CRICKET NEWS - South Africa restricted England to a tentative 171 for four on day one of the third test at The Oval in London, where more than 30 overs were lost to rain on Thursday.
Allrounder Chris Morris' breakthrough during the opening throes of the second session and seamer Vernon Philander's telling brace, complemented by a superb catch from wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, largely afforded the Proteas the ascendancy.
Morris had debutant Tom Westley caught in the slips, after which Philander - battling a stomach ailment - forced host captain Joe Root into a rare false shot. De Kock, wrong-footed in moving to his left, quickly recovered in diving to his right to take a remarkable catch.
"I thought he bowled so well," said Kagiso Rabada of Philander.
"Going off the field, I asked him for a few pointers. He is a really skillful bowler, especially in these conditions. He makes it look really simple."
The veteran Alastair Cook, though, stood firm. Having surpassed Australian Allan Border as test match cricket's ninth-leading run-scorer, Cook moved to a commanding 82 not out - the 55th half-century of a prolific test career. A 31st ton is insight. He will be accompanied by the aggressive Ben Stokes when play resumes on Friday.
Stokes arrived at the crease after debutant Dawid Malan was bowled by a screaming yorker from pace ace Kagiso Rabada, who resurrected his otherwise dull performance.
