Cricket

'A strong comeback' - Twitter praise England as they beat South Africa in second Test to level the three-match series

England and South Africa locked horns in the second Test of the three-match series at Old Trafford this week.

author-image
Rennie
New Update
Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes

Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes (Image Credit: Twitter/England and Wales Cricket Board)

England and South Africa locked horns in the second Test of the three-match series at Old Trafford this week. The home team entered the game after trailing by 1-0 in the series, having lost the first game by an innings and 12 runs. The Proteas had the opportunity of sealing the series with one game to go. However, the Three Lions had other ideas.

Also, they were helped by Dean Elgar's decision to bat first on a lively wicket. This decision proved costly for the visitors as they were folded on 151 all-out. Only Kagiso Rabada (36) managed to get past the 30-run mark. The new-ball pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad took three wickets each while skipper Ben Stokes took two. Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach took one each.

Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes put England in front

In reply, the game was hanging in balance as the Ben Stokes-led side lost five wickets for 147 runs. It looked like the South Africans were making inroads and won't let the home team get a huge lead. However, Stokes and Ben Foakes stitched a partnership of 173 runs for the sixth wicket. Both players scored a hundred. Stokes scored his first Test ton as captain and Foakes scored his second Test ton.

Also, this was his first Test ton at home. The first one came way back in 2018 on the tour of Sri Lanka. The team went on to score 415/9 and declared the innings with a lead of 264 runs. At the end of Day Two, the Proteas scored 23/0 after batting for nine overs.

Ollie Robinson and James Anderson ensured that the team won by an innings

Day Three resumed with the Dean Elgar-led side on 23/0, trailing by 241 runs. The team needed to make sure that they score enough runs to make a match out of it. However, Ollie Robinson's four-for and Anderson's three-for meant that South Africa was folded on 179 all-out, losing the game by an innings and 85 runs.

This is how Twitter reacted

Cricket News England vs South Africa 2022 South Africa tour of England