Toby Roland-Jones takes 5 on debut; England lead by 198 runs at lunch on Day 3 of 3rd Men’s Test

South Africa commenced Day 3 on 126 for 8; trailing England by 227 runs.

England lead South Africa by 198 runs at lunch on Day Three of the third Test. Resuming the day at 126 for 8, South Africa added 49 runs to their overnight score . A healthy 178-run lead courtesy Toby Roland-Jones and a watchful start by openers have put them in the driver’s seat at Kennington Oval. However, rain forced early lunch and the forecast does not seem pleasant for the remaining day as well. For South Africa, Vernon Philander came to bat, battling stomach bug, but left the field after bowling just two overs in the second innings.

The sun was out when South Africa commenced the day. England needed 2 wickets and visitors were 28 runs short to avoid follow-on. Temba Bavuma managed to see off a brief phase with Morne Morkel (16) before stumps. Nonetheless, they had a job in hand. The duo started well and looked confident with every run. Morkel added 48 runs with the right-hander, but more importantly, South Africa raced to the 154, thereby avoiding the follow-on. The pacer, however, soon fell to James Anderson, edging one to Alastair Cook at first-slip.

Philander came at No. 11. Been handy with both bat and ball, South Africa needed him to stay for long. He added 10 runs to his score and Bavuma notched up a gritty fifty (8th overall in 23rd match) to keep the scoreboard ticking. Joe Root brought back Roland-Jones to remove the last pair. He did not disappoint. He angled one in, and it moved slightly late to get an edge from Bavuma as South Africa folded for 175. England managed a big lead eventually, but could have summed up South Africa’s innings much earlier. However, Bavuma made the difference. The 27-year-old was resilient in his approach. He played with soft hands; he was solid on his back-foot; he opened the face of the bat and drove when pitched slightly up.

For England, the star performer was Roland-Jones. He stood tall in front of Stuart Broad and Anderson and finished with 5 for 57 on debut. He got enough movement, darted some in-swingers and pitched the balls in the right channel to add to South Africa’s miseries.

In reply, Cook and Keaton Jennings remain unbeaten after only 5 overs were possible in England’s second innings.

Brief score:

England 353 & 20 for 0 (Keaton Jennings 10*, Alastair Cook 6*; Morne Morkel 0 for 7) lead South Africa 175 (Temba Bavuma 52, Kagiso Rabada 30; Toby Roland-Jones 5 for 57, James Anderson 3 for 25) by 198 runs.