Boland’s Four-Wicket Haul Leaves South Africa in Trouble Against Australia
South African captain Temba Bavuma remained unbeaten on 41 at the close of play.
GQEBERHA: (Sports Desk) – Australia fast bowler Scott Boland put his team in a commanding position as South Africa struggled to reach 97 for five on the second day of the second Test at St George’s Park on Monday.
Boland claimed four wickets for 31 runs, leaving the hosts under pressure as they attempted to recover from their defeat in the opening Test. South African captain Temba Bavuma remained unbeaten on 41 at the close of play.
Australia had opted for an all-pace bowling attack, and Boland continued his impressive performance after taking two wickets on the rain-affected opening day.
South Africa added only five runs to their overnight score of 20 for two before Boland struck again in his second over of the day, dismissing debutant Marques Ackerman for six. The left-hander edged a delivery that moved away off the pitch, allowing wicketkeeper Alex Carey to take the catch.
Matthew Breetzke, brought into the side to strengthen the batting lineup, managed just four runs before offering another catch to Carey off Mitchell Starc.
South Africa briefly regained some momentum through a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton. However, Rickelton’s innings ended on 31 when Matt Renshaw took a spectacular one-handed catch at first slip off Boland shortly before the close.
Play began around six hours later than scheduled after more than 60 millimetres of rain fell overnight and continued into Monday morning. Although the weather improved and the outfield eventually dried, Boland’s accuracy continued to trouble the South African batters.
The hosts entered the match seeking to bounce back in the three-Test series after suffering a 214-run defeat in the first Test in Durban.
Meanwhile, Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood missed the field on Monday because of illness but was expected to be available for the following day’s play.
South Africa now face a challenging task to reduce Australia’s advantage and keep their hopes alive in the series.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.