Dean Elgar found the perfect balance between smart and aggressive, ending the second session not out on 86 off 112 balls against Sri Lanka on Day 2, writes Khalid Mohidin.
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The Proteas needed a solid opening stand in their first innings against Sri Lanka, Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram delivered a 141-run partnership, as the Proteas posted 180-1 in 38 overs.
Markram was in fine form, particularly scoring most of his runs with exquisite drives as he brought up his half-century – cover drives, back-foot cover-drives, late cut shots, drives down the leg side and some clever flicks around the corner the order of the day.
Both batsmen, particularly against the spinner, used their bat as a weapon to score runs, rather than keeping their bat close to their pads to keep balls out – an indication of that positive brand of batting the Proteas are aiming to play.
Along with this, the Proteas openers read the pitch extremely well, avoiding those balls that tempted the Sri Lanka top-order batsmen in their first innings – the balls pitching in that 4th/5th stump region.
Markram looked in fine form but contradictory to the above statement, it would that exact region that they were avoiding so well, that saw the end of his innings. He drove aggressively at a delivery outside off and he nicked the ball to Gully. Out on 68 off 94 balls (14 fours).
The way he threw his head back in disappointment alligned with my frustration – it’s undeniable that he gave up an opportunity to cash in and score a much-needed big hundred.
Elgar, however, continued to impress. Some fancy pull shots formed part of his répétiteur, as he scored all around the ground. His experience shone through, cashing in on the inconsistencies by the Sri Lankan bowlers and the injury to Kasun Rajitha leaving them a bowler light.
Elgar was a big part of the reason that South Africa batted at over 5 runs per over. He ended the session on 86 off 112 balls not out (14 fours).
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
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