Stokes double leaves South Africa reeling in third Test

LONDON: Ben Stokes took two wickets in two balls to leave England eyeing victory in the third Test against South Africa at The Oval.

South Africa were 117 for four at stumps on the fourth day on Sunday, needing a further 375 runs to reach a colossal target of 492 – the most made to win in the fourth innings of a Test is the West Indies’ 418 for seven against Australia at St John’s in 2003.

One consolation for the Proteas was the fight shown by Dean Elgar (72 not out) and Temba Bavuma (16 not out), who kept England at bay after joining forces with their side in dire trouble at 52 for four.

“(Hashim) Amla and (Quinton) de Kock are probably the two wickets we look at as being the main ones for us to try and get on a roll, so it’s nice to see the back of those two already – they’re in form and two really good players,” Stokes told Sky Sports.

“But we’ve got two fighters still at the wicket at the moment, in Elgar and Bavuma, so hopefully...we can get them out early on (Monday),” he added.

The 100th Test at The Oval is turning into a personal triumph for Stokes after he laid the platform for England’s dominant position with 112 in a first-innings total of 353.

“Today, he bowled as quickly as I’ve seen him bowl,” said Stuart Broad of Stokes, with the England new ball-veteran comparing a return of two for 29 in eight overs to the kind of fiery display he used to witness at first-hand from Andrew Flintoff.

“It felt like one of those intimidating spells that Flintoff used to bowl – just heavy, and at the batsman,” added Broad, who removed South Africa opener Heino Kuhn after England captain Joe Root declared his side’s second innings on 313 for eight at tea. — AFP