Brilliant Dean Elgar headlines Proteas’ impressive recovery

A determined career-best century by Dean Elgar saw South Africa wrestle the initiative from Sri Lanka on an intriguing opening day of the second Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday.

Having been sent in to bat in overcast conditions on a pitch with a definite tinge of green, South Africa reached stumps on the first day on 297 for six, thanks mainly to Elgar’s six-hour 129 and a late burst from Quinton de Kock, who struck 68 not out.

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The first hour had been decidedly tough for the Proteas as they lost Stephen Cook for a duck in the first over, edging a hesitant jab at Suranga Lakmal, with Elgar getting his head down, making sure he stayed compact and played the ball as late as possible to cover for the late movement that was liberally available to a probing attack.

He and Hashim Amla added 66 in 100 minutes for the second wicket, an important stand that steadied the innings, even though Amla was not his usual confident self at the crease.

Amla scratched his way to 29 off 68 balls, struggling to find his best form, before 19-year-old fast bowler Lahiru Kumara struck twice in the 23^rd over of the day, just three overs before lunch, to put Sri Lanka in charge.

Kumara produced a beautiful inswinger to bowl Amla through the gate and then extracted extra bounce to go with pace that regularly clocked more than 140km/h to dismiss JP Duminy for a five-ball duck, gloving a catch down the leg side to diving wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis.

Elgar and Faf du Plessis took South Africa through to lunch on 69 for three and looked set to bat through the session, adding 76 in two hours as the sun began to shine gloriously over Newlands.

Du Plessis had crafted a careful innings of 38 but crafty left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was able to give the South African captain just enough rope to hang himself, flighting the ball outside off stump, encouraging an expansive drive which was edged to slip.

Seven overs after tea, Kumara returned to the attack and Temba Bavuma (10) fell to a half-hearted pull shot that only served to give Upul Tharanga a catch on the deep backward square-leg boundary; at 169 for five, Sri Lanka were giving the Proteas plenty of problems.

But that brought Elgar and De Kock together, two left-handers but perhaps the ideal pairing in terms of someone able to anchor the innings and rotate the strike, and a batsman who has the ability to take the game away from a bowling attack.

De Kock thrilled a capacity Newlands crowd with a sizzling 68 not out off 90 balls, while Elgar received a well-deserved ovation when he completed his sixth Test century, in a shade under five hours and 186 deliveries, driving Nuwan Pradeep straight back down the Kelvin Grove End of the ground for a beautiful boundary, his 12^th.

The nuggety left-hander went past his previous best of 127 against Australia a couple of months ago in Perth, but fell to the second new ball, Lakmal (21-3-69-2) nipping the ball across the batsman and getting the edge into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.

Kyle Abbott, the nightwatchman sent in ahead of the all-rounder Vernon Philander, did his job splendidly and drove two impressive boundaries off Kumara (17-1-86-3) in the final over of the day to finish on 16 not out.

The threat for Sri Lanka on the second morning will clearly be De Kock, though, the wicketkeeper/batsman reaching fifty for the eighth time in his last 13 Test innings.

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