Joe Root (left) walks back to the pavilion after getting dismissed for 76 © Getty Images
England lost three wickets for as many runs in less than 10 minutes as they were reeling at 211 for six against South Africa at lunch on Day Three of the ongoing fourth Test at Centurion. Ben Stokes was batting on 1, with Moeen Ali yet to get off the mark. Stokes has the responsibility of guiding England to a position of command in the second session after the jolts in the morning. Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada dismissed with set batsmen in Alastair Cook and Joe Root, both for 76, before Rabada got Taylor and Bairstow caught behind in a lethal spell, leading the way among the South African bowlers with career-best figures (at the moment) of 5 for 76. England currently trail South Africa’s first innings score of 475 by another 264 runs, with four wickets in hand. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 4th Test at Centurion, Day 3
Cook and Root resumed England’s innings from their overnight score of 138 for two, with the pair hitting boundaries all over the park with a few boundaries. Root soon got to his 19th Test half-century, while Cook was on his way towards completing his 29th Test century as well as becoming the first English batsman to complete 10,000 Test runs. Cook however, fell on 76 after getting an outside edge off a length Morkel delivery outside off. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 4th Test at Centurion, Day 3
Root put up a brief partnership with Taylor at the other end, before he got dismissed off a slightly short-of-length delivery from Rabada, which straightened after being pitched just outside off to get an audible nick off Root’s bat. England were suddenly back to square one with the departure of the two set batsmen, and the situation worsened when the in-form Bairstow gloved a short delivery from Rabada while looking to leave it. Rabada thus, has announced himself in Tests by getting his second five-wicket haul in as many games.
England had lost the wicket of Alex Hales early in their innings on Day Two for a 14-ball 15, before Cook steadied the innings with Nick Compton (19 off 52) and later Root, eventually bringing up his 47th Test fifty. The day began with South Africa resuming from their overnight score of 329 for five, and losing the wickets of Temba Bavuma (35 off 60) and Kagiso Rabada (golden duck) in quick succession, before de Kock rallied with Kyle Abbott (16 off 33) and Dane Piedt (19 off 104) to bring up his maiden Test ton and guide South Africa to a score 25 runs short of 500.
Brief scores:
South Africa 475 (Stephen Cook 115, Hashim Amla 109, Temba Bavuma 35, Quinton de Kock 129*; Ben Stokes 4 for 86) lead England 211 for 6 (Alastair Cook 76, Joe Root 76; Kagiso Rabada 5 for 76) by 264 runs.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)