Tea South Africa 179 for 2 (de Kock 68*, Amla 65*) v England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
00:49
Kuhn, Amla justify SA’s batting gamble
The opening day of the Trent Bridge Test gradually settled into something summery and, with it, Hashim Amla did too. A mournful morning which offered England’s seam attack hope developed into an afternoon of South African ascendancy under blue skies as they reached tea in good order at 179 for 2.
If Amla, a figure of calm and elegance, possessed the munificence of a warm sun, uncluttered by clouds, alongside him Quinton de Kock, promoted to No 4, was as playful as a sunbeam dancing upon a car windscreen.
They made a contrasting pair, both securing half-centuries on an easy-paced pitch which invited them gradually to take command and they did just that, gambolling along at more than four an over as they added 123 in the middle session.
England ciould justifiably claim they had come close to ridding themselves of Amla on several occasions, such as the time, on 37, when he edged James Anderson agonisingly short of Joe Root at second slip. But they had frittered away both their reviews by the 24th over in a manner which suggested that Root, a new captain eager to succeed, might have some reflecting to do.
Amla ticked along with leg-side nudges but saved his biggest shots for the square boundaries on the off side. He reached his half-century with a blissful straight six against Liam Dawson, who entered the attack 10 overs before Moeen Ali. A pecking order designed to take the pressure off Moeen might yet put the pressure on England and it could remain a talking point of the summer.
De Kock’s insatiable appetite for adventure has made South Africa reluctant to card him in the middle order but they were rewarded for their boldness.
Many will regard the promotion of de Kock as unwise – comparable perhaps to fielding the great Australian wicketkeeping No. 7 Adam Gilchrist up the order – and would certainly argue the case for him to come in behind his captain, Faf du Plessis, at five, But there is a roundness to de Kock’s game that suggests he has the aptitude to cope and four boundaries in quick succession off Dawson and Wood helped seize the initiative.
England’s one wicket in the afternoon was that of Heino Kuhn, who was subjected to a succession of induckers by Stuart Broad, in particular, and eventually dragged one on.
England, though, spent their second review in the third ball of the afternoon session when the same lunchtime plan seemed to have brought immediate rewards, only for their review to fail because ball-tracking suggested the delivery was too high.
England were even more ill-advised to review a rejected lbw appeal against Amla, on 14, two balls after the resumption. He survived courtesy of an inside edge which had not entered the computation of a clearly enthusiastic bowler, Ben Stokes. Amla was outside the line as well, leaving Stokes’ obvious optimism flawed on two counts.
Root, a new captain, looked somewhat biddable as both reviews fell on stony ground., On the second occasion, his predecessor, Alastair Cook, offered a few quiet words alongside him at slip. He might have been just expressing relief that the decision was no longer his, but if he was advising Root to temper his ambition with realism it would have been no bad thing..
Anderson’s 300th Test wicket in England had been a statistical landmark in an otherwise mournful start to the second Investec Test with only 23 overs possible as Trent Bridge on a blustery morning which was briefly interrupted by a flurry of rain.
Anderson became the first fast bowler to achieve such a feat when he wangled the wicket of Dean Elgar, drawing him into an insecure drive at a slightly wide one and winning his wicket courtesy of a fine, diving catch to his right by Dawson at backward point. Elgar, who can be a bit of a stodge when conditions are testing, would have berated himself for that.
There was uncertainty for Kuhn, too, who took a blow on the back of the helmet in Wood’s first over. Wood, coming on for the 12th over, unsettled Kuhn from the outset and his fourth delivery beat Kuhn for pace and caused the batsman to turn away and take the blow. Earlier, Kuhn had also taken a blow on the bottom hand from Broad, discomfort aplenty which was sure to ginger up England’s seamers.
Kuhn ducked the next ball from Wood and then, to alleviate his frustration, crashed Anderson, in the next over, wide of Ben Stokes at gully. Technically, it was an unconvincing retort but emotionally he probably needed it. As for Wood, who is still seeking full pace after his ankle problems the initial signs were encouraging, but his threat waned.
South Africa had to withstand an awkward extra 15 minutes after retreating to the dressing room after 18.1 overs, wrongly imagining like many that rain would prevent play until after lunch, but they equipped themselves well and the loss of only one wicket by lunch represented decent damage limitation.
On a morning where spectators wrapped themselves in statistics to help keep out the cold, Amla also had time to pass 8,000 Test runs, brought up with a slick boundary behind square leg against Wood, shortly before rain forced a stoppage. Another landmark was also marked as the impending retirement of Henry Blofeld, the long-serving Test Match Special commentator, was marked by his very own bus – a green one named in his honour and a replica to go with it, presented by the Sheriff of Nottingham – a local councillor, rather than the Robin Hood villain.
David Hopps is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo