England survived a mini-collapse on the final day of the second Test at Cape Town to stay 1-0 up in the series. Although Alastair Cook’s men may be disappointed at not winning the match after scoring a mammoth 629-6 in the first innings, a batsman’s paradise at Newlands ensured that South Africa batted themselves to safety and gave themselves still a realistic chance of forcing victory in this exciting series.
Alastair Cook (c)—4/10
It was not a great match for the England captain. Cook laid a good platform with Alex Hales in England’s first innings but was unlucky to be out to a blinding catch from debutant Chris Morris. In the second innings he suffered an unfortunate dismissal down the leg-side when England were aiming to bat out the final day. Given his superb form in 2015, one thinks it will only be a matter of time before we see Cook back in the runs. He tried innovative ideas as captain in the field but the pitch and South Africa’s doggedness with the bat made it difficult for him and his team.
Alex Hales—5/10
Hales played nice and patiently in the first innings for his 60. His shot selection—a problem area for many of Cook’s previous opening parters—was good and he showed solid application on the first day when his team needed him to dig in. He would have liked to have gone on but it is a knock that will at least give him some confidence going in to the rest of the series.
Nick Compton—5/10
Once again, Compton played conservatively to lay the platform for the middle-order stroke-makers in the first innings but he will be disappointed with his dismissal after crunching a pull straight to midwicket. He batted well to the situation in the second innings to help England hang on. Compton is proving to be the rock at number three for his side—a crucial role given the attacking nature of so many batsmen in this England team.
Joe Root—5/10
Root looked fluent in both innings, especially in his first knock of 50. Yet he will be concerned by his recent lack of converting fifties into hundreds, which ultimately help define Test matches. The frustrating thing for England fans is that every time Root goes out to bat, he looks totally in sync and a class above his fellow batsmen.
Perhaps he is a victim of the attacking style England play in the sense that he scores his runs quickly, but will find a silly way to get out when a hundred is there for the taking. His drop of AB de Villiers at second slip late on day two proved costly and gave South Africa the chance to get out of jail.
James Taylor—4/10
An uncharacteristic waft first ball in the first innings slightly dampened Taylor’s excellent start to the tour. Yet he showed plenty of character in the second dig, batting 84 balls for his 27 in helping England bat their way to a draw. Once again he played opposition spinner Piedt comfortably until his dismissal gave England serious jitters at 116/6. He is a key member of this batting line up though and it finally looks like he will have the long run in the side that he deserves.
Ben Stokes—9/10
He produced one of Test cricket’s great attacking innings for his first innings 258. The way Stokes attacked the new ball and swung the momentum back in England’s favour late on day one was impressive. However, the clean ball striking he produced the next day at Newlands almost defied belief. The 24-year-old just kept hitting the ball into the stands and when he wasn’t, he was peppering the boundaries. It was a truly astonishing knock that will be remembered, along with his brilliant 399 run partnership with Jonny Bairstow, for a very long time.
He bowled with heart but had little reward for his 1/100. Still, the 28 overs he bowled shows how much balance he gives this England side both in quality and in shedding the workload for the strike bowlers.
Jonny Bairstow—8/10
Bairstow played magnificently in not only supporting Stokes in the first innings, but also entertaining the crowd with his bright, attacking strokeplay after he reached his maiden Test hundred. The Yorkshireman also battled hard with Moeen Ali on the final day after England were reduced to 116/6. After his excellent Test at Durban, Bairstow will surely be in this England side for a long while, even if his keeping still needs to improve in some areas. He is certainly an asset to this team.
Moeen Ali—5/10
Moeen suffered his worst figures for England of 0-155 from 52 overs during South Africa’s mammoth reply of 627-7. However, the pitch did not have much assistance for his off-spin and even though he was wicketless, he did keep things relatively tight, as his economy of 2.98 shows. He is improving as a spinner and his consistency is getting better every game. He put his flamboyant shot making to one side and batted admirably in the second innings to help England come away with a draw on the final day.
Stuart Broad—5/10
Broad bowled a testing opening spell to Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla that went unrewarded. Like in the UAE, he did not receive much help from a flat pitch but bowled with serious control. His figures of 2-94 with an economy of 2.76 were very good in the context of the game and he was unlucky not to pick up more wickets. His consistency with the ball puts him up there with the very best in world cricket.
Steven Finn—5/10
Although his figures of 2-132 off 39 overs don’t suggest it, Finn was arguably the pick of the England bowlers. His spell to Elgar—roughing him up with a series of short, hostile deliveries—was a superb effort on a real batting deck. Finn may go for more runs than most, but his knack of taking wickets at crucial intervals makes him a very important member of this England side and a key member in deciding the fate of this series.
James Anderson—4/10
Anderson rarely threatened to take a wicket during his long haul of 35 overs but at least repeated his form from the UAE in keeping things tight and only giving away 2.2 runs an over—an area of his game that he has mastered in recent years. His two drops in the field did not help England’s cause but his presence in the side is very important. He should have more luck with the ball on more helpful surfaces in the final two Tests.
