Cape Town [South Africa], Dec 31 : After winning the first Test against England, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis termed Ben Stokes’ dismissal as huge.
“Even though Kesh (Keshav Maharaj) didn’t bowl as much as he would have liked, the wickets he got for us in the second innings were huge,” Sport24.co.za quoted Du Plessis as saying.
Maharaj bowled Stokes in the second innings of the match which proved to be the turning point of the game. South Africa went on to win the first Test by defeating England by 110 runs at Centurion.
du Plessis said even though Maharaj bowled just 16 overs in the match, the team believed that he will dismiss Stokes eventually.
“We at the back of the stumps had a lot of confidence in Kesh. We kept saying that we felt in the second innings that he was going to get Ben Stokes out,” he said.
Du Plessis said Stokes’ wicket was massive for the South African team as he is a match-winner.
“It was a massive wicket for us. Stokes has proven in the Ashes that if he is around, he can win the game on his own,” he added.
With this win, South Africa opened their account in the World Test Championships standings. The team gained their first 30 points in four Tests. The Proteas now lead the four-match series 1-0.
It was the first Test win for the team after five successive defeats and sixth consecutive win at Centurion.
Chasing a mammoth total of 376 runs, England were bowled out for 268 in their second innings on day four of the match.
Both the teams will now lock horns against each other in the second Test at Cape Town commencing on January 3.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
