Ben Stokes claimed the first wicket for England in the first session of the third cricket Test at the Wanderers yesterday as South Africa dealt with the early swing from the bowlers, but three more scalps in the following sessions undid the early efforts.
South Africa wicketkeeper Dane Vilas was forced to make a desperate dash to the ground, including a police escort from the airport, after being called up as a late replacement for the injured Quinton de Kock.
Stiaan van Zyl was the only wicket to fall in the first session as he top-edged an attempted pull straight up in the air and was caught by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow off Stokes’ bowing for 21.
It ended a partnership of 44 runs with Dean Elgar as the home side negated much of the early advantage that the a green top offered to the seamers.
After lunch, Elgar fell, caught behind by Bairstow off the bowling of Moeen Ali for 46, before Hashim Amla and A.B. de Villiers went the same way, the former off Steven Finn for 40 and the latter off Stokes for 36.
At press time last night, South Africa were 185-4, with Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma both unbeaten on 16.
Seperately, former international Gulam Bodi has been charged with attempting to fix matches in the nation’s domestic Twenty20 competition, South African cricket authorities said yesterday.
Bodi, who played two one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match for South Africa in 2007, has been charged with “contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 competition,” the authorities said.
Cricket South Africa last month said it was investigating an “intermediary” for betting syndicates and had laid charges.
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