Five moments where Proteas lost it
Every morning England were better prepared for battle
1. THE toss
South Africa needed their captain to call correctly on the first day at St George’s Park.
The sun was baking down and the pitch was flatter than the pancakes being sold at the concession stands behind the grass banks. But yet again Faf du Plessis called incorrectly. Counterpart Joe Root did not hesitate in saying: “We’ll bat” and from thereon it was always going to be a hard slog.
2. The first session
Every morning England arrived at the ground seemingly better prepared for battle. On the first day, their openers Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley grinded out 61 runs without loss to calm the early nerves.
On the second day, Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope drove home the advantage by adding 111 runs, with Stokes bringing up his ninth Test century in the process. For two consecutive days, SA failed to make a breakthrough in the morning. Although there were rain interruptions on the remaining days, the contrast could not be bigger as the Proteas added just 35/1 on the third day before folding like a deck of cards on the fourth morning when they lost four wickets for just one run in a manic 30 minutes that ultimately decided the game. Yesterday’s four wickets were a mere formality.
3. Partnerships
SA’s batsmen are horribly out of form, and the fact that it’s the top-order, is creating problems all the way through.
The ripple effect is that SA are unable to put together any meaningful partnerships.
The home team have only managed one partnership in excess of 100 with Dean Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen brining up the feat at
Newlands. In Port Elizabeth, it was even worse with Keshav Maharaj and Dane Paterson putting on 99 for the very last wicket. England, meanwhile, changed the course of the game with the 203-run stand between Stokes and Pope.
4. England’s youngsters shine brightly like the raw diamonds they are
Both teams are in transition, and
Root and Du Plessis will admit to it. England have not won a series outright in a year and are trialling a few younger players on this tour. The Proteas meanwhile could hand out a sixth Test debut in 10 Tests at the Wanderers. It’s the England rookies who are outshining SA’s at the moment though with Pope showing off his class while striking his maiden Test ton.
5. The Stokes factor
England’s maverick all-rounder continues to be the fundamental difference separating the two teams at the moment. Although he dropped three catches in the slips to actually prove he is human, Stokes’ impact on the third Test remains immeasurable. His century in the first innings was pure class as it seamlessly switched from defence to attack.