• Second Test:
England 269 and 218-4;
South Africa 223• Sibley and Joe Root build on Jimmy Anderson’s five-wicket haulDominate two days in a row and a Test match victory is on the horizon. On a sultry Sunday in a country where, bizarrely, cloud cover can seem to deaden the playing surface, England’s batsmen set to work as diligently as their bowlers had on Saturday. The upshot is that England are in a commanding position at Newlands; they lead by 264 with six wickets in hand.
Even better, an architect of England’s second innings is one of the new boys. Dominic Sibley, at 24, may have many younger peers in this particular team, but this is only his fourth Test match and it is the first time that he has delivered an innings of significance. Joe Root, at the other end for two and a half hours, was looking on admiringly as Sibley batted like a pragmatic old pro, which is exactly what he has been hired to do. Given that Rory Burns is unlikely to be fit to tour Sri Lanka, Sibley may even be considered the senior opener now. He was unbeaten on 85 at the close.