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Loading ...This is quickly becoming my second port of call (after the live feed over at the Guardian) on the SA vs Eng tour. But your readers are a quiet lot, probably because they’re all at the game. Great contest. I’m sure the confident Saffer supporters are already thinking they’ve squared the series but I’m not so sure.
Cape Town: day two
By Rich Abbott 2 months ago Add your comment below
The Cape Town breeze has a habit of stealing your hat from your head and making you look silly by flying off again every time you bend down to pick it up. England experienced a day like that today: every time they looked to be catching up with South Africa, their progress was halted by the loss of a wicket.
The day started well, with South Africa only able to add 12 to their overnight score. But wickets fell with frustrating regularity during England’s innings, with hard-fought partnerships shattered as they entered the middle-ground somewhere between decent and very useful. Steyn and Morkel exploited the pitch well, and Morkel in particular looks to be back on top of his game.
The biggest plus of England’s day, was arguably the continued resurgence of Alastair Cook, who made 65. He, more than anyone, looks to have benefitted from the wisdom of Graham Gooch, who joined up with the squad for a short stretch earlier on the tour. Today Cook gave a thorough demonstration of his job description: to bat in an obdurate manner, value his wicket and time in the middle above all else and to support his teammates – a more flashy, entertaining breed.
So he fell some way short of three figures, which should of course feature somewhere on the job spec, but he did offer stubborn resistance. He no longer looks like a walking wicket, and since the first Test, he’s looked – as he did when he burst onto the scene – like he’s made for Test cricket. His first boundary was greeted with a blast of “I’m a believer” by the stadium stereo. By sticking with him, England have shown they clearly are believers, and the way he bided his time, wasn’t afraid to leave the ball and stuck around for just under four hours, shows why.
For a while it looked like a Cook and Bell story was brewing, but it wasn’t to be. Both will be disappointed with the manner of their dismissals, not least because of the hard work they wasted. But Bell too played well for his 48. No doubt the same old accusations will be levelled at him, but having entered the fray with England in trouble, he did at least depart with the scoreline 101 runs healthier.
When stumps were called, England looked once again to be just catching up with their hat. Swann and Prior are capable of overtaking it tomorrow morning. The pitch is offering a fine contest between bat and ball, and another exciting day beckons.
Tags: alastair-cook, england-in-south-africa, ian-bell, tour diary |
2 Responses to “Cape Town: day two”
January 5th, 2010 at 10.16 am
January 5th, 2010 at 7.57 pm
Thanks Pete. It’s great to have you here!
Are you sure now?! Would take something very special to deny your countrymen now…
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