Cooks’ fifty helps England tighten grip on first Test

LONDON:Alastair Cook’s unbeaten fifty strengthened England’s grip on the first Test at Lord’s after South Africa had to toil in the field without Vernon Philander on Saturday.

England were 119 for one in their second innings at stumps on the third day, a lead of 216 runs in this opening match of a four-Test series. Cook was 59 not out, after more than three hours of typically painstaking effort, with fellow left-hander Gary Ballance unbeaten on 22.

Experienced paceman Philander did not bowl a single one of the 51 overs the Proteas sent down Saturday, after going for an X-ray on a hand injury suffered when he was hit by James Anderson while making 52 in South Africa’s first innings 361 earlier in the day.

It was a worrying absence for the Proteas given they are already without Kagiso Rabada, another member of their pace attack, for next week’s second Test at Trent Bridge after he was banned for verbally abusing Ben Stokes on Thursday.

South Africa, with Dean Elgar leading the side in the absence of Faf du Plessis on paternity leave, wasted their two reviews in the first 80 overs on Cook.

Both times they challenged what seemed, even with the naked eye, sound not out decisions by the umpires in response to lbw appeals. Cook was still on his tea score of 31 when wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock missed a stumping chance off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.