South Africa vs England: Stuart Broad digs deep to edge tourists ahead in first Test thriller

England 303 all-out, South Africa 137-4

Stuart Broad celebrates taking the crucial wicket of AB de Villiers (Getty Images)

It is important that the values of Test match cricket are cherished so that the game can be preserved. At its simplest that means highly skilled bowlers and batsmen constantly testing each other. Without that one crucial element the whole shebang will wither and die.

Whatever is going on in Australia at present, where West Indies are offering cheap runs and cheap wickets at a tawdry level no new year sale could hope to emulate, is not Test cricket as was intended. It is a travesty.

Fortunately, England and South Africa are providing plenty of the genuine stuff in their opening skirmish of four. The second day of the first Test here in Durban yesterday was full of resolve, determination and great competence, virtues that make it worthwhile.

By its end, England’s noses were in front. How hard they had to work and how hard they made it for themselves in creating and spurning opportunities, a feature which will cost them dear if there is much more of it.

The tourists, put in on Saturday under overcast skies, were all out for a worthy 303 in the elongated opening session – almost three hours, thanks to arcane regulations – to which their opponents responded with 137 for 4.

England celebrate after Stuart Broad bowls Stiaan van Zyl with the second ball of the innings (Getty Images)

England had to dig deep to make anything like enough and, although Nick Compton fell 15 short of what would have been a deserved, grafter’s third Test hundred, they batted with a morning tempo at odds with what had preceded it. The session brought 124 runs in 35 overs.

The afternoon was fascinating, embodied by the contest within a contest between AB de Villiers and Stuart Broad. This has been some year for Broad and he made two early key incisions into South Africa’s batting.

The struggling opener, Stiaan van Zyl, misguidedly left his second ball, which he was swiftly to discover was homing in on his stump. Hashim Amla, the South Africa captain, had already lived precariously. He was given not out for what had seemed a gentle feather behind off Broad and was then dropped by Jonny Bairstow off Chris Woakes, who was rightly annoyed, for it can have been no fun running from the Old Fort Road End into a stirring breeze. But England got lucky and Broad found his edge again.

From the start, De Villiers sought to impose himself. Perhaps he should have been given out on 11 when he fended Steve Finn to gully, where Ben Stokes appeared to hold a low chance, but the fielder was as unsure as the umpires.

Jonny Bairstow celebrates after Faf du Plessis is bowled by Moeen Ali (Getty Images)

Broad returned to try to prise out De Villiers, holding a rigid line outside off-stump. De Villiers knows how to defend as well as attack (witness his 43 from 297 balls in India earlier in the month, which made Compton seem positively buccaneering) and he was in good touch, as he had shown by treating Moeen Ali’s off-spin disdainfully.

But Broad persevered. De Villiers had to play the ball outside off, where it moved away and Bairstow took a straightforward catch. Moeen bowled Faf du Plessis on the charge. The ball is turning. On 117 for 4, Ben Stokes had a loud appeal for lbw against Dean Elgar rejected. England did not review: a bad mistake, for it would have hit.

This was an oversight by England because they had two reviews left. For the rest of the day, South Africa concentrated on damage limitation and trail by 166.

England would have liked more runs, but then they could have had far fewer. At 49 for 3, they would have taken a total above 300 as if it were Kimberley diamonds. It was as well, however, that they bat from one to 10 (if that is not being too dismissive of Finn’s claims at No 11 since he, too, has a Test match 50).

The day began with Compton and Stokes in starkly contrasting modes. Compton continued to leave the ball if he did not have to play it, his patience and vigilance seemingly inexhaustible. Stokes’ bat is cut from different willow. He clearly had worlds to conquer and quickly.

He treated Dale Steyn like a club bowler, cutting a short ball for four and then swivelling on a pull for another boundary. Another hour of that and who knows what might have been possible? There were another two minutes.

Morne Morkel took four wickets on day two to help dismiss England for 303 (Getty Images)

Seeing an opportunity to pull Morne Morkel, Compton launched himself into the shot with rather too much abandon and succeeded only in sending a looping top edge to the slip cordon. But Stokes had drawn a template and there followed the briskest batting of the innings between Compton and Bairstow. They shared a partnership of 51, with Bairstow never missing a scoring opportunity; cutting, cover driving, clipping off his toes.

But Morkel’s three wickets in six balls threatened to curtail the innings. Compton was the first of his victims, suddenly attempting a thunderous pull against a short ball on off stump. It was probably a banker to leave for him and he feathered it behind, slightly unfair on him considering the long period of self-denial that preceded it.

In Morkel’s next over, Moeen Ali pushed half forward and edged behind and next ball Woakes played slightly across the line. It was understandable that he should review the lbw verdict but replays showed sufficient contact being made for the decision to be upheld.

Stuart Broad's 32 not-out saw England past 300 (Getty Images)

Morkel usually has to defer to Steyn and to a lesser extent the absent Vernon Philander, when South Africa’s fast bowling is being feted, but this showed his full worth as part of an impressive triumvirate.

When Bairstow’s ambitious drive flew away towards second slip, South Africa could be well satisfied with their morning’s work. Broad rather took the edge off it in his usual flourishing style before Steyn finished the innings.

This Test match could go to any place yet. It has much to commend it, not least that it is meeting the requirements.