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Dom Sibley celebrates maiden century but Ben Stokes again steals the show

England lead by 421 runs and with the pitch beginning to wear are in total control of the match

Vithushan Ehantharajah
Newlands
Monday 06 January 2020 11:39 GMT
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Sibley made three figures for the first time as England tightened their grip on the second Test
Sibley made three figures for the first time as England tightened their grip on the second Test

A morning of personal celebrations, thrilling batting in two hours that took the second Test well out of South African hands. The lead, as it stands, is a whopping 421 runs

Dom Sibley celebrated a maiden Test century, eventually brought up from 269 balls. Having restarted his innings on 85, he played it steady, though moved to three figures with boundaries. The first was an edge through a vacant gully that took him to 99.

A more deliberate hard sweep took – his 16th boundary – brought with it a trot to the other end and a couple of leaps, complete with air-punches after what had been a long, patient 415-minute stay which, ultimately, looks to be match-winning, too, in his fourth Test.

While he continued to do what he did best on day three, choosing the right balls to score off and occasionally using his boot to kick away deliveries from Keshav Maharaj that were pitching outside leg stump, he could do so comfortably given the fireworks at the other end.

Typically, it was Ben Stokes who headlined, 72 from 47 which decimated a frayed Proteas attack. If there’s a man who knows how to clear the fences at Newlands, it’s him.

Here was the stage he stole three years ago with a remarkable 258 that featured boundary upon boundary – 11 of them sixes. The situation here was very different, but the method was very much the same. Go hard and go often. Highlights of that knock got an airing as England moved their lead beyond 300.

Having scored one run from his first seven balls, he boshed 49 in his next 27 to move to a half-century: five fours and two sixes coming in extraordinary circumstances as South Africa’s attack were hammed into submission. Kagiso Rabada, bowling with the new ball, had everyone bar the keeper and Faf du Plessis (first slip) on the fence.

The first maximum was a handsome straight drive off Dwayne Pretorious. The second, in the next over, a six swatted over wide mid on off Maharaj. In between, a reverse sweep that flew over the tops of the slips. Just like that, the game was flipped on its head. He moved from 55 to 69 in three balls with the help of the left-arm spinner – a four to square leg, a skip-and-six down the ground and a reverse sweep behind point for four – and, for a moment, looked like he might threaten Brendon McCullum’s record for the fastest Test century, scored off 55.

Alas, it wasn’t to be – a mistimed hack over long on once more giving Maharaj one in the wickets column to give him something after conceding 141 from his 40 overs so far. Rassie van der Dussen was the catcher in the deep. It would have ended earlier had Quinton de Kock held onto a top edge that had him running halfway to fine leg when Stokes had just 38.

Ollie Pope came and went, playing on to Rabada for just three. But then in came Jos Buttler, striking Anrich Nortje flat over long on for the first of two sixes, then hooking over backward square. An attempted scoop edged behind saw him come to an end, Nortje the recipient.

But Sibley found another gear, hitting his first six – again, Maharaj was the unfortunate bowler – as he got down on one knee to plant his 285th delivery towards Table Mountain. He and Sam Curran will come back after the break, 125 and 13 respectively, looking to eat up more time just as the pitch looks like spicing up again. Curran wore a painful delivery on his left hand which Nortje was able to lift off a length outside the left-hander’s off stump.

After 157 runs in the opening 29 overs, that delivery suggested their may be more South African humiliation to come.

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