Stokes sorry after swearing at abusive fan
England’s bright start falters in final Test
Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley became the first England openers to post a century stand in over three years but South Africa fought back to leave the fourth and final Test in the balance on day one in Johannesburg.
The pair’s achievement was also overshadowed by England’s star man Ben Stokes’ angry reaction to “repeated abuse from the crowd”, with the tourists formally requesting additional security as a result of outbursts from supporters.
The entire morning session at the Wanderers was wiped out by weather but when play was finally able to get going three hours and 20 minutes later, Crawley (66) and Sibley (44) set to work on a fine firstwicket partnership worth 107.
That should have been the cornerstone of a sizeable total but South Africa had other ideas. They took four wickets for 50 in a spell of challenging pace bowling, leaving Joe Root and Ollie Pope to prevent further damage by the time bad light brought an early finish at 192 for four.
Stokes had just been dismissed for two when he became involved in an angry exchange with a fan as he walked back to the pavilion. He appeared enraged by the nature of the comments that were hurled at him, which are understood to have included expletives as well as a reference to red-haired pop singer Ed Sheeran, and responded with a colourful volley of his own.
He apologised later, saying: “I wish to apologise for my language that was heard on the live broadcast today after my dismissal. I should not have reacted in that way.
“As I was leaving the playing
area, I was subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd. I admit that my reaction was unprofessional and I sincerely apologise for the language I used, especially to the many young fans watching the live telecast around the world.
“Throughout the Tests so far, the support from both sets of fans has been brilliant. One incident will not ruin such a competitive series, which we are determined to win.”
Ashley Giles, managing director of men’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, revealed it was not an isolated incident.
He said that the backroom team had also been abused and that Cricket South Africa had been asked to review its arrangements at the ground.
“It is disappointing that a member of the public has gone out of their way to abuse Ben as he was leaving the field,” said Giles. “Ben is fully aware that he should not have reacted in the way that he did and apologises for his actions.”
England’s hopes of converting their 2-1 lead into a series win had suffered an early setback during the warm-ups, with Jofra Archer’s mooted return ending in disappointment.
After being ruled out of the last two matches, he aborted his pre-match preparations shortly before the toss after feeling soreness in his joint. Chris Woakes was brought into the side to replace spinner Dom Bess.
Everything else broke in England’s favour before the tea break, which saw them close on exactly 100 without loss. Root had chosen to bat first after calling correctly to extend Faf Du Plessis’ losing streak to seven in a row.
But South Africa rallied in the evening with four wickets for 50. Sibley was first to go, debutant Beuran Hendricks generating some extra bounce and picking up an edge down theleg-side.crawleywasclose behind as Vernon Philander got it swinging with the first ball of his third spell.
Crawley attempted to withdraw the bat late but saw a chunky edge zip through to Rassie Van Der Dussen. He also caught Joe Denly, whose skittish 27 had already profited from two drops, and then held the big wicket of Stokes.
Root and Pope, who reached 25no and 22no respectively, were tested hard by some fierce deliveries on a pitch that was belatedly waking up and flying through but held on for stumps.