South Africa v England: 2nd Test, Day 1 - New South Africa Flatter And Fade

 

South Africa v England: 2^nd Test, Day 1

New South Africa Flatter And Fade

 

January 2^nd 2016

 

This series is beginning to settle into a pattern: South Africa start well; England give them every chance to get on top, before pulling away.

The average first day score at Newlands is, apparently, 272-7. England are 317-5. Hashim Amla’s captaincy is making Alistair Cook look like a tactical genius. South Africa have to bat last (assuming that they do not win by an innings which, with an average completed innings score in their last eight Tests of 167, would require divine intervention) and the pitch is already offering some real turn. You have to start to feel sorry for them but, please, not yet.

Add to that that the attack is as raw as a steak before going on the barbecue (Abbott & Steyn are both out, injured), so Morne Morkel with 69 Tests has exactly 60 more caps than the sum of his three fellow-bowlers (Rabada and Piedt are playing their fourth Tests and Morris is making his debut and may just want to forget his second new ball burst of 3-0-34-0).

One way of looking at it is that England’s position could and should have been much better. Cook (27), Hales (60), Compton (45) and Root (50) all got in and got out. Cook was unlucky to go to a brilliant catch, others were more culpable. Hales looked set for a century, before edging loosely. Compton, as in the 1^st Test, was caught trying to accelerate. Taylor and Root repeated Hales’s mistake, driving without thinking to balls just outside off.

At 167-2, England were piling on the agony. At 223-5, England could easily have subsided for 270-280.

However, having scored 167 runs in the first two sessions, the third produced an eye-watering 140 runs.

Once again though, as in the 1^st Test, when South Africa had an opening they then watched it escape with the speed of an express train.

By removing three wickets in mid-afternoon, but not following through in extremely hot conditions, South Africa exposed their tiring, novice attack to the two batsmen most likely to make them pay. Perhaps conscious of this risk, the response of Hashim Amla to Piedt going for 17 in two overs with just fifteen to go to the new ball, was not to bring back a front-line seamer, it was to bring on van Zyl. That, in itself, was not a bad move as Morris removed Joe Root during van Zyl’s spell. However, van Zyl continued and, after five overs, was replaced by the equally occasional, Elgar. Amla allowed Bairstow and Stokes to play themselves in gently and then, instead of recalling Morkel for the new ball, gave it to his debutant. Stokes (13 from 17 new ball deliveries) and Bairstow (32 from 25) were ready for him and even two maiden overs, as England shut up shop for the Close, could not hide the fact that the last hour of the day had been a disaster for South Africa.

England have a chance to pile on the agony in the morning and, facing a tiring and inexperienced attack, need to push on to 450 and keep South Africa in the field and suffering as long as possible, before unleashing the bowlers on a re-jigged batting line-up. One or both of the not out batsmen needs to go on to a big century to make it count. Reports from the nets are that Jimmy Anderson is getting swing and will Test the top order. If the seamers can make inroads with the new ball, Moeen Ali surely is licking his lips at the thought of bowling to timorous South African batsmen on a helpful pitch. England will want to make a score than pushes the follow-on target well past anything that South Africa have managed to score in their last eight Tests (their best efforts are 248 v Bangladesh, 214 v India and 214 v England).

Anything less than 400 and South Africa will feel that they are right back in the game.

Day 1 to England

Key Player so far: Ben Stokes

Key Player on Day 2: Ben Stokes, who can bat South Africa out of this game.