SUPER STOKES SAVES DAY... AGAIN!
World player of year joins forces with Pope to avert England crisis
England lurched dangerously close to a crisis yesterday at the start of the third Test. So, who were they going to call? The newly crowned world player of the year, of course.
all the hard work and application of their top order finally laying down a first-innings platform was in danger of being wasted when England slipped to 148 for four, after Joe Root had won his third big toss in a row against South africa.
But just when this pivotal match looked like becoming another tale of batting underachievement, up stepped Ben Stokes to launch his latest rescue act and keep England afloat.
It needed the help of the most talented of the younger breed making their way in this series — Ollie Pope — but it was Stokes who was most authoritative when making 38 in an unbroken partnership of 76 that just about gives England the edge. This was an old-fashioned, slow burner of a day’s Test cricket in front of a disappointing St george’s Park crowd, but it was no less gripping for that.
There were times when that inexperienced top three of dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Joe denly seemed to have taken coach Chris Silverwood’s mantra of batting time to extremes as England crawled to 117 for two by tea.
But beggars cannot be choosers and at least England were not in turmoil at 20 for two within the first half hour as we have seen all too often.
They may be taking baby steps, but Crawley and Sibley made sure England got through to lunch without losing a wicket for the first time batting first in a Test for almost nine years. and that foundation gave them every chance of going on to reach the holy grail of 400.
admittedly, conditions could barely have been better for batting in that first session before the ball started to reverse swing a touch and spin appreciably for Keshav Maharaj, but probably the tallest opening partnership in England’s history — Sibley is 6ft, Crawley is 6ft 5in — experienced few alarms.
and South africa may have helped by opening with Vernon Philander and their fourth 30-yearold debutant of the series, dane Paterson, on a slow pitch instead of their fastest bowlers, Kagiso
Rabada and anrich nortje. The challenge for Sibley now is to build on his century in Cape Town and ensure he does not go the same way as so many openers before him, such as adam lyth and Sam Robson, by making an early mark then fading away.
So Sibley will be disappointed to have got out on his favoured leg- side when a delivery from Rabada grew on him and forced him to steer the ball off his hip straight to dean Elgar at leg gully.
Crawley would not have been playing here had Rory Burns avoided injury playing football on the eve of the second Test and he is clearly ahead of schedule, getting a run in the England side at the age of 21.
But the encouraging thing for England is that he looks better each time he bats, and here there were some classy touches before he gave it away within sight of his first Test half-century by guiding a half-volley from nortje — once again to leg gully.
denly is reaching the point where crease occupation needs to be translated into big runs and for all his composure he is becalmed against spin, scoring ony three runs off 62 balls from the impressive Maharaj before falling lbw to him on review.
Root entered to exactly the sort of situation in which he needs to prove he still belongs among the world’s best batsmen and could have taken England to a position of superiority.
He was skittish at first, perhaps a little too hasty to get on with the job, but had grown into his innings and started to get on top of Maharaj when he misjudged the length of a ball from Rabada and was bowled.
Yes, it kept a little lower than others from Rabada on the same length, but hardly ‘went underground’ as Crawley said afterwards and Root should have been able to deal with a ball that hit the top of off-stump.
The theatrical roar from Rabada in exaggerated celebration was indicative of a South africa side who were getting on top.
They really would have been in control had they managed to snare Stokes early and the home side came close when a reviewed lbw shout was deemed umpire’s call on impact, with the all-rounder on two. Then he was almost caught at short leg on 10.
But by the time a desperate Philander wasted South africa’s last review on Bruce Oxenford’s correct not- out lbw call, when Stokes had made 25, England had come through the worst South africa could throw at them.
If Stokes was the reassuring presence for England, there were some classy touches again from Pope, who finished with one more run than his vice-captain off seven fewer deliveries.
They ensured England had reached 224 for four by the close — which may have been well short of where they would have liked to be but could turn out to be a decisive position.
If England could just get somewhere close to that almost mythical 400 mark in this first innings then, with the pitch here traditionally getting harder and harder for batting, they could be in business.
But much will depend, as ever, on that man Stokes.