Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj put South Africa at half-time ahead of England by more than a hundred runs in the First Test at Lord’s on Thursday after being penalized 50 points from Sarel Erwee. England team captain Ben Stokes beat his side back into the game when he removed Erwee’s good opening goal (73) and Rassie van der Dussen (19) quickly left Proteas 192-5. But by day two, South Africa led 289-7 – 124 times ahead.
The 41-year-old Jansen did not come out, adding 72 to Maharaj (41) as the seventh player duo cashed in after England’s defeat against increasingly unorthodox pitches.
South Africa had previously knocked England out with just 165, with a fast bowler Kagiso Rabada take 5-52 – his 12th hit in a check.
Ollie Pope’s 73 is the only double for a British professional, with all-winner Stokes’ 20 being the next best contribution.
Thursday’s sunny conditions certainly made it easier to hit the ball than on Wednesday’s first day of little rain.
Elgar’s Bizarre Escape -But Captain South Africa Dean Elgar and left-hander Erwee still showed plenty of application while also scoring quickly against an England attack that lacked both the speed and accuracy of Proteas’ four quick shots.
Elgar, reduced Saturday by Zak Crawley in slips, then largely without difficulty until, at 47 years old, he fell in a strange fashion as a great ball from the 40-year-old Englishman James Anderson deflected from the thigh and forearm guards before plunging into a tree stump.
Erwee, 32, was only 50 years old the second of his short Trial career when he hit it Stuart Broad Pierce the cover for four of the 89 balls to be faced.
Aiden Markram hit his 16-year-old stylish quadruple before he was caught in the back Jack Leach – the first gyro is used by either side in this match.
South Africa remained in a favorable position as Stokes clinched two runs for five runs in seven balls en route to the numbers 3-53 in 12 passes.
He brushed off Erwee adamantly as a brilliant hitter from around the wicket lifted out a good length to grab the glove before gently knocking down the keeper Ben Foakes.
Stokes, battling a long-standing knee problem, then headed van der Dussen’s foot in the 19th minute with a backspin.
Stuart Broad then took his 100th Trial staff at Lord when Kyle Verreyne (11) behind rival Foakes wearing gloves.
However, Maharaj rejected Anderson with four and Jansen hooked Stokes with six because of his long legs. And by the time Maharaj dashed out of Stokes, he had hit seven quads in 49 balls.
England resume Thursday on 116-6, with Pope 61 not out before Rabada finished the half, causing the initial fallout by eliminating the opening goals Alex Lees and cheap Crawley on Wednesdays.
England won all four of their tests under a combination of new Stokes management and the coach Brendon McCullum after applying a comprehensive attack policy.
But its discovered approach to wanting to fend off a quality strike has helped South Africa climb to the top of the World Test Championship.
Pope should have been sidelined at 67 when he saved Rabada to slip first, only to let Erwee create a regular opportunity despite four juggling attempts to keep the ball.
However, Rabada let Pope cut a long ball to end the 102-ball half, with England’s 134-7 score.
And he showed there’s more to his game than sheer speed when he knocked Broad (15) with a clever slower ball that the earr threw to Elgar at the time.
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Rabada ended the round when he got Anderson lbw for a duck.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the syndication feed.)
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