The Proteas went into the lunch break in the best possible mood thanks to an early breakthrough, after their batting woes continued, setting the West Indies 247-runs to win the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday’s third day.
Having been bowled out for a paltry 116 in their second innings and opening the door for the Windies to fightback, just one over was possible just before the lunch break for the visitors to survive before picking up in the afternoon.
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However it took just three balls for a massive breakthrough as Kagiso Rabada angled a delivery down the leg side, with Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite trying to flick the ball, only to get a faint edge onto his pad, with keeper Heinrich Klaasen taking the catch diving to his left.
The wicket will be a blow to the Windies confidence and will fire up the Proteas bowling attack, with a very interesting afternoon session set to commence after lunch.
At the start of play the Proteas resumed their second innings in a perilous position on 49/4 and it didn’t take long for wickets to start falling as Klaasen (5) played a loose drive at a ball from Jason Holder, only to edge it behind to keeper Joshua da Silva with the score 57/5.
First innings centurion Aiden Markram (47) was a lot more reserved than he was during the evening session on day two where he played very aggressively, and having added just 12 runs to his overnight total, he was undone by a good ball from Kemar Roach which straightened and took the edge to the keeper.
In his next over a superb ball from Roach straightened off the seam and took the top of Marco Jansen’s (6) off stump and on 72/7 the Proteas were in deep trouble.
That soon became 80/8 as Senuran Muthusamy, who struggled in scoring just four off 36 deliveries, feathered and edge down the leg side off the bowling of Shannon Gabriel.
Vital partnership
A vital 29-run ninth wicket partnership between Gerald Coetzee and Rabada (10no) then followed, pushing the Proteas towards a defendable total.
Coetzee was in a belligerent mood as he clattered 20 runs off just 14 balls, taking particular liking to Gabriel’s bowling as he crunched him for two fours and a six straight down the ground, before he edged a short ball from Roach to keeper Da Silva.
Last man Anrich Nortje (4) didn’t last long and he edged Roach behind to end the innings, with the Proteas holding a lead of 246-runs.
Nortje’s dismissal was Da Silva’s sixth snag of the innings behind the wicket and was Roach’s fifth wicket, as the veteran clinched his 11th Test five wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5/47.
