PORT ELIZABETH – South Africa endured a horrible second morning of the third Test at St George’s Park.
Not only did they fail to claim a single wicket for the second successive morning session, they took the field knowing that their talismanic fast bowler Kagiso Rabada would play no further part in the series after Port Elizabeth.
Rabada was fined 15% of his match fee and handed one demerit point for his overzealous celebration when dismissing England captain Joe Root on Thursday evening. The 24-year-old accepted the censure and due to his previous indiscretions will now miss the fourth and final Test in Johannesburg next week.
It seemed the entire Proteas team were shaken up with the overnight findings as they struggled to find their rhythm on the second morning. All the bowlers were either too short or too full, which allowed both Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes to score freely.
Pope was particularly good through the off-side where he pierced the cover-gully region when Vernon Philander missed his lengths with precision.
But it was once again the Stokes show. The England all-rounder continues to torment the Proteas at every opportunity, and went casually to his ninth Test century shortly before the interval.
Stokes, along with Pope, piled on the misery for the Proteas, adding 111 runs in the 27-over session at a rate of 4.11 run per over. It was part of an unbroken 187-run stand for the fifth wicket.
The closest South Africa came to claiming a wicket during the first session was when debutant seamer Dane Paterson trapped Pope LBW, but only for DRS to overrule the decision.
Third Test, Day 2, Lunch
England: 335/4 (Stokes 108*, Pope 75*, Rabada 2/70)