England’s batsmen facing two-day fight for survival
● Upbeat Moeen believes victory a possibility despite giant target of 474
England know Alastair Cook represents their best chance of somehow surviving six remaining sessions at Trent Bridge – or even chasing a world-record target of 474 – to stay ahead in the Investec series against South Africa.
Moeen Ali is among several England batsmen who are no strangers to attempted rearguards to save matches, but he defers to opener Cook as the man to lead the way in the last two days of the second Test.
Cook, pictured below, survived the first ball of the second innings by overturning an lbw decision as the hosts reached one without loss in four overs, and England are banking on him blunting the new-ball threat of Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.
Moeen, who took four wickets in South Africa’s 343 for nine declared, knows he will also have to bat well.
Asked last night about the importance of Cook’s survival when Morkel thought he had him, the all-rounder said: “It was a big one. Thankfully it was going over. He’s such a massive player for us. If there’s anybody in our team that can bat six sessions it’s him.”
Others such as captain Joe Root will need to step up too, but Moeen insists it is feasible to close out a stalemate, or even better. “We definitely can,” he said. “We’ve got some very good batters who are capable of doing that. We know Cookie, once he gets in, is very hard to get out. I hope we can see that tomorrow.
“We need a good foundation if we’re going to bat the six sessions. The top three can be very, very solid and can bat a very long time, and we’ve got Joe who’s in very good form. And the rest of us who can block it for a while.”
Moeen has contributed in similar circumstances in the past, but is also occasionally guilty of a rash shot.
“There have been times where I have made mistakes, playing for a draw and playing a big shot. But I hope I can get my head down. If we bat for six sessions there’s a chance we’ll be close to the total.”
Under increasingly sunny skies Hashim Amla (87), Dean Elgar (80) and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis (63) all made half-centuries.
“We saw when the sun was out it was quite nice to bat,” added Moeen. “When it was overcast, we saw it doing quite a bit – not so much swing, but it nipped a bit more. Once you get over the new ball, it looked quite comfortable.”
Elgar suggested South Africa have opened up some “cracks” in England’s line-up, come what may here, and can continue to take advantage in the remainder of the series.
Unsurprisingly, that is not a theory that found favour with Moeen.
“I think we just didn’t bat well in the first innings,” he said. “The way we play in the middle order sometimes we just go and play our shots, and it just didn’t come off in the first innings.
“I don’t think it was any cracks being opened but he can say what he wants. We’ve ( just) got to bat for two days.” Elgar said: “They rely heavily on their experienced batters to score runs, which allows their middle order to come in and play freely. By getting a few guys out cheaply in the first innings, the middle and lower order couldn’t come in and express themselves.
“We have maybe opened up a few cracks in their side, which is going to be brilliant for us in the future in this Test series.”