South Africa vs. England, 2nd Test, Day 3: Hashim Amla Dig in to Dig SA out

South Africa batted for all of Day 3 for the loss of just one wicket to claw their way back into the second Test against England. South Africa are still 276 behind England’s mammoth score of 629-6, but they are on course to exorcize some of the batting demons that have infiltrated the line-up since their woeful display in India.

The bowlers have had to toil for their effort, and with two full days still left in this match, England will need to come out firing first thing on Tuesday. It’s going to be another scorcher of a day out there, though, and if South Africa can get through the first session unscathed, they will have to start believing they can save this.

Here are some of the key points from the third day’s play at Newlands.

Amla Sends a Reminder that Form is Temporary, Class Permanent

Before Monday, 383 days had passed since Hashim Amla last managed a hundred. In 2015, he averaged just over 22.00 with the bat. His poor form has raised questions about how the captaincy is affecting him and whether he would be better off stepping aside from the leadership role.

But, as Amla has done so many times before, he responded with a fine century, finishing the day unbeaten on 157. His score has gone a long way in giving South Africa some hope that they can get something positive out of this Test. While his batting prowess still doesn’t answer any questions about his tactical nous, South Africa are always a little more positive when Amla is on form.

The Impossibility of the Pitch

In the lead-up to this Test, Cape Town experienced unusually hot temperatures. While temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s (degrees Celsius) isn’t usual for this time of the year in Cape Town, at least two days were tipping towards the 40 degree Celsius mark.

The heat baked the pitch, so much so that Evan Flint, the Newlands groundsman, felt compelled to water the pitch two days before to make sure it doesn’t dissolve into a dust bowl within two days. In addition to that, the combination of the heavy roller and some more heat has squeezed all the life out of this pitch.

Herschelle Gibbs, who played on this surface for years, said on Radio2000 that the Newlands pitch always “stays quite compact.” So far, he’s spot on.

AB de Villiers Falls for England’s Trap

Not that AB de Villiers needed to catch form, but he was going along merrily on a wicket that had everything in it for the batsmen before getting out. Bowlers—and captains—have to box clever to get wickets on this pitch, and that’s exactly what England did.

Leading up to his wicket, Steve Finn was constantly bowling short. De Villiers isn’t one to be bogged down or intimidated by such tactics, and it was only a matter of time before he took on both the bowler and the fielders who have been placed to catch him.

James Anderson took a very good catch above his head, and De Villiers will be kicking himself that he’d fallen for such an obvious trap, especially when his response was to be aggressive in an attempt to nullify it.

The Sickness of Dropped Catches

Sometimes things just don’t go your way. The last two days have been like that for England. Easy chances, tough chances and maybe chances have all gone missing in the field. For South Africa, this is the bit of luck they needed to claw themselves out of the rut they have slipped into.

For England, it’s a huge loss. A few catches taken here and there could have put South Africa on the back foot and gnawed away at their confidence even more. South Africa have won a day for the first time in this series, which is exactly what they would have hoped for.

All information obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.