da dobrowin： The opening day of the series in Durban started and ended with Dale Steyn’s vein threatening to pop through his neck, but England did not allow the world’s No. 1 bowler or team to overwhelm them
da betano casino： The Report by Andrew McGlashan26-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe opening day of the series in Durban started and ended with Dale Steyn’s vein threatening to pop through his neck, but England did not allow the world’s No. 1 bowler or team to overwhelm them. Two of their inexperienced top order responded with impressive resilience as Nick Compton, on his return to the Test side, and James Taylor produced sturdy half-centuries in a fourth-wicket stand of 125 as England closed on 179 for 4.Steyn, who had not bowled competitively since November 5 when he was injured in India, won an early head-to-head when he removed Alastair Cook for a duck and, after a break in play for rain and a threat of lightning, debutant Alex Hales edged behind for 10. He then returned in the dying moments of the day to find Taylor’s edge and give South Africa the lift they desperately needed but Compton, in the city of his birth, remained unbeaten on 63 from 179 deliveries alongside Ben Stokes.Cook’s 11th opening partner
11 Number of batsmen Alastair Cook has opened with in Tests, including Alex Hales. In the last ten years in Tests no opener has had more partners. Mohammad Hafeez is second on this list with 10 different opening partners.
48 Runs James Taylor had scored in his first three Test innings, which were all against South Africa, in 2012. His 70 in this innings was his second fifty in three innings since his comeback.
179 Deliveries faced by Nick Compton for his unbeaten 63 – equal the fourth highest by an England No. 3 in South Africa. Nasser Hussain’s 463-ball effort at the same venue in 1999-00 tops this list (since balls-faced information is available). Compton, who is playing his first Test for England in more than two years, has two hundreds and two fifties.
8 Ducks by Cook in Tests; he is playing his 123rd Test. Only Rahul Dravid (131) and Allan Border (129) had played more Tests than Cook when they got their 8th duck in Tests. This was the first time in 23 Tests and 40 innings that Cook was dismissed without scoring. He had last got a duck in the second innings at the WACA in 2012-13.
1 Number of fourth-wicket stands for England that have added more runs than the one between Compton and Taylor, with the first three wickets failing to add fifty runs in Tests against South Africa. Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott had added 145 in Centurion in 2009.
When Joe Root was lbw to Dane Piedt’s first delivery, England were 49 for 3 with their two most prolific batsmen removed and South Africa sensed an opening into a batting line-up that has struggled to put consistently big totals on the board but it took them another 45 overs to break through. However, the pitch did not offer the pace or movement that had been expected when Hashim Amla won the toss and unsurprisingly, given the overhead conditions, decided to bowl, while a wet ball was not ideal.Between them Hales, Compton and Taylor have just 15 Test caps so to see two of them combining for a restorative stand of considerable authority will have been a confidence-building sight for the England dressing room early in the series where both sides have question marks over the vulnerabilities of their top orders.Compton’s edge was found early by Steyn but it fell short of Stiaan van Zyl at first slip; AB de Villiers may consider it was one he could have dived for. There was then a scampered single to get off the mark, but in defence he was solid and he left well. He also showed a keenness to get forward whenever possible – a sign of the lack of pace in the surface – and his cover drive was in good order even though a few picked out the fielders. A very significant fifty came from 145 deliveries, soaking up the pressure but, tellingly, never allowing the scoreboard to seize up.Taylor, who returned to the side with a half-century against Pakistan in Sharjah, made his Test debut in the infamous Headingley Test of 2012 when Kevin Pietersen plundered a thrilling 149 against South Africa, amid his disintegrating relationship with Andrew Strauss and the England dressing room. On that day, Taylor became almost the forgotten half in the 147-run stand with Pietersen but the 2015 version was very much a proactive partner this time and his fifty required 87 ballsFive of his boundaries came off Piedt who he played superbly to ensure the offspinner could not quite maintain the holding role that Amla wanted while he also pulled Dean Elgar for six. He was rarely troubled by the quick bowlers to provide further evidence that he is now a player primed to take a second chance at Test cricket he has waited more than long enough for. The forecast is for clearer skies from the second day onwards, and Kingsmead is a ground where looking up as often as important as looking down, so Taylor’s late loss was a blow for England but there is a deep batting line-up to come.Dale Steyn was celebrating again when he removed James Taylor for 70 late in the day•Getty Images
Play was delayed for half an hour by morning drizzle which followed significant overnight rain in Durban. Cook, with four quicks at his disposal although not the injured James Anderson, would likely have bowled first as well but it was England’s new-look top order that was handed the initial challenge under moody skies.One of the pre-series talking points has been how ready Steyn would be for his Test return. He could not squeeze in any cricket before the series and has previously started series slowly after lay-offs. He probed outside Cook’s off stump with the England captain initially showing good judgement before being drawn into pushing at one angled across him that nipped away with the edge carrying comfortably to Elgar at second slip. Steyn had claimed the first honours in his battle with Cook, for whom this was his first Test duck since facing Australia, at Perth, in late 2013.The early wicket meant that England’s re-jigged top three had lost their figurehead, leaving Hales and the Compton to try and repel South Africa in challenging conditions. Hales had managed to settle his nerves when he was off the mark first delivery he faced in Test cricket as he clipped Kyle Abbott through square leg and was largely secure during the half an hour before play was suspendedRumbles of thunder followed by rain sent the players from the field and shortly after the resumption Hales was rumbled when he was drawn into playing a delivery he should have left. Root, as ever, began with a positive intent, played a classy back-foot drive against Morne Morkel then pulling Abbott into the stand at deep midwicket only to fall to Piedt’s first delivery, which turned significantly. Root called for a review but both the point of impact and the ball hitting the stumps were umpire’s call.Amla had said Piedt’s selection ahead of a fourth quick in Kagiso Rabada was very much with conditions later in the match under consideration and the early turn suggested spin could yet play a part. The wicket of a recent world No. 1 batsman was a wonderful way for him to start the series, but as Amla tried to juggle his resources with the appearance of a couple of part-time bowlers there was a feeling that things had not quite gone to plan.
