South Africa v England, 1st Test, Day 3 - England are in a dominant position

For the last five Tests, the South African batting line-up is suffering from the lack of confidence. Had Dean Elgar not been focused and steady, the story of South Africa’s batting would have been a sorry tale. Elgar remained unbeaten with his fourth Test hundred, second in a Boxing Day Test match and when the South African innings ended, he became the first Proteas opener to carry his bat since Gary Korsten against Pakistan in 1997 at Faisalabad.

I loved the way Elgar built his innings. It was established on solid defensive stroke-play and there was some thinking as well. With the English bowlers troubling in-and-around the off stump line, Elgar targeted the legside region to notch-up the runs and it paid off well. Dean Elgar’s resolve and composure should inspire the other out-of-form Proteas batsmen to comeback in track.

Alastair Cook’s introduction of Moeen Ali was a brilliant move. The dismissal of Temba Bavuma by Stuart Broad in the second ball of the day brought JP Duminy at the crease and it prompted Cook to introduce Ali early as he has the habit of striking gold against the southpaws. Immediately Ali induced an edge from Duminy’s bat and put South Africa on the back foot. Then Kyle Abbott and a dangerous looking Steyn became his victims. His spell was 12-3-24-3 and with the track drying up and offering uneven bounce, Ali will prove handy in the fourth innings when South Africa will chase.

Dale Steyn’s injury is a severe blow for South Africa. Hashim Amla is rotating his bowlers to pile up the pressure, but it’s always hard to fill the gap of a Dale Steyn. At the moment, England are in a dominant position at Durban.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar