Cape Town - Hardus Viljoen took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket as the Proteas edged in front on day two of the third Test against England at the Wanderers.
After being dismissed for 313 off 99.3 overs earlier in the morning, the South Africans made major inroads into the English batting line-up, getting rid of captain Alastair Cook and fellow opener Alex Hales that saw the visitors go to lunch on 27/2 on Friday, all of 286 runs behind.
And it was Viljoen who made the big play for AB de Villiers’s team as he got the big wicket of England’s skipper Cook, who is the mainstay of their batting line-up.
It wasn’t one of the best deliveries of his career from Viljoen, but the Proteas’ strategy of trying to strangle Cook down the leg-side worked once again as the tall left-hander tried to flick the ball off his pads, only to glance it to Dane Vilas behind the stumps.
Wicket-keeper Vilas dived to his right to take a wonderful catch, which would’ve made the chaos of the first morning – where he had to fly from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg to replace the injured Quinton de Kock – all the more worthwhile.
Youngster Kagiso Rabada, though, made the initial breakthrough during a fine spell of bowling. Handed the new ball along with Chris Morris, with senior statesman Morné Morkel used as the first-change, Rabada got his line and length just right as he made the batsmen play almost every time.
He was rewarded for his consistency and good pace when Hales took the bait and went for a big drive, only to edge the ball to second slip, where De Villiers took a sharp catch.
The 20-year-old Rabada also troubled Nick Compton, striking the England No 3 a few times in the stomach as he extracted steep bounce and sharp movement off a good length.
Morris reached speeds of up to 145km/h as well, and didn’t have much luck despite a probing spell. Morkel got just the one over before lunch, and will look to increase the pressure on England after the break.
Earlier, Rabada and Morris’s valuable eighth-wicket partnership was ended on 56 after Stuart Broad got the edge of Morris’s bat for 28 (61 balls, 4x4). The fast-bowling pair had rescued the Proteas from a tricky position on 225/7, and took the score to 281.
But Rabada followed on the same score for a highly promising 24 (64 balls 2x4, 1x6), with the left-hander playing some attractive shots and showing good technique.
Viljoen (20 not out) and Morkel (12) pulled off a few lusty blows at the end to get South Africa past the 300 mark, which would’ve pleased coach Russell Domingo on a pitch that was described as a “tricky wicket” for batting by Dean Elgar on Thursday.
England wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow took six catches, and missed out on equalling the world record of seven when he dropped Morkel off James Anderson.
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