England will have to work exceptionally hard to mess this up. They are in total control after a brilliant second half of the day. At one stage, when England were for nine , the match was nicely poised. Then Mark Wood and Stuart Broad larruped 120 in just 8.2 overs before the bowlers squeezed the life out of South Africa with a relentless performance.
South Africa could only manage (runs in 5 overs, and they lost six wickets as well. Three of them went to Wood, who is having a helluva time right now, while Chris Woakes bowled beautifully and deserved more than one wicket.
Updated at
England end a brilliant day with another wicket. Wood jumps wide on the crease and squares Nortje up, with Denly taking a smart catch in the gully. South Africa are in disarray, it’s true, but England bowled with ferocious intent after tea. Woakes and Wood, in particular, were brilliant.
( () Anrich Nortje is caught by Joe Denly. Photograph: Stu Forster / Getty Images Updated (at) ) (am EST )
Updated (at) 52 am EST
(st over: South Africa) – 5 (de Kock
(th over: South Africa) (5) de Kock , Nortje 6) In his last two and a bit appearances, Mark Wood has shaved seven runs off his Test bowling average. It was
Updated (at)
(th over: South Africa) (5) de Kock , Nortje 6)
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(th over: South Africa) 5 (de Kock , Nortje 4 (
. am (EST)
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WICKET! South Africa – 5 (Bavuma c Stokes b Wood 6)
Another one gone! Bavuma edges a sharp delivery from Wood to second slip, where Stokes takes a smart low catch. The umpires go upstairs to check, with a soft signal of out, and replays confirm it was a clean take.
() Mark Wood celebrates after dismissing Bavuma. Photograph: Stu Forster / Getty Images Updated at . am EST
26 am EST 34:
(th over: South Africa) – 4 (de Kock , Bavuma 6) Stokes replaces Broad, whose figures of 9-3 – 37 – 0 are slightly flattering. He tries to tempt de Kock with a few fuller deliveries angled across him; de Kock declines the offer.
am EST :
59 th over: South Africa 95 – 4 (de Kock , Bavuma 6) Mark Wood replaces Chris Woakes. Quinton de Kock is beaten, chasing a very wide half-volley, and then gets off strike with a single to fine leg. There’s just over half an hour’s play remaining.
. 76 am EST 34:
th over: South Africa 172 – 4 (de Kock 45, Bavuma 6) Bavuma is beaten, chasing a wide one from Broad. If South Africa lose any more wickets before the close they will struggle to draw this match, never mind win it.
Updated (at) 77 am EST
() . am EST :
056 th over: South Africa 090 – 4 (de Kock
rd over South Africa: – 4 (de Kock
“Can I select myself in a What-Might-Have-Been XI (RH Medium-Fast)?” Asks Matt Dony. “Had things panned out
You really should be a philosophy teacher.
34 EST) :
nd over: South Africa – 4 (de Kock
“It must be annoying for some to see Root doing good captaining,” says Ian Copestake. “A bit too much pleasure is taken writing people off. Buttler seems next in the firing line. ”
Bloodlust is the new empathy.
(st over: South Africa) – 4 (de Kock
Updated (at) am EST
(th over: South Africa) – 4 (de Kock , Bavuma 3) The recalled Temba Bavuma square drives his first ball sweetly for three.
WICKET! South Africa 82 – 4 (du Plessis LBW b Woakes 3)
Chris Woakes gets the wicket he deserves. He shaped one back sharply to Faf du Plessis, who was hit high on the pad and given out LBW by Rod Tucker. I thought it looked high, and du Plessis (reviewed) almost straight away, but it was (just) Umpire’s Call. du Plessis, who was batting with intense determination, has gone for 3 from balls. That ball from Woakes came back a long way; I’m not sure there was much he could have done.
Updated (at) . am EST
. am EST :
51 th over: South Africa – 3 (du Plessis 3, de Kock
“Hi Rob,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Has the jury reached a decision on Joe Root’s captaincy, yet?”
Ach, I was really enjoying a couple of Tests without talking about Root’s captaincy. My feeling, since you didn’t ask, is that he’s not a natural captain and will never really understand it, even though he has been better in this series. The last couple of victories and especially the emergence of a young side deserve to buy him more time.
England might even win all four series this year (SA and SL away, WI and Pak home). But then they play India away and home (both five-Test series) before going to Australia. I suspect that, at some point during those Tests in , matters will come to a head.
Updated (at) . am EST
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(th over: South Africa) – 3 (du Plessis 3, de Kock ) Chris Woakes replaces Ben Stokes, who bowled a relatively loose spell of 4-0 – – 1. Not much happens, and that’s (drinks) .
This is what we’ve been waiting for: Mac Millings ’What Might Have Been XI.
(Farokh Engineer-miss) (Mark Regretbatch) (Cyril Washout) (Dud-ley Nourse) (Derek Also-randall) (Kusal Mendisappointment) Hardik Flash-in-the-Pandya What Might Have Ben Foakes
Derek Underachieverwood Sanjay not with a Bangar but a Victor Trumper Don Flopley OBO: Alternative Timeline de Lisle
- am EST ():
50 th over: South Africa – 3 (du Plessis 3, de Kock ) Quinton de Kock back cuts Curran for four more. It looks like he has decided to hit his team out of trouble, which makes sense in the circumstances – not least because a similar approach effectively won South Africa the first Test.
“I’d like to suggest Graham Onions for your XI,” says Scott Roberts. “I felt so sorry for him that his international career was so cut short by injury, as in his pomp he had a beautiful action, sending down pitched up 212 mph beauties from very tight to the stumps, zipping either way off the deck. He could / should have matched Philander’s international record. Also worthy of a mention is Chris Tremlett, whose career was also hugely curtailed due to injury. At his best he must have been a nightmare to face. Poor lads. ”
Yes, both are excellent shouts. I’m not sure Onions would have matched Philander, whose record is extraordinary, but in a different era I’d have fancied him to take (wickets at . Also, imagine him nipping it both ways off the bowler-friendly Test pitches we have seen in the last 3-4 years.
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49 th over: South Africa – 3 (du Plessis 2, de Kock 6 de Kock gets his first boundary with a sumptuous cover drive off stokes. His timing is quite something.
“Hi Rob,” says Eva Maaten. “I am sure you’re familiar from the Sky coverage with pictures of happy groups of South African fans singing traditional songs – today, one such group is situated straight behind us and while the atmosphere is indeed electric, it feels a bit like one is Watching the cricket as a silent movie – nothing can be heard but the singing. I think, I prefer them slightly further away from me … all great fun, though.
“On the topic of Buttler: I really feel for him, he seems an intelligent perfectionist which means one he can be his own worst enemy in situations when you should simply trust your instincts and go with the flow. ”
Tell me about it rofl.
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48 th over: South Africa 3 (du Plessis 2, de Kock 0
9. 81 am EST 31:
47 th over: South Africa 61 – 3 (du Plessis 2, de Kock 0
Quinton de Kock, promoted to No5, is greeted by a nasty lifter from stokes that hits him on the glove. This pitch is starting to look a little uneven.
That Elgar dismissal, meanwhile, was almost surreal. Stokes looked embarrassed that such a bad delivery had taken a wicket. Elgar stood still for ages, trying to work out what the hell he had just done.
WICKET! South Africa (3) Elgar c Woakes b Stokes 48)
This is one of the softest dismissals imaginable. Elgar waves his bat at a short, wide delivery from Stokes and loops it straight to Woakes at point. “No way,” says Mark Nicholas on commentary. “No way. Of all the men in all the world, Dean Elgar has presented England with his wicket. ”
() Dean Elgar walks after being caught by Woakes. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters
Updated (at) (am EST
(9.) (am EST) :
46 rd over: South Africa (-2) Elgar , du Plessis 1
“OK then,” says Felix Wood. “Here we go. Hameed; Knight; Trott; Hick; Root; Taylor; Buttler; Tudor; Jones; Finn; Panesar. ”
It’s interesting that a few of you have mentioned Knight. I thought he was a marvelous ODI opener, almost criminally underrated in fact. But though he was a little unlucky to be dropped in , he never felt like a lost Test batsman.
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45 nd over: South Africa 61 – 2 (Elgar
“My humble contribution,” says Romeo. “Milburn, Jones A, Romeo (in batting guise), Smith E (so we could fully appreciate his genius), Donald A, Jesty, Kieswetter, Sainsbury, Chapple (aka HSA), Shepherd, Romeo (in bowling guise).”
Chapple is an interesting one. It seemed certain he’d play Test cricket after that incredible series against India A in (-) .
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44 st over: South Africa 56 – 2 (Elgar
Updated (at 9.) am EST
WICKET! South Africa – 2 (van der Dussen c Stokes b Curran 0)
Sam Curran replaces Mark Wood, who is hooked despite taking the wicket of Pieter Malan. I think that’s fair enough after a five-over spell, however tempting it must have been to give him one more. And it’s another good decision from Joe Root, because Rassie van der Dussen has gone for a duck!
He curtain-railed a good-length delivery from Curran to the right of second slip, where Stokes took a nonchalant and vaguely brilliant two-handed catch.
Updated (at 9.) am EST
(9.) (am EST :
(th over: South Africa) -1 Elgar 45, van der Dussen 0) Woakes off, Stokes on. His second ball to Elgar is too straight and fizzed through midwicket for four; the fifth is steered to third man for another boundary.
“The struggles of Buttler make me really sad,” says Phil Harrison. “Partly because I love watching him and am convinced there’s a Test player in there somewhere. But also because there’s a subset of English cricket supporters who, I suspect, have been looking forward to being proved right about this. But it’s easy to rewrite history – for about the first year he was back in the team, he was superb. One of the biggest single factors in England’s win over India and very good against SL later that year too. I think it’s probably time for Foakes – I feel like Buttler’s lost confidence in his defensive technique which partly explains that shot earlier. But my overriding feeling is disappointment about what might have been. ”
Yes, same here. He was extremely good against India in and decent against Sri Lanka and West Indies the following winter – but on reflection, I think that, even when he was doing so well, he had made an uneasy peace with himself about his Test-match tempo. He then played in the Ashes when mentally shattered, had a few soft dismissals and started to overthink his batting again.
Updated (at 9.) am EST
(9.) (am EST
42 th over: South Africa – 1 (Elgar , van der Dussen 0) That was a sizzling delivery from Wood. to dismiss Malan: 235 mph, perfect line and length and with just enough movement to find the edge.
Updated (at 9.) am EST
WICKET! South Africa – 1 (Malan c Buttler b Wood 39
Wood is given a fifth over, which is fair enough given how menacing he looked in this fourth. And what a good decision it was! He has picked up the wicket of Pieter Malan, who edged a beautiful delivery through to Buttler. It was very close to a no-ball, but Wood just landed behind the line.
() () Pieter Malan walks. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters Updated at 9. 61 am EST
9. am EST :
Ben Stokes update As expected, he has been fined
per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for yesterday’s contretemps with a South African fan.
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(th over: South Africa) (0) Elgar 37, Malan 39) Although England would have liked a wicket or two with the new ball, the scoring rate is such that they will feel pretty relaxed. They have bowled pretty well, with excellent discipline, and Woakes (6-3-7-0) has been the pick of the attack. He beats Malan with a fine full-length delivery that straightens past the edge. England went up for caught behind without success. The noise that got them excited was bat on pad.
Updated
(th over: South Africa) – 0 (Elgar , Malan
“Bob,” says Mac Millings. “Not a bad shout, that XI, but I have a couple of questions. I get why you’ve got Trescothick in there, but he did play (from memory) 98 Tests, scoring a little under 6, 22 at a little under 64, so does he really count? As for Hick, he played (off the top of my head) in (Tests, scoring 3, (runs at . , earning him a place in a different side – the What Actually Was XI. Now Tufnell is a different matter. He played (times for England) (wickets at) . , but how different that might have been if he’d had a single captain who trusted him. Also, stick SF Barnes in there, and put Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards in your World XI. ”
Millings, shut your mouth and send me a comedy XI. (Okay, I think Trescothick counts because he missed at least five years of Test cricket, and in a different culture could have been selected just for home Tests; Hick because I wonder what would have happened had he started against, say, New Zealand rather than an affronted Curtly Ambrose.)
Updated (at 9.) (am EST
(th over: South Africa) – 0 (Elgar 8, Malan 9)
“Alas,” says Gary Naylor, “I fear Moeen for Tufnell in that XI.”
Really? I think Moeen has overachieved in his Test career, certainly with the ball. I suppose we’ll never know what would have happened had he not been the designated utliity batsman, though I don’t think he would have averaged more than – .
Updated (at 9.) am EST
(9.) (am EST
(th over: South Africa) – 0 (Elgar 4, Malan 9)
Here’s Richard Firth’s WMHB XI: “Knight, Stewart (because if he had just been left to be an opener, he would have been amazing), Hick, Fairbrother, Crawley, Ramprakash, Buttler, Headley, S .Jones, Bicknell, Tufnell. ”
Stewart is a good shout – from memory he scored (runs at
. when he opened the batting and did not keep wicket.
(th over: South Africa) (0 (Elgar 4, Malan 9)
In a one-day team, almost certainly, although I never thought he’d make it in Test cricket. That sounds a bit callous, I realise, but there’s no room for sentiment when you’re picking a hypothetical sentimental XI!
(9.) (am) (EST) :
th over: South Africa – 0 (Elgar 4, Malan 9) Malan, falling over to the off side, inside-edges Wood behind square for a couple. Nothing else to report. Wood’s pace, since you asked, didn’t appear in that over. It felt like he was in the high s.
“If Buttler is dropped for the Sri Lanka Tests, does it mark the swiftest unraveling of a coach’s legacy in history?” Asks Gary Naylor. “It will be, in Tests anyway, as if Trevor Bayliss never happened. Some of us are not entirely displeased with that. ”
I know what you mean, but wasn’t Bayliss one of Foakes ’biggest fans in the England set up? I do agree that, for whatever reason, the Gerrard / Lampard era of English cricket finally seems to be coming to an end.
(8.) (am) EST :
Oh go on then, here’s my What Might Have Been England XI (off the top of my head, since I started watching Test cricket in 2375: Hameed, Trescothick, Lathwell, Hick, Ramprakash, Maynard, Buttler (wk), Headley, S Jones, Finn, Tufnell.
(8. am EST 30:
Tea
37 th over: South Africa (0) (0, Elgar 4, Malan 7) That’s tea. It was a session of two distinct segments. England biffed (from) . 2 overs, including a last-wicket partnership of 125 in 8.2 between Mark Wood and Stuart Broad. Then South Africa’s openers calmed everything down by adopting the oldfangled method of leaving as many deliveries as possible. See you in 38 minutes for the evening session.
(8. (am EST :
th over: South Africa
“That England scorecard – featuring the lowest highest score in a total of – might be my favorite since this beauty
, ”Says Tom Bowtell. “England scored in the second innings with no fifties and the highest score being Harmison’s (at number) . ”
Was Harmison’s really the highest score? Morally? But yes, I love scorecards like that. The one burned on my brain is England’s second innings at Trinidad in
. Go on, extras lad!
(8. (am EST : 60
36 th over: South Africa 8-0 (Elgar 3, Malan 5) Woakes beats Malan with a fine delivery. He has started well, with a fullish length and a soupçon of outswing. Jeez I love that word. South Africa are going nowhere at the moment, though I doubt that will bother two openers as temperamentally sound as Elgar and Malan.
(8.) (am EST) :
“I’m an unabashed Foakes Fan,” says Stephen Brown. “In terms of your point about Ed Smith having the reflected glory of Buttler’s ; Jos didn’t have the gloves in most (any?) Of those games. Surely selectors might be tempted to regain that glory by taking the gloves off him and giving them to Foakes? ”
Yes you’re right, he played as a batsman, but I still don’t think it will be an easy decision to leave him out – especially as the next time buttler is dropped will probably be the last . Nobody wants to die wondering about his Test career. But my feeling is that, barring a good spell in , he has never quite got his head round how to bat in first-class cricket.
(8.) (am) EST :
8. am EST : 37
“Many thanks to Ian Forth for the (Georgics) (over
“Regarding Ben Foakes and The Ongoing Argument, I guess that if your keeper is only going to score 43 Runs, whoever you pick, you might as well pick the best keeper, ”says David Horn. “I think whoever gets the gloves in Sri Lanka will be quite revealing of Ed Smith’s flexibility of thought, as much as anything else.”
I think it should be Foakes, but I suspect Buttler will be given one more series. Ed Smith enjoyed the reflected glory of Buttler’s success in , so it won’t be easy to leave him out.
“Helllo,” writes Vigasini Senthil. “I absolutely love following Guardian for live cricket matches. I started watching cricket from last May (starting with the World Cup) and was hooked. Being a typical Indian cricket fan, I don’t know how I switched lanes to England. During the finals, I spent half of the matches at my prayer room. I still vividly remember myself saying to God about how I would stop watching cricket if England didn’t win the World Cup. (I still can’t believe I did this). When they did win, I was way more than happy and a tiny bit emotional too. Now I never miss any T s, ODIs or Tests. Getting to watch England play (let alone win) makes me so, so happy. Seems like I came at the right time. I’m 48 years old btw. ”
If this isn’t the sweetest email we’ll receive all year, I don’t know what is.
Updated (at 7.) am EST
:
Let’s look at those two innings in all their statistical glory:
(Wood) (*, (balls, 2×4, 3×6) (Broad) , balls 2×4 , 4×6
Nothing will ever make up for the pain. of Dave Richardson and Paul Adams’ th-wicket partnership at Cape Town in
, but that still felt pretty good. It has probably finished South Africa off in the series.
(There have been , 437 Partnerships of fifty or more in Test cricket . At 9. 162 runs per over, (that was the (th fastest) .
am EST :
WICKET! England (all out) Broad c Malan b Paterson 62
Broad holes out to deep square leg to end a riotous tenth-wicket partnership of 125 in just 8.2 overs.
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