De Villiers' counter-attack gives South Africa a narrow lead
AB de Villiers struck a counter-attacking 74 from 81 deliveries to take South Africa past Australia's first-innings total and into a narrow 20-run lead on 263/7 at stumps on day two of the second Test in Port Elizabeth.
After a gritty, slow-scoring first two sessions, defined by the battle of Dean Elgar (57 from 197 balls) and Hashim Amla (56 from 148), the game came alive in the evening, with de Villiers playing a different game to everyone else after a clatter of wickets post-tea.
His contribution – reminiscent of his 71* in the first innings of the first Test at Durban – against unrelenting, aggressive reverse-swing from the Australian pace quartet left the game delicately poised. With Vernon Philander (14*) alongside him, the hosts will be targeting a decent first-innings lead when they come back tomorrow morning.
South Africa began the day on 39/1 knowing they needed a solid day of batting to back up the excellent work of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, who had combined to shoot out Australia for 243 on day one.
And it was Rabada himself who provided the early impetus, striking six boundaries in his 40-ball 29 in a useful nightwatchman contribution before inside-edging a short ball from Pat Cummins back onto his stumps.
That wicket brought Elgar and Amla together, and despite the two batting solidly for the majority of the day, it was far from plain sailing, with Amla over-turning two lbw decisions in his innings.
First he reviewed one from Cummins, with the DRS showing the South African No.3 was struck outside the line of off-stump by an inswinger. He survived once again on 42 when a big inside-edge was shown following a successful appeal by Josh Hazlewood.
But despite the lbw shouts, Elgar and Amla kept grinding away, keeping things simple to keep out Australia's fast bowlers and off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The duo scored just 88 runs in 46 overs together, but having been put on the back-foot by a sub-par first-innings score in the first Test in Durban, it was a much-needed unspectacular period for the hosts.
Australia toiled away, with reverse-swing making things difficult. But both batsmen moved to their half-centuries before tea; Amla's 39th Test fifty coming from 122 balls before Elgar reached his 11th in even slower fashion. Despite only 43 runs being added in the middle session, South Africa were delighted to find themselves 153/2 at tea, trailing by 90 runs.
The hard work in the afternoon session was undone straight after the break when Australia's premier fast bowlers removed both well-set batsmen.
Mitchell Starc produced a beauty to dismiss the stubborn Amla. A quick, reverse-swinging yorker ripped out the No.3's off-stump with the fourth ball after tea to prompt memories of the first Test in Durban. Elgar's six-hour vigil was ended in the next over when Hazlewood came around the wicket and found the opener's edge with some late swing.
With the two well-set batsmen gone, Australia sensed an opening and went for blood. De Villiers, as is his way, kept scoring, but Mitchell Marsh once again proved his worth with the ball at the other end.
The all-rounder pinned Faf du Plessis (9) lbw with some reverse swing before getting a struggling Theunis de Bruyn for a single in a similar fashion. By now 155/2 had turned into 183/6.
If he felt under pressure de Villiers didn't show it as he continued to press on and try to reverse the momentum. He struck 14 runs off a Cummins over before reverse-sweeping Lyon for four and moving to a 63-ball fifty with back-to-back boundaries off Starc.
Lyon found a beauty to bowl Quinton de Kock for 9, but with Philander alongside him, de Villiers continued on his way, striking some conventional and inventive boundaries, before the new ball provided some quick runs in the closing stages.