Ben Stokes unleashed one of the most destructive Test innings ever for his 258 and Jonny Bairstow was not far behind as England declared on a huge 629-6 in the second Test against South Africa yesterday.
Stokes made the highest score by a No. 6 in the history of Test cricket, and shared a 399-run partnership with Bairstow for the highest stand for the sixth wicket in Tests. Bairstow was unbeaten on 150 when England finally put top-ranked South Africa out of their misery and declared before tea on the second day at Newlands. Stokes passed 250 off 196 balls — the fastest to that score in test history.
The hosts were 24-1 at tea, having lost the wicket of Stiaan van Zyl, who was run out for four by Nick Compton.
Photo: AP
From 317-5 overnight, England added 312 runs in a little more than a session to take complete command of the match after taking a 1-0 series lead in the opening Test in Durban. The partnership between Stokes and Bairstow racked up 399 at a staggering run rate of 6.91 runs per over.
Stokes bludgeoned 30 fours and 11 sixes. Bairstow hit 18 fours and two sixes.
Stokes’ double hundred — which came off 163 balls — was the second-quickest ever in Tests. It was only his third Test century. Bairstow’s unbeaten 150 was his maiden century.
South Africa, with their reputation as the top-ranked team in the world slipping dramatically, lost their first wicket in the third over of their first-innings reply when Van Zyl was run out. Halfway through the second day, the home team was already staring at a huge defeat and a 2-0 deficit in the four-match series.
To put England’s batting dominance in context, it was the second highest total they had ever made in a Test innings in South Africa, behind only its 654-5 in 1939.
Stokes, on 74 overnight, needed just 12 balls yesterday morning to get to his century, and continued to flay the South Africa bowling attack all over Newlands, with a large contingent of traveling English fans cheering every thump to the boundary.
One of those many boundaries was a powerful pull off the back foot to the mid-wicket boundary to go past 200. Stokes leaped and punched his fist in the air to celebrate his first career double-hundred. His previous Test best was 120.
Among a series of significant statistics, Stokes’ brilliant double-hundred was the second fastest behind Nathan Astle’s 153-ball double-ton against England in 2001-2002. Also, Stokes battered 130 runs off just 74 balls in the morning session for a new Test record for the most runs by a batsman in a session before lunch.
That put England, already 1-0 ahead in the series, in complete command at one of South Africa’s favorite grounds, and where England have not won since 1957. South Africa have lost just four times in 28 matches at Newlands since being readmitted to Test cricket, all against Australia.
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