Ben Stokes

England 629-6 declared
v South Africa 141-2
close on Day 2

Sunday 3 January 2016

Newlands, Cape Town

71 South African Beer Ticks

Twitter @ball_sup

Just ridiculous out there. Three wickets all day. Two of them were run outs. That stand between Stokes & Bairstow was 399. In a sense, it wasn't even Perfect Storm territory. England were in a spot of local bother at 230 odd for 5.

But, from Ball One this morning. Couldn't be controlled. Stokes was just a Robot. His hand/eye coordination & bat speed were just in sync. And, at times, when needed, both played flexibly.

But, it was such a special innings/partnership that 629 doesn't do it justice. I wouldn't have declared. Special innings, special total. And, of course. Two teams have to bat. It would have looked a little different if Root had held on to a fairly straightforward (if pacy) chance at slip.

There's even the bonus of Independent Craft Beer in the ground. Mitchell’s of Knysna. The Forester’s Lager on keg at 3.6%. The Bosun’s Bitter on keg also at 3.6%. Both refreshing and decent. Not much going on with the Bitter. So, I actually preferred the Lager. A nice bitter finish coming off well balanced sweetness.

259/530