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England vs South Africa, 3rd Men’s Test, Day 2 highlights: Ben Stokes-Toby Roland-Jones show and other moments

South Africa are under the pump in the penultimate Test versus England at Oval.

user-circle cricketcountry.com Written by Cricket Country Staff
Published: Jul 28, 2017, 11:44 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 28, 2017, 11:44 PM (IST)

© Getty Images
© Getty Images

England have tightened their screws in the penultimate Test of the four-match series against South Africa, at The Oval. After posting a healthy 353, debutant Toby Roland-Jones‘ 4 for 39 has put England on top with the visitors reeling at 126 for 8 at stumps on Day Two. South Africa were blown away by Ben Stokes‘ well-crafted knock, Vernon Philander’s absence and Roland-Jones’ debut show. They now have a steep task ahead in the match. Let us walk through some of the key moments from the day’s play:

Cook falls short by 12 runs

Day One had witnessed persistent rains leading to several halts in the passage of play. England lost wickets after the breaks, but Alastair Cook never seemed bothered. He was quick on the back-foot, pushed the balls in the gaps and stood firm from one end. As a result, he scored almost half of the runs in the opening day. He was looking set for another hundred, but fell to Morne Morkel for 88 on Friday morning.

The ball dipped slightly and Cook had no evidence of the bat. As a result, he was trapped lbw, 12 runs short of a ton.

Is Stokes the best all-rounder at present?

After Cook, the onus lied on Ben Stokes. He had Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali to rely upon. Stokes looked confident, playing on the front-foot and coming to the pitch of the ball. He timed his strokes and applied himself in the middle. He shared a 75-run stand with Bairstow and steered the team total to over 300 with Roland-Jones. With wickets tumbling from one end, Stokes shifted gears and resorted to power to register his 5th century.

Stokes displayed class with some lusty drives, flicks and pull off the blade. The fag end of his innings comprised of 4 sixes to add vital runs down the order and take the total over 350.

Philander’s woes:

With only 59 overs possible on Day One, South Africa had a grip on the game courtesy Philander’s twin strikes. However, he suffered from stomach bug for most part of the opening day and was out of action. The story remained the same on Friday as well. He bowled a couple of overs in the morning session but was sent to the hospital for further diagnosis. South Africa missed their premier bowler as Stokes spoiled their plans by posting a challenging score on board.

Toby Roland-Jones’ show:

In pursuit of 353, South Africa knew they had a task in hand. Nonetheless, they would have never imagined debutant Roland-Jones rattling their line-up. He removed Dean Elgar with the last ball before tea. A faint edge got rid of Elgar for 8.

Roland-Jones then dismissed Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock in quick succession. He pitched the balls in the right channel, got the inswingers and resorted to a good length. He made batsmen play and dipped the ball to rattle their concentration.

With enough swing, seam and bounce on offer, the England pacers made small task of the South African batsmen. James Anderson and Stokes joined in the fun and dented visitors further. Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada showed some spunk, adding 53. Nonetheless, they are staring down the barrel at Stumps on Day Two, trailing by 227 runs (28 to avoid follow-on). They have a humongous task to inject competition in the contest.

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