South Africa accelerate to extend lead
by Cricbuzz Staff •
Last updated on Wed, 28 Dec, 2016, 07:56 PM
Cook registered his third Test ton.
Stephen Cook notched up his third Test century (108 not out) to ram home South Africa's advantage as the lead swelled to 302 at Tea on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday (December 28). The hosts were 221 for 2 at the break. Rain intervened for the second time in the day and as a result, Tea was postponed to 16:00 local time with the final session getting extended to 18:30.
After the second session was delayed by about 20 minutes due to rain and wet outfield, Cook and Dean Elgar (52) looked to build on an already sizeable lead of 102. The openers were purposeful in their methods as they tailored the gaps in the field to keep the scorecard moving.
Cook was the most aggressive of the two openers as he cracked a stream of flicks and cuts to deflate the opposition. The 34-year-old had a few anxious moments, too, as he edged a few deliveries through the slip cordon. He was even dropped on 62 by Dhananjaya de Silva off Suranga Lakmal.
However, Cook deserves the credit for overcoming the difficult period to compose his third Test hundred. Jimmy Cook, the former South African opener and Stephen's father, was in attendance in the crowd. On expected lines, Jimmy gave a standing ovation when his son reached the milestone with a flick off Dushmantha Chameera.
When compared, his partner at the other end, Elgar played rather conservatively. However, once he gauged the conditions, he too expanded his game to crunch four boundaries and soon reached his fourth Test fifty. It was only after the pair had stitched an alliance of 116 for the opening wicket, Lakmal dislodged Elgar. By then, the hosts were already in control, with a lead of 197 runs.
The solid platform laid by the openers also helped Hashim Amla (48) to play with a dash of freedom. The way he drove Lakmal through the cover region would have boosted his confidence. He also played a picture-perfect straight drive off Chameera. Nuwan Pradeep, however, prised out Amla LBW off the final ball of the second session. In the second innings, Sri Lanka's bowling has been largely ragged and clueless.
Earlier in the day, Vernon Philander picked up his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket to clean up Sri Lanka for just 205 and solidify South Africa's strong position. At the start of the morning session, Sri Lanka would have hoped for Dhananjaya to stitch useful partnerships with the lower-order batsmen. However, Philander put paid to such hopes by removing him off the first ball of the day.
The veteran seamer also took the scalp of Lakmal, while Kyle Abbott provided the finishing touches to a fine all-round show by removing the last man Chameera. Elgar and Cook then stretched the lead before the heavens opened up just 20 minutes before the break and early Lunch was taken.
South Africa hold all the aces going into the final session. With two days and a session still left in the match, there is more than enough time left for the hosts to set a massive target.
Brief scores: South Africa 286 & 221/2 (Stephen Cook 108*, Dean Elgar 52, Hashim Amla 48; Suranga Lakmal 1-50) lead Sri Lanka 205 (Dhananjaya de Silva 43, Angelo Mathews 39; Vernon Philander 5-45) by 302 runs.
