Wednesday 30 / October / 2024
Cape Town: South Africa were 113 for 3 when reports last came in, having lost three top-order batsmen in single figures.
South Africa have failed to capitalise on their ability to contain the tourists at 269 in their first innings An outstanding performance from the South African bowling attack saw England finish day one 262/9, Ollie Pope hitting an unbeaten 56*.
England captain Joe Root called correctly for the second Test match in a row and this time chose to bat on a what looked to be a flat wicket.
There were three changes to the England XI, with Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dom Bess replacing Rory Burns, Jonny Bairstow and Jofra Archer.
Perfect start
The new-look opening partnership didn’t last long as Crawley edged Vernon Philander to a diving Quinton de Kock to give South Africa the perfect start. Dom Sibley and Joe Denly slowly rebuilt for England and having successfully negotiated the new ball scoring became slightly easier.
The partnership was worth 55 when Sibley departed for a career Test best of 34, a regulation catch for de Kock this time giving Kagiso Rabada his first wicket of the game.
Root came to the crease and another promising partnership was built, but having looked sublime for his 35 Root was unsettled by the extra pace of Anrich Nortje. The third ball of the over Nortje found Root’s edge but Rassie van der Dussen couldn’t hold onto the chance, his third drop of the series.
The drop wasn’t costly as two balls later Root couldn’t evade a snorting bouncer from Nortje and via his glove the ball lobbed up to de Kock.
Tea interval
22 runs later things went from bad to worse for England as Denly, who had battled hard, was bowled by Keshav Maharaj on the verge of the tea interval.
After the break Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope looked confident at the crease with Stokes advancing down the wicket to Maharaj and hitting him over his head for six. However, the England vice-captain soon departed as he mistimed a drive straight to Dean Elgar at cover.
Jos Buttler joined Pope and unleashed some glorious strokes, including an eye-catching cover drive and an effortless maximum over long-on.
Buttler looked to bat on or around off stump to the medium pace of Dwaine Pretorius but hadn’t quite got himself into position when he edged a ball that just nibbled off the seam, de Kock taking the catch.
Delivery crashed
Sam Curran hit Pretorious for four but next ball was bowled as he left a delivery that crashed into his off stump. South Africa immediately took the new ball and Philander had his second wicket when Bess edged his first ball to de Kock.
Stuart Broad lasted just three balls as his bat got stuck in his pad as he looked to dig out a Rabada yorker.
Having lost Broad, Pope decided to play his shots with a ramp off Rabada particularly impressive. The young Surrey batsman reached his second half-century in Test cricket with a three off Nortje.
Just before stumps Pope was caught at fine leg by Philander off Rabada but was given a reprieve as replays showed Rabada to have overstepped the line. England finished 262/9.
