Published: Jul 28, 2017, 08:29 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 28, 2017, 08:46 PM (IST)
It’s advantage England at tea on Day Two against South Africa. Riding on Ben Stokes’ century, England were dismissed for 353 in 103.2 overs. In reply, South Africa are 18 for 1 at tea; trailing by 335 runs. The final session will set the tone of the penultimate Test. If South Africa collapse under conditions akin for seamers, the pendulum will swing towards England. On the other hand, a resilient performance with the willow will keep South Africa in the hunt.
England resumed the post-lunch session at 269 for 6. They met with an early jolt when Moeen Ali fell for 16. Morne Morkel once again provided his side with a vital scalp. The ball dipped in and Moeen was late to bring his bat down. All he managed was a faint edge and Quinton de Kock did the rest behind the stumps. South Africa took a successful review and removed the left-hander straightaway after lunch.
With Moeen sitting back in the hut, South Africa had the advantage of rattling England below 350. Nonetheless, debutant Toby Roland-Jones stuck with Stokes from one end. The duo added an important 37-run stand to take the score over 300. Roland-Jones contributed with a run-a-ball 25 studded with 4 fours and a six. It was a chancy innings. He got fours off balls targeted on his pads and on the short-pitched deliveries. Stokes, on the other hand, was on 79 at the time of Jones’ dismissal.
The onus was now on Stokes, and he responded with a brutal late onslaught. He showed application in the initial part of his innings and took the aerial route with wickets tumbling from the opposite end. Three back-t0-back sixes took him to his fifth Test century. He fell for a 153-ball 112 as England folded for 353, a challenging score in overcast conditions. The beauty of Stokes’ knock was that he got the runs playing proper shots, and changed gears significantly when required. It was a mixture of timing and sheer power.
South African openers, Dean Elgar and Heino Kuhn, were cautious in their brief stay before the former fell in the last over before tea. There was a faint edge from his bat and Roland-Jones picked up his first scalp in Test cricket.
South Africa were pushed back on the field with Vernon Philander not bowling post lunch. A stomach bug ruled him out of action for most parts of Day One. According to reports he has been taken to the hospital to determine the precise nature of his condition.
Brief scores:
England 353 all-out (Alastair Cook 88, Ben Stokes 112, Jonny Bairstow 36; Morne Morkel 3 for 70, Kagiso Rabada 3 for 85, Vernon Philander 2 for 32) lead South Africa 18 for 1 (Dean Elgar 8, Heino Kuhn 10*; Toby Roland-Jones 1 for 5) by 335 runs.
