South Africa dig in and frustrate as England chase victory

Pieter Malan has batted obdurately to keep the hosts in the game as Joe Root’s men search the six further wickets they need to square the series

England players appeal unsuccesfully for the wicket of South Africa's Pieter Malan (REUTERS)

England have taken two of the eight wickets they need to secure victory in the second Test and square the series with South Africa.

Amid some hard graft came two wickets – nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj and skipper Faf du Plessis – which puts the hosts in a relatively comfortable position. They should back themselves to create six chances in the next two sessions and might even have a few more gifts on top of one they received this morning.

The first of the eight wickets needed came in the third over of the day when Maharaj was dismissed LBW. James Anderson, who had brought the nightwatchman to the crease with the dismissal of Zubayr Hamza late on day four, moved one off the straight to trap the right-hander in front of middle and leg.

The significance of that movement was not lost on England’s bowlers as their toiled to do the same over the next hour. The baking Cape Town sun, usually a trigger for a pitch to misbehave, merely shone the brightest light on a perfect batting surface. With the new ball to come, Ben Stokes put in a shift of eight overs for 17, albeit with no wicket. Despite the slightly demoralising sight of deliveries touching 90mph sailing harmlessly through to Jos Buttler below hip height.

Favourable conditions were used best by Pieter Malan. Having brought up a maiden half-century yesterday, he continued as watchfully as he had started. He did not take anything for granted, and picked up 20 runs on top of the 63 he started with this morning. He might be on debut, but at 30 years of age and with 148 first class matches under his belt, his experience will be invaluable going into the second session especially given what happened in the 77th over.

Despite Dom Bess not gaining much turn from the pitch, Faf du Plessis - not just the captain but a player who has featured in South Africa’s most famous rearguards - took what must rank as one of the stupidest decisions of his career. To a ball outside off stump - a delivery he and Malan had defended with ease, du Plessis opted for a hard, flat sweep, straight to Joe Denly at a regulation square leg.

Perhaps you could chalk this one up to a bit of cunning captaincy. Having had point and square leg on the fence, Joe Root brought both in and, perhaps, du Plessis was unaware with the change in the field. The catcher, Denly, made it look simple - at odds with his drop two Tests ago in Hamilton when stationed at midwicket in which he somehow shelled a schoolboy catch at midwicket off Kane Williamson who ended up helping New Zealand draw the match. This time, the opposition captain had no such luck.

The new ball was taken on 80 overs with James Anderson operating from the more dangerous Wynberg End, bowling into a crack on a length, with Sam Curran taking the new ball from the other. One imagines Anderson and Stuart Broad will hammer from the top end, with more rotation at the other. In terms of the runs still to get – 268 in the minimum of 63 overs left – a Proteas win is now very much out of the question.