[jjamez]

Well England did a, well, England. Nice bit of collapsing being done today. This top order lark really is a farce now

[themaclad]

Highest winning score at Centurion 250

South Africa 72 for 4 (van der Dussen 12*, Archer 2-37) and 284 lead England 181 (Denly 50, Philander 4-16) by 175 runs

South Africa's bowlers, led gallantly by the retiring Vernon Philander, put their side in a commanding position before a cache of top-order wickets left England with some hope after an intriguing second day at Centurion.

Philander did not concede a run from his opening five-over spell, which yielded one wicket, before finishing with the remarkable figures of 4 for 16 off 14.2 overs as England were restricted to just 181 in response to South Africa's first-innings 284. He was well supported by strike bowling partner Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, the latter critically accounting for middle-order danger men Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow as the hosts thrived where the visitors had toiled the day before.

But, with the second-day pitch offering just enough variation and bounce to sow some uncertainty in the batsmen's minds, England's bowlers were able to make inroads late in the final session, sending South Africa to the close at 72 for 4 with debutant Rassie van der Dussen not out 12 and nightwatchman Nortje on four.

South Africa had resumed on 277 for 9 before Stuart Broad had Philander caught behind by Jos Buttler for 35 with the 11th ball of the day. Broad, who had dismissed Rabada with the last ball of the opening day, finished South Africa's first innings with four wickets, as did Sam Curran.

Philander and Rabada had England floundering at 15 for 2 early in their reply. Philander dismissed Rory Burns in the fourth over of the innings, caught behind by Quinton de Kock with a beautiful delivery that zeroed in on off stump and clipped the bottom of the glove.

Burns had already produced one nervous moment when he seemed to take his time in calling for a review when he was given out, caught behind off Rabada, on the first ball of the innings. Replays showed Burns had merely clipped his front pad with the bat rather than the ball and the decision was overturned.

Rabada had Dom Sibley caught behind in a messy dismissal that initially wasn't given out by umpire Paul Reiffel, prompting a review from South Africa before Sibley walked. Joe Denly called Sibley back to wait for the DRS result, but Reiffel instructed Sibley to keep walking as his reaction had suggested he'd hit the ball, which was confirmed on replay.

Joe Root and Denly were given a tough examination by Philander and Rabada and Root had to be checked over by the physio after being struck a heavy blow on the helmet by a Rabada bouncer, though he was given the all-clear. Denly, on nought, survived a dropped catch a short time later when he edged Rabada towards slip van der Dussen, who grassed the chance as de Kock dived across him.

The England pair set about launching a rescue mission, pushing their team to 60 for 2 at lunch, but Philander, who conceded his first run - a single to Root - on the 34th ball he bowled, struck with his 37th when he tempted Root down the pitch and found an edge that went through to de Kock.

Denly shared a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ben Stokes but, having brought up his half-century with a lovely four driven off Dwaine Pretorius through cover, Denly was gone three balls later sending an inside edge off Pretorius through to de Kock.

Stokes was a welcome sight at the crease for England, who know only too well his ability to produce heroics when needed and who would have been worried by his absence from the field for a large part of the third session on day one as he was feeling unwell, but his stay at the crease was curtailed as Nortje came to the fore. Nortje bowled Jonny Bairstow through the gate with a clever ball that kept a little lower than expected and then had Stokes caught behind for 35.

An excellent catch at short leg by Zubayr Hamza sent Sam Curran back to the pavilion and handed Rabada his second wicket and when de Kock brilliantly caught Buttler off the bowling of Philander, he joined Mark Boucher (four times), AB de Villiers and Denis Lindsay as the only South African wicketkeepers to take six catches in an innings. Only four keepers have taken more - with seven catches - and none of them for South Africa.

England conceded a first-innings lead of 103 a short time later after Rabada had Broad caught by Dean Elgar and Philander bowled Jofra Archer.

Early breakthroughs for James Anderson, Broad and Archer lifted England's spirits, however.

Anderson, who also took a wicket with the first ball of the match, struck in the first over of South Africa's second innings to dismiss Aiden Markram lbw for 2. Broad then had Hamza, the hosts' second-highest scorer in their first innings with 39, caught down the leg side by a diving Buttler, who then took another tidy catch leaping to his right after Archer found Elgar's inside edge.

England had their fourth when Archer had Faf du Plessis caught at long leg via a down-on-one-knee scoop that flew straight to Curran.

Van der Dussen and Nortje saw their side through to the close without further loss and, with their first-innings top-scorer de Kock still to make an appearance, South Africa held the upper hand.

[themaclad]

376 to win

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Solid work by the top order to build a platform, but with over 250 still needed on a deteriorating pitch, it's still South Africa in the driving seat.

[themaclad]

England 181 and 121 for 1 (Burns 77*) need a further 255 to beat South Africa 284 and 272 (van der Dussen 51, Archer 5-102)

True to their hard-earned reputation for perversity, England's cricketers gave themselves a fighting chance of victory in the first Test at Centurion, mere hours after seemingly tossing away their only opportunity in one of the most wasteful morning sessions of recent memory.

With Rory Burns once again to the fore, unbeaten on 77- the eighth time out of 11 that he had been the man to produce a half-century at the top of the batting order - England strode to the close on 121 for 1, after an evening session of improbable serenity, punctured only by the lapse in concentration that ended Dom Sibley's innings of 29 from 90 balls, and an opening stand of 92 that spanned 28 overs.

With two days to come, and 255 still required with nine wickets standing, one of these two sides is sure to head to Cape Town in the new year with a 1-0 lead in the series. And England, still a little bit giddy from their exploits at Headingley in the summer, will know that even a run-chase of 376 - 125 more than has ever previously been achieved at this venue - cannot be considered completely out of their reach.

After all, most of the men still to come in the middle order - Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in particular - have spent the past four years making such chases seem commonplace in white-ball cricket at least, and perhaps relish the clarity that comes with a distinct endgame to their endeavours.

But this is also the side that has fallen in a batting heap on more occasions that they'd care to count in recent years - Mirpur 2016, Auckland 2017, Trent Bridge 2018, Bridgetown 2019, and the first innings of that self-same contest at Headingley in August, to name but a few. This could go down to the wire, or be all over by lunch. Neither upshot would be quite as eyebrow-raising as a common-or-garden 95-run defeat by mid-afternoon.

And in that context, it perhaps should not be surprising that England's gains in an uplifting evening were offset by one of the worst mornings of Test cricket that even this yin-and-yang rabble has ever yet produced.

Having come into the third day with the stated aim of limiting South Africa's lead to a manageable 300 (and how cushty would their overnight position seem had they done that?), England threw caution to the wind, tactics to the bin, and hope to the outer rim as Rassie van der Dussen, on debut, and Anrich Nortje, a nightwatchman with a previous Test best of 5 not out, thwarted their advances in a fifth-wicket stand of 91 that ate up the first 90 minutes of the day.

England, in some mitigation, were clearly distracted by dressing-room issues - or more accurately, issues in the field hospital-turned-"quarantine" where both Buttler and, for a time, the captain Root were housed after becoming the latest members of the camp to succumb to the unshakeable virus that has been plaguing the squad for a fortnight.

Buttler didn't take the field at all - he was replaced behind the stumps by the man he replaced behind the stumps, Jonny Bairstow (who had replaced the man who had replaced the man behind the stumps, Ollie Pope, when he too fell ill on the eve of the game). And though Root did reappear in a game attempt to reattach his side's wobbly wheels, he looked like death warmed up as South Africa took full toll.

Most fundamentally, England bowled too short - blatently neglecting the line-and-length wiles that had earned Vernon Philander the first-innings figures of 4 for 16. And while this could partly be attributed to a lack of leadership, that didn't exactly excuse the influence - or lack thereof - of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, whose combined 285-Test, 1000-plus wickets of experience surely includes the odd scenario that might have aided their game-plans in such circumstances.

Indeed it was telling that, at the eventual fall of Nortje for a feisty 40 - caught at short leg as Jofra Archer banged another one into his hip - Broad and Ben Stokes were seen having a pretty frank discussion in the team huddle. It ended with a conciliatory fist-bump, but also with Stokes taking the ball for his first over of the day, and immediately serving up a bouncer, length-ball one-two that scalped Dwaine Pretorius almost before he had begun.

England leaked 125 runs in the morning while claiming three wickets - among them van der Dussen for a debut half-century of immense resolve - and a further 75 thereafter, as Quinton de Kock and Philander took up the cudgels for their side - not least against the hapless Archer. His pace may have been restored to familiar extremes but his methods came in for mockery from de Kock in particular, who set himself for the short ball and launched him high and mightily over the ropes for consecutive sixes in a 37-ball 34 that only ended when Stokes, once more, found his edge from another length ball.

At least Archer finished the innings with his second five-wicket haul and first overseas - an important milestone for a man who managed just two wickets in as many matches in New Zealand last month - but it was a pyrrhic victory in the circumstances, as he became the fourth bowler in Test history to claim a five-wicket haul while conceding a run-a-ball or more. The final insult to England's performance came from the slap-happy Kagiso Rabada, who belted Sam Curran on to the grass in a 12-ball 16, before Philander, four runs shy of a richly deserved fifty, snagged another high bouncer from Curran through to the keeper.

And so the focus switched once again to England's batting … and for the fourth time in as many innings, the umpire's finger went up in the very first over. But whereas Anderson's wickets had stood in both innings, Rabada was denied by DRS for the second time running, as Burns (who escaped had escaped first-ball on Friday) successfully reviewed an lbw decision that was shown to be missing off.

And thereafter, a curious serenity came across England's batting, as some of the surface's second-day life ebbed away. Burns eased into his work with a series of punches through the covers and a brace of clips off the pads from Nortje - although he had a second stroke of luck on 20 when de Kock dived across van der Dussen at first slip, who spilled a low edge off the luckless Philander.

At the other end, Sibley settled in as the most junior of partners - content to watch his off stump like a hawk and let as much sail by as possible, which is an underrated tactic against bowlers of South Africa's quality. He dragged himself into double figures with his first boundary, a clip off Nortje, from his 41st delivery, and had just seemed to be finding his feet at Test level when he scuffed a long-hop from the spinner Keshav Maharaj straight back to the bowler.

Joe Denly, however, was still in situ at the close, providing yet more improbable solidity from the No. 3 position that he is slowly but surely making his own. No one else in the team wants it, of course, which epitomises the issues that England's Test cricket has had for the past four years. But somehow, in spite of everything, they are making a fist of this contest. Albeit a ham-fisted one.

[themaclad]

South Africa 284 (de Kock 95, Curran 4-58, Broad 4-58) and 272 (van der Dussen 51, Archer 5-102) beat England 181 (Denly 50, Philander 4-16) and 268 (Burns 84, Rabada 4-103) by 107 runs

There were, as you might expect, a few twists and turns along the way, but in the end, the result was thoroughly comprehensive. South Africa won the first Test at Centurion - their first non-defeat in six attempts - by 107 runs, thanks to a sustained new-ball assault that delivered England's last six wickets in 11.5 overs at a cost of 46 runs.

The star of the show on this fourth and final day, however, was not the first-innings hero, Vernon Philander, nor the kingpin of their attack, Kagiso Rabada, crucial though he was in crashing through England's resistance with four wickets in his final seven overs.

Rather it was the snorting, bull-necked pace of the rookie quick Anrich Nortje, the man whose 40 runs as a nightwatchman on Saturday morning had been so crucial in setting up an imposing target of 376, and whose three second-innings wickets included two of the most prized scalps of the lot - England's overnight obstacle, Rory Burns, for 84, and then the captain, Joe Root, whose fluent 48 had been looking like his side's best hope.

The day's other big wicket, however, was perhaps the most crucial of the lot, not because of how he had been proceeding, but because of what his enduring presence stood for. After achieving the impossible with that innings at Headingley, Ben Stokes stands as living proof that no cause is entirely lost, and when he came to the crease at the fall of Joe Denly, just as he had done in that very knock, England's requirement was 218 further runs with seven wickets standing … just as it had been in August.

The similarities continued as he bedded into his stay, with caution to the fore as he ground his way to 4 runs from his first 42 balls (compared to 3 from 74 at Headingley) before the re-introduction of Keshav Maharaj singled a critical change of intent. A first-ball slog-sweep for four was followed by an inside-out smack down the ground, as England attempted to expel the spinner from South Africa's attack. But two overs later, Maharaj had the final say in the duel - inducing an inside-edge on to the woodwork as he found some grip from the rough outside Stokes' off stump.

The euphoria of South Africa's celebrations betrayed the magnitude of the moment. Stokes' departure for 14, with the second new ball only seven overs away, was the incision that England could not afford, given the fallibility of the men lurking down the order.

And few, alas, proved more fallible that the wretchedly out-of-form Jonny Bairstow. He had been recalled to the team when Ollie Pope succumbed to England's lurgy on the eve of the Test, despite having played no first-class cricket since being dropped for the tour of New Zealand. And that was no sort of preparation for a player of Rabada's intent. A flick off the pads from his first new-ball delivery proved a false dawn. One ball later, Rabada served up a juicy outswinger that was slapped with flat feet and an open face straight to gully.

At 222 for 5, with another 154 still needed, the writing was suddenly on the wall, even if Jos Buttler - who missed the third day through illness - showed admirable stoicism as he dug in alongside his skipper. But, while Rabada was a constant menace, his new-ball colleague Philander was slightly off the boil at the other end, finding less of his habitual swing and proving a relative sinecure as that precious new-ball shine began to be eroded from the Kookaburra.

ALSO READ: Silverwood defends Root's toss decision

And so Faf du Plessis, to his credit, chose to spell Philander after just three ineffectual overs, and back came Nortje with licence to let rip. Sure enough, his second ball bagged the big one. Root, whose only moment of discomfort in the course of a serene stay had come when Nortje had rapped him on the wrist with a lifter in the morning session, was once again taken aback by extra pace outside off, and flinched a second-ball edge through to Quinton de Kock to fall for a valiant but insubstantial 48.

The remainder of England's innings turned into a predictable bar-brawl of big hits and regular wickets, as the tail chose to roll the dice en masse, and try to smoke their way to within touching distance of their target rather than bed in for the inevitable. Buttler and Sam Curran took Nortje's next over for 15, including a wild pull from Buttler that sailed onto the grass banks, but prolonged resistance was futile.

Rabada found Curran's outside edge to give de Kock his eighth catch of the match, before Jofra Archer snicked Nortje to slip. Buttler then decided to go for broke, crashing Rabada over cow corner for his second six of the innings but holed out in the same direction one ball later, and Stuart Broad's timbers couldn't survive the rest of the over.

South Africa's celebrations were heartfelt and long overdue - they've endured as wretched a year as England's has been intermittently glorious (in one format at least), but this was a vindication for a new regime that was appointed in the throes of crisis at the beginning of the month, and has already dredged an admirable team spirit in the face of adversity.

That's not to say it was an easy denouement. There were nerves aplenty along the way, as England resumed on their overnight 121 for 1, with Burns entrenched on a steadfast 77 and their collective eyes as firmly on the prize as they can be when such a distant target of 376 is glinting on the horizon.

But just as England's morning session on the Saturday had been so crucial in their eventual demise, so South Africa's victory was built on the discipline that they showed in conceding just 50 runs in 25 overs before lunch, while chipping out two hugely significant wickets.

And Nortje, once again, was instrumental in the session's biggest moment. Burns, whose authority at the top of England's order has been enhanced significantly in this contest, was 16 runs shy of his third Test century and playing with control and composure, when he gambled on aggression as the change bowlers entered the fray. Rabada and Philander had been seen off with caution, but Nortje's second delivery was a rapid bouncer that got big on a pre-meditated pull. The ball spiralled to Rabada at mid-on as Burns turned in disgust for the pavilion, and the rock of England's innings had been dislodged.

Four overs later, and Denly too was gone - pinned on the pad as Dwaine Pretorius nipped one off the seam, and sent on his way despite a review for 31. And on a fine day for South Africa as a whole, Pretorius provided a footnote of extra optimism, as it was confirmed that he had chosen country over county in turning down a mooted Kolpak move to Nottinghamshire. England's hosts still have myriad problems to surmount as they seek to shore up their sport's foundations, but results such as this are the sort of tonic that they so desperately need.

[themaclad]

SECOND TEST NEWLANDS CAPE TOWN

24 years ago rocked up at this venue to see us lose in three days, it was Mike Watknson's last test he ended with a duck

This man also attended



Newlands Cricket Ground (known as PPC Newlands for sponsorship reasons) in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It is the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the Sunfoil Series, Momentum 1 Day Cup and RamSlam Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches, ODIs and T20Is. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world, being overlooked by Table Mountain and Devil's Peak. It is close to Newlands Stadium, which is a rugby union and football venue. The cricket ground opened in 1888.

The title deed for the land currently containing the ground was granted to a brewer, Jacob Letterstedt in 1845, who then presented it to his daughter, Lydia Corrina, as a wedding present upon her marriage to the Vicomte de Montmort.

The land, partly wetland and heavily wooded, was rented to the Western Province Cricket Club in 1887 for £50, with a 25-year lease being signed in 1888 and the rental increased to £100. Each of the club's life members contributed £25 towards the costs, and a further £350 was received in donations towards the construction of a pavilion.[2]

The ground was levelled and officially opened with a two-day match between Mother Country and Colonial Born, which went on to become a regular feature. There was no scoreboard, and a pond existed behind the location of the current scoreboard.[2]


The scoreboard at Newlands cricket ground Cape Town South Africa during the match between Western Province and Eastern Province in February 1972
Before the arrival of the Australians in 1902, which included Victor Trumper, the pine trees, which extended from the "B" field along Camp Ground Road and around the pavilion, were replaced by oak trees. This is the site of the current Oaks Enclosure, one of the most popular vantage points. A then-record crowd of 10 000 arrived to see the Test.[2]

Between 1991 and 1997 numerous changes were made to the ground. Large portions of the grass embankments were replaced by pavilions increasing the seating capacity to 25,000.

The ground hosted its first Test match on 24 March 1889 when England defeated South Africa by an innings and 202 runs. There have been 55 Test matches played at the ground of which South Africa has won 23, their opponents 21 and 11 which ended in a draw. The last team besides Australia to beat South Africa there was New Zealand in January 1962.[3]

Records and statistics
First Test South Africa v England - Mar 25-26, 1889
Last Test South Africa v Pakistan - Jan 3-6, 2019

First ODI South Africa v India - Dec 7, 1992
Last ODI South Africa v Sri Lanka - Mar 16, 2019

First T20I Australia v Zimbabwe - Sep 12, 2007
Last T20I South Africa v Sri Lanka - Mar 19, 2019

[themaclad]

Burns out of tour ankle ligament damage playing football

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Not the first time something like this has happened, and yet they still insist on playing football warm-ups

[themaclad]

Average first day score at Newlands is 265 so not far off that although really should be in a better position

England 262 for 9 (Pope 56*) v South Africa

There is no precise antonym for the word "ruthless": like "nonplussed", "disgruntled" and "underwhelmed", it is considered by linguistics scholars to be an unpaired adjective due to the lack of a word with a perfectly opposite meaning.

But if academics can find a way to condense England's batting performance on the first day of the Newlands Test into an adjective, they will finally have found a solution to their problem. If one batsman in the top seven failing to convert a start into a telling contribution might be considered careless, seeing five of them do it suggests a much deeper issue.

England's players have taken to calling this their "cursed" tour, with injury and illness ruining their preparation for both the first and second Tests, but their failure to reach an imposing first-innings total here was largely self-inflicted: having won the toss and chosen to bat first on a fairly placid surface, Joe Root was one of several senior batsmen to get in and get out as South Africa had much the better of the first day. Only Ollie Pope, who made a calm, unbeaten half-century, managed to produce something approaching a match-altering score.

For as much as the home side impressed with a disciplined bowling performance - and their change bowlers, Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius, were both particularly unerring - there were few magic balls, and instead a series of shots that hinted at a lack of concentration or a failure to take advantage of an ideal situation.

Rory Burns' ankle injury on the eve of the game saw Zak Crawley come into the side for his second Test to open alongside Dom Sibley - not since since 1963 have England had a less-experienced opening pair (excluding nightwatchmen) - as part of perhaps their most adverbial top three ever, with Joe Denly in at No. 3. Crawley was given a brutal working-over in his brief stay at the crease: Vernon Philander hammered the off-stump channel on a length before nudging a fraction fuller, like a precision engineer, and finding the outside edge.

Philander, in his final Test at the ground that has been so good to him, continued to probe just outside the off stump, testing Sibley's open stance and leg-side-dominant game as he regularly beat his prodded defensive shots.

And despite looking more confident and settled at the crease on his way to his highest Test score to date - even unfurling his cover drive within the first hour - Sibley fell in disappointing fashion for the second consecutive innings. Pretorius put the brakes on with three maidens in his first four overs, and Kagiso Rabada reaped the rewards at the other end, drawing an outside edge which Quinton de Kock snaffled.

Nortje made the next breakthrough in a hostile spell. Denly had battled doggedly, but found himself tied down against Keshav Maharaj in particular, taking 49 balls to get past 21, and was hit on the helmet by a sharp bouncer off the fifth ball of Nortje's second over after lunch. With Nortje's speeds nudging past the 90mph/145kph mark, he also had Root camped deep in his crease on the back foot.

Root pushed hard at a back-of-a-length ball in the channel, but lived to tell the tale as Rassie van der Dussen put down his third chance of the series - just like the last two occasions, he was unsighted by de Kock's dive in front of him. But it was hardly a costly drop: two balls later, Nortje aimed a bullet at Root's left shoulder, and as the batsman flinched to get underneath it, he gloved it through to the gleeful wicketkeeper.

Denly's turgid innings was ended seven overs later, as Maharaj pushed through an arm ball which burst between bat and pad to take the top of his off stump. England's No. 3 has reached double figures 19 times in his 22 Test innings, but his 94 against Australia at The Oval remains his most-significant contribution.

Four years on - to the day - from his 258 not out on the ground, Ben Stokes looked in fine touch throughout his innings, hitting Maharaj for a towering six over wide mid-on, but was became the latest England batsman to give his wicket away cheaply when he tamely chipped a low catch to Dean Elgar at extra cover to hand Nortje his second wicket and South Africa their fifth with the score still 15 runs short of 200.

Jos Buttler had signalled his intent to play with more positivity in the build-up to this Test and was true to his word, hitting a flurry of boundaries as he looked to counterattack, getting across to the off side in an attempt to throw the unerring Pretorius off his line. But Pretorius plugged away, shifting his line wider, and produced a gem of a delivery with the old ball to see the back of Buttler, with a hint of movement away off the seam to find an edge.

He struck again with the old ball to affirm South Africa's advantage, angling one in from round the wicket as Sam Curran shouldered arms, only to find his off stump cartwheeling towards fine leg.

When Philander struck with the new ball, drawing Dom Bess into a tame push first ball to one that moved sharply away off the seam, and Rabada accounted for Stuart Broad with a searing yorker, it was down to Pope to free his arms with only James Anderson for company. An uppercut and a club down the ground - worth four each - were the pick of the shots, and he brought up his second Test fifty with a pull in front of square when shepherding the tail.

He was given a reprieve late in the piece, holing out to Philander at long leg only to discover Rabada had overstepped, and Faf du Plessis was visibly frustrated by a seven-over partnership that ensured England will resume on the second morning.