Summary
Today, the Test began to come together after a stuttering opening day, with momentum swinging in either direction. Morne Morkel put England under early pressure before Stuart Broad helped push the total to a more respectable 303 from a shaky 267-9.
Having rallied to a par score, England took the initiative with Broad’s two early wickets, but Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers threatened to put South Africa in a position of some comfort. Broad, surely the man of the day, dismissed de Villiers for the eighth time in a Test match, but Elgar saw out the day.
South Africa closed on 137-4, just under halfway to England’s first-innings effort, with six wickets in hand. It’s fair to say this one is in the balance. Do join us again tomorrow, and thanks for reading, and all your puns I couldn’t print. Bye!
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South Africa 137-4 at stumps on day two; England 303 all out
52nd over: Elgar 67, Bavuma 10. The final over of the day, and Joe Root will have a bowl! His off-spin is certainly capable of grabbing a late wicket, but Elgar has been at the crease for too long to go out like that, and defends stoutly. That’s stumps.
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51st over: South Africa 137-4 (Elgar 67, Bavuma 10) Elgar, rather hopefully hinting at bad light above, isn’t going after anything, playing a straight bat before ducking under a bouncer. He does flick a length ball from Stokes into the on side for a single to keep the score crawling along.
Dean Elgar, who spent the morning in the field, and the rest of the day at the crease, is now getting treatment for cramp. England won’t be delighted, with just five minutes left to find another wicket.
50th over: South Africa 135-4 (Elgar 66, Bavuma 10) Elgar has a word with the physio – not quite sure what the issue is, but it’s no more than a brief chat, and he’s certainly carrying on. Bavuma, his eyes fixed on Finn’s first delivery, strokes a silky drive down to mid-on. Finn sticks to his line down off-stump, but Bavuma deals with him comfortably. He’s started to look settled after that long runless start.
49th over: South Africa 131-4 (Elgar 65, Bavuma 7) A contrast of styles at either end, with the languid Elgar bullied into running a single by the more tenacious Bavuma. Stokes offers a couple of wide balls that barely get up off the turf, while the cameras focus on a cat in the outfield. Feels like the sting has gone out of this – although there’s a big shout from behind the wicket as the ball clubs Elgar on the shin. Stokes knows it’s going down leg though.
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48th over: South Africa 130-4 (Elgar 65, Bavuma 6) There goes that pesky pub umbrella again... ah sorry, it’s Steven Finn, running in that high-kneed style of his, offering some short stuff to Elgar, who waits patiently, before opening up his shoulders and cracking the ball back past the bowler for four.
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47th over: South Africa 126-4 (Elgar 61, Bavuma 6) The diminutive Bavuma swings late at a bouncer, and top edges high into the sky. It could have gone anywhere, but loops directly behind him and away for four. “A big twenty minutes here, lads” shouts Bairstow, and he’s not wrong.
46th over: South Africa 122-4 (Elgar 61, Bavuma 2) Elgar has switched roles, from offering stodgy backup to de Villiers, he’s now the leader at the crease, sending Bavuma back after the younger batsman tries to run a risky second. Elgar has also done an excellent Nick Compton impression, nurdling his 61 runs off 134.
45th over: South Africa 121-4 (Elgar 61, Bavuma 1) Stokes offers a short ball to Elgar, who takes his regulation single from the over, then hands over to Bavuma, who gets off the mark at the fifteenth time of asking, with a nudged single that draws cheers from the Durban crowd. The partnership is eight off 30, without a boundary in 12 overs, as South Africa have put it in neutral.
44th over: South Africa 119-4 (Elgar 60, Bavuma 0) Moeen, his spirits lifted by that du Plessis dismissal, is testing Bavuma, who is stuck on a potential duck after nine runs. England finished the first day of play on 179-4; I imagine South Africa would happily take the same in 45 minutes’ time.
Faf's horror run in Tests continues as Moeen knocks him over. His scores in his last 8 innings: 0, 1, 0, 10, 39, 0, 10 and 2 today #SAvENG
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 27, 2015
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43rd over: South Africa 118-4 (Elgar 59, Bavuma 0) Stokes bellows for lbw, with the ball cutting in and catching Elgar on the thigh. It’s given not out, and Cook opts not to review. In real time, that looks a good call – but DRS shows it was hitting the top of middle! Elgar’s crouching stance deceived both Cook and Dar there. Another lucky escape for South Africa, who could be in a far deeper hole.
42nd over: South Africa 115-4 (Elgar 56, Bavuma 0) “Lots of dots” says Bairstow, and Moeen obliges, with just a pushed Elgar single off the over. Elgar, of course, is not a man ruffled by a slow scoring rate. Time for Ben Stokes to have a bowl.
41st over: South Africa 114-4 (Elgar 55, Bavuma 0) Temba Bavuma is next to the crease, and sees off another tight over from Woakes, who is wicketless but conceding barely 2 runs an over – crucial when wickets have been hard to come by.
WICKET! Du Plessis b Ali 2 (South Africa 113-4)
Du Plessis, stuck on 2 off 18 balls, decides to head down the track for Moeen’s last ball of the over – and he makes a hash of it, with the ball clipping a bail on its way through. There’s a moment of confusion, as Bairstow went to stump the batsman for good measure, and completely missed the ball. But he’s gone, and how.
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“You want low-down puns, you’ve got ‘em” says Mac Millings, before offering me a ‘South Africa Sexx XI’. “You can’t publish it” he adds, correctly. I suppose Vernon Philanderer and Quinton de Kock (his real name, after all) are acceptable.
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39th over: South Africa 112-3 (Elgar 53, du Plessis 2) There’s a lull, with seven overs passing uneventfully since de Villiers’ departure, but both batsmen playing it very safe, with just an Elgar single off the over.
38th over: South Africa 111-3 (Elgar 52, du Plessis 2) A bit of banter at the crease, as an errant returned ball clocks Elgar in the grill, prompting a cry of “take that!” from Bairstow. Elgar has a chuckle, before tucking away a straight ball from Moeen for a single.
37th over: South Africa 110-3 (Elgar 51, du Plessis 2) Chris Woakes returns to an attack that’s 0-94 without Broad’s efforts. Woakes remains economical, without offering anything that hints at a wicket – staying full and straight at du Plessis, who sees out a first maiden for Woakes. “He’s faster than he looks” offers Bumble, which is a backhanded compliment if ever I heard one.
36th over: South Africa 110-3 (Elgar 51, du Plessis 2) Moeen, currently leaking more than five runs an over, catches Elgar on the glove with a bit of extra bounce, before the batsman finds a gap and goes for two... ah, it’s just one, as Faf du Plessis faffs instead of turning straight back. Now that’s a pun.
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35th over: South Africa 108-3 (Elgar 50, du Plessis 2) Broad remains a menace, getting his line and length spot on to keep du Plessis on the back foot, but he gets off the mark with two runs through the on side. Drinks!
“Yer man Chris Drew is rather enigmatic with his pun variation there” says Damian Clarke, while Gary Naylor has this:
If Cook inexplicably turns to his part-timers to dismiss Elgar, would he be guilty of enigmatic variations? @niallmcveigh
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 27, 2015
These puns are far too highbrow. What’s going on?
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34th over: South Africa 106-3 (Elgar 50, du Plessis 0) Elgar brings up his half-century with a big thump over mid-on that just carries to the boundary for six. He’s done his job very well, with little fuss, and continues the theme by shutting up shop for the rest of the over.
33rd over: South Africa 100-3 (Elgar 44, du Plessis 0) Broad tries to tempt the new man, Faf du Plessis, with a couple of length deliveries that shape away. He’s not biting. Broad has taken all three wickets, and got a run-a-ball 32 at No10. Not a bad day’s work.
WICKET! de Villiers c Bairstow b Broad 49 (South Africa 100-3)
Big old wicket for Broad, his third of the day, as after slashing at a wide one, de Villiers is caught out by a leg-cutter that carries off the surface, and finds the edge!
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32nd over: South Africa 100-2 (Elgar 44, de Villiers 49) Moeen prompts a slightly desperate shout for LBW as Elgar plays onto his pads. Woakes sprints to stop an Elgar drive from going for four, and crashes into the hoardings. South Africa into triple figures, with this partnership, now on 86, reminiscent of the Compton-Taylor double act that got England out of trouble. And yes, I did just compare James Taylor to AB de Villiers.
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31st over: South Africa 95-2 (Elgar 41, de Villiers 47) Broad rooting through his box of tricks in search of a breakthrough, going over and around the wicket, changing the angle, disguising the delivery – but everything bounces harmlessly off Elgar, plonked in the crease like a wardrobe.
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30th over: South Africa 95-2 (Elgar 41, de Villiers 47) England want a tight, lengthy spell from Moeen here, but South Africa know it, and Elgar joins de Villiers in charging forward, going down the ground for a big boundary of his own. That’s 1000 Test runs for Elgar, at an average of 35.93.
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29th over: South Africa 88-2 (Elgar 34, de Villiers 47) Broad to Elgar, probably the best combination from an England perspective – but Elgar is happy to play it safe, and the pitch isn’t offering much. Elgar then rubs a squeaky single, but gets home a fraction before Moeen skittles the stumps at the non-striker’s end. In contrast to the tenacious Elgar, de Villiers effortlessly slots another cover drive away for four.
28th over: South Africa 83-2 (Elgar 33, de Villiers 43) Moeen, bowling into a stiff breeze with the field spread, gets a shot at de Villiers as Elgar runs a risky single. You can spread the field as far as you like, they can’t reach the stands – that’s where AB sends Moeen, dancing down the track and lashing it back down the ground! A first six for South Africa.
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27th over: South Africa 76-2 (Elgar 32, de Villiers 37) Broad is back, and not before time. There’s a bit of noise from the sunburnt Barmy Army as the bowler searches for reverse swing, with de Villiers – out seven times to Broad in Tests – ruffled by a delivery wide of off stump that darts back in. Time for Moeen...
@niallmcveigh You ever get the feeling that Adil Rashid might have done well on this surface? And, er, maybe even scored a couple?
— Robert McL Wilson (@Parisbob2001) December 27, 2015
It doesn’t seem that he would have got the brutal, sixes-into-the-sea shoeing that was widely predicted.
26th over: South Africa 75-2 (Elgar 31, de Villiers 37) Woakes, looking more likely than Finn, to Elgar, who sees a flick to midwicket well fielded by Hales. Full, straight stuff from Woakes, which de Villiers straight bats with ease.
“Nice to see Elgar in his pomp. Don’t know if this is the right circumstance” honks Chris Drew.
25th over: South Africa 74-2 (Elgar 30, de Villiers 37) Finn does offer de Villiers a little something, with a short, wide ball that AB promptly slaps over the covers for four. He’s warming up now, and sends another cover drive off Finn all the way to the rope. After both balls, Finn has ended up in a heap on the turf, maybe struggling with his studs.
A 'Finny falling over in his follow through' tumblr, please. #SAvENG
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) December 27, 2015
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24th over: South Africa 66-2 (Elgar 30, de Villiers 29) Woakes battles his way through an uneventful over, not offering de Villiers any loose balls, but not threatening a great deal. De Villiers taps a quick single to stop the bowler claiming a maiden, well, maiden.
Combined current #SAvENG XI : Compton, Cook, Amla, Root, De Villiers(wk), Stokes, Ali, Steyn, Broad, Anderson, Morkel
— Cricket Podcaster (@podcastcricket) December 27, 2015
A talking point – some controversial selections, but just look at that pace attack.
23rd over: South Africa 65-2 (Elgar 30, de Villiers 28) Plenty of pressure on Finn and Woakes, with Anderson absent. Both have offered a threat, but are yet to bag that all-important first wicket. Finn continues, bowling to Edgar, who wins the battle of wills, leaving the first five before swishing through the covers for four as Finn blinks first – and bringing up a welcome 50 partnership.
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22nd over: South Africa 61-2 (Elgar 26, de Villiers 28) Elgar snuck a single to retain the strike – not sure why. The opener, on 23 off 61 balls, puts me in my place as a straight, full ball is flicked smartly down to deep midwicket, where Moeen does well to stop the boundary. De Villiers then goes after a wider ball and clumsily scuffs it into the turf.
21st over: South Africa 58-2 (Elgar 23, de Villiers 28) de Villiers nudges Finn into the covers, and calls for a quick single. Elgar shuffles and scrapes his way through the rest of the over, while Beefy tells a pretty heartbreaking story about how he got into his charity work for leukaemia, actually unable to continue at one point.
20th over: South Africa 56-2 (Elgar 22, de Villiers 27) 44 overs due before the close of play, apparently. Trying to envisage a scenario where AB de Villiers being in/out doesn’t equal bad/good news for England. A well-timed drive is tidily fielded for just one run, and Woakes has Elgar in trouble with a rapid, swinging delivery that sneaks past his edge.
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Hello again. The players are back out in Durban, for an evening session that really could be any length, judging by the freestyle approach to the first two. All we know is that Chris Woakes is bowling first, from the Old Fort End.
While you have your tea, an invitation: the OBO-related cricket team, the OBOccasionals, are seeking talent. Or, failing that, other humans.
“We’re always looking for new members, as some of the existing team members have gone and done silly things like moving to China (Hi Sam!),” writes Joe Neate. “So, this is the first of numerous calls to action for your readers. If anyone is interested in playing for a friendly, enthusiastic group of extremely amateur cricketers over this summer, please get in touch. In the last few years we’ve been to Finland, and Estonia, and also had some closer to home games in Brighton and Godalming. This summer we have been re-invited to a wonderful four-team tournament in Brighton, and we’re also planning a trip to play on a strangely cricket-mad island off the coast of Croatia…”
Interested? Then there’s a Facebook page here, a proper website here, or you can email Joe here. “Please don’t be shy,” he concludes. “We are an extremely welcoming group, and the weekends away we’ve had have been some of the most fun I’ve ever had!”
In the meantime, Niall will be here shortly to take you through to the close of play. Bye!
TEA: South Africa 55-2
19th over: South Africa 55-2 (Elgar 22, de Villiers 26)
A maiden from Finn to end the session. A bit of a surprise session conclusion there – it is, after all, only just two hours after the end of the first session, and obviously they’ve snuck a lengthy lunch break in that period. So the first session was three hours long, and the second lasted less than 90 minutes. Put it all together, though, and they’re about right. Anyway, it’s definitely tea.
Ball starting to die through to keeper now. Hardness gone.
— mike selvey (@selvecricket) December 27, 2015
18th over: South Africa 55-2 (Elgar 22, de Villiers 26)
Blam! Stokes bangs one short, and de Villiers swats it away for four. You wonder whether the TV umpire was swayed, following that Stokes “catch”, by the fielder’s negative body language. England could well come to regret that decision – probably are already.
That's two low catches today that have gone to third umpire - Blackwood and de Villiers. Both clearly out, both given not out.
— John Etheridge (@JohnSunCricket) December 27, 2015
17th over: South Africa 48-2 (Elgar 19, de Villiers 22)
Finn gets his line a little wrong, and de Villiers smacks the resulting full toss to the rope. He recovers well enough, though, and the over ends with a fine delivery that takes the edge but bounces before it reaches the slips, where Root fields well.
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16th over: South Africa 44-2 (Elgar 18, de Villiers 19)
Stokes sees some bowling action for the first time, and becomes the first England bowler who isn’t Broad to bowl a maiden. Got an email while I was away, from Guy Hornsby: “Why is it that being an England fan so rarely allows us to drink from the half-full glass? A wicket in the first over and South Africa on the ropes, but why can’t I help thinking ‘so, that’s Amla with a double-century then?’ when we drop him? It’s tiring.” Inevitably, Amla was out within seconds. We’ve all been there.
Does my email qualify as a gold standard reverse jinx then @Simon_Burnton?
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) December 27, 2015
15th over: South Africa 44-2 (Elgar 18, de Villiers 19)
Hello! And ooof! Finn’s bowling very nicely but he gets no reward for his troubles, as de Villiers edges wide of the keeper for four. The last delivery is a beauty, moving just a fraction away from the batsman, beating the edge on its way through.
14th over: South Africa 40-2 (Elgar 19, de Villiers 14) The batsmen exchange singles, as they edge towards England’s three-wicket total of 49 runs, but Moeen shuts them out for the rest of the over, with minds still firmly on that narrow escape for AB de Villiers. I’ll hand back over to Simon now, to take you through to tea.
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13th over: South Africa 38-2 (Elgar 18, de Villiers 13) De Villiers, puffing out his cheeks, punches past Broad at mid-off for two.
Not out!
That was unlikely to be overturned, based on scratchy TV evidence, but you have certainly seen them given. That’s unlucky for Finn, who has ruffled de Villiers in this over.
REVIEW! Is de Villiers out here?
This could be a big moment, as a short ball from Finn finds an edge, and it carries to Stokes at gully! Dar thinks that the ball just fell short of Stokes’ fingers, and England review...
12th over: South Africa 36-2 (Elgar 18, de Villiers 11) Box office stuff from de Villiers, who sees first slip darting to his right behind him, and reverse sweeps the ball behind the fielder, into the open field for four. Bairstow giving Moeen plenty of encouragement from behind the wicket, but also lets a naughty word or two slip out as AB picks up some cheap runs. Maybe turn the stump mic down a bit.
11th over: South Africa 29-2 (Elgar 18, de Villiers 4) Finn from the Umgeni End after that early drinks break. Conditions are very different to the drizzle of day one – sunny and 27 degrees. It’s enough to make you sick. Anyway, Finn is roughing Elgar up here, the ball spitting up close to the batsman’s gloves, but he’s able to get a straight bat to the short stuff, then pushes the final ball off his hip for two runs.
10th over: South Africa 27-2 (Elgar 16, de Villiers 4) Moeen comes in earlier than expected, with Steven Finn stretching in the outfield. It was a feisty opening spell from Broad and Woakes, who may be tiring a touch. Elgar is able to scramble five runs from the over, but only takes a grubby single from a full toss, summing up his inconsistent start. Time for drinks.
“Having just got home from watching Brisbane Roar win in the stupidly humid Queensland weather, I had to double check the score” says Phil Withall.
“If this is really accurate and not a hallucination caused by overpriced beer and excessively oppressive temperatures I may be in for a late night.”
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9th over: South Africa 22-2 (Elgar 11, de Villiers 4) Broad to de Villiers, who plays a drive that only picks out Moeen in the covers. We’ve just seen replays of Broad’s bowling to Amla, a brutish series of jagging off stump deliveries. He keeps up the intensity against de Villiers, who at least is better at leaving well alone than Amla, who is back in the pavilion, looking ruefully at his laptop screen. It’s another maiden.
Lots of you asking pertinent, insightful questions on Yasir Shah’s suspension – but I’m taking a Nick Compton on that, until a few more facts emerge. Anyway, the OBO’s insight on performance enhancing substances extends to the coffee and off-brand Coke and Snickers on my desk, which were left for me in a brown paper bag at the back of King’s Cross station.
8th over: South Africa 22-2 (Elgar 11, de Villiers 4) Apologies for the use of the phrase ‘AB de Villiers is out’ in that last over – I hope none of you brought up your selection boxes. De Villiers tucks a single through square leg, before Elgar, who looks less settled despite having been at the crease a while longer. Elgar waits patiently through another fierce Woakes over, before flicking awkwardly beyond the slips for four.
7th over: South Africa 17-2 (Elgar 7, de Villiers 3) AB de Villiers is at the crease – never ideal for a fielding team, but he’s only had 75 minutes rest after 90 overs keeping wicket. It doesn’t seem to faze him as he drives down to third man for a tidy three runs. Feels like a pivotal innings for AB, perhaps even more so than usual.
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WICKET! Amla b Broad c Bairstow 7 (South Africa 14-2)
...but two balls later, he gets his man! Another wicked delivery wings towards off stump and Amla tickles it through to Bairstow!
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7th over: South Africa 14-1 (Elgar 7, Amla 7) Broad continues from the Umgeni End, but Amla finds a gap in the field to get his first boundary. Broad looks irritated...
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6th over: South Africa 10-1 (Elgar 7, Amla 3) Elgar bags the team’s first boundary, punching a tidy cover drive off Woakes. The England man gives it a little more venom, and sends a bouncer crashing into Elgar’s forearm. Elgar tries to stay aloof and unruffled, but winces when Woakes’ back is turned. Woakes, who has started brightly, goes across Elgar and has the opener playing and missing.
5th over: South Africa 6-1 (Elgar 3, Amla 3) Broad to Amla, who will look back on all this and laugh when he eases past 200. There’s nothing to tempt him here, with the captain leaving and blocking as required. A maiden.
4th over: South Africa 6-1 (Elgar 3, Amla 3) We’ve seen multiple replays of Amla’s edge, and it’s a strange one. I’m 90% sure he hit it, but whether the umpire could overturn the decision, or whether Amla even knew he’d hit it, are much less clear.
From Woakes’ fifth ball of this over, Amla does edge it – but Bairstow, sprawling to his right, drops him! He had to get down low but got his glove to it, only to parry it away from Cook at first slip. He’d done the hard part, and Amla survives.
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3rd over: South Africa 3-1 (Elgar 1, Amla 2) Broad’s line is exquisite already, and again, he’s millimetres from Amla’s outside edge. England’s fielders are so convinced there’s a bit of premature whooping, but Dar says no and in the end, they decide not to review. Snicko, or UltraEdge, or whatever, shows the faintest spike, perhaps not enough to overturn the umpire’s call.
Broad comes round the wicket again, but is interrupted by a big umbrella getting blown acros the outfield like a big daddy longlegs, in the English beer garden style. Once that’s over, Broad cramps the left-handed Elgar for room, keeping up the heat to close the over.
A bit of breaking news – Pakistan’s Yasir Shah has been suspended, after testing positive for a banned diuretic following the series against England in the UAE. More from Ali Martin below.
2nd over: South Africa 2-1 (Elgar 1, Amla 1) Woakes steams in from the Old Fort End, hoping to find a bit of swing. His first delivery is full, moving away from Edgar, who wafts at a half-hearted drive. A smart start from England, who have three slips and a gully in place. A couple of quick singles get the hosts off the mark, but Woakes is keeping Elgar very much on the back foot.
1st over: South Africa 0-1 (Elgar 0, Amla 0) With Morkel and Steyn firing in the first innings – and Anderson out – Broad is clearly keen to make an impact, and does so spectacularly by dispatching van Zyl. Hashim ‘Hamish’ Amla is in no to steady the ship – but Broad comes mighty close to finding the outside edge as Amla prods limply off the back foot. The captain didn’t quite connect.
WICKET! Van Zyl b Broad 0 (South Africa 0-1)
That’s right. Gary Naylor gets his wish, as Broad comes round the wicket and befuddles van Zyl, who oafishly opts to leave and loses his off stump.
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England’s bowlers are warming up, getting ready to have a crack at South African openers Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl, who I’m sure were the rhythm section in at least one hair metal band.
I'm sure England have rigorously evidenced bowling plans for every Saffer, but the top of off stump will do for me @niallmcveigh
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 27, 2015
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Plenty of lunch break chat about Ian Botham and his recent charity walk in South Africa. Next up, Beefy’s planning a walk in Australia, with Allan Border, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath in the frame to join in. The banter will be off the scale.
I like those odds
At the innings break #WinViz gives England a 31% chance of victory. #SAvEng pic.twitter.com/jOpioE1X8I
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) December 27, 2015
Thanks, Simon. Hi, everybody! Well, if you’d woken Alastair Cook from his slumber on Christmas morn, and pointed to a stocking stuffed with 300 first-innings runs, he wouldn’t have immediately asked for the receipt.
That said, the stocking contains three ducks – for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Cook himself – truncated knocks for Hales, Root and Stokes, and a glacial top score of 85 off 236 from Nick Compton. We’ll know by the end of play today how good a start 303 all out really is. My suspicion is that it’s good enough, at least to keep this Test match competitive.
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Innings break
It is finally lunch, after a first session that lasted three and a bit minutes shy of three hours. Niall McVeigh will take you through lunch and the start of the afternoon – send your emails here if you’d be so kind.
WICKET! Finn lbw b Steyn 12 (England 303 all out)
The players are most of the way back to the changing room by the time Hawk-Eye confirms that this was only slightly less plumb than it appeared on first viewing, in that it was hitting the top of middle stump, rather than absolutely demolishing it.
Eng all out 303. Bit of a new ball collapse but decent total. Morkel flogged something and was excellent but Steyn looked short of a gallop
— mike selvey (@selvecricket) December 27, 2015
REVIEW! Is Finn out here?
Yes he is, but why not review it, eh?
100th over: England 303-9 (Broad 32, Finn 12)
Piedt gets some good turn – as he has done since day one – but no reward, and the batsmen take a single each.
Not out!
The ball struck Finn well outside the line, and England’s innings continues!
REVIEW! Is Finn out lbw here?
South Africa think so, the umpire thinks not, the technology will tell.
99th over: England 301-9 (Broad 31, Finn 11)
Finn gets a single off Steyn’s penultimate delivery, and England’s total is tickled to 300 – which at 12-3, at 49-3 and at 267-9 (and probably at the coin toss), if not particularly at 247-5, would have seemed a pretty excellent total.
South Africa conditions consistently offer the best balance between bat and ball in world cricket.
— Rob Smyth (@robsmyth0) December 27, 2015
98th over: England 299-9 (Broad 30, Finn 10)
Piedt has a go at ending this obdurate final pairing for England, and doesn’t. Broad sweeps for four, top-edges a pull – the ball spends an age in the air but still lands safe, and it all ends with Finn diving to make his ground at the bowler’s end – and then heaves the last to the square leg boundary. This is excellent stuff from Broad, and England will surely now go into lunch in good humour, their 10th-wicket partnership of 32 and counting making everything look considerably rosier. Broad’s made 30 off 30 so far.
97th over: England 289-9 (Broad 20, Finn 10)
Steyn returns. Finn survives. Does more than survive, in fact, deflecting the fifth delivery towards the third man boundary, if not all the way there, and getting a leading edge off the last, the ball landing safely in the covers for two more.
96th over: England 285-9 (Broad 20, Finn 6)
Morkel has an entire over to bowl at Finn but can’t really trouble him, and he takes a single off the fifth delivery. Broad has one – inevitably short – ball to face, tries to pull, misses, and it flicks off his shoulder and into his helmet. It’s still not lunch, South Africa getting a bit of extra time to take England’s last wicket.
95th over: England 284-9 (Broad 20, Finn 5)
Shot! Abbott gets five-sixth of the way to a maiden, and then Broad cuts the last ball to the rope. Time for one more over before lunch.
94th over: England 280-9 (Broad 16, Finn 5)
Broad sends Morkel’s second delivery flashing to the rope, and he’s not scared to swing his bat here. Neither, for that matter, is Finn who, with only the final delivery to survive, tries to pull through midwicket and misses the ball by a good foot and a half.
93rd over: England 275-9 (Broad 11, Finn 5)
Steven Finn, aka the Watford Wall, cracks Abbott’s first delivery down the ground for four. In 2015 South Africa have only once scored more than 250 in any Test innings – when they reached 421 against West Indies in Cape Town in January. In that time they’ve been bowled out for 79, 109, 121, 143, 184, 185, 2014 and 248 (all but one of those innings against India, the last against Bangladesh).
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92nd over: England 271-9 (Broad 11, Finn 2)
Four singles from Morkel’s latest over. Disheartening as the last half-hour or so has been for England, the current batsmen at least will be encouraged by the amount of discomfort Morkel has managed to create here. Not in this over, though, which was a bit subdued.
91st over: England 267-9 (Broad 9, Finn 0)
Broad pulls, nearly runs into his stumps in the follow-through and the ball lands just short of Bavuma in the deep. He runs a single, bringing Bairstow onto strike for what proved the final time.
Updated
WICKET! Bairstow c Elgar b Abbott 41 (England 267-9)
Bairstow flashes at a wide one, edges low to a diving Elgar at second slip and England’s innings, so healthy at 247-5 just minutes ago, is looking decidedly feeble now!
Updated
90th over: England 265-8 (Bairstow 40, Broad 8)
Morkel continues, and Broad heaves and misses, and then heaves and hits – four! A single later Morkel bangs one in short and Bairstow can’t get out of the way, the ball crashing into his shoulder.
Updated
89th over: England 258-8 (Bairstow 38, Broad 3)
Steyn bowls, and England score three singles – with Broad bringing howls of excitement from the crowd by plopping the ball just over the grasping fielder at square leg – and then Broad pushes past cover for a couple.
88th over: England 253-8 (Bairstow 36, Broad 0)
Oooooh! Morkel’s hat-trick ball flies across Broad, who pushes out his bat and just misses it! And the over ends with a short ball, which Broad ducks under. Two-wicket maiden, and Morkel’s last eight deliveries have brought three wickets, cost no runs and transformed this first innings.
WICKET! Woakes lbw b Morkel 0 (England 253-8)
And another one’s gone! HawkEye shows the ball clipping the very outermost edge of leg stump, and Woakes goes first ball! The review always had the pong of desperation about it, and now Morkel’s on a hat-trick!
Eng lose two wkts in two balls as Woakes is lbw to Morkel after Moeen edges behind Eng 253-8 https://t.co/brDMKeZ6wn pic.twitter.com/m3O9rozss8
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) December 27, 2015
Updated
REVIEW! Is Woakes out lbw here?
First impression is: yep.
WICKET! Moeen c De Villiers b Morkel 0 (England 253-7)
Another one down, and Morkel’s doing the damage this morning! Lovely line across the left-hander, finds the edge and Moeen’s gone!
87th over: England 253-6 (Bairstow 36, Moeen Ali 0)
The reason behind the variation in England’s run-scoring with the first new ball and the second is Steyn. Yesterday he started with a maiden, a wicket maiden and a maiden, bowling like a demon. With the second new ball his four overs have gone for six, four, four and now six more, with Bairstow dismissing one delivery past point for four, he’s slower and certainly not scarier. It seems the injury hasn’t completely recovered.
Dale Steyn average speed on day one: 82.96 mph Dale Steyn average speed on day two: 78.17 mph #BatViz #SAvEng
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) December 27, 2015
86th over: England 247-6 (Bairstow 30, Moeen Ali 0)
Bairstow cracks through midwicket for four to bring up the 50 partnership. The first six wickets with the first new ball brought 12 runs and a wicket; the last six have brought 28 runs and also, in the end, one wicket.
Updated
WICKET! Compton c De Villiers b Morkel 85 (England 247-6)
Compton tries to pull a short ball, feathers the slightest of edges through to the keeper, and doesn’t wait to see the umpire’s finger before walkiung.
85th over: England 242-5 (Compton 85, Bairstow 25)
Compton’s battle with Steyn is pretty gripping. The batsman really attacks here, smashing through the covers for four and then sending the next ball into the ground and thence into the hands of the fielder at point. The home fans cheer as he catches it, and the Barmy Army cheer their cheer as it dies in their throats.
84th over: England 238-5 (Compton 81, Bairstow 25)
A couple of singles from Morkel’s over. “The very fact that Compton is able to stare back at Dale Steyn with the new ball (not to mention, cut himaway like Sehwag and rile him up) just highlights how poor the decision to ‘exile’ him was,” writes Krishnan Patel. “Thoroughly feeling vindicated as this partnership grows as I’ve been a big backer of Compton and Jonny B for years now”
83rd over: England 236-5 (Compton 80, Bairstow 24)
That’s a lovely attacking stroke by Compton, who leans back to give himself space to cut Steyn to the boundary. “This is shaping up to be an excellent Test,” writes Simon McMahon, “unlike the one in Melbourne, where the current West Indies team are the cricketing equivalent of Ian Baker Finch at the 1997 Open in Troon. Can you withdraw from a Test match?” Perhaps not, but you can certainly end one pretty quickly.
82nd over: England 232-5 (Compton 76, Bairstow 24)
Abbott bowls, and Bairstow twice works the ball off his pads for four. “Interesting discussion of Compton on TMS, beyond the usual boilerplate about teams needing sometimes grinders as well as dashers,” reports Alfred Moore. “Graeme Swann points out that Cook and Trott – hardly dashers – did two things Compton doesn’t: they could score singles off defensive strokes. And they could go from scoring nothing during a tough 20 overs at the top of the innings, and then score 30 or 40 in the period when the ball got soft. Basically, he said, Compton’s batting England into a hole and putting pressure on his partners, and he’d better score a hundred and hope Bairstow and Ali can take the score to 400. The worry is not that Compton is a grinder. It’s that he’s not a good enough grinder. For comparison, his career strike rate is 35. Trott’s was 47, as is Cook’s. Kirsten’s was 43. Chris Rogers’ was 50. Graham Thorpe 46. Can he learn to score singles and get up to a Thorpe-esque quality of nudging and nurdling? What’s the OBO position?”
He just hasn’t been required to do that role in this innings. He’s had Root, Taylor, Stokes and now Bairstow at the other end, and his obduracy has given them a degree of freedom. Stokes and Root had near-identical innings, scoring low-20s off 30-something deliveries; had Compton produced an innings like theirs the England innings would be over already; he might not be scoring at any great speed, but he is allowing England to reach a decent (300+) total, and though he could certainly have scored a number of additional simple singles by now I therefore have no complaints.
81st over: England 224-5 (Compton 76, Bairstow 16)
The first delivery with the new ball is deflected square by Compton for four, and the same batsman then bisects mid off and extra cover for a couple more. His has been a vital, stubborn innings, admirably unhurried.
80th over: England 218-5 (Compton 70, Bairstow 16)
Bairstow pushes the ball through the covers and runs two before it’s chased down a couple of yards from the rope. Meanwhile the new ball has been taken, and handed to Steyn.
79th over: England 216-5 (Compton 70, Bairstow 14)
Three singles, the second of which is a little sharp – Bairstow dives to get in as the ball is returned towards the keeper, who dives to catch it, while at short leg Bavuma dives just to get out of the way. All things considered there’s a lot of humanity flinging itself about. One more over before the new ball’s up for grabs.
78th over: England 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Abbott starts his over with a peach of a yorker, which Compton digs out. The rest of the over isn’t quite so hostile, but Compton – 80% of whose runs today have been scored accidentally – is happy just to survive.
77th over: England 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Dean Elgar bowls, and Bairstow repeatedly crunches the ball straight to fielders. It goes down as a maiden, but if the batsman had angled his bat just a tiny bit differently he’d have scored wildly.
76th over: England 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Piedt’s second over of the day. Or Peddy-boy, as De Villiers appears to call him if the stump mic’s anything to go by. Wonder how long it took him to come up with that one.
Ben Stokes v bowler breakdown: Steyn 10 (7) Morkel 0 (15) Piedt 11 (12) #CricViz #SAvEng
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) December 27, 2015
75th over: England 211-5 (Compton 68, Bairstow 11)
“Australia West Indies is a funny one,” writes Niall Mullen, as Bairstow drives past extra cover for four. “It’s as though a man is stamping on a defenceless puppy but I’m more disgusted with the puppy.” Yup, you can’t blame a man for stamping on a puppy*.
* You can.
74th over: England 205-5 (Compton 68, Bairstow 5)
Runs! Nine of them! Bairstow cuts to the rope to get off the mark in style. Then Compton, who had previously scored just one run today so far, edges low, straight into the ground and wide of slip and gets a boundary of his own.
Since 2000 the average first innings score in Test matches in Durban is 301 & 400 has only been scored once. #CricViz #SAvEng
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) December 27, 2015
73rd over: England 196-5 (Compton 64, Bairstow 0)
Abbott bowls the fourth successive maiden.
@Simon_Burnton Those young people - disoriented and viewed with a mixture of scorn and pity - they weren't the West Indies team were they?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 27, 2015
In Australia the West Indies are losing, but if they were in Kings Cross they’d be lost.
72nd over: England 196-5 (Compton 64, Bairstow 0)
Oooooh! Morkel’s final delivery swings into Bairstow, who pushes it into the ground and over his stumps. And finally, a few overs before its anticipated demise, the ball shows some signs of life. It’s a wicket maiden, and no run has been scored for precisely three overs.
WICKET! Stokes c Duminy b Morkel 21 (England 196-5)
Stokes attempts a heave over midwicket and top edges up into the air and, eventually, into the hands of Duminy at short third man. I’ve got to blame myself for this on some level.
71st over: England 196-4 (Compton 64, Stokes 21)
Steyn continues, and it’s another maiden. Talking of the effects of intoxication, over in Durban it’s been a very sober start. A few dangerous deliveries, but the batsmen have largely been in control.
70th over: England 196-4 (Compton 64, Stokes 21)
Morkel bowls a maiden to Stokes. “After yesterday’s OBO deluge of support group wisdom on early-morning drinking, I hate to bring this up, but you sound a touch pale and penitent yourself this morning. Does everything hurt? Did you see something that frightened you in the bathroom mirror? Were those young revelers you dodged even real?” asks Robert Wilson. Guardian Towers is just down the road from a popular London nightclub called EGG, which vomits out revelers at the most ridiculous hours of a Sunday morning, all the way up to lunchtime. You’ve got to admire these young folks’ stamina – I’ve always considered around 3am the very outer extremes of a late night, a boundary beyond which nothing but danger lies. And I’m pretty sure they existed. Certainly the one who had attracted the attention of the police (by wobbling and shouting a lot) seemed real enough.
Updated
69th over: England 196-4 (Compton 64, Stokes 21)
And Steyn’s back again! Compton tetchily diverts one for a single, then Stokes cuts lustily for four, and pulls mightily for another. He’s so far faced 13.5% of Compton’s total number of deliveries, scored 31.3% of Compton’s total number of runs, and has started the day in excellent style.
68th over: England 186-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 12)
Steyn’s off after a single over, with Morkel having a go. Looks like the sun’s shining today, with a bit of a breeze whipping the players’ trousers. Morkel angles one beautifully across the left-handed Stokes and just past the edge; encouraged, South Africa immediately bring in a third slip, but there’s no sniff of a repeat.
67th over: England 186-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 12)
It’s the Dale ‘n’ Dane show. Piedt bowls from the other end, and Stokes heaves a poor delivery over midwicket for four, and then past cover for a couple. He’s started pretty speedily – his 12 have come off 14 deliveries; Compton’s 63 off 184.
66th over: England 179-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 5)
Dale Steyn gets Test one, day two under way, though he presumably won’t do a lot of bowling now, with the new ball speeding into view. It’s a decent over with one outstanding delivery, the penultimate one, which moves a little into the batsman, who defends. Compton prioritises survival over run-scoring, and does indeed survive, and does not indeed score.
The players are out and ready. Here’s Allan Donald day two preview. Let’s play!
@OfficialCSA @ECB_cricket @amlahash Day 2 and a great day for batting on a flat deck. Sounds like it's gonna be a hot one as well!
— Allan Donald (@AllanDonald33) December 27, 2015
Hello world!
No point beating about the bush. Play is due to start in three minutes (though Sky are just starting a feature on Ian Botham’s latest stroll, so they’re in no hurry). I have just dodged a large gang of inebriated youngsters who have perhaps been enjoying their Christmas a little too much to make my way safely into Guardian Towers. Here’s James Taylor on yesterday, so as not to make this “preamble” appear ludicrously undercooked:
Taking everything into account – losing the toss and the conditions that could not have been more perfect for the South African bowling unit – I thought overall it was solid day. To get into the position we are in now, 179 for four, is a pretty successful one for the England camp.
In the situation of the game it was massive for myself, and in terms of the series, because time in the middle so early is crucial. But I try hardest to immerse myself in the situation rather than personal things which distract you from the bigger picture. It was about getting my head right for the situation and playing accordingly.
Anyway, welcome!
Hello. Simon will be here shortly. Until then, here’s Mike Selvey on the recent struggles of South Africa, who arrived in Durban with their reputation diminished:
South Africa, still ranked No1 in the world, have played only seven Tests this year, and won just one of them, against West Indies back in January. Since then they have twice drawn in Bangladesh and were humiliated in India, a country in which England were famously victorious three years ago. They have suffered injuries to Dale Steyn, although he is fit again now, and to Vernon Philander, who is not.
There has been no even adequate compensation for the loss of two great batsmen in Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, and with Hashim Amla going through a poor run of form, the team have been kept afloat on the efforts of AB de Villiers, a truly remarkable athlete, in a manner which resembles that of another famous AB with his Australian team of the mid-80s.
The confident talk of how things will be all right once they get back to home conditions has something of a hollow ring to it. If England are a side on the way up, then they will quite possibly meet and perhaps pass South Africa on the way down.
