Ben stars in fast show
...and looks just like Fred
TALISMAN Ben Stokes roars with delight after taking two wickets in two balls to put England on the brink of victory in the third Test against South Africa. The celebration was uncannily similar to that of another great England all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff (left). Stuart Broad said it was the fastest spell of bowling he had seen from Stokes, and compared the pace and hostility to Flintoff in his pomp. ‘The slips were really impressed, and it felt like one of those intimidating spells that Flintoff used to bowl — heavy, and always at the batsmen,’ Broad said. Stokes removed Quinton de
Kock and Faf du Plessis with successive deliveries as the tourists — set an improbable 492 for victory — lost three wickets for five runs last night before recovering to close on 117 for four.
Broad, who had got the innings off to the perfect start by bowling Heino Kuhn for 11, said: ‘He bowled as quick as I’ve seen him bowl. He had the wind behind him, his tail was up and the bouncer that hit Dean Elgar early in his spell fired him up. When Stokesy gets that momentum it’s great to see.
‘ He’s a better cricketer when he’s in a battle, and he dragged the team with him. It was a great spell for us to get those two key players.’
Had Keaton Jennings caught Elgar at third slip off Jimmy Anderson when he had only nine, England might have finished the day in an even stronger position.
Instead, Elgar battled to a gutsy 72, and Broad admitted: ‘Ideally we’d have liked one more wicket cket tonight. That last ast hour South Africa a batted really well. But you back yourself to get six wickets on a day-five pitch.’
Stokes himself was left to regret a missed opportunity uatng to take a hattrick. After yorking the dangerous De Kock, he trapped Du Plessis leg before as South Africa’s captain shouldered arms fatally for the second time in the Test. But his next ball failed to trouble Temba Bavuma.
‘I tried to bowl the same ball I got Faf with, and it’s amazing how often the hat-trick ball can be rubbish,’ he said. ‘We’ve left ourselves enough time and hopefully we can go on to win.’ The South African camp, meanwhile, were talking up their chances of an escape that would rival any they have achieved in their Test history. ‘We are in a bit of a hole, but we will fight and we’ve fought before,’ said assistant coach Adrian Birrell. ‘We’veWe’v got belief and it’s quite a buoyant chchanging room. IIt’s not all doom aand gloom. There is hope.’ Asked about the dismissal of DDu Plessis, who hhas made only onone run in this gamgame, Birrell said: ‘The strategys for him was to block it out — and he can block. He just made two misjudgments. ‘ Your first few balls are always tricky. He’s very disappointed that he’s not there. He wants to be out there and fighting. ‘He went straight away to the gym and worked out his disappointment there. ‘But Temba toughs it out and he’s not going to be overawed by the situation.’