England takes 3 quick wickets, SA 525-6 in 2nd test
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) England took three quick wickets to briefly liven up the second test before South Africa pushed on to 525-6 at tea on the fourth day on Tuesday.
Stuart Broad took two and James Anderson one as England claimed three wickets in four overs after going more than 70 overs without any success on a serene batting pitch at Newlands.
At tea, South Africa was 104 behind England's first innings of 629-6 declared and still hoping to bat as long as possible to force a draw.
Broad began by bowling Hashim Amla for 201. He had Quinton de Kock caught for just five. Between those strikes, Anderson forced out Faf du Plessis for 86.
The three rapid strikes threatened to derail South Africa's fightback and leave it still some way behind.
South Africa responded with an unbroken 76-run partnership between Temba Bavuma and Chris Morris, with the inexperienced but promising Bavuma moving to his second test 50 off just 52 balls. He had hit 11 fours, taking on England's quick bowlers to play an array of cover drives and hook shots to the fence.
Bavuma found a willing partner in bowler Morris, who is making his test debut. South Africa held England at bay - and also attacked in stages during their rapid stand - until the end of the session.
Amla made his fourth double century just before lunch, making use of an idyllic batting surface and sunny blue skies in Cape Town to lead South Africa's fightback following England's mammoth first-innings total.
The South African captain struck 27 boundaries before falling to Broad, who got the new ball to move just enough to bowl Amla off an inside edge. Du Plessis fell next over to an edge to Ben Stokes at third slip off Anderson. And when the recalled De Kock hit a hook straight to Anderson at backward square leg, England had done some serious damage with the new ball, and had hopes of rolling over South Africa for a decent lead.
That didn't happen as Bavuma, the first black specialist batsman to play for South Africa, began to gain in confidence.
The pitch at Newlands was so good to bat on that just seven wickets had fallen in the last three days in Cape Town. A total of 1,154 runs and counting have been scored in the two innings so far.
England leads the four-match series 1-0. A draw at Newlands, which appears increasingly likely again after Bavuma's knock, would set up decisive tests in Johannesburg and Centurion.
The England bowlers' attempts to get anything from the pitch were not helped by the tourists' poor catching, and another chance - albeit tough - went down in the session after lunch.
Amla, AB de Villiers, who went on to make 88, and Du Plessis all survived dropped catches. England's Steven Finn then put down a difficult caught-and-bowled chance off Morris in the afternoon.
