England all-rounder dismisses Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis in two balls to leave South Africa on the brink of defeat in the third Test at The OvalAfter seeing what was arguably the most complete of his five Test centuries to date bumped off the back pages by some both‑barrelled delight at Toby Roland-Jones on the second day, Ben Stokes was damned if he was not going to get his moment in the sun this match.And so, on a day when England’s batsmen tightened their grip during the first two sessions before the bowlers punched four almighty holes in South Africa’s hopes of a draw, Stokes made sure he was front and centre. Related: England turn screw on South...
New No3 strokes the most elegant England cover drives since Ian Bell in a cameo display likely to have won the approval of Kevin PietersenKevin Pietersen announced recently that he needed to watch a batsman for only five minutes to know if he could not just play but play, if he truly deserves – the implication was left hanging – to inherit the England shirt worn with such distinction by KP himself. In which case Pietersen will have feasted hungrily on the brief but wonderfully luminous glimpses of Tom Westley’s shot-making brio during a damp, grey, gripping passage of Test cricket on a rain-ruined third day. Related: Rain halts England charge against South Africa after Toby Roland-Jones takes five wickets...
Against South Africa, Ben Stokes hit possibly the best of his five Test centuries, an innings of real craft in attack and defence, to put England in a strong positionFor Ben Stokes the demands of international sport have always been specific and rarefied. Your everyday Test cricketer faces a fairly simple two-stage examination. First up is: am I good enough? All being well this is followed pretty quickly by: how long can I keep doing this? Repeat, fingernails scraping against the door frame, for as long as humanly possible.Stokes belongs to a more elevated caste of cricketer, those for whom vibrant, relentlessly seductive talent has never been in doubt. But whose task is instead to find a rhythm and a...
The former captain showed he has plenty of batting life with a defiant stand against a disciplined South Africa attack on the opening dayShortly after lunch at The Oval, Alastair Cook leaned back like a man settling into his favourite well-worn upright chair and nudged Keshav Maharaj away through square leg for a single, making his ground with that familiar knock-kneed jog. The run brought up England’s hundred in the 29th over of a tough, tight, airless day in south London. As the crowd relaxed into a swell of applause Cook came down the pitch, summoned Joe Root and offered a slightly gawky, oddly touching fist-bump.From a distance it looked more like a fraternal pat on his captain’s shoulder on...
The South Africa paceman returned with a vengeance from his ban, and gave England’s selectors much to consider as they look towards the AshesThere are few more visceral thrills in cricket than the sight of stumps being demolished by an inswinging yorker and though the batsman, Dawid Malan, might not have appreciated this as he lay sprawled on the crease, Kagiso Rabada had just delivered one such moment. Related: Alastair Cook props up wobbly England amid South Africa’s pace barrage Related: Clare Connor says cricket must seize initiative after World Cup success Continue reading...