Windies fight back but Proteas in control

The Proteas’ batters will reflect on a series of missed opportunities on the opening day of their final Test for nine months at the Wanderers in Johannesburg  on Wednesday.

They still emerged in a dominant position, but as at Centurion last week it could and certainly in this case at the Bullring should have been a lot better.

The Proteas found scoring easy for the first two sessions. The West Indies were downright awful in the morning, looking like a group that had a bad night’s sleep, turned up at the ground and couldn’t be bothered with warm-ups.

The Proteas scored 133 runs for the loss of Dean Elgar’s wicket, with the former skipper, the first of those wasted opportunities for the hosts. He batted as fluently as at any point in his career, carrying from the first innings at SuperSport Park where he was happy to attack early and often.

He and Aiden Markram were helped by the West Indies’ profligacy; there were short wide balls, overpitched balls, half volleys and full tosses to feast on. Elgar somehow managed to top edge a wide leg-side ball to short-fine leg off Gudakesh Motie, the West Indies’ left-arm spinner, who was brought into the starting side in place of Shannon Gabriel, because of the look of the Wanderers pitch.

It’s not the fast bowling paradise of old; there’s still bounce and good carry, but this surface looked patchy with one area, closer to the golf course end of the strip, bare, and even the new ball keeping low when it was pitched in that region.

That can’t be good for what’s to come and was one of the reasons the Proteas have picked both front-line spinners, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, and that Temba Bavuma was quick to bat first after winning the toss.

Markram was magnificent in scoring 96. He was happy to be patient early, while Elgar attacked, but was given his share of filth to pull and drive in the morning session.

The West Indies could only improve and did after lunch, although there were still far too many errors in both line and length, with Motie particularly guilty of releasing whatever pressure his seamers had created, with long hops and full tosses.

Markram unleashed a few gorgeous cover drives post lunch, including two in one over against Kemar Roach  during an intriguing battle between the pair. Markram had full control and looked as if a second hundred in the series was there for the taking, until he chose to swap convention for funkiness and got himself out handing Motie another off bad ball.

Both Elgar and Markram were left furious by their dismissal, while poor Tony de Zorzi was simply crestfallen. A little less tentative than he was in his first Test, and against such poor bowling to start his innings, he too understood the opportunity that was afforded him on Wednesday.

The good form the 25-year-old has shown this season, which includes a triple hundred for Western Province, was on display here, as he drove the ball with style and precision, while showing solid defence once the West Indies corrected their lines.

By tea, when he’d made 75, he could smell the landmark. The West Indies by the final session were producing their best efforts with the ball. Suddenly the lines were tighter and their lengths more challenging for the batters.

There weren’t as many freebies on offer as had been the case in the first session, with even Motie showing more consistency. He then delivered one of his better balls of the day to get rid of De Zorzi, drawing him forward, the ball nudging the outside edge but spinning back enough to hit off-stump.

De Zorzi buried his bat between the visor and grill of his helmet as he made his way off the field after scoring 85.

There were a couple of late wickets again for Kyle Mayers, with the West Indies taking five wickets in the final session. With the surface already showing signs of inconsistency in bounce, it is not one on which you want to bat last, and despite that touring team’s fightback it is the Proteas who have control after the first day’s play.