For all of the talk about England’s three debutants and how the home side’s batting order might be reconfigured after the terrors of Trent Bridge, it has been easy to forget the lack of contribution from some of England’s senior players. On Thursday (July 27), Alastair Cook served a reminder of the importance as he stood up to probing inquisition from South Africa’s bowlers to keep England on level terms on the opening day of the third Test.
Cook was unbeaten on 82 when rain stopped play for the third time in the day and brought stumps with England on 171 for 4. It was his first half-century in the first innings of a Test in the past 12 months, and without it England would have been in real strife.
They may have won the toss and elected to bat, but that decision was not borne out of easy batting conditions. The Oval pitch had a green tinge and constant cloud cover meant that the ball swung more than it has at any other point in the series. Despite battling a stomach bug that forced him off the field on a couple of occasions, Vernon Philander was at his menacing best, taking 2 for 17 in 12 overs and beating the bat on countless occasions.
He was well supported by Morne Morkel, and how he ended the day without a wicket will remain one of the great mysteries. His spell after lunch to Joe Root was memorable, with Root beaten five times in two overs and also suffering a blow on the body.
That was one of many indications of the sort of contest between bat and ball that the pitch threw up. Under the circumstances, England put in a much-improved shift with the bat, with only Keaton Jennings’s dismissal appearing soft. Jennings had already fallen to Philander twice in the series, and did not look as though he had spent the past 10 days devising a plan. He wafted unconvincingly at several deliveries outside off stump before an inevitable edge was found and well taken by Dean Elgar at third slip.
Tom Westley, one of the three debutants named in the morning, came in at No. 3 as expected and made a promising start to his Test career. While he was strong on the leg side as expected, he also drove cleanly through the covers. South Africa seemed a little too desperate to find his primary weakness – rather than simply looking to bowl well – and Westley (25) met all challenges, including an early one-over spell from left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
But after rain brought an early lunch, South Africa were back at their relentless best. Chris Morris’s fifth delivery angled in before swinging away to take Westley’s edge, and Faf du Plessis took the catch at second slip. Morkel found his rhythm, and Root and Cook did well to hang on. Then Philander returned and produced the delivery of the day to Root (29), a back-of-a-length ball that zipped away. Such was the deviation that Quinton de Kock was heading down the leg side, but had to dive back to his right to take the catch one-handed.
Back in the side after his suspension, Kagiso Rabada then bowled his best spell of the day. It culminated in Dawid Malan, who had spent 15 balls getting off the mark in Test cricket, down on his hands and knees with his off-stump knocked back by a tremendous inswinging yorker. It left England 120 for 4, and in danger of another full-scale collapse.
That was prevented when Cook found assistance from Ben Stokes. The pair reached tea on 149 for 4, but still faced a precarious final session after rain caused a prolonged interval. Under leaden skies, with the lights on and the ball moving, they saw out another seven overs before the rain returned to bring a premature end to the day, with only 59 overs bowled in all.
The pair needed a bit of luck, with Philander regularly beating the bat of Cook in particular, although in truth there was often too much swing for a bowler who prefers no more than a hint of movement. With similarly cloudy days expected on Friday and Saturday, the power games between bat and ball look set to continue, regardless of who is at the crease.
Brief scores
England 171/4 (Alastair Cook 82*, Joe root 29; Vernon Philander 2-17) vs South Africa.
, Alastair Cook served a reminder of the importance as he stood up to probing inquisition from South Africa's bowlers to keep England on level terms on the opening day of the third Test.){kind=link}