No guts, no glory
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, GRITTY OPENER RISES TO OCCASION Left-hander scores seventh Test hundred to get Proteas out of jail on first day in Dunedin.
Dean Elgar has described his seventh Test century on the opening day of the first Test match against New Zealand at the University Oval in Dunedin yesterday as one of the ‘‘toughest’’ of his 33-match career.
The gritty left-handed opener batted for eight hours, faced 262 balls of unrelenting pressure from a disciplined Black Caps attack– who also bowled 30 maidens – to reaffirm his status as a resolute and mentally tough player. He resurrected the Proteas’ innings together with captain Faf du Plessis (52) after they were reeling at 22/3 and was unbeaten on 128 when stumps were drawn with the score at 229/4.
“It was right up there as one of the toughest days of Test cricket so far in my career,” Elgar said after putting up an unbeaten 81run stand for the fifth wicket with Temba Bavuma (38*).
“Their bowlers are quality. Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and a guy who had a lot of success in the ODI series, Jeetan Patel. It was hard graft; we knew that if we gave them an hour things would maybe settle down and we could open the scoring. They bowled well on a wicket that didn’t really assist them too much, their discipline was very good.’’
Elgar has made it a habit of scoring game-changing hundreds under pressure, earlier this year the Proteas were 66/3 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town before his 129 led the recovery, and it was his 316-ball 127 against Australia in Perth last year that helped to tip the scales in a tight contest.
His hundred in Dunedin is his third century in 10 knocks by far the most consistent period in his career since making his debut in Perth in 2012.
“This game is a mental game and you need to use it in your favour. It worked out that it was one of those situations where you had to scrap it out and fight it out and not think about yourself. For once you had to think about the bigger picture, that was the team, and what the team needed at that moment.
“I’m not very talented and free-scoring like other guys, so you have to use your advantage, that is obviously my ability to try and guts it out and grind it.”
Wagner rocked the Proteas with two early blows as Stephen Cook (3), Hashim Amla (1) and JP Duminy (1) all fell before lunch.