NEWLANDS, CAPE TOWN, January 3 (ANA) – South Africa’s demoralised Proteas are making a valiant attempt to post at least a respectable first innings total which stood at 141/2 (43.0 overs) against tourists England when stumps were drawn on the second day of the second Test in the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy series at PPC Newlands on Sunday.
Faced with a monumental task of checking rampant England, the Proteas suffered early setbacks, the first of which materialised when opener Stiaan van Zyl (4) was run out and the SA innings was reduced to 7/1 (2.3 overs).
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla brought a measure of composure to the innings but their partnership ended 22 overs later when Ben Stokes, England’s New Zealand-born paceman, struck in his fourth over. Elgar (44) was snapped up with a diving catch by Nick Compton at backward point off Stoke and the SA innings was left tottering at 85/2 (24.5 overs).
Moments later there was a huge let-off for the Proteas when their No 4 bat AB De Villiers (5 not out at the time) was dropped by second slipper Joe Root off James Anderson at the start of the 29th over.
Amla (64*) and De Villiers (25*) guided the SA innings to stumps on the second day without further damage on the Newlands featherbed and will resume their rescue effort on Monday morning with the Proteas still trailing by 488 runs on the first innings.
Foremost in the minds of the Proteas on Monday will be reaching the follow-on target which stands at 429 runs.
Earlier, the Proteas’ humiliation in the field under the scorching Newlands sun finally came to an end 126 overs later in the second session when England declared – mercifully – their first innings closed at 629/6 (125.5 overs).
England brought up the 600-run mark 12 overs (124 overs) after lunch and there was a feeling then that a declaration would be in order and spare the Proteas further humiliation. But the brutal onslaught on the SA bowling attack persisted a bit longer before England made the declaration (125.5 overs), which was prompted by Jonny Bairstow reaching a Test career-high 150.
Two balls before England declared, the colossal sixth-wicket partnership of 399 runs from 57.4 overs between Bairstow and Ben Stokes (258) ended in comical fashion. Stokes skied a Kagiso Rabada delivery and De Villiers, fielding at mid-on, dropped a catch that would have been easy by his standards. Stokes appeared to have accepted his fate and briefly stopped his run to the non-strikers’ end.
De Villiers, however, had the presence of mind to shy at the stumps and Stokes was well short.
Stokes’ innings was, however, the story of the day. He bludgeoned 258 runs (11 towering sixes, 30 fours) on his way to the second fastest double ton in Test history.
When he progressed from 74 at the close on Saturday to 204* at lunch on Sunday, the 130-run advance marked the most runs by a batsman in the first session of a Test, and the highest individual score by an England No 6 batsman.
His sixth wicket stand with Bairstow yielded 399 runs and marked the fastest triple century partnership in Test cricket. – African News Agency (ANA)
