England continued to press home their advantage as they set South Africa a daunting target of 466 on the third day of the fourth and final Test here at the Wanderers.
England, riding captain Joe Root’s 58, were all out for 248 in their second innings. Root was the last man to be dismissed and that marked the end of the proceedings on Sunday. For the Proteas, debutant Beuran Hendricks finished with best figures in the innings, taking 5/64.
After dismissing South Africa for 183 at lunch, leaving the hosts 217 runs adrift, England did not enforce the follow-on. Instead, openers Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley put on a 56-run opening-wicket partnership as they sought to put the game further beyond South Africa’s reach.
Crawley, who top-scored for England in the first innings with 66, made 24 before he edged Dwaine Pretorius behind to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Joe Denly, who had not fielded at the start of play because of migraine, made eight runs before being bowled by Dane Paterson. But Sibley and Root saw England through the rest of the afternoon session.
South Africa’s lead bowler Vernon Philander pulled up with a hamstring injury after nine balls, further weakening a home attack already sorely missing the suspended Kagiso Rabada. Philander was sent to hospital for a scan, said Cricket South Africa, threatening an inglorious end to his Test career as he is retiring from the international arena.
Mark Wood completed a five-wicket haul earlier as South Africa were dismissed in the morning session, adding 95 runs to their overnight total.
They were teetering at 88/6 at stumps on Day II in response to England’s commanding first innings total of 400 and saw Philander dismissed with the fifth ball of the morning, but then offered a short spell of resistance as De Kock and Pretorius put on 79 runs for the eighth wicket.
But after Pretorius was expertly caught by Crawley at gully off Ben Stokes, South Africa’s last wickets fell quickly.
Brief scores: England 400 & 248 (J. Root, B. Hendricks 5/64). South Africa 183 (Q. De Kock 76; M. Wood 5/46).
