Elgar shines as Proteas bowled out for 214 at lunch
Dean Elgar was the shining light for the Proteas as he carried his bat with 118 as his side were bowled out for 214 in their first innings, a deficit of 89, against England at lunch on day three of the first Test at Kingsmead, in Durban, on Monday.
Aside from AB de Villiers who was out for 49 on day two, Elgar was the only batsman to defy the English attack led by Stuart Broad (4/25). There have been three Test hundreds by South African openers in the last two years including the knock of Elgar on Monday, the other two were also by the 28-year-old.
The Proteas lost the wickets of Temba Bavuma (15), JP Duminy (2) and Kyle Abbott for a duck after the hosts had resumed on 137/4 overnight.
But Elgar persisted with his dogged approach and reached his fourth Test century during the session. It was also just the second time a South African batsman passed the three figure mark in the calendar year, after De Villiers made 148 in the New Years Test against the West Indies in Cape Town. With such barren times for the South African batsmen, it meant there was added responsibility on the shoulders of Elgar to go on and make a big hundred.
Dale Steyn (18) hung around with Elgar as the pair put on 54 for the eighth wicket, but the Proteas tailender was eventually out playing an attempted lofted off-drive which he skied to Chris Woakes at mid-off off the bowling of Moeen Ali. The strike left the hosts eight down with 210 on the board and staring at a first innings deficit.
Ali, like Broad, ended with a four wicket haul returning figures of 4/69.
ANA
(File photo)