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...
A shambles at Lord’s the previous week, the tourists reduced England to rubble without arguably their best bowler thanks to captain’s inspired leadershipFaf du Plessis has been the captain with the Midas touch since his return to the South African camp on the final morning of the chastening defeat at Lord’s last week, with their resurgent series-levelling performance in Nottingham covered in his gilded fingerprints.Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the leader who oversaw a 2-1 away series in Australia last year, and shrugged off an almighty ball-tampering row with a combative century in Adelaide, should have an impact on this series but the difference has been palpable, not least given that their head coach, Russell Domingo, is back...
The captain’s attacking response to his side being three for two was England’s only bright spot on a day when South Africa revitalised the Test seriesThe honours board that sits up high in the Long Room of the history-soaked pavilion at Trent Bridge does not record scores of 78 but in just shy of two hours at the crease Joe Root delivered a gem of an innings that, while ending in personal disgust, should not pass without mention.On an overcast second day that witnessed a cascade of 15 wickets for 306 runs and left South Africa on course for a series-levelling victory, he was the one batsman to truly transcend conditions, lighting up the bowler-dominated proceedings with a sparkling counterattack...
The young South Africa batsman played like a lord on a spree for his half-century against England, creating one of those passages where all else melts awayFor an hour or so before lunch on another lavish Lord’s Saturday Quinton de Kock seemed to be playing a different, more decorative game to everyone else. Often in sport you hear talk of a player taking the occasion by the scruff of the neck. As the Lord’s crowd cooed and gurgled De Kock did something else, taking the third morning of this first Test by the small of the back and twirling it elegantly around that huge lush lime-green garden square as it baked quietly in the midsummer sun.There are different kinds of...