SAM’S PRIDE WE’VE COME THROUGH A WEEK OF HEAT, ILLNESS AND HEARTBREAK
CURRAN SHINES ON A GRUELLING DAY FOR ENGLAND:
ENGLAND boiled as they toiled against the African sun and Quinton de Kock.
But rather than wilt in the heat, Sam Curran stood tall with the ball to claim 4-57, as England battled their way through day one of the first Test, when plenty didn’t go their way.
When Curran removed De Kock (both far right) for 95, it left Ben Stokes as the main cause for concern for Joe Root’s side after he spent large parts of the day off the field complaining of dehydration.
Whether his symptoms develop into something the flulike virus that has swept through the squad on this tour remains to be seen. But he was moving around the field in the third session like a shell of a man.
His inability to bowl as he tried to take fluid on board meant more hard yards for the four other seamers who, between them, almost made Root’s decision to bowl look like inspired.
Standing in England’s way though was De Kock, one of the best one-day batsmen in the world. And he played a typically counter-attacking innings to revive his team from 111-5 to 277-9 by the close. He was eyeing up a sixth Test ton when Curran moved the old ball just enough off the pitch to take the edge through to Jos Buttler.
England felt he should have gone much earlier though when Stokes appeared to take a perfectly good catch off Root.
Standing at slip, Stokes took it low when De Kock had made 35. But his indifferent reaction led the umpires to give a soft signal of
‘not out’ to the TV umpire, who agreed, even though the replays suggested the ball had bounced off his fingers and not the turf.
That decision allowed De Kock to put on 87 with Dwaine Pretorius that lifted the Proteas towards a competitive first innings total when things had looked bleak for them.
Playing in his 150th
Test, James Anderson managed to do something he had never done before by taking a wicket with the first ball of the match, which was delayed by a few minutes thanks to an injured photographer being carried off.
If the snapper had stayed fit, he could have captured the moment that Anderson, playing his first Test since the Ashes opener in the summer, sent down an innocuous legside ball that Dean Elgar tickled to Buttler.
Of the four men to get to the mark, perhaps only Anderson will remember his 576th wicket so clearly.
The next four wickets fell at roughly one every 10 overs with Curran and Stuart Broad sharing two each as the South African batsmen failed to capitalise after getting themselves in.
It was effective stuff from England, but only Curran could really claim to be bowling at his very best, which is what you would expect when Jofra Archer and Broad had their preparations for the match ruined by sickness.
In energy-sapping heat and without a frontline spinner – Root and Joe Denly only sent down seven overs between them – this was a good old-fashioned day in the dirt for the bowlers.
And at least they all got some reward with Archer dismissing Keshav Maharaj to get on the board with Stokes absolutely certain of his low catch at second slip this time.
As hard as England grafted though, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada added another 25 for the ninth wicket, already making their score look competitive.