James Anderson dismissed Alviro Petersen for a duck as South Africa made a nervous start to their first innings on the second day of the first Test against England at the Oval on Friday. Overcast conditions and rain remained a threat during much of the day with play getting interrupted and suspended for a long period of time after tea. Anderson produced a superb delivery in the third over of South Africa’s innings, swinging the ball in and striking Petersen on the back pad.
South Africa were 25 for one at tea, with Graeme Smith 14 not out and Hashim Amla 10 not out, in reply to England’s first innings total of 385 all out. It continued a day during which bowlers dominated under an overcast sky. England lost their last seven wickets for 118 runs despite an aggressive innings of 60 off 90 balls by wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Fast bowler Dale Steyn struck in the third and fifth overs of the day to dismiss Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara as the match underwent a transformation from the first day when the England batsmen were seldom troubled in reaching 267 for three.
In the first eight overs, England added only six runs for the loss of two wickets as Steyn and Vernon Philander bowled an immaculate line, gaining some swing with the second new ball. South Africa, bidding to replace England as the world’s top ranked Test team, made a crucial breakthrough when Steyn dismissed Cook.
Cook added only one run to his overnight 114 before he was bowled off an inside edge by a ball from Steyn which swung in to him. Bopara made an unhappy return after a year out of the Test team, trying to withdraw his bat after shaping to hook, but getting an edge to be caught behind by AB de Villiers without scoring. Jacques Kallis bowled Ian Bell for 13 when the Warwickshire batsman left a delivery which cut back and clipped his off bail.
Prior and Tim Bresnan added 29 runs before Bresnan chopped a ball from leg-spinner Imran Tahir on to his stumps and Prior also had useful stands of 45 for the eighth wicket with Stuart Broad and 25 for the ninth wicket with Graeme Swann.
