England gain a vice grip
PROTEAS TOIL: SPEND FRUSTRATING DAY IN THE FIELD Visitors lookng at just simply applying the finishing touches on day four.
The Newlands pitch seemingly lost all its spice on the third day of the second Test between South Africa and England yesterday, but there was no way of sugar-coating a Proteas bowling display that was uninspired and toothless.
England, who claimed the last two wickets of the South African first innings for the addition of just eight runs, giving them a first-innings lead of 46, then piled up 218/4 by stumps on the third day, putting them 264 ahead with six wickets remaining. Just the finishing touches need to be applied today and the tourists will surely be in an unassailable position.
The Proteas were unable to make inroads with the new ball, the wicket of Zak Crawley, driving loosely at Kagiso Rabada and being caught behind for 25, was their only success before lunch.
Dominic Sibley and Joe Denly then added 73 for the second wicket and, although it was slow-going, taking 33 overs, it shut the door on South Africa’s hopes of getting back into the game.
The much-maligned crack outside the right-hander’s off-stump at the Kelvin Grove End was no longer a factor, the South African pacemen offered little by way of penetration and spinner Keshav Maharaj spent large portions of the day bowling over the wicket into the rough outside leg-stump.
It not only further lessened the chance of getting wickets but also failed to stem the flow of runs in the afternoon as Sibley and Joe Root mercilessly rattled up a stand of 116 in a little more than two-and-a-half hours.
Fast bowler Anrich Nortje, whose control was once again good, did at least taste some success in the afternoon as he removed Denly for 31, Dwaine Pretorius taking a good catch at fine leg as the batsman top-edged a hook.
Pretorius then found a hint of away movement 10 minutes before stumps to have Root caught at slip for 61 and, in the final over of the day, Nortje claimed a second wicket when a good review saw nightwatchman Dominic Bess caught off the glove down the leg side for 0.
Sibley, however, soldiered on to end the day with a career-best 85 not out, made in 355 minutes off 222 balls.
Proteas coach Mark Boucher admitted that it had been a tough day for the home side but, typically, he said they were not beaten yet. But if they are to get something out of this Test match, they are going to have to bowl much better today.
“Bowling for a long time is always tough, the hard work of the first innings took its toll and the ball got soft. But the crack just didn’t seem to misbehave as much, maybe the conditions changed today. It definitely looked like the pitch has flattened out and it was a tough day, England are ahead of the game and our characters have to come out tomorrow.
“We’ve got those characters in the changeroom, even though I understand our batsmen are under pressure. First we have to bowl them out and we want to go for the win. But good teams are also able to bat it out for the draw. But the bottom line is we have to bowl well tomorrow and it’s better that they are four down rather than just two,” Boucher said.
It was undeniably England’s day, from the moment Jimmy Anderson took the last two South African wickets to finish with 5/40, his 28th five-wicket haul, an England record.