England 353 and 153 for 2 (Westley 50*, Root 38*) lead South Africa 175 (Bavuma 52, Roland-Jones 5-57) by 331 runs
Tom Westley made a fifty on debut © AFP
An abstemious maiden Test fifty by Tom Westley was the centrepiece of an Oval Test Sunday as England steadily progressed towards an anticipated declaration in the third Investec Test. By lunch on the fourth day, they had stretched their lead to 331 with eight wickets intact. A declaration shortly after tea looked most likely.
England lost Keaton Jennings on a heedful morning in which Joe Root’s quality did most to move England forward. Westley only contributed 22 to England’s total in the session, but there was again a grace in his game that made him eminently watchable even when not scoring quickly.
South Africa stuck to their task without ever threatening to run through the England order. Kagiso Rabada posed most threat. As for Vernon Philander, he is still under the weather and left the field half an hour or so before lunch. He had bowled 11 overs in all; it felt like twice as many.
Jennings’ England career remains in doubt. He is without a Test half-century in six knocks after Kagiso Rabada surprised him with a bouncer, on 48, and won a lobbed catch to gully off the glove as Jennings failed to drop his hands quickly enough.
Rabada has the capacity to bowl an excellent shock ball whether it is the sort of yorker that unhinged Dawid Malan in the first innings or the bouncer, by far the shortest ball he had bowled in the England innings, which removed Jennings.
Nevertheless, Jennings’ statuesque style is bound to be bringing growing concern for England’s selectors ahead of an Ashes tour in Australia this winter. Stick with Jennings, return to Haseeb Hameed, who has had a poor season and who currently is playing no meaningful cricket at all as the NatWest Blast dominates schedules, or make a late pitch for Mark Stoneman, uncapped and frequently ignored? No decision is entirely appealing.
Jennings added 14 on the third morning, but his two boundaries off Morne Morkel were unconvincing, thick edges which told of his unease.
Westley had challenges of his own to contend with. It has not taken South Africa long to cotton on to his strengths. Indeed, such is the constant analysis of a new England player that it would have been no surprise if a Romanian plasterer had wandered up to him on the platform at Bank as England travelled to the game by tube and said: “You must be Tom Westley: you’re the one with the strong leg-side game.”
Resuming on 28, under overcast skies, he did not bring up his first Test half-century until 10 minutes before lunch, courtesy of the shot that he must have been willing to unveil all morning, a graceful on-drive against Morkel that, more than any other shot in his armoury, exudes quality. He had also dispatched Rabada in similar manner earlier in the session, taking the ball from outside off stump.
That apart, South Africa hammered away around fourth or fifth stump. An early play and miss at Rabada convinced him to reel in his off-side drive. The next time his outside edge was beaten, by Chris Morris, it was 12.30pm. There was enough time in the game for him to play in restrained fashion and he had the intelligence to do just that.
David Hopps is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo