South Africa vs England: Alex Hales praises 'maverick' Ben Stokes' blistering display on second Test's opening day

“It’s brilliant to see. Stokesy is maverick player, someone who you love to have in your team.”

Ben Stokes plays a shot on the opening day of the second Test (Getty Images)

England were quietly confident last night that they might shortly have South Africa on the run. A blistering final session in which 150 runs were scored dramatically altered the balance of the first day in the Second Test here in Cape Town.

“It was a great finish for us,” said the England opening batsman, Alex Hales. “The second new ball was going to be a key period in the afternoon session and the way that Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow attacked it and took the game back to them has probably given us the upper hand.

“It was evenly poised and could have gone either way leading into the second new ball, and the way they attacked their bowlers on what wasn’t an overly flat wicket was pretty impressive.”

He was particularly impressed by England’s all-rounder. “It’s brilliant to see. Stokesy is maverick player, someone who you love to have in your team.”

Hales helped set up the platform for the middle order with a well-judged 60; he will be relieved to have scored his maiden fifty in his second Test.

“I think there is always something to prove every time you play for England,” said Hales, who until recently had been pigeon-holed as a limited-overs specialist.

“This is obviously a different challenge for me in my career and something I have loved. I try to stick with stuff I have learned in the past. There is going to be stuff I tinker with but the important thing is to be true to myself.”

South Africa’s 20-year-old fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, picked up three wickets in his first home Test match. “I didn’t feel any pressure at all. It was a case of just going out to play and making the most of it,” he said.