2nd Test England v South Africa August 25-29th

Neil Whitaker reports from Old Trafford

 DAY 1
  
 LAST Friday at Lord’s 13 wickets fell today at Emirates Old Trafford another 13 wickets fell to move the game forward by two days with England on 111 for three, 40 behind South Africa.
    
When South Africa were 92 for seven in the 31st over it looked like 120 was out of their reach but a ninth wicket partnership of 39 between Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje rescued South Africa’s first innings and gave their bowlers something to bowl at and how they came back with three England wickets.
    
Rabada top scored with 36 and was the last man out when he top edged a backfoot hack off Jack Leach to give Joe  Root a chest high catch at slip.  All five England bowlers shared the wickets with James Anderson and Stuart  Broad taking three wickets each, Anderson bowling from his end, was on a hat trick.  Skipper Ben Stokes got two wickets in his first two overs, Ollie Robinson and Leach got a wicket each.
    
England broke the partnership between Rabada and Nortje with the first ball after tea. Robinson got his just reward for his good bowling throughout the day with a wicket. He pitched one up to Nortje and it came back at him.  Umpire Richard Illingworth had no hesitation in giving Nortje out but Nortje reviewed it.  The replay showed it to be hitting leg.
    
Before tea Broad and Anderson persisted with peppering Rabada and Nortje with short balls.  Rabada responded by using the long handle and took the attack to England.  With only two wickets to get Broad bowled to Rabada without a slip.
    
Lungi Ngidi, a self confessed number 11 got off the mark with the shot  of the day when he drove Robinson straight to the boundary, he was so delighted with it that he held the pose.
    
South Africa, who  won the toss on an overcast morning after rain decided to bat, brought in Simon Harmer as a second spinner replacing Marco Jansen while England brought in Robinson for Matty Potts.
    
Rabada said: “ If you’re  playing two spinners you have to bat first and I think it was the right decision. Our batters know what they have to do and they don’t get out on purpose, you have to remember that they are a young batting line up and they have to get some experience.  We back everyone in the team to do their best.  We have to look forward and hope they score some runs as a unit.”
    
England got an early breakthrough in the fifth over when Sarel Erwee feathered an inside edge to Anderson and Ben  Foakes took a comfortable catch.
    
Rabada added: “I think Anderson has had a remarkable Test career.  He’s still taking wickets at his age and he’s proving that he is a phenomenal bowler.
    
Robinson took the new ball at the Statham end and he should have got rid off Dean  Elgar, on four, when he found the  edge of Elgar’s bat but Stokes at fourth slip couldn’t take the catch.  On 10 Elgar got another inside edge to Robinson and Ollie  Pope at short leg leapt forward to take the catch at short leg. As Elgar walked towards umpire Chris Gaffney he saw that Gaffney was calling a big no ball.
    
After two unsuccessful leg before appeals by Broad against Elgar, they were both going down leg, Broad got him when Elgar pushed at him and Bairstow took a low catch at third slip.
    
Broad got his second wicket when Keegan Petersen pushed at him and Root at first slip took a comfortable waiste height  catch at first slip.
    
Aiden Markram top edged a pull off Stokes’ third ball and Foakes took an easy catch and Stokes was too embarrassed to celebrate.  He got his second wicket in his next over.  Rassie Van Der Dussen was given out leg before by umpire Gaffney but Van Der Dussen reviewed it.  The replay showed two umpires calls and Van Der Dussen was back in the hutch.
    
In the last over before lunch Kyle Verreynne  on three, bottom edged, Leach but Foakes dropped it. On 12 Verreynne was given out caught behind by umpire Gaffney but Verryanne reviewed it straight away and he was right.  The replay showed that he had missed the ball by a mile.
    
Before he had scored Harmer dabbed Anderson out into the offside and set off for a single.  The ball bounced up nicely who threw it straight away, Harmer would have run out by a mile but the ball missed the stumps.
    
Anderson got on a hattrick at his end when he dismissed both Harmer and Keshav Maharaj with two  leg before’s.  Harmer reviewed his and started walking halfway through the replay.  Maharaj didn’t review his and if he had the television replay showed he may have been reprieved.  But the hat trick ball was poor wide down the legside.
    
After he had beaten Verreynne several times Broad finally found his edge when he squared Verreynne up and Foakes took a low catch at ankle height.
    
South Africa got an early breakthrough with the tenth ball of the England innings.  Alex Lees had to play at one from  Ngidi that pitched on off stump and he he edged it to stumper Verreyanne.
    
Pope smashed Nortje for consecutive through the covers and he edged the last ball through the slips.  Nortje had the last laugh in the next over when he angled one in at Pope and hit the top of his off stump.
    
Rabada was brought back into the attack he rewarded his captain’s faith in by removing Root but it did take Erwee four attempts to take the catch as he fell to the ground remember last week he couldn’t catch Pope after three attempts.  With England on 43 for three both Rabada and Nortje lost their directions and both of them game Verreyanne a  rough time behind the stumps as the extras reached 19.
    
Jonny Bairstow was busy and soon overtook Zak  Crawley scoring nearly twice as many.  Poor fielding by  Maharaj allowed a cut by Bairstow to run to the point boundary to bring up the fifty partnership between Bairstow and Crawley.  Two balls later Bairstow drove Ngidi to the extra cover boundary.  In the next over he swept Maharaj to the fine leg boundary.

Day 2

BEN Stokes hit his first century as England captain and shared in a record breaking sixth wicket partnership of 173 against South Africa at Emirates Old Trafford with Ben Foakes.

The beat the previous best of 105 by Maurice Leyland and Walter Robins made in 1935.  The partnership was broken five balls after Stokes had reached his fourth century against South Africa when he had a big swing at Kagiso Rabada but got a top edge to it.  Dean Elgar at mid off waited an age to take the catch.  When Stokes declared with a lead of 264 with nine overs left in the day Foakes was unbeaten on 113.

The pair came together after South Africa had taken two wickets in 13 balls.  After 24 minutes South Africa got breakthrough when Jonny Bairstow got an inside edge to an outswinger to Sarel Erwee at first slip.  In those  24 minutes Bairstow and Zak Crawley added 33 in six overs. Crawley edged his third ball of the day from Rabada through the slips for  a boundary.  In the next over he got a leading edge to Anrich Nortje that flew over Keshav Maharaj at cover and then got an overthrow.

Bairstow got an inside edge to Rabada that could have gone into his stumps but he got a couple. Bairstow and Crawley eventually added 91 in 20 overs.  England lost their second wicket of the morning Crawley feathered Nortje to Kyle Verreynne for 38.  He received huge applause for his 38 from 101 balls in 153 minutes with five fours  as he walked off.

Foakes said: “It was tough batting out there but after getting the century I feel a sense of relief, overjoyed and it was very special for me.  Stokes told me that we can absorb the pressure and then put it on them. It was fantastic to bat with him, the way  he batted was very special. 

I hope that the century will give me confidence. My role with England is different to Surrey.  At Surrey I bat at five so I am expected to get hundreds but with England I am batting at seven with the tail, but I have to contribute because you’re not going to get many opportunities to get a hundred but if you can get 40 with the tail  that’s good.”

Stokes slogged/swept the first ball he received from Simon Harmer for a six  over square leg. In Harmer’s next over he went up for leg before appeal against Stokes on 13 which was turned down.  Elgar decided to review it because it was Stokes. The replay showed umpire  Chris Gaffney was correct.  

On the stroke of the first  drinks break the England captain gave the England camp an injury scare when he turned  for a second and his left knee give way, but after receiving treatment he carried on. Stokes was soon back to himself by going down the pitch to  Lungi Ngidi and driving him beautifully straight to the boundary.

Maharaj was brought into the attack and the South Africans thought he had struck with his first ball when Umpire Richard Illingworth gave Foakes on 28,  out leg before.  After a chat with Stokes, Foakes decided to review it. The tv replay showed it had pitched outside leg stump.  An inside edge by Foakes off Rabada beat Verreynne and ran to the boundary to take England into the lead.

Stokes went down the pitch to Harmer and blasted him over long on for a six that went into the England dressing room, to bring up his fifty from 101 balls and included three fours and two sixes.  After that six Harmer was replaced at the Brian Statham end by Maharaj who had bowled 13 overs from the James  Anderson end.

He turned Nortje off his legs for a single to bring up the hundred partnership with Foakes in 35 overs,  their fifty partnership came effortlessly in 13 overs. In the next over he cut Maharaj through the covers for three to take England’s lead over a hundred.  After the drinks break he went down the pitch to Ngidi and  threw everything into the drive to long off boundary.  Ngidi went up for a leg before appeal against Stokes and umpire Illingworth gave him out.  This time Stokes reviewed it and the replay showed that he had got a big inside edge on it.  He went down the pitch to Maharaj and launched him over long on for another six. 

South Africa took the new ball when it was due and Stokes smashed the ball with it from Ngidi, looking for a conservative four he advanced down the pitch and top edged it which spooned the ball up in the air and Aiden Markram at cover managed to parry the ball.

On  96 Stokes was hit on the pads by Nortje and the leg before appeal was turned down by Umpire Illingworth so South Africa reviewed it hoping they had got rid of Stokes but the replay showed it to be missing.

Once Stokes got into his stride he overtook Foakes, but he stuck with his captain and dabbed Ngidi through third man for a couple to bring up his fourth Test fifty from 116 balls with four fours. Foakes took a couple of paces down the pitch to Maharaj and launched him over long on for a one bounce four.  He reached his second Test century when he late cut Nortje to the third man boundary.  His century came from 206 balls with nine fours.

After the departure of Stokes, Stuart Broad, who was promoted above Ollie Robinson, had carte blanche to throw his bat and he quickly scored 20 from 10 balls as he and Foakes added 34 in four overs.  But Broad was soon back in the hutch when he went down the pitch to Harmer and was easily stumped by Verreynne.

After adding 28 in eight overs with Foakes, Robinson was deceived by a slower ball from Maharaj and edged him to Markram at slip.

Jack Leach, slashed Ngidi to the third man boundary to get off the mark and bring up the England 400.  In the next over he reversed lapped Maharaj to the extra cover boundary.  He went down the pitch and pushed at Maharaj missed the ball and was bowled.

In the third over of South Africa’s second innings Erwee was wrapped on the pads by Anderson but umpire Gaffney gave him not out but after a meeting England decided to review it.  The replay showed it just pitched outside the leg stump.

Day 3

ENGLAND took five wickets for seven runs in 35 balls with the new to beat South Africa by an innings and 85 runs to tie the series 1-1 with one to play and with over two days to spare.

Ben Stokes said: A win is a win and this win gives us plenty of confidence for the third Test. South Africa never know when they are beaten and they never throw the towel in.

It was an amazing team performance with the way that they bounced back after the disappointment of Lord’s last week. If our bowlers hadn’t bowled as well as they did on the first day we could have been looking at a score of 400.

I think that Ben Foakes is the best wicket keeper in the world. He is amazing behind the stumps and gives confidence to the bowlers.”

South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar said: “If you don’t  score 300 plus in your first innings then you’re  gone.  On the first day if we had gone  in at lunch with three down  we would have been in a great position but we were five down and then we were playing catch up cricket.  The pitch deteriorated as we thought it would.”

At tea it looked like England’s victory would be on the fourth morning as a fourth wicket partnership of 87 between Rashid  Van Der Dussen and Keegan Petersen defied England for 43 overs after South Africa had lost three wickets in 14 overs for 31 runs on the third morning. What made the partnership more remarkable was that Van Der Dussen batted with a broken index finger on his left hand. He paddled  Stuart Broad around the corner to the fine leg boundary, in the next over he edged Broad through the slips for another four but he looked in pain and took every opportunity to take his left hand off his bat.

He guided Ollie  Robinson off his hips to the square leg boundary.  A short ball from Ben Stokes reared up at Van Der Dussen and hit his left glove but he just gritted his teeth and batted on.  Two balls later he did well to dig out a yorker to short cover.  He managed to squeeze the last ball of the over out  which kept low.  During that over television replays showed he had edged Stokes’ fifth ball to Ben Foakes but none of the England players appealed.  But it wasn’t expensive because three balls after tea  Van Der Dussenan chased a wide ball from Stokes and edged it to Foakes.  His 41 came in 165 minutes  from 132 balls and he hit five fours. Van Der Dussen has been ruled out  of the third Test  and will return to South Africa.


Elgar added: “I thought Van Der Dussen innings was a courageous effort  and he showed a lot of character and toughness, I take my hat off to him.  It was an inspirational knock.


 We need more runs from the middle order and the clacking runs from them is letting us down.  We know that we are a good side and we are here to win a Test series.”

In the afternoon session they added only  33 in 29 overs because scoring quickly was out of the question.  In his next over Stokes got one to leap up at Petersen who gloved it to Foakes.  Petersen had defied the England bowlers for 228 minutes facing 159 balls and he hit only one four.

Peterson  drove a low full toss from Joe Root, who England opened the bowling with  on the  final day and in his second over he got one to turn and leap at Dean Elgar but that experiment only lasted two two overs, to the long off boundary.

On 26, Peterson drove Anderson uppishly just brushing Ollie Pope’s fingers at short mid on for a couple to bring up South Africa’s hundred.  Two balls later Peterson whipped Anderson through mid wicket for three to bring up the fifty partnership with Van Der Dussen in 19 overs.

After the departure of Petersen,  Kyle Verreynne and Simon Harmer knew that not only had they to  stick around but also if they did they would face the new ball.  They batted for 14 overs adding 31 but the new ball did the trick.  England took the new ball immediately it was due and Anderson struck with the second ball.  He rocked Harmer’s off stump back to bring Keshav Maharaj in  on a king pair.  He survived his first ball and got a couple off his second.

Robinson got his second wicket of the innings when Maharaj went hard at him and the ball flew to Pope at fourth slip who took a good catch.

There was no repeat performance from Kagiso Rabada, who top scored in the first innings with 36, he edged a drive off Anderson and Root took a low catch at second slip to give Anderson his 100th Test wicket against South Africa.

Anrich Nortje tentatively pushed at Robinson and feathered it to Foakes.  Robinson wrapped the match up when he beat  Ngidi for pace and knocked his off stump out of the ground.

Robinson finished the innings with four for 43 and Anderson took three wickets for 30.  England captain and man of the match Stokes has now  won five out of six matches.

England got a breakthrough in the fourth over of the morning when Anderson knocked Elgar’s off stump out of the ground,without adding to his overnight score, with one that kept low.

South Africa lost their second wicket five overs later when Robinson, bowling around the wicket, angled one in and left Erwee who feathered it to Foakes. 

Anderson squared Peterson up and England went up for a catch behind and umpire Chris Gaffney gave him out.  Peterson reviewed it and the replay showed that Peterson had missed it by a mile.

In Stuart Broad’s first over England thought they had a third wicket when Broad knocked Aiden Markram’s off bail and Gaffney gave him out caught behind.  With Markram halfway back to the hutch he became the second South African batter  to be called back because Broad had bowled a no ball.

Broad did get  Markram in his his first over after drinks when Markram edged a dive to Zak Crawley at third slip who took a comfortable catch.

Scorecard