Having struggled in his previous four Tests with the burden of captaincy, Quinton de Kock seemed more at ease without that responsibility in reaching 44 not out at lunch.
Quinton de Kock. Photo/AFP
Quinton de Kock flailed a flagging attack as he hit an unbeaten 141 to lift South Africa to a first innings total of 322 and a commanding lead at tea on the second day of the first Test in St Lucia on Friday. When Lungi Ngidi was last man out with South Africa 225 runs ahead, the teams took an early tea. De Kock was the not out batsman after adding 100 runs with four tail-enders who scored 11 runs between them.
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After struggling in the previous four Test matches with the burden of captaincy, de Kock seemed more at ease without that responsibility. After a comparatively sedate morning session at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground he exploded into an array of attacking shots in the afternoon reaching a sixth Test century and first against the West Indies.
De Kock reached his century with a six, one of seven in an innings also embellished by 12 fours off 170 deliveries. In the latter stages of his team's innings, the wicket-keeper/batsman dominated the strike. Anrich Nortje contributed just seven runs in a ninth-wicket stand of 79 that left the home players looking deflated on the field. West Indies must first survive the final session of the second day, facing a huge deficit and with the added concern of having to shuffle their batting order to accommodate opening batsman Kieran Powell who was called into the match yesterday afternoon.
He is a concussion replacement for Nkrumah Bonner, who was struck on the helmet batting number three on the opening day. South Africa exerted control from the start of play. De Kock led the way as 77 runs came in the first two hours for the loss of just one wicket, when former captain Jason Holder induced an outside edge from Rassie van der Dussen on 46 and Shai Hope held the catch at gully.
Quick wickets after lunch lifted West Indian but that proved a brief respite with Nortje steadfast in partnership with the rampant de Kock. It was left to Holder to end the misery for the home side when he produced a sharp lifter to the tailender which resulted in a catch to gully. Then Holder had last man Lungi Ngidi caught behind to finish with the best bowling figures of the innings at four for 75. He almost had the wicket of de Kock but celebrations when a top-edge was caught at long-leg were short-circuited by the umpire's call of no-ball following consultation with the television replay official.
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