54.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Around middle, Sibley goes back and punches it to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 54.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Fuller and on middle, it is driven towards covers for a single. |
| 54.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Padded away again as Maharaj's another attempt of extracting something off the rough fails. |
| 54.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, it is turned towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 55.1 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length on middle, Sibley works it to mid-wicket. |
| 55.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, Sibley tucks it to mid-wicket again. |
| 55.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Very full delivery on middle, Dominic gets his bat down in time and whips it to the leg side. |
| 55.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length ball on off, Sibley defends it to point. |
| 55.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Fullish on middle, whipped wide of mid on and a single is taken. |
| 55.6 : D Pretorius to Root, Root defends this good length ball on off to point. |
| 56.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery down the leg side, Sibley pads it away. |
| 56.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Down the leg side, Sibley has no problems in padding it away. |
| 56.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, What has happened there? Luck is going Sibley's way at the moment. Floated ball on middle and leg, Sibley looks to flick but gets a leading edge towards point. Zubayr comes forward to collect but ball spins in front of him and goes past him. Two taken before Hamza can collect it and throw it back. |
| 56.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Looped up down the leg side, Sibley keeps on padding this one awy. |
| 56.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 56.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR BYES! Another one down the leg side. Sibley leaves it alone. Quinton de Kock fails to collect it and it goes past the diving first slip fielder and into the fence. |
| 57.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Landed on middle, Root works it behind square leg for a single. |
| 57.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 57.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Fuller one outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 57.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 57.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length ball on off, Dominic defends it to cover. |
| 57.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Full delivery on middel, Sibley pushes it past the silly mid on fielder and towards long on for a single. |
| 58.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Down the leg side, Root pads it away to the of side. |
| 58.2 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! Nicely played! What timing! Flater delivery on middle and leg, Root just pushes it though the mid-wicket region for a boundary. The fielder chases after it but fails to do so. 50-run partnership is also up between the two. |
| 58.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated on middle, flicked to the leg side for a single. |
| 58.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Fuller one down the leg side, padded away. |
| 58.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Maharaj comes around the wicket and bowls a full delivery on off, Sibley takes a stride forward and defends it out. |
| 58.6 : K Maharaj to D Sibley, FOUR! Cut away beautifully. Short delivery outside off, Sibley rocks on his back foot and cuts it through the point region for the second boundary of the over. The lead crosses 200. |
| 59.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length ball on off, Root defends it out. |
| 59.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Joe defends it back to the bowler. |
| 59.3 : D Pretorius to Root, On a length on middle, Root solidly defends it out to silly mid on. |
| 59.4 : D Pretorius to Root, On middle, solidly blocked. |
| 59.5 : D Pretorius to Root, Very full delivery on middle, Root flicks this to deep square leg and takes a single. |
| 59.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length on off, Sibley defends it off the back foot. |
| 60.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter delivery on the pads, Root looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 60.2 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated down the leg side, Root lunges forward and defends it to mid-wicket. |
| 60.3 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! This line is basically not working for Maharaj. Poor, poor stuff. Fuller one down the leg side, Root goes on his knees and paddle sweeps it through fine leg for a boundary. |
| 60.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Flatter delivery on middle, Root works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 60.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, defended out by Sibley. |
| 60.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 61.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length ball on off, Root pushes it back to the bowler. Pretorius gets down to stop the ball but it touches his fingers and goes past the stumps. Sibley was backing up and he quickly tried to get in seeing the ball coming towards the stumps. However, it does not hit the stumps and goes behind. Mid off fielder fields it. |
| 61.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Full and on the middle, it is flicked nicely but the mid-wicket fielder makes a sharp stop. |
| 61.3 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root drives it back to the bowler. |
| 61.4 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length ball on off, with some extra bounce, Root defends it to cover. |
| 61.5 : D Pretorius to Root, On middle, pushed to silly mid on. |
| 61.6 : D Pretorius to Root, On middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| Vernon Philander is back on. 9-6-7-0 are his numbers so far. |
| 62.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Good length ball on the pads, Sibley works it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 62.2 : V Philander to Root, Full delivery on off, Root guides it towards point and a single is pinched before Malan cuts it off. |
| 62.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish delivery outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 62.4 : V Philander to Sibley, An appeal for LBW turned down. Good length ball on middle and leg, Sibley looks to work it to the leg side but gets hit on the thigh pad. Vernon appeals but the umpire shakes his head. It was probably going too high. |
| 62.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Risky leave! That was very close. Philander dishes a length ball around off, moving in. Sibley does not expect that and lets it go. Luckily for Sibley, the ball just goes over the off stump and into the keeper's gloves. |
| 62.6 : V Philander to Sibley, On off, defended to the bowler. |
| 63.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Full on off, pushed to mid off. |
| 63.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Full on middle, Root drives it straight back. Van der Dussen dives to his left and stops it. |
| 63.3 : D Pretorius to Root, FOUR! Brilliant shot from Root! He is looking in good touch here. Full delivery outside off, Root lunges forward and drives it through covers. Maharaj hares after it and slides to stop it but fails to do so. |
| 63.4 : D Pretorius to Root, On off, defended to point. |
| 63.5 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length delivery on off, Root pushes it to cover and calls Sibley for a quick single. |
| 63.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length on off, with extra bounce. Sibley defends it to point. |
| 64.1 : V Philander to Root, Philander dishes out a good length ball on off, Root defends it to cover. |
| 0.0 : During the break, Kumar Dharmasena had a word with Rassie van der Dussen. Probably telling him not to get on the danger area of the pitch while standing at the silly mid on region. Probably Rassie himself needs to be a little careful as its his side who are going to bat in the fourth innings. |
| 64.2 : V Philander to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root drives but Vernon makes a half stop with his right hand. The ball rolls to mid on but no run taken. |
| 64.3 : V Philander to Root, Fullish on middle, Root blocks it out. |
| 64.4 : V Philander to Root, On off, pushed to point off the front foot. |
| 64.5 : V Philander to Root, On a length on middle, Root works it to mid-wicket and takes a single. Maharaj slides and collects the ball. |
| 64.6 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish on middle, Sibley defends it out. |
| Drinks! England are moving in smoothly since the Tea break. They are scoring at a brisk pace and have swelled their lead to more than 200. South Africa have to believe that they can make a comeback but it looks highly difficult. The hosts have to bat last on this wicket and it is not going to get any easier. |
| 65.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on off, Root pushes it to cover. |
| 65.2 : D Pretorius to Root, On middle, Root defends it out to silly mid on. |
| 65.3 : D Pretorius to Root, FOUR! This is not good bowling from Pretorius. Giving easy runs to England. Full toss on middle and leg, Root flicks it beautifully towards the fine leg region for a boundary. Rabada hares after it but does not get there in time. |
| 65.4 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length delivery on off, Root defends it towards point for a single. |
| 65.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 65.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Length ball on off, Dominic defends it to the of side off the front foot. |
| 66.1 : V Philander to Root, Good length ball on off, Root defends it to cover. |
| 66.2 : V Philander to Root, Good length ball on middle and leg, Root works it to the leg side. |
| 66.3 : V Philander to Root, On a length on off, Root guides it to point. |
| 66.4 : V Philander to Root, Fullish on middle, pushed to the bowler. |
| 66.5 : V Philander to Root, Good length ball on off, Joe pushes it to the point fielder. |
| 66.6 : V Philander to Root, Short of a length on off, Root pushes it through covers and picks up a couple before the fielder can clean it running from point. 1000 runs for Root against the Proteas in Tests. |
| First signs of spin from this end. Keshav Maharaj is back on. 22-7-62-0 are his figures so far. |
| 67.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Starts with a horrendous delivery! Flatter delivery outside off, Sibley rocks on his back foot an punches it through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 67.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 67.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle, Sibley works it to mid on. |
| 67.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on off, Sibley pushed to cover. |
| 67.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy delivery on middle, Sibley looks to defend but it goes off the inside edge towards square leg. |
| 67.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Anrich Nortje is back into the attack. 1 slip in place for him. 10-1-24-1 are his numbers so far. |
| 68.1 : A Nortje to Root, Good length ball outside off, Root guides it to gully for nothing. |
| 68.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a length on off, Root hops and defends it out. |
| 68.3 : A Nortje to Root, Back of a length on off, Root pushes it to deep cover and crosses over for a single. |
| 68.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, Sibley works it to mid-wicket. |
| 68.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, Short of a length around middle and leg, Sibley looks to work it to the leg side. It hits his gloves and rolls onto the pitch. |
| 68.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Good length on off, Dominic pushes it to point and takes a single. |
| 69.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, Sibley defends it off the front foot to square leg. |
| 69.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Full delivery on middle, Sibley pushes it back to Maharaj. |
| 69.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Looped up ball on off, Sibley defends it to cover. |
| 69.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, pushed back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| 69.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted on middle and leg, Sibley tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 69.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On off, defended out. Another maiden over from Maharaj. |
| 70.1 : A Nortje to Root, Full delivery on off, keeping a little low, Root gets his bat down in time and defends it to mid off. |
| 70.2 : A Nortje to Root, On a length on off, Root defends it to cover and calls Sibley for a single. |
| 70.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Back of a length on off, Sibley hops and defends it to the leg side. |
| 70.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Fullish on middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 70.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, On a length on middle, Sibley pushes it back past the bowler. He waits for the ball to go past Nortje and then takes a single. The fielder from mid on collects it and has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. |
| 70.6 : A Nortje to Root, Fuller one on off, Root pushes it to mid off. |
| 71.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Full on middle and leg, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 71.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, pushed to the bowler. |
| 71.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off, Sibley pushes it through covers and picks up a couple before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 71.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Looped up on middle, flicked to the leg side. |
| 71.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 71.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle, Sibley pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 72.1 : A Nortje to Root, Comes around the wicket and bowls a length ball on middle, Root guides it to gully. |
| 72.2 : A Nortje to Root, Fullish delivery on middle, Root works it to mid-wicket. |
| 72.3 : A Nortje to Root, Short of a length down the leg side, Root pulls it to square leg and takes a single before Elgar cleans it up. |
| 72.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, FOUR BYES! That is poor bowling! Not going to affect Sibley at all. Short of a length ball down the leg side. Sibley leaves it alone and Quinton jumps and tries to collect but fails to do so. It goes into the fence for four byes. |
| 72.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, FOUR! What a shot that one from Sibley! Short of a length ball on middle and leg, Sibley hops and whips it towards the deep mid-wicket region for a boundary. |
| 72.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, On middle, defended off the front foot by Sibley. |
| 73.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated on off, Root paddle sweeps it to fine leg for a couple. Rabada comes across from deep square leg and cleans it up. |
| 73.2 : K Maharaj to Root, FOUR! FIFTY! 46th for him in Tests. Brillaint innings from the skipper. He has played beautifully in this innings. From the first ball, he has looked very comfortable. Maharaj bowls a full delivery on middle, Root sweeps it through the deep square leg region for a boundary. 100-run stand is also up between the two. |
| 73.3 : K Maharaj to Root, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 73.4 : K Maharaj to Root, Short of a length on off, Root cuts but finds the point fielder. |
| 73.5 : K Maharaj to Root, Driven through mid off by the batsman. One run added to the total. 250 is now the lead for England. |
| 73.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on middle, Sibley plays it back to the bowler. |
| 74.1 : A Nortje to Root, Good length delivery on middle, Root flicks it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 74.2 : A Nortje to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Sibley ducks under it |
| 74.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, Short of a length on middle, Sibley hops and works it to short leg. |
| 74.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, Short of a length ball on middle, Sibley tucks it to mid-wicket and picks up another single. |
| 74.5 : A Nortje to Joe Root, Another short one on middle, Root pulls it to deep square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 74.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled down the leg side, Sibley lets it be. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is back into the attack. 10-2-29-0 are his figures so far. |
| 75.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Good length ball on off, Root guides it towards gully. He wants the run but as he sees the fielder diving to collect, he decides against it. |
| 0.0 : First signs of hadada on the third day. Sitting behind Philander at mid on. He goes back and asks hadada to go away. It takes off but lands at mid-wicket. No disturbance for anyone though as the play goes on. |
| 75.2 : D Pretorius to Root, Short of a length ball outside off, Root punches it through point and calls Sibley for a couple. |
| 75.3 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on off, Root defends it to the off side. |
| 75.4 : D Pretorius to Root, On a length on off, Root pushes it to deep cover and takes a single. |
| 75.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Full delivery outside off, Sibley pushes it past the point fielder and picks up another couple. |
| 75.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, On a length on off, Dominic defends it back to the bowler. |
| Keshav Maharaj has a change of ends. 26-8-75-0 are his numbers so far. |
| 76.1 : K Maharaj to Root, Fullish delivery on middle, Root reverse sweeps it to deep cover and picks up a couple. |
| 76.2 : K Maharaj to Root, On middle, defended out off the front foot by Root. |
| 76.3 : K Maharaj to Root, Floated ball down the leg side, Root sweeps it to fine leg for a single. |
| 76.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Fuller one on middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 76.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Down the leg side, Sibley leaves it alone. Quinton de Kock fails to collect it cleanly and the ball rolls to fine leg. A bye taken. Faf is seen laughing as he still is wondering as to why a bye is being given when a shot was not offered. |
| 76.6 : K Maharaj to Root, Full ball on middle and leg, Root reverse sweeps it towards deep point for a single. |
| 77.1 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root defends it back to the bowler. |
| 77.2 : D Pretorius to Root, On off, defended off the front foot by Joe. |
| 77.3 : D Pretorius to Root, Full delivery on middle, Root works this past silly mid on. No run. |
| 77.4 : D Pretorius to Root, OUT! CAUGHT! Root cannot believe it. Pretorius does the trick. Good length ball on off, hitting a crack around the off stump. It moves away a little. Root looks to defend it of the front foot but gets a thick outside edge which goes towards first slip. Faf du Plessis moves to his right and takes a simple catch. End of an excellent innings from Joe Root but surely he will feel that he missed out on a century. That ends a match-defining partnership. Will this be a match- |
| Yes, nightwatchman it is. Dominic Bess walks out with around 9 minutes left for Stumps. Can he survive these tricky few overs? |
| 77.5 : D Pretorius to Bess, Fullish and around off, Bess gets behind the line of it and defends it. |
| 77.6 : D Pretorius to Bess, That took off! Probably due to one of those cracks. Pretorius bowls it on a length outside off, it pitches and takes off. De Kock moves to his left to collect the ball but it hits his fingers and goes behind. A bye stolen by the batters. |
| Anrich Nortje is back on. |
| 78.1 : A Nortje to Bess, Full delivery on middle, Bess defends it out off the front foot. |
| 78.2 : A Nortje to Bess, Bangs this one short and angles it in. Well, that's all right but the line is not right as it lands on middle and leg and goes down the leg side as Bess ducks under it easily. |
| 78.3 : A Nortje to Bess, On off, a solid defensive stroke from Bess now. |
| 78.4 : A Nortje to Bess, That's a good leave! A good length ball angled into the right-hander. Bess covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 78.5 : A Nortje to Bess, Shortish ball around middle, Bess this time stands tall and taps it onto the pitch. |
| Caught down the leg side? South Africa appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Faf du Plessis and de Kock think there was a noise. Nortje is not sure but Faf opts for the review. There is some deflection. Here comes the replays. Front foot is fine. Ultra Edge comes in now. Well, well, there's a deflection as the ball goes past the gloves. Out it is then. |
| 78.6 : A Nortje to Bess, OUT! Caught down the leg side and the nightwatchman cannot see off the day for England. Brilliant ball this one from Nortje. Bends his back and bowls a bouncer on middle and leg. Bess looks to fend it away but misses. De Kock behind the wicket pouches the ball and makes a loud appeal along with the slip cordon and the bowler. Not out says the umpire. Now, should South Africa opt for the review against the nightwatchman with just a minute left for Stumps? Well, Nortje, the |
| Just like on Day 2, a wicket has fallen at the stroke of Stumps. Bess fell and the umpires call it a day. A day which has belonged to England. Yes, they lost the wicket of Joe Root and Dominic Bess in the end but not before Root had done his job. They are leading by 264 and with 6 wickets in hand, they have a chance to bat South Africa out of this game. The day started with England finishing off the hosts' tail quickly and then batters had to do the job which they did. Sibley and Crawley started |
| South Africa, on the other hand, did not do justice with the ball. They kept on bowling poor lines and lengths which the English batters pounced upon easily. Keshav Maharaj was disappointing as his negative line approach did not work as he remained wicketless. Vernon Philander and Anrich Nortje were the pick of the bowlers though. Nortje picked up two while Philander picked up only 1 but was relentless throughout. Dwaine Pretorius removed Root late in the day to finish on a positive note. |
| So, what holds for us on Day 4, the penultimate day of this Test match? England are right on top and they would now look to get their lead closer to 350 or more. That should be enough on this wicket given that the cracks will open up on Day 4. South Africa, on the other hand, need wickets and that too quickly. Can South Africa make a comeback in this game or will the visitors continue to be on top? Join us on Monday, 6th January at 1030 Local (0830 GMT). Until then, cheers. |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| England lead by 264 and still have 6 wickets in hand. It will be interesting to see what approach they follow and swell their lead to as much as possible. South Africa, on the other hand, struggled to pick up wickets and they would want to restrict the visitors to around 320 to have any chance in this game. So, what holds for us on Day 4? Will the Proteas make a comeback or will the visitors continue to dominate? |
| We are all set to begin Day 4! The South African players are in a huddle before making their way to the field. Overnight batsman, Dominic Sibley walks out to the middle with new batsman, Ben Stokes. Dwaine Pretorius to bowl from the other end. |
| 79.1 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Pretorius starts with a fuller delivery around off, Sibley starts his innings with a solid front foot defense. |
| 79.2 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length ball outside off, Sibley is in no hurry to score the first runs of the day and leaves it alone. |
| 79.3 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Dwaine hits the deck hard around off, Sibley defends it with a straight bat. |
| 79.4 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Good length ball around off, Dominic defends it towards cover off his back foot. |
| 79.5 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Pretorius goes short for the first time. Sibley keeps his eyes on the ball and sways away from it. |
| 79.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Pretorius finishes the over with a length delivery outside off. DS leaves it alone. Maiden to start the day. |
| Second new ball available now and one would assume South Africa will take it straightaway. Faf has not opted to take it. Keshav Maharaj to bowl from the other end. 27-8-79-0 are his figures so far. |
| 80.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flighted delivery on off, Stokes defends it off the back foot. |
| 80.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Ben is off the mark! Tossed up around off, Stokes gets down on one knee and sweeps it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 80.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley tickles it fine down the leg side but the man at fine leg is inside so Dominic does not get a single he is looking for. |
| 80.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley leaves it alone. It kisses his pad and goes past the man at leg slip. Runs won't be counted as DS did not offer any shot. |
| 80.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Another one down the leg side, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 80.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off, Sibley defends it to get through the over. |
| Anrich Nortje has not taken to the field as he is unwell. Big blow for the Proteas. Also, Quinton de Kock is upto the stumps now for Pretorius. |
| 81.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball on off, Stokes defends it off the back foot. |
| 81.2 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On the pads, Stokes looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. |
| 81.3 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Length delivery on off, BS defends it with a straight bat. |
| 81.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Pretorius targets the stumps. Ben blocks it with calmness. |
| 81.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Back of a length around off, Stokes punches it but to mid off. |
| 81.6 : D Pretorius to Stokes, FOUR! That was going to the fence as soon as he hit it. Good length ball outside off, Stokes pulls it using the power of his bottom hand and the ball races away to the mid-wicket fence. |
| 82.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads from around the wicket. Sibley pads it away. |
| 82.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Once again on the pads, Sibley taps it onto the ground wide of leg slips. |
| 82.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads and once again Sibley pads it away. |
| 82.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on the pads, Sibley flicks it fine down the leg side and gets a couple. First runs off the day for Dominic. |
| 82.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley once again offers no stroke and pads it away. |
| 82.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Tossed up on off, Sibley blocks it. |
| 83.1 : D Pretorius to Stokes, SIX! Right out of the meat of the bat. That was six the moment he hit that. Full on off, Stokes maintains his balance and smashes it straight over Pretorius' head for a biggie. |
| 83.2 : D Pretorius to Stokes, FOUR! Innovative from Stokes and he has connected it really well. 14 for Ben Stokes from Pretorius' last 3 deliveries. Dwaine pulls his length back and bowls it on off and middle. Stokes reverse sweeps it over the slip cordon for a boundary. |
| 83.3 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Now Ben gets back into Test mode and blocks this off the back foot. |
| 83.4 : D Pretorius to Stokes, Good length ball on off, Stokes defends it off his front foot. |
| 83.5 : D Pretorius to Stokes, On a length on middle, BS glances it to mid-wicket. |
| 83.6 : D Pretorius to Ben Stokes, Length delivery on middle, Stokes punches it wide of mid-wicket and gets a single to keep the strike. |
| Nortje is back on the field. Maybe now they will take the new ball sooner rather than later. |
| 84.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated on off, Stokes paddle sweeps it fine down the leg side for a brace. |
| 84.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, SIX! Stokes has demolished that ball. Floated around off, Ben gets down on one knee and smothers the ball well over the mid-wicket fence for a monstrous biggie. Ben in T20 mode here. |
| 84.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Around the pads, Stokes tucks it through mid-wicket and gets a couple. |
| 84.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Tossed up on the rough outside off. Stokes goes for another slog sweep but the ball turns off the rough and hits Stokes on his arm. |
| 84.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Once again it turns off the rough and Ben is lucky to survive that. It pitches outside off and turns in off the rough. Stokes comes across and looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pads. |
| 84.6 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Floated on off, Stokes defends it to get through the over. |
| The second new ball has been taken now. Vernon Philander is back on as well. 12-6-12-0 are his figures. Interesting to see what strategy Stokes opts now. |
| 85.1 : V Philander to Sibley, Philander starts with a fuller one on middle, Sibley gets on his front foot and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 85.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Short of a length outside off, Sibley shoulders arms to this one. |
| 85.3 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish outside off, moving away, Dominic lets it through to the keeper. |
| 85.4 : V Philander to Sibley, On off, defended off the front foot to cover. |
| 85.5 : V Philander to Sibley, Length ball on middle, DS blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 85.6 : V Philander to Sibley, On a length outside off, swinging away from the batsman. Sibley lets it go to the keeper to see off the over. A maiden over from Philander on his return. |
| 86.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter one on middle, Stokes pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 86.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated outside off, Sibley leaves it alone. |
| 86.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Full on off, Dominic plays it back to Maharaj off the front foot. |
| 86.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, BEATEN! Nicely bowled! Flatter one outside off, Sibley looks to push off the back foot but misses it completely. |
| 86.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 86.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Loopy on off, Sibley lunges and pushes it down to mid on. |
| 87.1 : V Philander to Stokes, Goes for the attacking option! Fullish delivery on middle, Stokes dances down the track and looks to heave it away but gets an inside edge which goes deep mid-wicket. a single taken. |
| 87.2 : V Philander to Sibley, Fullish on off, Sibley pushes it wide of mid off for a single. |
| 87.3 : V Philander to Stokes, FOUR! Beautiful shot! It is not a bad ball from Philander though. Low full toss on middle, Stokes whips it towards deep square leg. Elgar runs across from deep mid-wicket, dives to stop but fails to do so. It rolls into the fence. |
| 87.4 : V Philander to Stokes, Length ball outside off, Stokes looks to drive but gets a top edge. Luckily for him, it lands safely and goes towards deep cover. Two taken. The lead goes past 300. |
| 87.5 : V Philander to Stokes, FOUR! Stokes is latching onto Philander here. Short delivery outside off, Stokes stands tall and slams it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 87.6 : V Philander to Stokes, Short of a length outside off, Ben comes down the track and looks to cut but it takes the bottom edge and goes towards the keeper. |
| 88.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off, Sibley gets on his front foot and defends it. |
| 88.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Slightly shorter on off, Dominic defends it off the back foot. |
| 88.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Now goes around off, DS defends it towards cover-point. |
| 88.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Maharaj comes over the wicket and bowls on the pads. Sibley glances it through mid-wicket and gets a couple to get into the nervous 90s. |
| 88.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Darts on the pads, Sibley pads it away. |
| 88.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley defends it to get through the over. |
| Kagiso Rabada is into the attack for the first time on Day 4. He replaces Vernon Philander, strange choice this as one would have expected him to replace Keshav Maharaj. |
| 89.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Rabada starts with a length ball on middle, Stokes defends it off the back foot to mid-wicket. |
| 89.2 : Rabada to Ben Stokes, TOP EDGE BUT SAFE! Luck favouring Stokes here! Short of a length ball on middle, Stokes looks to pull it but it goes off the top edge. The fine leg fielder is running ahead but stops as he sees Quinton de Kock signaling that it is his catch. De Kock dives but fails to get any hand on it as well. There is a lot of breeze going on the ground and that may have taken it away from the keeper. |
| 89.3 : K Rabada to Stokes, FOUR! Brilliant shot from Stokes! He is on a rampage here. Full toss on middle, Stokes hammers it over the mid-wicket region for a boundary. |
| 89.4 : K Rabada to Stokes, Short of a length ball on middle, Stokes pulls it to deep square leg for a single. 50-run stand is also up between the two. This has been an attacking stand especially Stokes. They are going after the bowlers and are batting South Africa out of the game. |
| 89.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, FOUR! Good length ball outside off, Sibley drives it through covers and is racing away to the fence. Sibley runs across from deep cover and slides to make a stop. The umpire goes in to check whether it is a clean save but the leg has touched the ropes. England have crossed their first innings score and that too with six wickets in hand. |
| 89.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a length on middle, Dominic defends it out. |
| 90.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter one this time, turning into the left-hander. Stokes tucks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 90.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, it is padded away by Sibley. |
| 90.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the leg pole again, an easy flicked single towards square leg for Sibley. |
| 90.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Outside off on a fuller length, Stokes reverse sweeps it to deep point. A couple of easy runs for Stokes as Rabada from sweeper covers makes a sliding stop. |
| 90.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Full and on the pads of Stokes, he easily works it towards mid-wicket for a single. Maharaj has conceded 100 runs without picking a wicket now in this innings. |
| 90.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Another ball has been padded away by Sibley. |
| 91.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, FIFTY! 21st Test fifty for Stokes. He has been positive since he came out to bat and has got to the milestone in 34 balls. He gets there by pulling this short delivery to fine leg and taking a single. He definitely loves playing at this ground. |
| 91.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a length on middle, Sibley defends it out to mid off. |
| 91.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length delivery on off, Dominic defends it to the bowler. |
| 91.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full delivery on off, Sibley looks to flick but gets a leading edge which rolls towards the off side. |
| 91.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Outside off, left alone by Dominic. |
| 91.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, EDGY FOUR! Moves to 99 with a lucky boundary. Good length delivery on off, Sibley attempts to defend but gets squared up. It takes the outside edge and goes between the gully and the second slip fielders for a boundary. |
| 92.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Flatter delivery outside off, Stokes punches it through covers and collects a couple before the fielder comes across and clean it up. |
| 92.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, On off, pushed down to long on for a single. |
| 92.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one down the leg side, Sibley is in no hurry to get to his hundred as he pads this away. |
| 92.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Down the leg side, padded away. Faf at leg slip dives to his right and cleans it up. |
| 92.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley,FOUR! CENTURY! Maiden Test ton for Dominic Sibley! A moment he, his family and all his friends will cheer and relish for the rest of his life. What a gem of a knock this has been from Sibley. Tossed up on the pads, Sibley gets down on one knee and sweeps it through backward square leg for a boundary to reach the milestone. All the English fans and his teammates are on their feet applauding the efforts of this young man. He removes his helmet, raises it along with his ba |
| 92.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Fullish down the leg side, Sibley calmly pads this one away. |
| 93.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Fullish delivery on off, Stokes pushes it down to long off for a single. |
| 93.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length delivery outside off, Dominic looks to play at it first but then decides to leave the ball alone. |
| 93.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Edged but short! Good length ball on off, with some extra bounce. Sibley looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes on one bounce to gully. |
| 93.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a length on middle, Sibley works it to deep square leg and takes a run. |
| 93.5 : K Rabada to Stokes, Short delivery on off, Stokes punches it straight past the bowler and calls Sibley for a couple but decides against it as the long off fielder comes across quickly and cleans it up. |
| 93.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full delivery outside off, Sibley leaves the ball alone. |
| Drinks Break! No prizes for guessing who the first hour of Day 4 belonged to. Stokes has got to his fifty, Sibley has got to his maiden ton and the English lead has ballooned up to 338. They are well and truly on top of this game and are going all guns blazing. South Africa, look like a tamed lion at the moment and look out of sorts here. They have been trying to put a brake on the run flow rather than taking wickets but are struggling to contain as well. The game is slipping away from them and |
| 94.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, PLAY AND A MISS! Misses out! Maharaj tosses this one up, landing it on the rough outside off and keeping a little low. Stokes looks to msweep but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 94.2 : K Maharaj to Stokes, FOUR! Bisects the two fielders perfectly. Short delivery this time on middle, Stokes pulls it in front of square and bisects the two fielders and goes into the fence. |
| 94.3 : K Maharaj to Stokes, SIX! Bang! That is hit a long way. Stokes is on fire at the moment. Flighted ball on middle, Stokes dances down the track and hammers it over the bowler's head for a biggie. |
| 94.4 : K Maharaj to Stokes, FOUR! Some innovation time from Ben! Brilliant. Floated ball on middle, Stokes plays the reverse sweep towards the deep point region for a boundary. 14 already of the over. Are England looking to declare soon? |
| 94.5 : K Maharaj to Stokes, Low full toss on middle Stokes comes down and pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 94.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated ball down the leg side, Sibley pads this one away. |
| 95.1 : K Rabada to Stokes, Swing and a miss! A good length ball outside off, Stokes looks to tonk it over long off but misses. |
| 95.2 : K Rabada to Stokes, Short and outside off, Stokes slaps it to sweeper cover for a single. |
| 95.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball on off, pushed to sweeper cover by Sibley this time. |
| 95.4 : K Rabada to Ben Stokes, Back of a length ball on off, Stokes pulls it to long on for a single. |
| 95.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, In the channel outside off, Sibley is not affected from Stokes hammering from the other end as he calmly lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 95.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Bumper on middle. Sibley easily ducks under it. |
| 96.1 : K Maharaj to Stokes, OUT! CAUGHT! An excellent hand comes to an end from Ben Stokes! He has taken England to a very good lead. He was putting on a show out there and was on his way to quickfire century but it has been cut short. Maharaj gets a wicket but it has to be said that he has been gifted one. Floats this one up on off, Stokes bends and looks to slog sweep it over long on but does not get the distance on it. Rassie van der Dussen moves to his right and takes it. It was not an easy c |
| 0.0 : Ollie Pope walks in next. |
| 96.2 : K Maharaj to Pope, Floated on middle, Pope defends it to mid-wicket. |
| 96.3 : K Maharaj to Pope, On middle, Pope reverse sweeps it to deep cover for a single. |
| 96.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on middle and leg, Sibley works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 96.5 : K Maharaj to Pope, Fullish down the leg side, Pope pads this one away. |
| 96.6 : K Maharaj to Pope, Looped up ball down the leg side, Pope flicks it to square leg where Rabada misfields and allows the ball to go towards the deep. Two taken before Philander comes across from fine leg and collects it. |
| 97.1 : K Rabada to Pope, Back of a length ball on off, Pope defends it out off the back foot. |
| 97.2 : K Rabada to Pope, Good length ball on off, Pope guides it through gully and takes a single. He wants the second but it is not there as the fielder gets to it quickly. |
| 97.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, On middle, worked to mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 97.4 : K Rabada to Pope, On a length on off, Pope pushes it to cover. |
| 97.5 : K Rabada to Pope, OUT! CHOPPED ON! Pope goes now and a bit of relief for South Africa! Two quick wickets but is it a little too late? Good length ball outside off, maybe keeping a little low. Pope, who is a good off side player, looks to cut it towards the off side but gets a thick inside edge. The ball goes on to hit the leg stump. |
| Jos Buttler joins Sibley out in the middle now. He is an aggressive player. What will be his approach? |
| 97.6 : K Rabada to Buttler, On middle, Buttler works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 98.1 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Fuller ball the pads, Buttler looks to paddle sweep it but misses. |
| 98.2 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Flatter one around off, it is defended. |
| 98.3 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Full and on the pads again, Buttler misses the sweep again. The ball hits the pads and rolls towards square leg. A leg bye taken. |
| 98.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on middle, Sibley easily nudges it to fine leg for a single. |
| 98.5 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Outside off, pushed to mid off. |
| 98.6 : K Maharaj to Buttler, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Anrich Nortje into the attack. First time on Day 4. He did not take the field early on as he was unwell and looking at his face, it clearly looks like he is feeling uneasy. |
| 99.1 : A Nortje to Sibley, Nortje starts his spell with a fuller ball around off, Sibley pushes it towards point and takes off for a quick single. The point fielder throws the ball at the non-striker's end after picking the ball quickly but he misses. Would not have mattered though as Sibley was in. |
| 99.2 : A Nortje to Buttler, Around off on a shortish length. Blocked. |
| 99.3 : A Nortje to Buttler, SIX! Wow! Just the extension of the arms and it flies over long off. Brilliant timing. Nortje overpitches it outside off, Buttler gets to the pitch of the ball and meets the ball on the full nicely. He just non-nonchalantly lofts it over long off for a biggie. |
| 99.4 : A Nortje to Buttler, Shortish around off, tapped through point for a single. |
| 99.5 : A Nortje to Sibley, WIDE! For height it is. An effort ball from Nortje as he bends his back and bowls a short of length ball outside off. Sibley lets it be as it goes well over his head. |
| A Nortje to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley flicks towards mid-wicket and thinks for a single but the fielder there makes a sliding stop. |
| 99.6 : A Nortje to Sibley, Landed around off, pushed towards point. |
| 100.1 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Down the leg side. No spin at all. Buttler looks to flick but misses. |
| 100.2 : K Maharaj to Buttler, Flatter one on the pads, worked behind square leg for a run. |
| 100.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, SIX! Massive! Enough of blocking from Sibley as he gets into the zone now. A flighted ball in the slot of Sibley. He gets down on one knee and mows it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. First one of his innings. |
| 100.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flatter one on off, Sibley goes back to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 100.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Superb placement. Now a fuller ball from Maharaj down the leg side, Sibley sweeps it towards fine leg. There's no protection in the deep and the ball rolls to the fence. Easy runs these. |
| 100.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, Sibley this time pads it away. |
| 101.1 : A Nortje to Buttler, Good length ball around off, it is defended. |
| 101.2 : A Nortje to Buttler, SIX! Hammered! Second biggie off Buttler's bat now. A back of a length ball on off, Buttler goes on the back foot and slams it sailing over deep square leg fence for half a dozen more |
| 101.3 : A Nortje to Buttler, Shortish and outside off, Buttler taps it through point for a couple of runs. |
| 101.4 : A Nortje to Buttler, Good length ball around off, driven through covers and another easy couple for Buttler. |
| 101.5 : A Nortje to Jos Buttler, Another couple and this brings up the 350 for England. A back of a length ball on middle, Buttler pulls it wide of the deep square leg fielder and runs easy two. |
| 101.6 : A Nortje to Buttler, Short again, pulled again. This time the deep square leg fielder does well stop the ball with a slide. But he cannot stop another couple of runs for Buttler. |
| 102.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Very full delivery down the leg side, Sibley looks to flick but misses it completely. |
| 102.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on the pads, Sibley goes on his front foot and defends it out. |
| 102.3 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Almost! That is close! Very full delivery down the leg side, Sibley looks to sweep but misses. It almost brushes the leg stump and goes to the keeper. Sibley tumbles after that shot. |
| 102.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On the pads, flicked to the leg side. |
| 102.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Nice touch! Floated on the pads, Sibley tucks it nicely past the diving short fine leg fielder and into the fence. England's lead moves past 400. |
| 102.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Down the leg side, padded away by Sibley. |
| 103.1 : A Nortje to Buttler, OUT! CAUGHT! Buttler tries an innovative shot but fails! No excitement shown by the Proteas as they know that they have backs to the wall. Good length ball on off, Buttler tries to play the scoop shot but it takes the gloves and goes to the keeper who collects with utmost ease. Buttler starts walking without even the umpire raising his finger. Buttler goes but not before playing a very handy cameo. |
| 0.0 : Sam Curran comes in to replace Buttler. |
| 103.2 : A Nortje to Curran, Good length ball on off, Curran pushes it to deep cover to get off the mark. |
| 103.3 : A Nortje to Sibley, BOUNCER! It is bowled around off, Sibley sway away from it. |
| 103.4 : A Nortje to Sibley, On off, pushed to cover and collects a single. |
| 103.5 : A Nortje to Curran, FOUR BYES! This is poor bowling! Giving easy runs to England. A bouncer around middle, very high though. Curran ducks under it. De Kock jumps to collect but it goes over and into the fence. |
| 103.6 : A Nortje to Curran, Much better from Nortje! Short ball around off, Sam sways away from it. End of a successful over from Nortje. |
| 104.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Flighted on the pads, Sibley tucks it to square leg and takes a quick single. |
| 104.2 : K Maharaj to Curran, FOUR! Sam Curran joins the party! That is some shot from Curran. Maharaj dishes a half volley outside off, Curran leans forward and slams it through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 104.3 : K Maharaj to Curran, Flatter one on middle, Sam pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 104.4 : K Maharaj to Curran, On middle, worked to square leg. |
| 104.5 : K Maharaj to Curran, Tossed up on middle, flicked to the leg side for a single. |
| 104.6 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Floated on off, Sibley defends it out. |
| Dwaine Pretorius is back on. Might be the last over before Lunch. |
| 105.1 : D Pretorius to Sam Curran, FOUR! Pulled away handsomely! Short of a length ball on middle, Curran pulls it through deep square leg for a boundary. Second one for him in this innings. |
| 105.2 : D Pretorius to Curran, OUCH! That mush have hurt! Short delivery on middle and leg, Curran looks to fend it away awkwardly but gets hit on the gloves. The ball lobs off towards the leg side. England will hope that Curran is not hurt badly as it is his bowling hand. |
| 105.3 : D Pretorius to Curran, On middle, defended off the back foot to the bowler. |
| 105.4 : D Pretorius to Sam Curran, Short of a length outside off, Curran punches it towards the deep point region. The fielder from deep cover comes across, slides and stops the ball. The batters take two. |
| 105.5 : D Pretorius to Curran, Full delivery on off, Curran plays it towards long on. Rabada comes across from long on quickly but does not collect cleanly. Only a single though. |
| 105.6 : D Pretorius to Sibley, Full on off, Dominic defends it off the front foot. LUNCH ON DAY 4. |
| The man who has been superb and who will never forget this day, Dominic Sibley leads his partner off the field. Brilliant session for the visitors. They have taken their lead to a massive 421 and are well and truly on top of this Test. They are not done yet either as Sam Curran and Dominic Sibley are still out in the middle. The day started with Ben Stokes going hammer and tonks. The pair of Sibley and Stokes added 92 off just 103 with the all-rounder scoring 72 off just 47 balls. Sibley continu |
| It has been an abject performance by South Africa. They were defensive from the start and have paid the full price for it. Rather than attacking and trying to take wickets, they have tried to stop the run flow and have been taken to the sword by the tourists. They have managed to take 3 wickets but that has come because England were throwing everything at it. Keshav Maharaj has bowled from one end throughout the session and he has been taken to the cleaners. He has struggled massively and one fe |
| So England are comfortably in the driver's seat and are in a position to call all the shots in this game. They have been aggressive in their approach and one will feel they will continue more of the same in the second session. It will be interesting to see how long they continue to bat if they are not bowled out. South Africa, on the other hand, need to find some inspiration and motivation. And rather than wait for England to declare they should try and bowl them out quickly and carry some momen |
| ... Day 4, Afternoon Session ... |
| The second session is set to get underway!!! The South African players make their way out to the field. Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran also walk out to the middle with England leading by 421. How many runs will they add to this lead? Keshav Maharaj to start the session with the ball. |
| 106.1 : K Maharaj to Curran, Beaten! A flatter ball outside off, Curran pokes at it to get beaten. |
| 106.2 : K Maharaj to Curran, On off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 106.3 : K Maharaj to Curran, OUT! Caught! South Africa strike in the first over of the second session itself. Not the best of balls from Maharaj and he knows he is lucky to get a wicket of this delivery. A drag down on middle, Curran goes on his back foot and looks to pull it over mid-wicket. He cannot get under it and he is unable to get the desired elevation. It goes towards short mid-wicket where Zubayr Hamza takes a good catch, low to the ground. Now can South Africa bowl England out under 45 |
| Stuart Broad is in at 10. |
| 106.4 : K Maharaj to Broad, Around the pads, Broad paddles it behind square on the leg side. |
| 106.5 : K Maharaj to Broad, Floated on middle and leg, Broad looks to defend but the ball goes away down the leg side. |
| 106.6 : K Maharaj to Broad, Good fielding from the substitute fielder, Keegan Petersen. Floated on leg, Broad gets down on one knee and sweeps it to the left of backward square leg. Petersen there dives to that side and saves runs for his side. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl from the other end. 18-3-66-2 so far from him. |
| 107.1 : K Rabada to Sibley, Back of a length on off, Sibley defends it off the back foot. |
| 107.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full on off, Sibley looks to push it straight but it goes off the outer half of his bat through cover-point for a single. First run of the session for England and Sibley. |
| 107.3 : K Rabada to Broad, A big cheer from the English fans as Broad gets off the mark. Back of a length on middle, Broad hops up and dabs it to the off side and scampers to the other end. |
| 107.4 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full on off, Sibley pushes it to mid on. |
| 107.5 : K Rabada to Sibley, Full on off, Dom pushes it to mid on. |
| 107.6 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length delivery outside off, Sibley defends it towards point. |
| 108.1 : K Maharaj to Broad, FOUR! Very well played. Floated out off, Broad premeditates the sweep and hits it fine down the leg side. Elgar gives it a chase but gives up halfway as he knows he has no chance reaching that. |
| 108.2 : K Maharaj to Broad, Flatter on off, Broad defends it out to the slip cordon. He wants the single but is sent back. |
| 108.3 : K Maharaj to Broad, PLAY AND A MISS! Floated on off, Stuart looks to sweep but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 108.4 : K Maharaj to Broad, BEATEN! Flatter one outside off, Broad looks to play it nice and fine on the off side but missed it altogether. |
| 108.5 : K Maharaj to Broad, Tossed up ball around off, Broad looks to sweep but gets hit on the pads. There is a muffled appeal for LBW but not given by the umpire. |
| 108.6 : K Maharaj to Broad, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| The declaration looks very close by. James Anderson, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and England coach are having a word in the dressing room. They all look ready and it also looks like Anderson is not even paded up. |
| 109.1 : K Rabada to D Sibley, Full on off, Sibley pushes it to mid off. |
| 109.2 : K Rabada to Sibley, Good length ball on middle, Dominic works it to mid-wicket. Stokes signals to Sibley from the dressing room to attack a little more. |
| 109.3 : K Rabada to Sibley, On a length outside off, Sibley guides it down to third man for a single. |
| 109.4 : K Rabada to Broad, BOUNCER! It is around middle and leg, Broad attempts the pull shot but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 109.5 : K Rabada to Broad, OHH! Short ball around the leg stump line, Broad looks to flick it but gets hit on the gloves and rolls to square leg. Broad wants the single but is not there. |
| 109.6 : K Rabada to Broad, Safe!!! Short of a length delivery on middle, Broad hops in an attempt to defend but gets hit on the splice of the bat. It lobs towards short leg but it falls just wide of him. |
| 110.1 : K Maharaj to Sibley, FOUR! Innovation from Sibley! Flighted ball on middle, Sibley reverse sweeps it through fine leg for a boundary. Dean Elgar chases after it from point but gives up the chase. |
| 110.2 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle and leg, Sibley sweeps it to backward square leg for a single. |
| 110.3 : K Maharaj to Broad, Tossed up ball outside off, Broad bends and plays it down to long on for another run. |
| 110.4 : K Maharaj to Sibley, Fullish down the leg side, Sibley paddle sweeps but finds the short fine leg fielder. |
| 110.5 : K Maharaj to Sibley, On middle, Sibley plays the reverse sweep to cover and a single is taken, |
| 110.6 : K Maharaj to Broad, Drops just short! Floated on middle, Broad gets on his knees to sweep this one but gets a top edge towards long on. The fielder from there comes after it but it falls way short. Two taken. |
| The declaration was coming and now it has come. Sensible call this from the England skipper. He would not want his fast bowlers to get injured on the bouncers of Rabada. Once again it is Dominic Sibley who leads his partner as he goes back to the pavilion. He gets a standing ovation from the crowd for his brilliant unbeaten ton. |
| The day started with Stokes going bonkers straightaway. A 47-ball 72 means that England scored runs at a very brisk pace. Sibley, on the other hand, calmly raked up his maiden Test ton to push England towards a massive lead. Approach from Faf du Plessis looked very defensive and once Stokes started pouncing, he went further in shell and it looked like he was just trying to buy more time. After the wicket of Stokes, Maharaj struck again with Nortje picking one too. One would feel that they came l |
| Now, 438 is target for South Africa. How will they approach it? Well, chasing this total is as good same climbing the Mount Everest. Nothing is impossible though. But too be honest, one would feel that they will try to play session by session and then plan accordingly. England, on the other hand, would be keen to bundle the Proteas and level the series. The final innings of the Test will start in a while. |
| 0.1 : J Anderson to Malan, FOUR! Just the start South Africa needed. A very poor ball from Anderson to begin with. It is on the pads, Malan flicks it fine down the leg side and starts his innings with a boundary. |
| 0.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Once again it is around the pads with little to no movement. Malan glances it to mid-wicket. |
| 0.3 : J Anderson to Malan, Finally a real Anderson beauty! It is pitched just outside off and shapes away a tad. Malan shoulders arms to it and in the end it is a good leave as the ball misses the off pole by a whisker. |
| 0.4 : J Anderson to Malan, Another good leave! This starts just outside off and comes in a bit. Pieter shoulders arms to it and this goes just over the off pole. |
| 0.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Malan lets it carry to the keeper. |
| 0.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Solid leave to end the over. Good length ball on the fourth stump line, it jags back a bit but Malan is aware of his off pole and leaves it alone. |
| Stuart Broad will bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : S Broad to Elgar, FOUR! Elgar is off the mark in style. Broad starts with an overpitched delivery way outside off. Elgar just uses the pace of the ball and guides it through point for a boundary. |
| 1.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Broad corrects his line and length and goes just outside off. Elgar shoulders arms to it. |
| 1.3 : S Broad to Elgar, On the pads, Elgar flicks it to the on side for a single. |
| Huge appeal for LBW but it is turned down by the umpire. The English players gather around for a chat and just at the dying second, Root signals the 'T'. Let us see what the replays have to say. Replay rolls in and it shows a spike as the ball goes past the bat. England lose one of their reviews. |
| 1.4 : S Broad to Malan, NOT OUT! England lose their review! But what a decision from Kumar Dharmasena. This is top, top umpiring from the Sri Lankan. Brilliant ball from Broad. It is full and just around off. It jags back in viciously. Malan looks to defend but the ball hits the pad. The English players put in a huge appeal but the umpire turns it down. The English core of Broad, Stokes, Buttler and Root have a word and in the dying moments Root takes it upstairs. Replay rolls in and first it sho |
| 1.5 : S Broad to Malan, Fuller ball on off, this time Malan comes forward and defends it. |
| 1.6 : S Broad to Malan, Shortish around off, Malan taps it off the back foot towards point and takes a quick single. |
| 2.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Well played! Anderson dishes a good length ball outside off, Malan plays a back foot through covers. Denly chases after it and cleans it up. Two taken. |
| 2.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Length ball outside off, Pieter lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 2.3 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish ball on off, Malan defends it out to the off side. |
| 2.4 : J Anderson to Malan, On middle, Malan whips it to deep square leg and picks up a couple before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 2.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Full delivery around off, Pieter defends it out off the front foot. |
| 2.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Back of a length ball outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 3.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length ball outside off, nipping away. Elgar does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 3.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Fullish on middle and leg, Elgar whips it to mid-wicket. |
| 3.3 : S Broad to Elgar, On off, pushed to cover for nothing. |
| 3.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Fuller one on off, driven towards cover and takes a couple. |
| 3.5 : S Broad to Elgar, Broad dishes out a full ball on off, Elgar defends it towards cover and crosses over for a single. |
| 3.6 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball on middle, Malan goes on his front foot and defends it back to Broad. |
| 4.1 : J Anderson to Elgar, Good length ball on off, Elgar pushes it to cover and takes a single. |
| 4.2 : J Anderson to Malan, What happened there? England do not go for the review in the end. It was very close! Excellent umpiring from Paul Reiffel. Length ball around off, nipping into the batsman. Malan looks to defend off the front foot but misses it to get hit flush on the pads. It goes to the keeper who collects with a dive to his right. They put in a huge appeal but the umpire shakes his head. The keeper and the slip fielders are interested but Anderson is not. In the end, they opt against |
| 4.3 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length ball angled into the right-hander. Malan covers his stumps and lets it be. |
| 4.4 : J Anderson to Malan, In the channel outside off, it is left alone. |
| 4.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish and around off, Malan pushes it to point. |
| 4.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Another ball in the channel outside off, Malan makes another leave. |
| 5.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Good length ball on middle, Elgar blocks it off the back foot. |
| 5.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Slightly shortish length ball on middle, it is defended. |
| 5.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Landed around off, it is blocked. |
| 5.4 : S Broad to Elgar, Fuller and around off, pushed towards covers. |
| 5.5 : S Broad to Elgar, Another length ball angled into the batter by Broad by going wide of the crease. Elgar blocks it nicely. |
| Here comes the hadada, again. Just behind mid on. No problems for the batter so far so the game goes on. |
| 5.6 : S Broad to Elgar, Another short ball, it is defended. |
| 6.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Short of a length ball on off, Malan keeps it out. |
| 6.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length ball outside off, pushed towards point for a single. |
| 6.3 : J Anderson to Elgar, Anderson angles this one away from the left-hander. Pitches it on a good length around leg and middle. Elgar blocks it towards point. |
| 6.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, Nicely punched but excellent fielding. Slightly fuller on off, Elgar takes a step forward and punches it nicely towards mid off. Bess at that position dives to his left and makes a half stop and the ball is relayed towards mid on. Saved a certain boundary. |
| 6.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, Good length ball on off, blocked towards point. |
| 6.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Quick single! A direct hit would've been interesting. Good length ball on middle, Elgar hops and works it towards mid-wicket. He takes off for the single but the ball goes towards the fielder quickly there. The fielder gets to the ball, picks it up and throws at the non-striker's end but misses. |
| 7.1 : S Broad to Elgar, Fuller around off, it is defended. |
| 7.2 : S Broad to Elgar, Outside off on a good length, left alone. |
| 7.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Back of a length ball on middle, Elgar pulls it behind square leg for a single. |
| 7.4 : S Broad to Malan, Good length ball on off, it is defended by Malan. |
| 7.5 : S Broad to Malan, Fuller and on off again, Malan pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 7.6 : S Broad to Malan, That one shoot off. Probably off the cracks. It is landed outside off and rises sharply. Malan does well to defend. |
| Spin time. Dominic Bess is the first bowling change of the innings. Let' see how this works out for the visitors. Can the offie get the breakthrough? |
| 8.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Bess starts with a tossed up ball on middle, Elgar pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 8.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on middle and leg, Elgar looks to flick but it takes a leading edge and and goes back to the bowler. |
| 8.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Low full toss on middle, pushed down to long on for a single. |
| 8.4 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on middle, Pieter stands back and defends it to short leg. |
| 8.5 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off, Malan defends it to the cover region and a single is taken. |
| 8.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery outside off, spinning away. Elgar spots that and makes a leave to the keeper. |
| 9.1 : S Broad to Malan, Full delivery on off, Malan pushes it towards mid off. Elgar wants a single but is sent back by Pieter. |
| 9.2 : S Broad to Malan, Good length ball on off, Pieter plays it to cover and single is pinched by the two batters. |
| 9.3 : S Broad to Elgar, Back of a length ball on middle, Elgar defends it off the back foot to square leg. |
| 9.4 : S Broad to Malan, Fullish on middle, Malan works it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 9.5 : S Broad to Elgar, On a length on middle, Elgar pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 9.6 : S Broad to Elgar, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, Elgar ducks under it. |
| 10.1 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on middle, Pieter tucks it to square leg. |
| 10.2 : D Bess to Malan, Fullish on off, driven down to long on for a single. |
| 10.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on middle, Elgar pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 10.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Flighted ball on off, defended to cover off the front foot. |
| 10.5 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, defended back to Bess. |
| 10.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Fullish delivery on middle, Elgar defends it out. |
| Drinks! South Africa have done well so far with the bat. After England declared, they would have hoped not to lose early wicket and the pair of Malan and Elgar have done well but the job is not done yet. Their first target would be to bat out this session. England have a lot of runs to play with but they will look to strike a wicket or two in this session. James Anderson is also into the attack. |
| 11.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length ball on off, with some extra bounce. Malan looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and rolls towards point. |
| 11.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish on off, Malan takes a stride forward and drives it through covers for three before Bess can hare after it and clean it up. |
| 11.3 : J Anderson to D Elgar, FOUR! Beautifully played! Full delivery on middle and leg, Elgar flicks it towards mid on. Broad dives to his left but the ball bounces extra and goes past him. It races away to the fence. |
| 11.4 : J Anderson to Elgar, On a length on off, Elgar looks to defend but it takes the inside edge and goes onto the pads. The ball rolls to the off side. |
| 11.5 : J Anderson to Elgar, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 11.6 : J Anderson to Elgar, Fuller one on the leg stump line, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 12.1 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off, Malan blocks it out. |
| 12.2 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on middle, Malan works it to the leg side. |
| 12.3 : D Bess to Malan, On off, defended off the back foot by Malan. |
| 12.4 : D Bess to Malan, Outside off, Pieter cuts it through point and collects an easy couple. |
| 12.5 : D Bess to Malan, Fullish on middle, Pieter comes down and works it to mid on. |
| 12.6 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on middle, Malan works it towards square leg and a single is taken. |
| 13.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Ohh, good fielding. Very full on middle, Malan flicks it but Pope at short leg does really well to stop it. |
| 13.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Length ball on off, PM defends it off his back foot. |
| 13.3 : J Anderson to Malan, Full and coming in with the angle on middle. Pieter defends it back to the bowler. |
| 13.4 : J Anderson to Malan, Anderson bowls it on a length outside off. There is little to no movement on this one. Malan does not go for the drive and lets it carry to the keeper. |
| 13.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Length ball outside off, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 13.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Anderson goes full and makes this one nip back in. Malan loses his top hand from the bat's grip but defends it well. |
| 14.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Floats this one up outside off, Elgar leaves it alone. |
| 14.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on middle, Elgar defends it back to the bowler. |
| 14.3 : D Bess to Elgar, On off, pushed to cover off the front foot. |
| 14.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Flighted ball outside off, Elgar looks to drive but it takes the outside edge and goes to point. |
| 14.5 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, worked to mid on. |
| 14.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Tossed up on off, Elgar prods forward and defends it to point. |
| 15.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish on off, Malan defends it out to to the off side. |
| 15.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Good length ball on off, Pieter defends it to point. |
| 15.3 : J Anderson to Malan, On a length outside off, Malan makes a good leave to this one. |
| 15.4 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish on middle, Malan works it to mid-wicket. |
| 15.5 : J Anderson to Malan, On off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 15.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 16.1 : D Bess to Elgar, Full on off, pushed to short cover. |
| 16.2 : D Bess to Elgar, Flatter one on off, Elgar defends it to mid off. |
| 16.3 : D Bess to Elgar, Tossed up ball outside off, Dean shoulders arms to it. |
| 16.4 : D Bess to Elgar, Loopy delivery on middle, Elgar defends it back to the bowler. |
| 16.5 : D Bess to Elgar, On middle, defended out onto the pitch. |
| 16.6 : D Bess to Elgar, Floated on middle, worked through mid-wicket and collects a couple. |
| Sam Curran is into the attack for the first time in this innings. |
| 17.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Curran starts with a full delivery outside off, Malan leaves it alone. |
| 17.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish outside off, Malan prods forward and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 17.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball on off, Malan stands tall and defends it out. |
| 17.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, That was close! Brilliant delivery! Full delivery outside off, moving in sharply. In the end, Malan lets it go to the keeper. |
| 17.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, On off, defended out to the off side. |
| 17.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, Curran bowls a full delivery on off, Pieter leans forward and blocks it out to cover. |
| Joe Denly is on now. |
| 18.1 : Joe Denly to D Elgar, Denly starts with a short one on middle, Elgar pulls it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 18.2 : Joe Denly to Malan, Short on middle, Denly pushes it to point. |
| 18.3 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flighted fuller ball down the leg side, Malan looks to flick but gets hit on the pads and rolls towards short fine leg. A leg bye stolen. |
| 18.4 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Floated on off, landing it on the rough causing it to spin a little. Elgar looks to defend but it hits the handle and lobs to silly point. |
| 18.5 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Another one landing on the rough, Elgar looks to defend but hits the inside edge and onto the pads. No harm done though. |
| 18.6 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Flighted on middle, Elgar attempts the sweep shot but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 19.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 19.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Pieter lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 19.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish outside off, Malan makes a leave to this one. |
| 19.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, Outside off, left alone. |
| 19.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fuller one outside off, swinging in, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 19.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, No ball! Surprise, surprise a no ball has been called by an on-field umpire. Good length ball on off, Malan defends it out to the off side. |
| Sam Curran to Malan, Fuller one on middle, worked to the leg side for a single. |
| 20.1 : Joe Denly to Malan, Floated on middle and leg, Malan defends it out. |
| 20.2 : Joe Denly to Malan, On off, Malan defends it to cover. Denly thinks that there was pad first and makes an appeal for LBW but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 20.3 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flighted ball on off, Pieter prods forward and defends it out. |
| 20.4 : Joe Denly to Malan, Outside off, left alone. |
| 20.5 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flatter one outside off, pushed to deep cover for a single. |
| 20.6 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Floated on middle, Elgar defends it out off the back foot. |
| Interesting! It is skipper Joe Root who will bowl the final over before Tea. |
| 21.1 : Joe Root to Malan, Root starts with a floated ball on middle, Malan guides it through gully for a single. |
| 21.2 : Joe Root to Elgar, Flighted delivery on off, Elgar pushes it to cover. |
| 21.3 : Joe Root to Elgar, On off, defended off the front foot to the off side. |
| 21.4 : Joe Root to Elgar, Flatter one on middle, Dean defends it to the off side. |
| 21.5 : Joe Root to Elgar, Outside off, driven to deep cover for single. |
| 21.6 : Joe Root to Malan, Loopy delivery on middle, Malan defends it out to the bowler. TEA ON DAY 4. |
| Very good session for the hosts. They have managed to bat this passage of play without losing a wicket. After England declared with a massive lead of 437, South Africa would have hoped for a steady, resilient fight from their openers. Dean Elgar and Pieter Malan have done just that. They have not scored at a very high run rate but the pair have taken their time and are fighting it out in the middle. The hosts will hope that the pair continues their good work after the break and bat the majority |
| ... Day 4, Session 3 ... |
| We are all set to begin the final session of Day 4. Dean Elgar and Pieter Malan are making their way to the field. England players follow them out to the middle after being in a huddle. Joe Denly will start the proceedings after the break for the visitors. There is a silly point in place for him. |
| 22.1 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Denly starts with a flighted ball around off, landing in the rough. Elgar attempts to defend but gets hit on the pads. |
| 0.0 : Short leg comes in now as well. |
| 22.2 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Full outside off, Elgar pushes it towards deep cover and crosses over for a single. |
| 22.3 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Well, well that was close! Denly is making the ball talk. Floated ball outside off, landing in the rough. It bounces a little more and spins a little. Elgar looks to fend it away but it seems to have gone off the gloves and behind the keeper. Buttler dives behind to catch it but fails. Would not have mattered in the end if he had caught that as the replays show that it had hit the arm guard of Elgar. |
| 22.4 : Joe Denly to Elgar, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. One run added to the total. |
| 22.5 : Joe Denly to Malan, Shorter delivery outside off, pushed to deep cover for a single. |
| 22.6 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Full outside off, pushed towards cover and a couple is taken. |
| Sam Curran will bowl from the other end. |
| 23.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Curran starts with a full delivery on middle, Pieter works it to the deep square leg region and crosses over for a couple before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 23.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish outside off, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 23.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, On off, driven wide of mid off for a single. |
| 23.4 : Sam Curran to D Elgar, BOUNCER! Wide given for height! It is bowled around middle and leg. Elgar ducks under it. It is wided for height. |
| Sam Curran to Elgar, Good length on middle, Dean works it to the leg side and a single is taken. |
| 23.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length on off, pushed to cover for nothing. |
| 23.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan defends it to cover. |
| 24.1 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Luck for Elgar yet again. Floats this one up does Denly, on the rough. It spins a little. Elgar looks to defend but it goes off the inside edge and lobs towards square leg. |
| 24.2 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Full on middle, Elgar pushes it towards mid on and a single is taken. |
| 24.3 : Joe Denly to Malan, On middle, blocked by Malan. |
| 24.4 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flatter outside off, Malan pushes it to deep cover and a single is taken. |
| 24.5 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Flatter one on middle, Elgar works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 24.6 : Joe Denly to Malan, Full on middle, Malan blocks it onto the pitch. |
| 25.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full on middle, Dean works it to square leg and crosses over for a single. |
| 25.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, On off, Malan gets on his front foot and defends it out to cover. |
| 25.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, Back of a length outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 25.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish outside off, Malan leaves it alone. |
| 25.5 : Sam Curran to P Malan, EDGED BUT SAFE! On a length on off, Malan looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes towards second slip where the fielder collects it on the bounce. |
| 25.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, On a length outside off, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 26.1 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Flighted on off, Elgar works it to the leg side for a single. |
| 26.2 : Joe Denly to Malan, Floated on middle, Malan defends it back to the bowler. |
| 26.3 : Joe Denly to Malan, Tosses this one outside off, Malan lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 26.4 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flighted on middle and leg, Malan comes forward and defends it to point. |
| 26.5 : Joe Denly to Malan, Floated on middle, Malan works it to mid on and calls Elgar for a single. |
| 26.6 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Flatter one on middle, Elgar works it to short fine leg and another run is pinched by the two batters. |
| 27.1 : Sam Curran to Elgar, Full delivery on middle and leg, Elgar flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 27.2 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On middle, worked to square leg. |
| 27.3 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On a length on off, Elgar stands tall and defends it to point. |
| 27.4 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On middle, Elgar pushes this down to mid on for another dot. |
| The Hadada is back in the field. The mid on fielder is trying to shoo it away. Loves watching this doesn't it? |
| 27.5 : Sam Curran to Elgar, On off, defended off the back foot by Elgar. |
| 27.6 : Sam Curran to Elgar, No run. |
| 28.1 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flatter delivery on middle, Malan moves inside his crease and punches it to cover. |
| 28.2 : Joe Denly to Malan, FOUR! Poor bowling but this is what you will get from leg spinners. They tend to bowl bad balls from time to time. Full toss on middle, Malan just pushes this down past the mid on fielder and into the fence. |
| 28.3 : Joe Denly to Malan, On the pads, Malan defends it out to short leg. |
| 28.4 : Joe Denly to Malan, Short outside off, Malan punches it to the off side and takes a single. |
| 28.5 : Joe Denly to Elgar, Brave from Elgar. He got out going for a big shot in the previous ball but this time it is safe. Floated ball on off, Elgar dances down the track and heaves it over the mid off fielder. Two taken. |
| Elgar has been given out for caught behind but he has reviewed it straightaway. Indicating that the bat hit the ground. Let's see what the replays have to say. Ultra Edge rolls in and guess what, there seems to be a spike on the Ultra Edge as the ball goes past the bat. South Africa lose their review but more importantly they lose their first wicket. |
| 28.6 : Joe Denly to Elgar, OUT! CAUGHT! Faintest of inside edges and Elgar has to go. Takes a review with him. Elgar cannot believe it as he believes that there was not bat on it. Flighted ball outside off, landing on the rough and spins into the batsman. Elgar prods forward to defend but misses it. Buttler and the rest appeal and after some thought, the umpire gives it out. Elgar though is confident and goes for the review immediately. The Ultra Edge rolls in and it shows that there is a feather |
| Zubayr Hamza is the new man in. |
| 29.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball on off, Malanm defends it from within his crease. |
| 29.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Full on middle, Malan pushes it to mid on. |
| 29.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 29.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, Length ball outside off, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 29.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Pieter strokes it towards point and gets to the other end. |
| 29.6 : Sam Curran to Hamza, Full on middle, Hamza flicks it right out of the middle of his bat but straight to mid-wicket. |
| 30.1 : Joe Denly to Malan, On middle, defended out. |
| 30.2 : Joe Denly to Malan, Flatter one on middle, Malan stands tall and defends it to point. |
| 30.3 : Joe Denly to Malan, Floated on middle, Malan looks to defend but gets it off the inside half of the bat and goes towards the leg side for a single. |
| 30.4 : Joe Denly to Hamza, On off, defended out by the bowler. |
| 30.5 : Joe Denly to Hamza, Floated on middle, Zubayr defends it out, |
| 30.6 : Joe Denly to Hamza, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Stuart Broad is back on. 5-1-13-0 are his figures so far. |
| 31.1 : S Broad to Malan, Full outside off, Malan leaves the ball alone. |
| 31.2 : S Broad to Malan, On a length outside off, bouncing a little more. Malan defends it to point and crosses over for a single. |
| 31.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Back of a length on off, Hamza hops and defends it out to cover. |
| 31.4 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length ball on middle, Hamza works it to square leg. |
| 31.5 : S Broad to Hamza, Length ball on off, Hamza defends it out to gully. |
| 31.6 : S Broad to Hamza, Nice looking shot but for no runs. Full delivery on off, Hamza drives it beautifully but finds the cover fielder. |
| 32.1 : Joe Denly to Malan, Floats this one up on middle, Malan defends it out. |
| 32.2 : Joe Denly to Malan, Shorter in length this time outside off, Malan rocks back and punches it to deep cover for a single. |
| 32.3 : Joe Denly to Hamza, Nice way to get off the mark! Flat one outside off, Hamza camps back and punches it through covers for a couple before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 32.4 : Joe Denly to Hamza, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 32.5 : Joe Denly to Hamza, Outside off, pushed to deep cover for a single. |
| 32.6 : Joe Denly to Malan, Loopy on middle, Malan blocks it off the front foot to mid-wicket. |
| 33.1 : S Broad to Hamza, Fuller one on off, pushed to mid off. |
| 33.2 : S Broad to Hamza, Back of a length ball outside off, Hamza sways away from it. |
| 33.3 : S Broad to Hamza, Good length ball on middle, Zubayr solidly blocks it out. |
| 33.4 : S Broad to Z Hamza, EDGY FOUR! Frustrating for England. Fuller one on off, Hamza looks to defend but it goes off the outside edge and goes between the second slip and the gully fielders. The ball races to the fence. |
| 33.5 : S Broad to Hamza, Length ball on off, Hamza pushes it towards point and takes a single. |
| 33.6 : S Broad to Malan, Good length on off, Pieter defends it to cover and wants a single but Hamza sends him back. Good decision in the end as there was no run there. |
| Dominic Bess is back on. 5-1-8-0 are his figures so far. |
| 34.1 : D Bess to Hamza, Flatter one on middle, Hamza defends it out. |
| 34.2 : D Bess to Hamza, Looped up on middle, Hamza looks to defend but it goes off the inside edge and rolls towards square leg. |
| 34.3 : D Bess to Hamza, On off, defended off the front foot. |
| 34.4 : D Bess to Hamza, Loopy delivery on middle, Zubayr gets on his front foot and blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 34.5 : D Bess to Hamza, Tossed up ball on off, Hamza solidly blocks it. |
| 34.6 : D Bess to Hamza, Flat one on middle, Zubayr defends it back to Bess. |
| 35.1 : S Broad to Malan, Full delivery on off, Malan blocks it to cover off the front foot. |
| 35.2 : S Broad to Malan, Broad dishes out another ball which is full in length. Malan plays it back to the bowler. |
| 35.3 : S Broad to Malan, BOUNCER! It is bowled around off, Malan sways away from it. |
| 35.4 : S Broad to Malan, Fullish on off, Malan blocks it off his front foot. |
| 35.5 : S Broad to Malan, Back of a length ball outside off, Malan leaves this one alone. |
| 35.6 : S Broad to Malan, Fullish on off, Pieter gets on his front foot and blocks it to cover. |
| 36.1 : D Bess to Hamza, On middle, Hamza blocks it to short leg. |
| 36.2 : D Bess to Hamza, Floated ball on middle, Hamza comes down the track and pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 36.3 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on middle, flicked to square leg. |
| 36.4 : D Bess to Malan, Short delivery outside off, Malan pushes it through covers. The fielder chases after it and collects it. Two taken. |
| 36.5 : D Bess to Malan, Outside off, Malan moves inside his crease and punches the ball through the covers and picks up three before the fielder can come across and clean it up. |
| 36.6 : D Bess to Hamza, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 37.1 : S Broad to Malan, BOUNCER! Broad dishes this one up around middle, Malan ducks under it. |
| 37.2 : S Broad to Malan, Short ball outside off, with extra bounce. Malan lets this go to the keeper. Buttler jumps and collects it. |
| 37.3 : S Broad to Malan, OHH! Full delivery on the pads, Malan looks to flick but it takes the leading edge and rolls towards mid off. Malan is annoyed with himself after playing that shot. |
| 37.4 : S Broad to Malan, On a length outside off, Malan does not fiddle with it and lets it through to the keeper. |
| 37.5 : S Broad to Malan, Fullish on off, Malan pushes it to cover off the front foot. |
| 37.6 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan defends it towards the point region and a single is taken. |
| 38.1 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off, Malan comes down the track and looks to flick but it hits the edge and hits the boot. The ball rolls to the off side. |
| 38.2 : D Bess to Malan, On middle, worked to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 38.3 : D Bess to Z Hamza, Looped up ball on off, Hamza drives it to cover. |
| 38.4 : D Bess to Hamza, That's really well played from Hamza! Short of a length ball outside off, spinning in. Hamza gives himself room and punches it through covers for three. The fielder hares after it and makes the stop. |
| 38.5 : D Bess to Malan, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 38.6 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on middle, Pieter works it to deep mid-wicket and picks up a single. |
| Ben Stokes is into the attack for the first time in this innings. Can he pick up a wicket? |
| 39.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, No ball! Stokes has overstepped on his first ball. It is a big one at that. Starts with a short of a length ball on off, Malan defends it off the back foot to point. |
| Ben Stokes to Malan, On middle, defended out by Malan. |
| 39.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fullish delivery outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 39.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on off, Pieter rocks back and defends it to cover. |
| 39.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fullish delivery outside the off stump line, Malan makes a leave to this one. |
| 39.5 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Back of a length ball with extra carry. Malan shoulders arms to this one. It goes at good height to the keeper. |
| 39.6 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Full on middle, Pieter pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 40.1 : D Bess to Hamza, Floated on middle, Hamza prods forward and defends it out to the bowler. |
| 40.2 : D Bess to Hamza, Short delivery down the leg side, Hamza looks to pull but misses to get any bat on it. |
| 40.3 : D Bess to Hamza, Loopy delivery on off, blocked solidly by Hamza. |
| 40.4 : D Bess to Hamza, Floated one on off, Zubayr pushes it to covers. |
| 40.5 : D Bess to Hamza, Flatter one on off, Hamza guides this to the slip cordon. |
| 40.6 : D Bess to Hamza, FOUR BYES! Sharp turn on this one! Flighted delivery on middle, which spins a mile. Hamza spots that and leaves it alone. Buttler fails to collect it cleanly and the ball races to the fine leg fence. 100 up for the hosts. |
| Drinks! South Africa are going really well. They have lost the wicket of Elgar but Pieter Malan and Zubayr Hamza have steadied the ship after that. They still have a long way to go. England would hope that they pick up further wickets before the end of day's play to finish on a high. |
| 41.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Good length ball on middle, Malan works it to deep mid-wicket and calls Hmaza for a couple. The fielder comes across and cleans it up. |
| 41.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, On a length on off, Malan camps back and blocks it out to the cover fielder. |
| 41.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, NASTY! That is a snorker of a delivery from Ben Stokes! Short of a length ball around middle, Malan looks to sway away from it but gets hit around the chest area. He is fine though. |
| 41.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, On off, pushed to point. |
| 41.5 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Good length ball on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 41.6 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Full delivery on middle and leg, Malan flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single. Moves to 49. |
| 42.1 : D Bess to Malan, FIFTY! That too on debut for Pieter Malan. This has been an excellent innings from Malan. He has not looked nervous at all in this innings and is going about his business comfortably. He gets there by working this full delivery down to long on for a single. Can he convert this to a debut ton as well? |
| 42.2 : D Bess to Hamza, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 42.3 : D Bess to Malan, On off, Malan comes down the track and defends it out. |
| 42.4 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off, Malan strides forward and blocks it to short leg. |
| 42.5 : D Bess to Malan, Loopy delivery on off, pushed to the cover region for a single. |
| 42.6 : D Bess to Hamza, Tossed up outside off, Hamza pushes it down to mid off for nothing. |
| A leg slip is in place now. |
| 43.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Short of a length around middle and off, Malan sways away from it. |
| 43.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Pieter ducks under it. |
| 43.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, On a length on off, Pieter defends it to point off the back foot. |
| 43.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Short one around middle, Malan sways away from it. |
| 43.5 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fuller one on middle, Pieter solidly pushes it to cover. |
| 43.6 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Comes over the wicket does Stokes and bowls a short one outside off, Malan once again comfortably sways away from it. |
| 44.1 : D Bess to Hamza, Floated on middle, pushed back to Bess. |
| 44.2 : D Bess to Hamza, Short delivery outside off, Zubayr punches it to deep cover for a single. |
| 44.3 : D Bess to Malan, Loopy delivery on middle, Malan prods forward and defends it to the off side. |
| 44.4 : D Bess to P Malan, Comes around the wicket does Bess and bowls a fullish delivery on middle and leg, Malan looks to flick but gets an inside edge to short leg. The fielder there collects it. |
| 44.5 : D Bess to Malan, Driven towards the mid off region. |
| 44.6 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on middle, worked to deep square leg for a single. |
| 45.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, On a length on middle, Malan works it to short leg. |
| 45.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Back of a length outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 45.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Short of a length on off, Malan camps back and blocks it to the off side. |
| 45.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, BOUNCER! It is bowed around middle, Pieter sways away from it. |
| 45.5 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Stokes bends his back again and bowls a short one around middle and leg, Malan ducks under it. |
| 45.6 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on middle, Malan defends it towards mid on. |
| 46.1 : D Bess to Hamza, Flatter one on off, Hamza defends it to mid off the back foot. |
| 46.2 : D Bess to Hamza, Fuller one on off, Zubayr pushes it to deep cover for a single. |
| 46.3 : D Bess to Malan, Loopy delivery on off, Malan pushes it to mid off and calls Hamza for a quick single. The fielder at mid off throws it to Buttler. He whips the bails off but Hamza was well in. |
| 46.4 : D Bess to Z Hamza, Flat one on middle, Hamza works it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 46.5 : D Bess to Malan, Loopy on middle, Malan defends it out. |
| 46.6 : D Bess to P Malan, Fuller one outside off, Malan psuhes it past the cover fielder and picks up a couple before the fielder hares after it and cleans it up. |
| 47.1 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Just short! Stokes digs in short outside off, Hamza hops and pushes it off the back foot towards cover. Broad dives in front but it falls short of him. |
| 47.2 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, On a length on middle, Zubayr defends this one. |
| 47.3 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle, Hamza works it uncomfortably to the leg side and wants the single. Malan sends him back. |
| 47.4 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, BOUNCER! Stokes bowls this one around middle and leg, Hamza looks to leave this but it hits him near the elbow and rolls to the keeper. |
| 47.5 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Another short one on off, Zubayr defends it out off the back foot. |
| 47.6 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Short of a length on off, Hamza rocks on his back foot and defends it out. |
| Joe Root is back on. Bowled one over before Tea. |
| 48.1 : Joe Root to Malan, Root starts with a flighted ball on off, Malan defends it to cover. |
| 48.2 : Joe Root to Malan, Flatter one on middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 48.3 : Joe Root to Malan, On off, blocked solidly by Malan. |
| 48.4 : Joe Root to Malan, OHH! Root dishes a floated ball down the leg side, Malan looks to sweep but it hits the gloves and goes above the hopping leg slip fielder. It goes towards fine leg and a couple is taken. |
| 48.5 : Joe Root to Malan, Flatter one on the pads, Malan tucks it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 48.6 : Joe Root to Hamza, Down the leg side again, Hamza lets it go to the keeper. |
| 49.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on middle, Malan defends it out. |
| 49.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fullish on off, Malan pushes it towards deep point and wants a couple but Hamza sends him back. Only a single. |
| 49.3 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Short ball down the leg side, Hamza shoulders arms to it. |
| 49.4 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, BEATEN! Stokes has to be more on this channel. Bowls it on a length in the channel of uncertainty, Hamza looks to push off the back foot but it whizzes past the bat and goes into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 49.5 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Short ball around middle and leg, Zubayr ducks under it. |
| 49.6 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Back of a length delivery on off, Hamza hops and defends it out. |
| 50.1 : Joe Root to Malan, Fuller one on middle, Malan defends it back to Root. |
| 50.2 : Joe Root to Malan, Malan drives this floated ball on middle past the diving bowler for a couple. The fielder comes across and cleans it up. |
| 50.3 : Joe Root to Malan, Flatter one on off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 50.4 : Joe Root to Malan, On middle, defended off the back foot. |
| 50.5 : Joe Root to Malan, Loopy delivery down the leg side, spinning down. Malan leaves it alone. Stokes dives to his right from leg gully and makes a good stop. Saved a certain four byes there. |
| 50.6 : Joe Root to Malan, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 51.1 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Short ball outside off, Hamza sways away from it. |
| 51.2 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, BOUNCER! It is bowled down the leg side, Hamza lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 51.3 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Length ball on middle, Hamza defends it out to the leg side and single is taken. |
| 51.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Short ball outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 51.5 : Ben Stokes to Malan, NO BALL! Stokes has overstepped again. Length ball on off, Malan pushes it through point and a single is taken. |
| Ben Stokes to Hamza, Short of a length on off, Hamza defends it out off the back foot. |
| 51.6 : Ben Stokes to Hamza, Outside off, left alone by Zubayr Hamza. |
| James Anderson is back on. 7-2-18-0 are his figures so far. |
| 52.1 : J Anderson to Malan, Good start from Anderson. Length ball around off, moving into the batsman. Malan looks to leave but gets hit on the thigh pad. There was no appeal made from England. Looked a bit too high. |
| 52.2 : J Anderson to Malan, That was close! A good leave in the end. Full delivery outside off, nipping in a bit. Malan shoulders arms to it. The ball just whizzed past the off stump. |
| 52.3 : J Anderson to Malan, On a length on off, Malan strides forward and defends it to cover. |
| 52.4 : J Anderson to Malan, Outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 52.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Full on middle, pushed back to Anderson. |
| 52.6 : J Anderson to Malan, Length ball on off, moving in a bit. Malan gets his bat down in time and defends it to the off side. |
| Sam Curran returns into the attack. 6-2-9-0 are his figures so far. |
| 53.1 : Sam Curran to Hamza, Curran starts with a full delivery on off, Hamza pushes it to deep cover for a single. |
| 53.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Malan shoulders arms to this one. |
| 53.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, Full on off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 53.4 : Sam Curran to P Malan, Length ball on off, Pieter taps it to gully. |
| 53.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, Very full delivery outside off. It pitches and moves away. Malan leaves it alone. |
| 53.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, Full delivery on off, Pieter is solid in defense and does so towards cover. |
| 54.1 : J Anderson to Hamza, Length ball on off, Hamza blocks it off the back foot. |
| 54.2 : J Anderson to Z Hamza, OUT! Caught behind! Hamza is out of here and all the pressure Anderson was building has turned into a reward. There is a hint of movement, the ball is doing something, who do you turn to? Without any doubts, James Anderson. He makes the ball move just like he has done in his previous 150 Test matches. It is in the corridor of uncertainty around off. It shapes in off the deck, Hamza has to defend it and has no option to leave it. The ball takes a thick outside edge a |
| Keshav Maharaj is sent in as the nightwatchman. Can he survive the last few balls? |
| 54.3 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Good length ball outside off, Maharaj leaves it alone. |
| 54.4 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Short delivery outside off, Keshav does not fiddle with it and lets it through to the keeper. |
| 54.5 : J Anderson to Maharaj, BEATEN! This is Anderson at his best! Brilliant bowling! Good length ball outside off, Maharaj looks to defend but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 54.6 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Good length ball outside off, Maharaj leaves it alone. Excellent over comes to an end. A wicket-maiden it is. |
| 55.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Full delivery on off, pushed to cover for a single. |
| 55.2 : Sam Curran to K Maharaj, EDGY! Fullish delivery on off, Maharaj looks to defend off the front foot but goes off the outside edge through gully. The batters manage to take a couple. Maharaj is off the mark. |
| 55.3 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, BEATEN! Beautiful delivery from Curran. Good length ball around off, Keshav attempts to defend but misses it altogether. |
| A short leg has come in place now. |
| 55.4 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Very full delivery outside off, Maharaj looks to dig it out but fails to get any bat on it. |
| 55.5 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Length ball on off, Keshav defends it solidly. |
| 55.6 : Sam Curran to Maharaj, Maharaj has managed to survive the last ball of the day as he defends this full delivery on middle back to the bowler. STUMPS ON DAY 4. |
| A very good day of Test cricket for England. But South Africa would also be happy with their efforts, especially with the bat. England were first dominant with the bat and ended up declaring with a massive lead of 437! Needing 438 to win, South Africa needed their openers to lay in a solid platform and build a big stand. The pair of Elgar and Malan did just that. The duo took their sweet time and calmly stitched a 71-run opening stand. Elgar failed to capatalize on his start, Hamza then joined |
| England would be the happier of the sides with their efforts. Ben Stokes' quick-fire 72 along with Buttler's cameo around Dominic Sibley's maiden Test ton ensured the visitors could declare with a huge lead of 437. The tourists did not have as good an outing with the ball like they did with the bat. They struggled initially to get through the openers' defense. But part-timer, Joe Denly was the unlikely source who got them their first breakthrough. The ball started to do something towards the lat |
| So, England need 8 wickets to level the series. South Africa need 312 runs more to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in this 4-match series. The hosts' other option to stay 1-0 up in the series is to bat out the 3 sessions on Day 5. England are on top but South Africa are not out of this contest. What do we have in store on the final day of this fascinating Test? Join us on Tuesday, 7th January 2020 for the 5th and final day of this Test to find out which way the pendulum swings. The play will begi |
| ... Day 5, Session 1 ... |
| Welcome to the coverage of Day 5 of the second Test between South Africa and England. The game is evenly poised heading into the final day and all three results are possible. The visitors might feel they are slightly ahead coming into the final day but the hosts too will fancy themselves. Will England head to Port Elizabeth with the series level or will South Africa manage to maintain their lead? |
| We are all set to begin Day 5! Pieter Malan and Keshav Maharaj are making their way out to the middle. The England players follow them out to the ground. James Anderson will begin the proceedings for the visitors. |
| 56.1 : J Anderson to Malan, James starts right on the money. Good length ball pitching around off. It reverse swings a bit as it comes in. Malan is aware of his off pole and offers a very good leave. |
| 56.2 : J Anderson to Malan, Huge appeal as there was a noise as the ball went to the keeper. The English players are thinking for a review but opt against it. Excellent decision from both the umpire and Joe Root. Good length ball pitching around off, it nips back in sharply. Malan looks to defend but the ball goes between the bat and pad to the keeper. It clips something as there is a noise. There is a huge appeal as the English players go up in appeal but the umpire turns it down. Root thinks of |
| 56.3 : J Anderson to Malan, First run of the day and it comes in the form of a leg bye. Good length ball pitching outside off. Malan once again fails to defend it off his bat. It goes to the off side off his thigh pad and they steal a leg bye. |
| 56.4 : J Anderson to K Maharaj, Good length ball on off, Maharaj looks to defend but the ball goes off the outer half of his bat towards point. |
| 56.5 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Broken bat! Get a new bat please. Good length ball on off, it nips in. Maharaj looks to defend but does so off the upper half of his bat. The ball jars the bat and Keshav's bat is broken into two pieces. Proud moment for Jimmy. There is a certain joy a pace bowler gets breaking a bat. Anderson has done it at the young age of 37! |
| Broken bat! Keshav Maharaj has to ask for a new bat as the bat he was using broke off the previous delivery. |
| 56.6 : J Anderson to Maharaj, New bat comes in for Maharaj and he uses it to leave this length ball outside off alone. |
| Stuart Broad will bowl from the other end. 9-2-20-0 are his figures. |
| 57.1 : S Broad to Malan, Broad starts with a length ball, moving away. Malan lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 57.2 : S Broad to P Malan, This time Broad dishes out a fullish delivery around off, Malan strides forward and guides it through point. The batters take two before the fielder comes across and cleans it up. |
| 57.3 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball outside off, Pieter does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 57.4 : S Broad to Malan, On a length on middle, Pieter stands tall and blocks it to cover. |
| 57.5 : S Broad to Malan, Fuller one outside off, Pieter lets the ball through to the keeper. |
| 57.6 : S Broad to Malan, Malan lets another full delivery outside off go to the keeper. |
| 58.1 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Length ball outside off, Maharaj shoulders arms to it. |
| 58.2 : J Anderson to Maharaj, OHH! Fullish ball outside off, with some reverse but not enough to make Maharaj play as he leaves this one alone. |
| 58.3 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Outside off, Keshav makes a leave to the keeper. |
| 58.4 : J Anderson to Maharaj, Length ball outside off, Maharaj drives it but finds the mid off fielder. |
| 58.5 : Anderson to Maharaj, OUT! LBW! England strike early and that is just what the doctor ordered. He was threatening towards the fag end of Day 4 and he has been threatening today morning also. This is another gem of a delivery from Anderson. One of the rare bowlers in modern day cricket who can generate good old reverse swing. Not as much as Wasim Akram used to do but enough to trouble the batter. This one starts around off. It looks to be coming shaping away but it comes back in. Maharaj loo |
| Faf du Plessis. the Protea skipper is the new man in. He is known to play a long innings and this is the best time to do it. |
| 58.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, Full delivery on off, Faf prods forward and defends his first ball to cover. |
| 59.1 : S Broad to Malan, Fullish delivery outside off, Malan shoulders arms to this one. |
| 59.2 : S Broad to P Malan, On off, Pieter looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes through gully. Two taken. |
| 59.3 : S Broad to Malan, Good length ball on off, Malan lunges forward and defends it out. |
| 59.4 : S Broad to Malan, Full delivery on middle, Malan works it to mid-wicket where Crawley makes a half-stop and the ball rolls to mid on. Well fielded. |
| 59.5 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball outside off, Pieter shoulders arms. |
| 59.6 : S Broad to Malan, Length delivery outside off, moving away, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 60.1 : J Anderson to Plessis, Good length delivery around off, Faf defends it back towards the bowler with a straight bat. |
| 60.2 : J Anderson to Plessis, A good solid front foot defense from Faf now. Slightly fuller on off, du Plessis lunges froward and blocks it right off the meat of the bat. |
| 60.3 : J Anderson to Plessis, Jimmy attacks the stumps, Faf defends it calmly. |
| 60.4 : J Anderson to Plessis, Du Plessis is off the mark. Length ball on middle, Faf glances it through square leg for one. |
| 60.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Away from the off pole, Pieter leaves it alone. |
| 60.6 : J Anderson to Malan, This one comes in from outside off, Malan leaves it alone. |
| 61.1 : S Broad to Plessis, Full delivery on off, du Plessis solidly defends it to the off side. |
| 61.2 : S Broad to Plessis, FOUR! Nicely tucked away! Back of a length ball on middle and leg. Faf du Plessis works it down to the fine leg region for a boundary. The fielder comes across but the ball wins the race. |
| 61.3 : S Broad to Plessis, Length ball on off, Faf looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and rolls to point. |
| 61.4 : S Broad to Plessis, Short of a length on off, Faf rocks on his back foot and blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 61.5 : S Broad to Plessis, Fuller one on off, du Plessis goes on his front foot and defends it to point. |
| 61.6 : S Broad to Plessis, Broad goes full outside off, Faf has no problems in leaving this one alone. |
| 62.1 : Anderson to Malan, Another loud appeal but turned down. Good length ball around off, moving ina little. Malan takes a stride forward to defend but gets hit flush on the pads. Anderson and the rest appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Anderson has a discussion with Root for the review but decide against it. Good decision as it was umpire's call on impact and it was anyways missing the stumps. |
| 62.2 : J Anderson to Malan, On off, pushed towards cover for a single. |
| 62.3 : J Anderson to Plessis, Full delivery on middle, Faf defends it solidly off the front foot. |
| 62.4 : J Anderson to Plessis, On a length outside off, nipping in. Du Plessis shoulders arms to it. |
| 62.5 : J Anderson to Plessis, Full delivery on middle, Faf defends it out. |
| 62.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, Fullish outside off, Faf pushes it to cover and shouts a loud wait to his partner. |
| 63.1 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball on middle and leg, Malan solidly defends it out. |
| 63.2 : S Broad to Malan, Close! Very close! Length ball on off, Malan looks to defend but it takes the bottom edge and rolls just past the stumps. |
| 63.3 : S Broad to Malan, Fullish on off, Pieter looks to push at it but the ball takes the inside half of his bat and goes towards square leg. Two taken. |
| 63.4 : S Broad to Malan, On off, Malan blocks it off the front foot to cover. |
| 63.5 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan takes his one hand of the handle of the bat and defends it towards point. |
| 63.6 : S Broad to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 64.1 : J Anderson to Plessis, OHH! Anderson is making the ball tal out there. Full delivery outside off, with some reverse swing. Faf makes a good leave though. |
| 64.2 : J Anderson to du Plessis, Back of a length ball around off, with some extra bounce. Faf plays it well as he drops his wrists and defends it to gully. |
| 64.3 : J Anderson to Plessis, Length ball outside off, Faf shoulders arms to it. |
| 64.4 : J Anderson to Plessis, Fuller one outside off, moving in. Faf pushes it towards mid off. |
| 64.5 : J Anderson to du Plessis, Anderson dishes a length ball on off, Faf attempts to defend but it goes off the bottom edge and hits the boot. No run. |
| 64.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, Fullish on off. There is some reverse swing on it. Faf does well to defend it to the leg side. |
| Ben Stokes comes into the attack for the first time on Day 5. 7-3-8-0, his figures in this innings so far. |
| 65.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Stokes starts with a back of a length ball on middle, Malan works it to deep square leg for a single. Malan wants the couple but Faf sends him back. |
| 65.2 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Another one is back of a length on middle, du Plessis tucks it to mid-wicket and crosses over for a single. |
| 65.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, BEATEN! That's a beauty. Excellent. Fullish outside off, Malan looks to push but it just misses the outside edge and goes into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 65.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, This time, Malan defends this length ball on middle back to the bowler. |
| 65.5 : Ben Stokes to P Malan, On a length on off, Pieter defends it to gully. |
| 65.6 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fullish ball on middle and leg, Malan works it to mid-wicket. |
| 66.1 : J Anderson to Plessis, Back of a length on off, Faf goes on his back foot and defends it to cover. |
| 66.2 : J Anderson to Plessis, Fuller one on middle, du Plessis defends it to the bowler. |
| 66.3 : J Anderson to Plessis, Better throw and Faf would have been a goner! Good length ball on off, Faf looks to defend but it takes the inside half of the bat and goes towards backward square leg. They take off for a couple. Sam Curran comes after it quickly and throws it towards the keeper but it is a wild one. Had to throw it direct to the keeper. If he had done that, Faf would have been in trouble. Even his dive would not have saved him. |
| 66.4 : J Anderson to du Plessis, Full on middle, du Plessis pushes it to mid on. |
| 66.5 : J Anderson to Plessis, Length ball outside off, Faf shoulders arms to this one. |
| 66.6 : J Anderson to Plessis, That is a terrific delivery! Good length ball outside off, with some reverse swing on it. Faf shoulders arms and the ball just goes past the off stump. |
| 67.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan defends it out to cover. |
| 67.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Pieter lets it through to the keeper. |
| 67.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, NO BALL! Stokes oversteps yet again. He digs in a short one around middle, Malan ducks under it. |
| Ben Stokes to Malan, On middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 67.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Good length ball on off, Malan defends it to cover off the front foot. |
| 67.5 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Back of a length delivery on middle, Malan stands tall and defends it out. |
| 67.6 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan taps it to gully. He moves out of his crease which the gully fielder spots and then he throws it at the stumps but misses. |
| Spin introduced for the first time today. Dominic Bess is into the attack. 12-3-29-0, his figures so far. Just a short leg in place. Would love to see a silly point as well with both right-handers at the crease. |
| 68.1 : D Bess to Plessis, Bess starts with a flatter delivery on off, du Plessis whips it towards square leg and takes an easy couple. |
| 68.2 : D Bess to Plessis, Flat one on middle, du Plessis works it to short fine leg. |
| 68.3 : D Bess to Plessis, Looped up ball on middle, Faf goes on his front foot and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 68.4 : D Bess to Plessis, A loud shot but not given. Bess floats this one up around off, Faf looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. The ball lobs off to short leg and then the England players put in an appeal for a catch. The umpire is unmoved. The visitors think of a review but decide against it. |
| 68.5 : D Bess to Plessis, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 68.6 : D Bess to Plessis, Flatter one on middle, du Plessis works it to the leg side. |
| A proper hour of Test cricket in this session. England will be happy to have picked up a wicket. South Africa will not be too hurt with the fall of that one wicket as it was the nightwatchman, Keshav Maharaj. Faf du Plessis is taking it patiently and has joined the well-set Pieter Malan out in the middle. The tourists will look to strike at least one more by the end of the first session. The Proteas, on the other hand, will hope that this pair sees out this session. |
| 69.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Stokes starts after the break with a length ball on off, Malan defends it to gully. |
| 69.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fullish on off, Malan takes a giant stride forward and defends it to cover. |
| 69.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 69.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, NO BALL! Back of a length ball on off, Malan drops his wrists and defends it out to gully. Stokes has overstepped and the umpire signals it a no ball. |
| Ben Stokes to Malan, On a length on middle, Malan works it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 69.5 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, On middle, tucked to mid-wicket. |
| 69.6 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, BOUNCER! It is bowled around off and middle, du Plessis ducks under it. |
| 70.1 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one outside off, with some spin into the batsman. Malan lets it go to the keeper. |
| 70.2 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter on middle, tucked to short leg. |
| 70.3 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on middle, Malan defends it out to the off side. |
| 70.4 : D Bess to Malan, On off, Pieter comes down the track and defends it out to the off side. |
| 70.5 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off and middle, defended solidly by PM. |
| 70.6 : D Bess to Malan, Bess bowls a flat one outside off, Pieter shoulders arms. |
| 71.1 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Back of a length ball on middle, Faf hops and works it to mid-wicket. |
| 71.2 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Length ball on middle, du Plessis whips it to the leg side for nothing. |
| 71.3 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Stokes digs in a bouncer around off, Faf lets it go. Buttler hops and collects it. It is wided for height. |
| Ben Stokes to Plessis, Fuller one on off, pushed to cover. |
| 71.4 : Ben Stokes to du Plessis, EDGY FOUR! Luck for Faf du Plessis! Short ball outside off, Faf looks to guide this but gets a thick outside edge which goes over the gully fielder and into the fence. |
| 71.5 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, BEATEN! Nicely bowled! Length ball outside off, Faf looks to defend but it whizzes past his bat and into the mitts of the keeper. Buttler is interested and goes up for an appeal for caught behind but Stokes just walks back to run up. |
| 71.6 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Full on off, guided to third man for a single. |
| 72.1 : D Bess to du Plessis, Floated on off, Faf strokes it to mid on. |
| 72.2 : D Bess to Plessis, Flighted on off, du Plessis tickles it to short fine leg. |
| 72.3 : D Bess to Plessis, Floated on off, du Plessis pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 72.4 : D Bess to Plessis, Tossed up on off, du Plessis prods forward and blocks it. |
| 72.5 : D Bess to Plessis, Slightly shorter on off, Faf glances it to square leg and shouts loud 'no, no, no' to his partner. |
| 72.6 : D Bess to Plessis, Floated outside off and it spins in. Faf looks to defend but misses and gets hit on the pads. |
| 73.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan defends it to the off side. |
| 73.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Full delivery on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 73.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball outside off, Malan shoulders arms to this one. |
| 73.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Good length ball on middle, worked to mid-wicket for a run. |
| 73.5 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Outside off, left alone by Faf du Plessis. |
| 73.6 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, FOUR! Well played from Faf du Plessis! Fullish outside off, du Plessis lunges forward and drives it through gully for a boundary. |
| 74.1 : D Bess to Malan, Flatter one on off, Pieter defends it to point. |
| 74.2 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off, Malan stands tall and blocks it out. |
| 74.3 : D Bess to P Malan, FOUR! Excellent batting from Pieter Malan. Short of a length outside off, Malan goes on his front foot first but then rocks back and punches it through gully for a boundary. |
| 74.4 : D Bess to Malan, The batsman dances down the track but decides to defend it. |
| 74.5 : D Bess to Malan, Outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 74.6 : D Bess to Malan, On middle, Malan defends it back to the bowler. |
| 75.1 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Fullish outside off, du Plessis shoulders arms to it. |
| 75.2 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Fullish on off, defended to the off side for nothing. |
| 75.3 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Outside off, left alone. |
| 75.4 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Fullish on off, Faf taps it to the slip cordon. |
| 75.5 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Short of a length on off, du Plessis pushes it to cover. |
| 75.6 : Ben Stokes to Plessis, Back of a length ball on off, Faf stands tall and then blocks it out. |
| 76.1 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on middle, Faf comes down the track and pushes it down to mid on for a single. |
| 76.2 : D Bess to Plessis, OUT! Caught! What a moment for young Dominic Bess and England. Massive, massive wicket this for the visitors. This has come out of the blue. Against the run of play. The dangerous, the marathon man of South Africa, the Protea skipper, Faf du Plessis is out of here. Floated off spinner around off, Faf gets down on one knee and looks to sweep it with the spin. He hits it a bit uppishly and it goes straight towards Joe Denly at mid-wicket. He gets down to his right and take |
| Rassie van der Dussen makes his way out to the middle, replacing his skipper, Faf du Plessis. |
| 76.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full on off, van der Dussen pushes it to cover. |
| 76.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 76.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On middle, worked to the leg side. |
| 76.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated on off, Rassie drives it to short cover. |
| 77.1 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on middle and leg, Malan flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 77.2 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Length ball on the pads, Pieter whips it to mid-wicket. |
| 77.3 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Fullish delivery outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 77.4 : Ben Stokes to Malan, Back of a length delivery on off, Malan taps it towards point and a single is taken. |
| 77.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full around off, Rassie plays a very good drive but the fielder at short cover dives to his right and makes a very good stop. Testing van der Dussen by keeping him at the striker's end. |
| 77.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full on off, van der Dussen defends it. |
| 78.1 : D Bess to Malan, Floated on off, Malan defends it out. |
| 78.2 : D Bess to Malan, Ohh! Flighted ball outside off, Malan dances down the track and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 78.3 : D Bess to Malan, An apeal for LBW turned down! Flatter one around off, spinning into the batsman, Malan looks to leave it but gets hit on the thigh pad. Bess appeals for LBW but nothing from the umpire. The replays roll in and it shows that it was missing the off stump. |
| 78.4 : D Bess to Malan, Tossed up on off, Malan taps it towards gully. The slip fielder makes a half-stop and the ball rolls towards point. Two taken. |
| 78.5 : D Bess to Malan, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 78.6 : D Bess to Malan, Outside off, pushed to cover off the front foot. |
| 79.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Short delivery on middle, Rassie hops and defends it out. |
| 79.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full on middle, van der Dussen defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 79.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, On off, van der Dussen lunges forward and pushes it to point. |
| 79.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball on middle, tucked to mid-wicket. |
| 79.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Fullish outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 79.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Very full delivery on off, Rassie defends it back to the bowler. |
| The second new ball is available now and we are just 10 minutes away from Lunch. Will Root wait and take it after Lunch? Nope! Root takes the second new ball straightaway. |
| Sam Curran brought on to operate first up with the second new ball. His first over of the day. |
| 80.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Curran starts with a loosener outside off, Malan has no problems in leaving this ball alone. |
| 80.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, This time, Curran digs in a short ball on off, with some extra bounce. Malan stands tall and pushes it through covers for a couple. |
| 80.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish ball outside off from Curran. Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 80.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish outside off, Pieter leaves it alone. |
| 80.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, Outside off, leaves it alone by Pieter. |
| 80.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball outside off, Malan makes another leave to the keeper. |
| James Anderson will bowl from the other end with the second new ball. 15-7-22-2 are his figures so far. |
| 81.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, Rassie leaves it alone. |
| 81.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball outside off, van der Dussen shoulders arms to this one. |
| 81.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Short of a length on middle, Rassie tucks it to mid-wicket and a single is taken. |
| 81.4 : J Anderson to Malan, On middle, Malan gets into position and defends it solidly onto the pitch. |
| 81.5 : J Anderson to Malan, Fullish delivery on off, Malan gets forward on his front foot and defends it to point. |
| 81.6 : J Anderson to Malan, On off, defended to cover off the front foot. |
| 82.1 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Fullish delivery outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 82.2 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, van der Dussen shoulders arms to this one. |
| 82.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Length ball on off, Rassie strides forward and defends it out. |
| 82.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Fullish outside off, Rassie does not fiddle with it and leaves it alone. |
| 82.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Comes over the wicket and bowls a length ball on off, van der Dussen solidly blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 82.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, What a ball to end the session! Brilliant stuff from Curran! Back of a length ball around off, swinging in. Rassie van der Dussen looks to defend but misses. It goes off something to the keeper. Buttler dives to his right and takes a good catch. Sam is interested and appeals but the umpire is unmoved. Now then, the England players think of a review but decide against it. Right decision in the end as the Ultra Edge shows that there there was no bat and it had g |
| An even session of this exciting final day here in Newlands. The visitors managed to get rid of the nightwatchman earlier and then they had to work hard to get the Protea skipper but they will be happy with their efforts. Anderson was brilliant with the old ball at the start and rightfully got a wicket. Broad had a short spell but hardly troubled in it. Stokes bowled his heart out but was unable to reap the reward. Dominic Bess was the other bowler who got the dangerous Faf du Plessis. The visit |
| South Africa will be happy with their efforts in this session. They lost Maharaj early but Faf du Plessis and Pieter Malan made the visitors toil hard. The skipper though after setting his eyes in, got out playing a shot which one would feel was absolutely not needed. The good news for the hosts is that debutant Malan is still out there and has taken international Test cricket to fish like water. He is continuing his marathon knock and having faced 271 balls, he now finds himself just 17 short o |
| So England need 6 wickets, South Africa need to bat out two sessions to save this Test. When we started the day, all three results looked possible but after the first session, South Africa's win looks unlikely. Can England find a way to get a couple of wickets and get back on the ascendancy in this game or will the Proteas continue to annoy the English Lions? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 5, Session 2 ... |
| The afternoon session of Day 5 is all set to get underway!!! Pieter Malan and Rassie van der Dussen are making their out to the middle. The England players also follow them out to the field. Stuart Broad will bowl after the break. |
| 83.1 : S Broad to Malan, Broad starts with a full delivery on off, Malan defends it solidly to cover. |
| 83.2 : S Broad to Malan, Broad dishes a fuller one outside off, Malan lunges forward and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 83.3 : S Broad to Malan, Length ball on middle, Pieter stands tall and blocks it out to the off side. |
| 83.4 : S Broad to Malan, Another one which is full on middle, Pieter strides forward and defends it to silly mid on. |
| 83.5 : S Broad to Malan, Broad bowls another full one outside off, Pieter makes another leave to the keeper. |
| 83.6 : S Broad to Malan, On off, pushed to mid off and a quick single to end the first over after Lunch. |
| Sam Curran will bowl from the other end. |
| 84.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish ball outside off, Malan shoulders arms to it. |
| 84.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Length ball on off, Malan defends it out to cover off the front foot. |
| 84.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, BEATEN! Excellent delivery from Sam Curran. Good length ball around off, moving away. Malan looks to defend but misses it altogether. |
| 84.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, On a length outside off, Malan leaves it alone. |
| 84.5 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball on off, Malan defends it out to the off side. |
| 84.6 : Sam Curran to Malan, Curran goes full this time and it is outside off. Malan pushes it towards mid off. |
| 85.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fullish on off, Rassie drives it to cover. |
| 85.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball on off, van der Dussen defends it to point off the back foot. |
| 85.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, OUCH! Good length ball on off, swinging in. Rassie van der Dussen looks to defend but gets hit on the body. No damage done though. |
| 85.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 85.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, keeping a little low. Van der Dussen lets it through to the keeper. |
| 85.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball on middle and leg, Rassie works it to short leg. |
| 86.1 : Sam Curran to Malan, Full delivery on off, Pieter Malan defends it to cover. |
| 86.2 : Sam Curran to Malan, Good length ball on middle, Malan defends it back to the bowler. |
| 86.3 : Sam Curran to Malan, Outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 86.4 : Sam Curran to Malan, Fullish delivery outside off, Pieter shoulders arms to this one. |
| 86.5 : Sam Curran to P Malan, OUT! Caught! Massive wicket for England and a huge blow for South Africa! No maiden Test hundred for Malan but more importantly his marathon innings of 288 balls finally comes to an end. This is the wicket the visitors were craving for and they have finally got it. The ploy to give the new ball to Sam Curran has done the magic for Root. Curran comes over the wicket and hits the deck hard on off, it looks to be going away with the angle but this one straightens up aft |
| Quinton de Kock is the new man in. He might have to curb his attacking instinct if the hosts have any chance to save this game. |
| 86.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Poor ball first up to Quinton de Kock. He is off the mark with an easy boundary. Slower full toss on middle, de Kock just whips it to the fine leg region for a boundary. |
| 87.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fullish on off, Rassie pushes it to mid off. |
| 87.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, van der Dussen shoulders arms to it. |
| 87.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 87.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball on middle, van der Dussen works it to mid-wicket. |
| 87.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, EDGY FOUR! Almost another wicket but it was not to be. Short of a length ball outside off, Rassie looks to pull it off the back foot but it takes the underedge and goes past the diving Buttler and into the fine leg fence. |
| 87.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball on middle and leg, Rassie defends it to the leg side. |
| 88.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Fuller on middle and leg, de Kock defends it with a straight bat. |
| 88.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Length ball outside off, de Kock plays one of his favorite shot, the cut shot. But England have a man in the deep for protection so just a single. |
| 88.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Good length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 88.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, Rassie gets on his front foot and then defends it to cover. |
| 88.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, FOUR! Just past Buttler! Short delivery down the leg side, Rassie looks to work it down the leg side but it goes off the gloves and just past Buttler. It races away to the fence. |
| 88.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, On middle, defended off the back foot. |
| 89.1 : S Broad to Kock, Good length ball on middle and leg, de Kock pushes it to mid on. |
| 89.2 : S Broad to Kock, Fullish on middle, Quinton goes on his front foot and defends it out solidly. |
| 89.3 : S Broad to Kock, On a length on off, with some extra bounce. Quinton looks to defend but it takes the inner half and goes towards square leg. |
| 89.4 : S Broad to Kock, Fullish on middle, QdK works it to the leg side and an easy single is taken. |
| 89.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 89.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length delivery on off, Rassie prods forward and defends it out to cover. |
| 90.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball outside off, Quinton lets it through to the keeper. |
| 90.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Short of a length outside off, de Kock guides it towards gully where the fielder makes a half stop and the ball rolls to deep point. A single taken. |
| 90.3 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Length ball on middle, Rassie blocks it out onto the pitch. |
| 90.4 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Fullish delivery on the fourth stump line, van der Dussen lets it go to the keeper. |
| 90.5 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball on middle, Rassie defends it back to Curran. |
| 90.6 : Sam Curran to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone by Rassie. |
| A hammer is brought out to level the landing area. |
| 91.1 : S Broad to Kock, Full delivery around off, Qdk takes a big stride forward and defends it out. |
| 91.2 : S Broad to Kock, Fuller one outside off, Quinton shoulders arms. |
| 91.3 : S Broad to Kock, Full delivery outside off, de Kock pushes it back to Broad. |
| 91.4 : S Broad to Kock, Length ball on middle and leg, de Kock defends it to mid on. |
| 91.5 : S Broad to Kock, Full delivery on off, Quinton drives it to cover and makes a half stop. The ball rolls to mid off and a single is pinched. |
| 91.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fuller one on off, defended out by Rassie back to the bowler. |
| Joe Denly is into the attack. 8-0-26-1 are his figures. |
| 92.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Starts with a floated ball on middle, Quinton looks to defend but it takes the inside edge and just bounces in front of short leg. |
| 92.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Loopy delivery on off, pushed down to long on for a single. |
| 92.3 : Joe Denly to van der Dussen, Floated on off, pushed towards mid off for a quick single. |
| 92.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, Fuller one outside off, Quinton pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 92.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flatter one on middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 92.6 : Joe Denly to Kock, Loopy delivery outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| Dominic Bess is back on. 18-5-38-1, his numbers so far. |
| 93.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full on middle, Rassie pushes it back to Bess. |
| 93.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, Rassie works it to the leg side. |
| 93.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On off, pushed to cover for nothing. |
| 93.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy delivery outside off, spinning in. Rassie prods forward and then decides to leave it alone. |
| 93.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy delivery on middle, Rassie defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 93.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter delivery on middle, blocked back to the bowler off the back foot. |
| 94.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, What happened there? Did Jos Buttler missed a stumping? Very full delivery outside off, Quinton looks to drive but gets an inside edge, hits the pads of the keeper and rolls to short leg. The replays show that de Kock had moved his leg out of the crease a little. The short leg fielder tries to throw it back but misses. By that time, de Kock had got his leg back in. |
| 94.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 94.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flatter one on middle, de Kock defends it back to the bowler. |
| 94.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, On middle, worked to the leg side. |
| 94.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flat one outside off. de Kock guides it to third man. |
| 94.6 : Joe Denly to Kock, On middle, blocked out onto the pitch. |
| 95.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Short around off, Rassie dabs it to the ground on the on side. |
| 95.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated off spinner outside off, van der Dussen lunges forward and pushes it to cover. |
| 95.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up on off, Rassie pushes it to cover. |
| 95.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Short and turning in, Rassie blocks it onto the ground. |
| 95.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flighted on off, van der Dussen blocks it off his front foot. |
| 95.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Very close to the stumps and turning in sharply. Van der Dussen bends his back and defends it astutely. |
| 96.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short delivery outside off, Quinton pushes it to cover. |
| 96.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Low full toss on middle, Quinton pushes it to mid on. |
| 96.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flatter one down the leg side, Quinton leaves it alone. |
| 96.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, OHH! Good keeping though. Floated one outside off, pitching on the rough, Quinton looks to cut but misses. Buttler collects it well. |
| 96.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 96.6 : Joe Denly to Kock, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 97.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on off, Rassie blocks it out. |
| 97.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated on off, Rassie prods forward and blocks it to silly point. |
| 97.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, worked to short leg. |
| 97.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 97.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Full on middle, Rassie solidly defends it out. |
| 97.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On off, defends it to the off side. |
| Drinks Break! A good hour for England. They have managed to get rid of Pieter Malan and are troubling Rassie and Quinton de Kock. They will look to pick at least one more before Tea. South Africa are in trouble and need de Kock and van der Dussen to bat at least Tea and fight it out for a draw. |
| 98.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Huge appeal for LBW! Turned down. Floated ball outside off, kept a little low and turned a little. Quinton looks to defend but misses to get hit on the pads. Denly and the rest appeal but not out given by the umpire. They do not think of a review but decide against it. Good decision as the replays show that it hit the inside edge. |
| 98.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. |
| 98.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 98.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, FOUR! Beautifully played! Short delivery outside off, De Kock rocks on his back foot and punches it through covers for a boundary. |
| 98.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Loopy delivery on middle, defended out. |
| 98.6 : Joe Denly to Kock, Nicely bowled! Floated ball outside off, pitching on the rough and causing it to spin. Quinton looks to flick but misses to get hit on the gloves and lobs wide of the short leg fielder. Lucky. |
| 99.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Pitches on the rough around the pads and spins in. Rassie leaves it alone. |
| 99.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated on off, van der Dussen defends it off the front foot. |
| 99.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up on off, van der Dussen blocks it. |
| 99.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Shorter around off, van der Dussen defends it onto the ground. |
| 99.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Tossed up around off, Rassie gets down and blocks it. |
| 99.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Shorter on off, Rassie defends it to get through the over. |
| 100.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 100.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Floated on off, de Kock pushes it to mid off. |
| 100.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short and spinning in to the southpaw. De Kock glances it with the spin to the on side. |
| 100.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, Floated around off, de Kock looks to defend but does so off the inner half of his bat. |
| 100.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short on off, QdK goes on his back foot and keeps it out. |
| 100.6 : Joe Denly to de Kock, FOUR! Finally de Kock lets it loose. Tossed up outside off, it is slightly overpitched. De Kock decides that he is done with the blocking game and frees his arm to drive it through cover for a boundary. |
| 101.1 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated on off, van der Dussen defends it back to the bowler. |
| 101.2 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Floated delivery outside off, Rassie bends bends forward and then drives it through the cover region. The fielder hare after it andf clean it up before it reaches the ropes. Two taken. |
| 101.3 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Loopy delivery on middle, Rassie defends it out. |
| 101.4 : D Bess to van der Dussen, On middle, van der Dussen blocks it out. |
| 101.5 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flighted ball around off, spinning in. Rassie looks to defend but gets hit flush on the pads. Bess appeals but the umpire says no. |
| 101.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 102.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flatter delivery on off, pitching on the rough and spins down. Quinton flicks it to short fine leg where the fielder comes across and slides to stop the ball. |
| 102.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Loopy delivery on off, de Kock defends it back to the bowler. |
| 102.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short ball outside off, de Kock punches it off the back foot towards cover. Broad slides, but fails to stop the ball cleanly. It allows the batsman to take a single. 200 up for the hosts. |
| 102.4 : Joe Denly to van der Dussen, Floated ball down the leg side. Padded away. |
| 102.5 : Joe Denly to van der Dussen, Comes over the wicket and bowls a flighted ball around off, Rassie looks to pad it away but gets hit on the pads. An appeal is made for LBW but the umpire shakes his head. The England players think of the review but decide against it. |
| 102.6 : Joe Denly to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 103.1 : D Bess to Kock, Floated on middle and leg, de Kock works it to the deep mid-wicket region for a couple. The fielder hares after it and collects it. |
| 103.2 : D Bess to Kock, On off, defended out. |
| 103.3 : D Bess to de Kock, Loopy delivery outside off, de Kock looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes towards first slip. It bounces just in front of Stokes. |
| 103.4 : D Bess to Kock, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 103.5 : D Bess to Kock, Full delivery on off, pushed down to long off for a single. |
| 103.6 : D Bess to van der Dussen, Flatter one outside off, de Kock leaves it alone. |
| 104.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Floated on off, defended to cover off the front foot. |
| 104.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Looped up ball on off, Quinton strides forward and blocks it to cover. |
| 104.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Well bowled! Flatter one outside off, pitching on the rough. It spins down and bounces a little more. Quinton looks to defend but gets hit on the gloves. It rolls to the off side. |
| 104.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 104.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short ball outside off, de Kock punches it to deep cover for a single. |
| 104.6 : Joe Denly to van der Dussen, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Joe Root introduces himself into the attack. |
| 105.1 : Joe Root to Kock, Root starts with a floated one on off, with some spin. Quinton looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and the ball rolls to point. |
| 105.2 : Joe Root to Kock, On middle, flicked to mid-wicket and a single is taken. |
| 105.3 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 105.4 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Wow! A bouncer from a spinner! It is bowled around middle, Rassie pulls it to square leg. |
| 105.5 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, On off, blocked solidly by Rassie. |
| 105.6 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Floated on off, bounced a little more. Rassie defends it out. |
| 106.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Full delivery on off, Quinton pushes it to cover. |
| 106.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short one on off, Quinton pushes it down to mid off. |
| 106.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Short one on middle, de Kock pulls it towards deep mid-wicket. The fielder comes across from deep square leg and collects it. Two taken. |
| 106.4 : Joe Denly to de Kock, Floated on off, de Kock looks to defend but it goes off the outside edge and goes towards third man and a couple is taken. |
| 106.5 : Joe Denly to Kock, Flatter one on off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 106.6 : Joe Denly to Kock, Loopy delivery on off, Quinton looks to defend but it takes the inside edge and hits the pads. It lobs off towards silly point. |
| Ben Stokes returns. 15-0-25-0 are his numbers so far. |
| 107.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, Rassie defends it out. |
| 107.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, BOUNCER! It is bowled around off, Rassie sways away from it. |
| 107.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Length ball on middle, Rassie works it to deep square leg and an easy couple is taken by the batters. |
| 107.4 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to it. |
| 107.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Length ball on off, Rassie solidly defends it to the off side off the back foot. |
| 107.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, Rassie looks to flick but it goes off the leading edge and it goes to mid off. |
| Change of ends for Root. |
| 108.1 : Joe Root to Kock, Some spin there? Floated ball outside off, spinning away. De Kock looks to defend but misses it altogether. |
| 108.2 : Joe Root to Kock, Loopy on middle, worked to the leg side for a single. |
| 108.3 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Down the leg side, Rassie lets it go to the keeper. |
| 108.4 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Floated ball down the leg side, Rassie pads it away. There is a mild appeal for LBW but turned down by the umpire. |
| 108.5 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 108.6 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Flatter one on middle, pushed back to Root. |
| 109.1 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Good length ball around off, de Kock blocks it onto the pitch. |
| 109.2 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Shortish ball just outside off, de Kock waits and then taps it towards gully. |
| 109.3 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Effort ball from Stokes this one. 144 kph it is and a well directed one too. It is just outside off. De Kock sways away from it. |
| 109.4 : Ben Stokes to Kock, A couple! Short of a length ball outside off, this time de Kock taps it through backward point for a couple of runs. |
| 109.5 : Ben Stokes to de Kock, Shortish and outside off again, de Kock slashes it to deep point for a single. |
| 109.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Fuller around off, Rassie comes forward and defends it out. |
| 110.1 : Joe Root to Kock, Fuller ball outside off, driven wide of the cover fielder for a single. |
| 110.2 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Floated on off, Rassie defends it out. |
| 110.3 : Joe Root to van der Dussen, Flatter one outside off, Rassie pushes it through covers for a single. |
| 110.4 : Joe Root to Kock, Very full delivery outside off, pushed to point. |
| 110.5 : Joe Root to Kock, Loopy delivery on off, defended off the front foot to the off side. |
| 110.6 : Joe Root to Kock, Floated on off, Quinton gets on his knees and blocks it to cover. |
| 111.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Length ball on the pads. Rassie looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. The ball lobs off to the leg side. |
| 111.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Nicely bowled and well played too. Short of a length ball, bounced a little more than expected. Rassie hops and defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 111.3 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Short ball on middle, Rassie pulls it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 111.4 : Ben Stokes to de Kock, Full delivery on off, de Kock pushes it down to mid off and takes off for a run. The fielder has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. |
| 111.5 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Fullish outside off, Rassie leaves the ball alone. |
| 111.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball on off, Rassie pushes it to cover. |
| Dominic Bess returns into the attack. 24-9-43-1 are his figures so far. |
| 112.1 : D Bess to Kock, Flatter one on middle, de Kock defends it out. |
| 112.2 : D Bess to Kock, Loopy delivery on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 112.3 : D Bess to Kock, Floated on middle, worked to short mid-wicket. |
| 112.4 : D Bess to Kock, Full delivery on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 112.5 : D Bess to de Kock, Short ball outside off, pushed to cover. |
| 112.6 : D Bess to Kock, Flatter one outside off, Quinton lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 113.1 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, BOUNCER! It is bowled around middle and leg, van der Dussen ducks under it. |
| 113.2 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Full delivery on middle, tucked towards mid on and crosses over for a single. |
| 113.3 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Short delivery outside off, Quinton lets it go to the keeper. |
| 113.4 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Fullish on off, pushed to cover off the front foot. |
| 113.5 : Ben Stokes to Kock, Full delivery on middle, de Kock works it to mid-wicket and a single is taken. 50-run stand is up between the two. |
| 113.6 : Ben Stokes to van der Dussen, Length ball on off, de Kock defends it out onto the pitch. |
| 114.1 : D Bess to Kock, Full on middle, defended off the front foot to silly point. |
| 114.2 : D Bess to Kock, FOUR! Fine shot from de Kock! Full delivery outside off, Quinton leans and squeezes it through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 114.3 : D Bess to Kock, Floated on middle, de Kock defends it out. |
| 114.4 : D Bess to Kock, Full delivery on middle and leg, Quinton defends it out. |
| 114.5 : D Bess to Kock, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 114.6 : D Bess to de Kock, Just short! Floated outside off, de Kock looks to defend but takes the outside edge and goes towards first slip. It bounces just short. TEA ON DAY 5. |
| That ends a nervous session for the Proteas. Having lost Malan quickly after Lunch, they would have had their hearts in their mouths but van der and de Kock have held forte nicely. Still, a long way to go though. |
| England, on the other hand, would've hoped that the wicket of the debutant will give them an opening but that's not how things panned out for them. They have not bowled badly, but they have also not been able to break this stubborn stand between Rassie and Quinton. Here and there, we have witnessed some grubbers while a couple of balls have shot up as well. So it could well be a matter of a wicket before a collapse ensues. |
| 31 overs are left in the day. 16 of those, without a wicket, could force Joe Root into shaking hands. Can South Africa survive? England look a bit tired but we all know what boost a wicket can make. They still have a very good chance of leveling the series. Let's see how things pan out in the final session. Join us back at 3.30 pm local (1330 GMT) for the final session. Expecting a cracker! |
| ... Day 5, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session of the game. England need 5 wickets to win while the hosts need to survive 30 odd overs to draw this Test and remain 1-0 up. Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen make their way out to the middle. The England players follow them out to the middle. James Anderson will start the proceedings for the visitors. He has figures of 16-7-23-2. |
| 115.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball in the channel outside off from Anderson first up. It is left alone. |
| 115.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Another one in the channel outside off, van der Dussen covers his stumps and lets it go. |
| 115.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Good length ball around off, it is defended off the back foot. |
| 115.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off on a good length again, van der Dussen makes another leave. |
| 115.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, another leave from van der Dussen. |
| 115.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, And another one. Anderson needs to get closer to the off pole. |
| Sam Curran to bowl from the other end. 14-4-25-1 are his numbers so far. The keeper is up to the stumps. One slip in place, short leg, leg slip, silly mid off, short cover and silly mid on. Piling on the pressure to say the least. |
| 116.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball on middle, de Kock keeps it out. |
| 116.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Landed around off, it is easily defended. |
| 116.3 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Nicely guided! Curran rolled his fingers on this one and bowled it outside off, de Kock waits and then runs it down to third man. No protection there and the ball races to the fence. |
| 116.4 : Sam Curran to Kock, On middle, it is defended. |
| 116.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, Shortish around off, blocked. |
| 116.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Second from the over! There was a field change just before this ball. The first slip fielder went to fly slip. And Curran bowls a good length ball outside off, hoping for an edge which can fly towards that fielder. That does not happen and de Kock stands tall and taps it to the third man fence. |
| 117.1 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. |
| 117.2 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Another ball in the channel outside off, van der Dussen makes another leave. |
| 117.3 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Gets closer to the off pole on a fuller length but not enough to lure van der Dussen. |
| A much more ordinary field with James Anderson bowling. Two slips, a gully and a silly point in place. |
| 117.4 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Now goes further outside off on a length. No problems for van der Dussen to make a leave. |
| 117.5 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Outside off again, another leave. |
| 117.6 : J Anderson to van der Dussen, Sixth leave of the over as Anderson dishes it outside off again. |
| 118.1 : Sam Curran to Kock, Shortish outside off, tapped to point. |
| 118.2 : Sam Curran to Kock, Fuller and on off, worked towards the leg side. |
| 118.3 : Sam Curran to Kock, Fullish on off, de Kock comes forward and defends it out. |
| 118.4 : Sam Curran to Kock, Landed on a good length around off, blocked. |
| 118.5 : Sam Curran to Kock, Good length ball around off, blocked. |
| 118.6 : Sam Curran to Kock, FOUR! Fifty for de Kock. What a fighting innings from him. Probably slowest of his career but that's what is need of the hour. Very full ball outside off, de Kock creams it through covers and it races to the fence. He is not done yet though and would look to bat it out. |
| Stuart Broad comes on now, replacing James Anderson. 18-3-37-0, his figures so far. |
| 119.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Broad too starts with a good length ball outside off, van der Dussen makes a leave. |
| 119.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, And another one. No problems for van der Dussen in leaving it. |
| 119.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Finally on the stumps line on a good length, van der Dussen blocks it off the front foot. |
| 119.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Beaten! Nicely bowled! Fuller and outside off, van der Dussen this time is drawn into the shot as he comes forward and looks to drive. The ball moves away just a hint to go past the bat. |
| 119.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Broad goes outside off this time and van der Dussen is back to leaving it alone. |
| 119.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball around off, van der Dussen keeps it out. |
| Joe Denly to bowl now. First time in this session. 16-2-42-1 are his figures so far. |
| 120.1 : Joe Denly to Kock, Fuller and outside off, forced towards cover. |
| 120.2 : Joe Denly to Kock, On off, it is blocked. |
| 120.3 : Joe Denly to Kock, Another one pitched outside off and turning in. It is defended. |
| 120.4 : Joe Denly to Kock, OUT! Caught! Oh dear, de Kock, what have you done? Pulled it straight to the short mid-wicket fielder. He cannot believe it. A long hop from Denly on middle, de Kock looks to hammer it over mid-wicket but ends up slamming it straight to Crawley at short mid-wicket. He does not make any mistake there and England have got the breakthrough they were after. 4 wickets away now. De Kock is distraught as he walks off. |
| Vernon Philander walks out to bat for the last time on his home ground. Can he grind it out along with Rassie and save his nation from the jaws of defeat? |
| 120.5 : Joe Denly to Philander, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Is that another one? Will Philander also walk back? The umpire disagrees but England think that Philander has got either bat or glove on that one as Root opts for the review. It is an appeal for a catch at silly point. Replays roll in and show that the ball has hit the pad first and then hits the elbow. Philander made the leave but the ball is in no way hitting the wickets as well. Review wasted! |
| 120.6 : Joe Denly to Philander, NOT OUT! That's off the elbow. England lose both their reviews. |
| 121.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Full delivery on off, pushed to cover. |
| 121.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone by Rassie van der Dussen. |
| 121.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball on middle, Rassie defends it to the leg side. |
| 121.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Good length ball outside off, Rassie shoulders arms to this one. |
| 121.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball on off, Rassie stands tall and defends it out to cover. |
| 121.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Back of a length ball outside off, van der Dussen shoulders arms to it. |
| 122.1 : Joe Denly to Philander, Loopy delivery on middle, Philander defends it out to the bowler. |
| 122.2 : Joe Denly to Philander, Looped up ball on off, defended to silly point off the front foot. |
| 122.3 : Joe Denly to Philander, Flighted ball on middle and leg, Philander bends on his knees and defends it back to the bowler. |
| 122.4 : Joe Denly to Philander, On middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 122.5 : Joe Denly to Philander, Low full toss on middle, worked to mid on. |
| 122.6 : Joe Denly to Philander, Flatter delivery on middle, Vernon stands tall and defends it out. |
| 123.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Length ball on off, Rassie defends it off the back foot to cover. |
| 123.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, On a length outside off, van der Dussen shoulders arms to it. |
| 123.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Broad goes full on middle, Rassie defends it out to the leg side. |
| 123.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Fullish on middle, pushed to mid-wicket. |
| 123.5 : Broad to van der Dussen, Very full delivery on middle, Rassie blocks it to silly mid on. |
| 123.6 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Broad dishes one outside off tempting van der Dussen to drive but he is not interested as he makes another leave to the keeper. |
| Dominic Bess is back into the attack. 26-10-47-1 are his figures so far. |
| 124.1 : D Bess to Philander, Floated on off, Philander prods forward and defends. |
| 124.2 : D Bess to Philander, Tossed up on middle, worked towards the leg side. |
| 124.3 : D Bess to Philander, Another one which is on the pads, worked towards square leg. |
| 124.4 : D Bess to Philander, Philander goes back in his crease and now defends it towards the short leg fielder. |
| 124.5 : D Bess to Philander, Outside off, played towards point. |
| 124.6 : D Bess to Philander, Another one on middle, Philander defends off the back foot. |
| 125.1 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Down the leg side, van der Dussen has no need to go after it. |
| 125.2 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Outside off, left alone. Too easy for van der Dussen. |
| 125.3 : S Broad to van der Dussen, This time Broad attacks the stumps but van der Dussen does well to prod forward and defend. |
| 125.4 : S Broad to van der Dussen, Again Broad sprays one outside off, not troubling van der Dussen. |
| 125.5 : S Broad to van der Dussen, OUT! CAUGHT! What has van der Dussen done here? It was a clear trap and Rassie has completely fallen for it. A leg gully was in place and the ball has gone straight to him. Broad sprays this one down the leg side, van der Dussen gets tempted and looks to flick. He does so but the ball goes very fine for his liking. Rassie turns and watches that Anderson is stationed there who takes an easy catch. Van der Dussen is in distraught and so are his teammates in the pa |
| Dwaine Pretorius replaces Rassie van der Dussen out in the middle. |
| 125.6 : S Broad to Pretorius, First ball to Pretorious, outside off. He has left it alone. |
| 126.1 : D Bess to Philander, Fuller and on middle, it is defended by Philander. |
| 126.2 : D Bess to Philander, Quicker one around off and middle, Philander defends it off the front foot. |
| 126.3 : D Bess to V Philander, Fuller and outside off, Philander drills it down the ground but the mid off fielder makes an excellent stop. |
| 126.4 : D Bess to Philander, Flatter one around off, pushed to mid off again. |
| 126.5 : D Bess to Philander, Full and on off, blocked out by Philander. |
| 126.6 : D Bess to Philander, Quicker one outside off, Philander lets it be. |
| 127.1 : S Broad to Pretorius, Fullish and on off, Pretorius defends it. |
| 127.2 : S Broad to Pretorius, Full and on middle this time, Pretorius gets solid behind the line of the delivery. |
| 127.3 : S Broad to Pretorius, Good length ball hits the crack and goes miles away as Pretorius lets it be. |
| 127.4 : S Broad to Pretorius, Back of a length ball down the leg side. Pretorius lets it be. |
| Second official warning for Stuart Broad as he runs on the danger area on the pitch. If he does so again, Broad will be taken off. |
| 127.5 : S Broad to Pretorius, Fuller and on off, pushed. |
| 127.6 : S Broad to Pretorius, Fullish and on off, it is blocked. |
| 128.1 : D Bess to Philander, Floated outside off, Philander tries to force it towards cover but misses. |
| 128.2 : D Bess to V Philander, Another one which is outside off, Philander again looks to go towards the off side but the ball goes off the inside half back towards the bowler. |
| 128.3 : D Bess to Philander, Floated ball on off, Philander drives it back to the bowler. |
| 128.4 : D Bess to Philander, Again Philander prods forward and does well to defend. |
| 128.5 : D Bess to Philander, Floated on middle, Vernon is doing superbly well to defend. |
| 128.6 : D Bess to Philander, This time Bess drags his length back, Philander goes back and defends. |
| Ben Stokes is back on. 19-5-34-0, his figures so far. |
| 129.1 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Very full and outside off, Pretorius will not fiddle with it. |
| 129.2 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Another full ball attacking the stumps, worked towards the leg side. |
| 129.3 : Stokes to Pretorius, Full ball just outside off, Pretorius defends it onto the ground. |
| 129.4 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Length ball on middle and off, Pretorius stands tall and blocks. |
| 129.5 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Another length ball outside off, Pretorius punches off the back foot. |
| 129.6 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Almost! Stokes getting closer! Length ball in the corridor of uncertainty outside off, Pretorius looks to drive but the ball goes past the outside edge. Misses it by a whisker. Another over negotiated by this pair. |
| 130.1 : D Bess to Philander, Floated on off, pitching on the rough. Vernon looks to defend but it hits the upper half of the bat and rolls to the leg side. |
| 0.0 : Two short leg fielders in place now. |
| 130.2 : D Bess to Philander, On middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 130.3 : D Bess to Philander, Full delivery on middle, Vernon drives it straight back to the bowler. |
| 130.4 : D Bess to Philander, On off, defended to silly point. |
| 130.5 : D Bess to Philander, FOUR! Bang! Flighted on off, Philander leans forward and drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 130.6 : D Bess to Philander, OHH! Floated on off, Vernon looks to defend but it takes the inside half of the bat and goes wide of the short leg fielder. |
| DRINKS! 15 more overs to go, and 3 wickets to go. The match stays is at a tantalising stage with so many factors in play. James Anderson has gone off injured, Stuart Broad already has 2 official warnings for running onto the danger area and Ben Stokes has run himself into the ground. Kumar Dharmasena signals the final hour is underway and Stokes will get us underway for it. Nervous times for both teams! |
| 131.1 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Back of a length ball down the leg side. Pretorius lets its be. |
| 131.2 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Almost! Almost! Stokes looks for the heavens as he cannot believe it. A good length ball outside off, seaming away. Pretorius can leave it alone easily but he pokes to get beaten. |
| 131.3 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Another ripper! Brilliant from Stokes. Another length ball, this is closer to the off pole. This time Pretorius has to play. He looks to defend but gets beaten again. |
| 131.4 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, That kept low! How did Pretorius manage to keep it out. A fullish length ball, hitting one of the cracks and keeping really low. Pretorius gets his bat down in time to block it out. |
| 131.5 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Beaten again! Another ball in the channel outside off, Pretorius once again looks to defend but misses out again. |
| 131.6 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, This time Pretorius keeps it out. |
| Rise up England fans, cheer us on... that is the word from skipper Joe Root!!! He is trying to extract each and every ounce of energy that he can get from every source possible. |
| 132.1 : D Bess to Philander, Quicker one around off, Philander keeps it out. |
| 132.2 : D Bess to Philander, Fuller and on off, it is defended. |
| 132.3 : D Bess to Philander, Fuller again and outside off, pushed to covers. |
| 132.4 : D Bess to Philander, Full and on off, Philander comes forward and keeps it out. |
| 132.5 : D Bess to Philander, Flighted fuller ball around off, pushed past the silly point fielder. |
| 132.6 : D Bess to Philander, Fuller and outside off, Philander pushes it to deep point and does not take a single. Why would he do that? Probably planning to play out the spinner himself and let Pretorius face Stokes. Interesting! |
| 133.1 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, Starts the over with a length ball on the hips, Dwaine defends it towards the leg side. |
| 133.2 : Ben Stokes to Pretorius, This time on the off pole line, Pretorius defends it towards the off side. |
| 133.3 : Ben Stokes to D Pretorius, OUT! CAUGHT! Another one goes down and England are jubilant! Everyone has come up to Stokes and are giving him a hug and why not! It was a low, low catch and Root has done extremely well to take it. Maybe this is the price that the South Africans have to pay for not rotating the strike when a single is on offer. Length ball in the corridor of uncertainty, Pretorius looks to defend but the ball goes off the outside edge low to the right of first slip where Root t |
| Anrich Nortje walks in. An Everest in front of him. 75 minimum balls to survive. |
| 133.4 : Ben Stokes to A Nortje, OUT! Caught! Oh dear! What a blinder from Crawley. Stokes you champion. Crawley you little beauty. A good length ball angled from wide of the crease. It pitches and shapes a hint away as Nortje looks to defend at it with hard hands. The ball takes the thick outside edge and goes to Crawley at third slip. It is traveling at him. He puts his right hand out to grab it but the ball does not stick and pops up. He keeps his eyes on the ball and sees it coming down. He th |
| Kagiso Rabada is the last man in. He will face the hat-trick ball. |
| 133.5 : Ben Stokes to Rabada, No hat-trick! An yorker attempt gone wrong and Stokes ends up dishing out a full toss. Rabada pushes it towards mid on. |
| 133.6 : Ben Stokes to Rabada, Shortish ball outside off, Rabada rides the bounce and taps it towards point. |
| 134.1 : D Bess to Philander, Floated outside off, defended towards the off side by Philander. |
| 134.2 : D Bess to Philander, Now tossed up closer to the off pole, Vernon prods forward and blocks. |
| 134.3 : D Bess to Philander, Bess goes a touch too straight and lands the ball on middle. Worked towards the leg side. |
| 134.4 : D Bess to Philander, Again outside off, Philander defends towards cover. |
| 134.5 : D Bess to Philander, Philander defends it from within the crease. Will be looking to retain strike for the next over. |
| 134.6 : D Bess to Philander, FOUR! Runs do not matter at this stage as the ball has crossed the boundary line and the strike will be with Rabada. Full ball on off, Philander softly drives but the ball trudges into the fence. |
| 135.1 : Ben Stokes to Rabada, Good length ball on middle and leg, Rabada looks to defend but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 135.2 : Ben Stokes to Rabada, Bouncer on middle and off, Rabada ducks under it. |
| 135.3 : Ben Stokes to Rabada, A very full ball on middle and leg, Rabada gets his bat down and turns the ball towards mid-wicket so that he can give the strike to the local boy Philander. |
| 135.4 : Ben Stokes to Philander, A length ball just outside off, Philander stays tall and defends. |
| 135.5 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Back of a length ball outside off, Philander makes an easy leave. |
| 135.6 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Over negotiated but the strike with Rabada now. Very full ball on middle and off, Philander blocks it out. |
| 136.1 : D Bess to Rabada, Floats a very full ball on middle, Rabada easily blocks it out. |
| 136.2 : D Bess to Rabada, Full again, Rabada pushes it back to the bowler. A bit uppish but does not carry. |
| 136.3 : D Bess to Rabada, Full again and on middle, pushed to covers. |
| 136.4 : D Bess to Rabada, Floated one on middle, Rabada keeps it out. |
| 136.5 : D Bess to Rabada, Fires this one outside off, Rabada strokes it through point. No one in the deep so an easy couple for Rabada. They don't matter though. |
| 136.6 : D Bess to Rabada, Almost another one! Fires this just outside off, Rabada pokes at it but misses. |
| 137.1 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Good length ball on off, defended. |
| 137.2 : Ben Stokes to Philander, In the channel outside off, Philander makes a leave now. The crowds getting into the act now as almost every ball is getting cheered. |
| 137.3 : Ben Stokes to Philander, Another length ball outside off, left alone by Philander. |
| 137.4 : Ben Stokes to V Philander, OUT! CAUGHT! Heartbreak for Vernon Philander and South Africa after coming so close. England have come out on top after what has been a riveting game. Stokes is the hero as he has harassed and dislodged three stubborn tailenders. Stokes bowls a length ball just outside off, Philander looks to fend at it and the ball goes off the splice of the bat and into the hands of Ollie Pope at gully who takes the catch. What a great advert this has been for Test cricket! EN |
| Wow! What a Test match we have witnessed! A match surely to remember for a long time. Stokes you beauty! Brilliant! England deserve every bit of it. At Tea, it looked like Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen would bat out the session and settle for the draw but England persisted and it paid off in the end. It all started with the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen who threw them away. Philander and Pretorius held fort for some time but then, it was the Ben Stokes show as |
| The second innings did not start well for the visitors. Elgar and Malan stood tall and gave a good start to the South Africans. Even Elgar's wicket did not stop the Proteas. Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock gave a fight but once the latter fell, England pounced upon that opportunity and finished things off quickly for the visitors. Despite Anderson being injured almost throughout the final session, the other bowlers bowled brilliantly especially Stokes in the end. He was the one with the three |
| The hosts, on the other hand, started well. They blocked whatever was thrown at them but maybe an extremely defensive approach hurt them. Pieter Malan was the star for them with a brilliant 84 on his debut in the second innings. He along with Rassie van der Dussen, who played 140 balls for his 17 looked the most comfortable batters out there. The Proteas skipper would be disappointed with himself as he threw his wicket away. Just when de Kock and van der Dussen were making things look easy, the |
| So, a summary of this Test match overall. South Africa put in a good performance in the first innings with the ball as they restricted England to only 269 with Nortje, Rabada and Philander being the pick of the bowlers. England responded even better with Anderson and Broad being the pick of the bowlers. Anderson picked up a 5-fer as they got a lead of 46. Dominic Sibley, then in the second bout, registered his maiden Test ton and contributions from Big Ben and others gave a target of 438 to the |
| Stuart Broad is down for a chat with Shaun Pollock. He starts by saying that this win is a special one and mentions that the crowd has been exceptional in this game. Reckons South Africa played brilliantly too but felt that they knew that they needed one magic moment and things will change. On the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen, Broad says that he did not plan that ball, adds that he actually sprayed down the leg side unintentionally and luckily it got him the big wicket. Tells that the wicket |
| Zak Crawley is down for a quick chat with Pommie Mbangwa. He starts by saying that it was an exceptional game. On Stokes' performance, says that he was very good. On the catch of Nortje, Crawley says that it came really quickly at him and the ball popped up. Feels he was lucky there as it went up and he managed to pouch it with his other hand. Dominic Sibley comes to talk to Mbangwa now. He says that it's an amazing win. On things not going their way, Sibley says that before this session, things |
| Quinton de Kock is now down for a chat with Shaun Pollock. De Kock starts by saying that the boys fought hard but credits the English bowlers for a superb performance. Tells that they tried to take the game as deep as they could. On his wicket, he says that it felt really bad. Tells that he will try to stay away from the game for a couple of days and then regroup for the next game. On Philander's last game at Newlands, and eventually his retirement post the series, de Kock says that he is a spec |
| South Africa skipper, Faf du Plessis, says that they fought and fought throughout the game and it is unfortunate that there has to be a winner. Credits England for coming at them relentlessly. Tells that with the series level now, the next game is going to be an exciting one. Praises Malan's effort and feels that the transition phase is always worrying but Malan's effort helps the team in such a phase. Tells that he does not mind losing here as they fought really hard in this game. On the condit |
| England skipper, Joe Root, starts by saying that it was a great game of cricket. Tells that they believed every minute of the game that they could win the game and thanks the crowd for coming in large numbers. Tells that South Africa made things difficult for them but their 12th man, the crowd, was brilliant. On the bounce back after the defeat, Root feels that they had individual players standing up for him during tough situations. Feels that Stokes' impact once again helped them in this game. |
| BEN STOKES IS NAMED MAN OF THE MATCH. He tries to drag Sibley with him as he wants to share the award with him but he pulls himself away from Stokes. Ben starts by saying that he came in to bowl in a do-or-die situation. Tells that Sibley deserves a lot of credit too. On his own performance, Stokes says that credit should be given to the whole group for the way they played the in entire game. On the catch by Crawley, Stokes says that he felt that it would go over but he did well to latch onto it |
| Woah, That brings us to the end of a Test match which will be remembered for a long time. The pendulum swung from England to South Africa a lot of times but it is England who in the end run away with the points. 30 to be precise in the ICC World Test championship. That's not all from this exciting series though. The caravan now moves to Port Elizabeth for the Third Test match. It will begin on 16th of January at 1000 Local (0800 GMT). Until then, ciao! |
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