Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad ensure England maintain the upper hand over struggling South Africa
England 458, South Africa 214-5: England ended the day very much in the ascendancy
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Your support makes all the difference.Thursday belonged to Joe Root but as he only lasted nine minutes of Friday England needed his team-mates to take the game to South Africa instead. Step forward Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad, both with bat, then both with ball, between them moving England into a position of strength.
Ali and Broad powered England on to 458 all out just before lunch before restricting South Africa to 214 for five by the close. They took two wickets each, including South Africa’s best batsmen, in a second session when the visitors were rocking. It was only after tea when Theunis De Bruyn and Temba Bavuma restored some stability with a 99-stand, although even that could not make it to stumps. South Africa are still 244 runs behind.
The day was a personal triumph for Ali, who brought up 2,000 Test runs in the morning and then 100 Test wickets in the afternoon. Only six Englishmen have done that before, 27 ever in the game, and only four of those quicker than Ali. Broad has got there, and Ben Stokes will surely be there too by the end of this Test summer.
It suggests that if England have an edge over South Africa in this series, it might just come from the versatility of their players, rather than their specialists’ skills. This post-Kallis South Africa team has no genuine all-rounder and it could cost them, lacking breadth in their bowling options and depth in their batting. England do not have a Kallis but they do have Ali and Stokes, as well as a bowler in Broad who can bat very dangerously when he is seeing it clearly and his luck is in.
Broad was left on 57 not out when England were bowled out before lunch, his highest score since the famous Trent Bridge test of 2013. His tail was up and it was all of a piece when he took the first South African wicket in his first over after lunch. He nipped one away from debutant Heino Kuhn, who could not stop himself from edging to Alastair Cook at first slip.
That brought Hashim Amla to the crease and he started to build well with Dean Elgar. As with Root on Thursday, this was Elgar’s first Test as captain and he started almost as well, hitting Broad and then Jimmy Anderson down the ground for four. Liam Dawson came on but only lasted four overs. Stokes’ first two balls were hit to the boundary by Amla.
All of a sudden England were lacking ideas, just as South Africa had after lunch on Thursday. So Root turned to Ali, his sixth bowler. But with the first ball of his third over, Ali spun one past Amla’s bat, trapping him for an unreviewable LBW. It was his 99th Test wicket and one of the most prized victims.
That ended a promising 72-run stand between Amla and Elgar, and soon after tea Ali got the captain too. Elgar prodded forward at one that did not turn, sending a catch to Gary Ballance at short-leg. That was Ali’s 100 up, membership of the elite all-rounder’s club coming with it. Elgar walked off with 54, the job not even half-done.
South Africa were 98-3 and worse was to come when Broad removed JP Duminy leg before for just 15. This was the moment, with South Africa four down and still 354 behind when it felt as if England might roll them over. But Bavuma and De Bruyn provided more resistance than anyone, batting with patience and judgement and no reluctance to hit the bad balls. They put on 99 together, but De Bruyn fell caught behind to Jimmy Anderson, just short of the century stand, just short of stumps.
The slightly sedate final session was at odds with the start, when England completed their first innings in fast forward. They lost their last five wickets and scored another 101 runs all in less than 19 overs, comfortably wrapped up before lunch.
Thursday’s hero Joe Root went quickly enough, caught behind off Morne Morkel in the third over of the morning for 190. Liam Dawson walked out into the middle, missed his second ball, and walked all the way back.
It was left to Ali, still in at the other end, to take the fight to South Africa along with the tail. Ali hit consecutive leg-side fours off Vernon Philander, while Broad at the other end went after Kagiso Rabada. Ali was batting for the team, not himself, and it cost him as he was bowled trying to drive Rabada for 87. Wood, like Dawson, lasted two balls but when Anderson came in the real fun begun.
Broad pulled consecutive sixes into the Grand Stand off Morkel, bringing up a 45-ball 50 before Anderson hit a very implausible six off Rabada into the Mount Stand. When Anderson was caught behind England’s 10th wicket had put on 45 off 27. Then Broad went to work with the ball and England pushed the game their way.
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