If a first innings of 300 would give South Africa the edge, as Quentin de Kock mused at the end of day one, then England did their bit to restrict them to 284 from an overnight score of 277 for nine. Unfortunately for the visitors, Stuart Broad’s dismissal of Vernon Philander was the only joy they were able to experience in a tough morning session.
They take lunch at 42 for two – stung repeatedly and then skewered by the indomitable fast-bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander. Both openers, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, back in the hutch, their only solace being they could have done little to avoid their dismissals.
It was, frankly, as brutal an opening spell you could wish to see from two players who were ideally suited to the conditions set before them. One half of the pitch was bouncing big, the other half displaying a bit of variety, especially to balls on a good length. Rabada took the former and pushed both England’s batsmen and his own cordon back to their limits. Philander, using the latter, did not concede a single run in his opening spell, which read five maidens and one wicket.
That came off his first ball to Burns, arcing into the left-hander before leaving him off the pitch. The Surrey captain had to play and gloved through to De Kock, who must have been feeling pretty smug after his other observation yesterday that the pitch would make batting today even trickier.
That call was starkest with Rabada who was bowling serious heat and getting the kind of bounce that had England’s best batsman, Joe Root, fending one away with his glove and then wearing a delivery flush on the helmet. The 24-year old’s prize came from a ball that jumped on Sibley, again catching a glove through to the keeper. Sibley stood firm as the umpire gave him not out. But upon South Africa calling for a review, Sibley turned on his heels and left, not willing to endure the replays to confirm his wicket and, perhaps, his guilt.
Yet South Africa go into tea ruing a drop of Joe Denly, shelled off Rabada by debutant Rassie van der Dussen at first slip. At the time, Denly was yet to score, eventually getting off the mark from his 28th ball faced, three after the reprieve. He would go on to make it to double figures by hitting Anrich Nortje for two fours as he began to get settled after the battering he took at the start which, at times, felt unfair. If it were happening in the street, you’d feel it your duty to step in or at least call the police.
Root, though, looked serene after weathering Rabada’s assault. And as he, 23, and Denly, 17, walked off with England 60-2 and 21 overs batted, they might wonder if, actually, they are in a solid position. They should have lost more wickets but, in terms of runs, they could not have asked for more. They trail by 263.
