Three ducks in a row for AB

Three wickets before lunch brought England back into the game with South Africa enjoying a 254-run lead.

Johannesburg - Three wickets before lunch brought England back into the game with South Africa enjoying a 254-run lead on 121/4 on Day 4 of the fourth Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Monday.

Frontline quick bowler James Anderson was in a destructive mood as he took two wickets in quick succession to move into seventh place on the all-time list for Test wickets on 433.

South Africa only managed to add seven runs to the overnight total of 42/1 thanks to some disciplined bowling, before Stephen Cook (25) fell victim to Anderson.

Attempting to drive Cook edged the ball to Jonny Bairstow behind the wicket.

Two balls later Anderson removed South African captain AB de Villiers for his third consecutive duck in as many innings.

De Villiers’ short stint as captain of the Test side could not have been worst as he became only the second South African skipper to score a pair.

Anderson caught De Villiers lbw which was confirmed by Hawk-Eye after the Proteas captain appealed the umpire’s decision.

Anderson’s spell was worth its weight in gold with figures of 6-2-7-2 keeping South Africa under pressure as the home side looks to post a lead of more than 300.

Former Proteas captain Hashim Amla managed to steady the ship as he went into the break with an undefeated 50 runs with Temba Bavuma (9*) with him at the crease.

Following the demise of De Villiers, JP Duminy made a stand of 29 runs before he callously tried to drive a Ben Stokes (1/21) delivery and edging to Bairstow.

Independent Media