CAPE TOWN
Dean Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen put on a century fourthwicket stand for South Africa but England have taken charge of the second test after reducing the home side to 215 for eight at the close of the second day at Newlands on Saturday. South Africa trail by 54 runs on the first innings having bowledEngland out for 269 and will resume the third day with Vernon Philander (13 notout) and Kagiso Rabada (0 not out) at the crease. England had the new ball in hand five overs fromthe end of play and will resume on day three in search of the wickets to quickly end the home side’s innings with a handy lead. There is plenty in the wicket for the bowlers but SouthAfrica were able to frustrate England through the middle part of the day as they seek to build on their 107-run first test win in PretoriaEnglandmade an excellent start with the ball and reduced South Africa to 40 for three. Seamer Stuart Broad (2-36) had debutant opener Pieter Malan caught by Joe Root at first slip for five, while Zubayr Hamza (5) could only fend a delivery to Ben Stokes at second slip. JamesAnderson (3-34) removed South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis (1), also caught by Stokes, before Elgar and Van der Dussen’s century stand steadied things for the home side. Elgar has a reputation as a dogged accumulator of runs and played to type to score 88 from 180 balls, his 14th test half-centuryto go with 12 hundreds. He was out to an uncharacteristicallyloose shotthough, trying to smash off-spinner Dominic Bess to mid-off, but only succeeding in picking out England captain Root halfway to the boundary. The dangerous Quinton de Kock played atypically breezy 20 before he was out in similar fashion, though seamer Sam Curran (2-39) was the bowler and Anderson took the catch. Van der Dussen’s patient stay atthe crease saw him reach 68 from 187 balls, before guiding Curran to Stokes at second slip. Dwaine Pretorious also then steered an Anderson delivery to Stokes, a fourth catch for the all-rounder, before the seamer also claimed the scalp ofKeshavMaharaj (4) offwhat proved the final ball of the day. England had resumedtheir first innings on 262 for nine at the start of the day but Ander son (4) was caught by Van der Dussen at first slip off Rabada (3-68). Ollie Pope finished the innings not out on 61. Much as the wicket came as a surprise given Elgar had grown in confidence and control through his innings, England had worked steadily and with real focus to remove him, like a tick from a cat’s ear. The 10.4 overs after the tea interval had cost only 16 runs, and the visiting attack had been parsimonious throughout, with the seamers operating from the Wynberg End while Bess tied things down from the other; as the brakes were put on, South Africa struggledto reintheir attacking instincts in. De Kock was keen to go from the outset, but after a couple of boundaries skied an offcutter from Sam Curran up and into the safe hands of Anderson atmid-off, and when van derDussen gave Stokes another chance at second slip while trying to run the same bowler down to third man, England had mirrored South Africa in taking two wickets just before the new ball was due.
