Philander pushes West Indies closer to defeat

Vernon Philander was the main destroyer as the West Indian batting crumbled on the third day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Friday. Philander took four for 29 as the West Indies were bowled out for 201 and forced to follow on, 351 runs behind South Africa's first innings total of 552 for five declared.
Philander struck again early in the second innings when he dismissed Devon Smith for the second time in the day. West Indies were 76 for two at the close, still needing 275 runs to avoid an innings defeat. There was a setback for South Africa, however, as strike bowler Dale Steyn limped off the field after bowling only five balls in the follow on innings. Steyn returned after the second afternoon drinks break, however, and was on the field long enough to be eligible to bowl at the start of Saturday's play.
Philander, who had taken only four wickets at high cost in his previous four Test matches, did not take a wicket in his opening spell on Friday but transformed the match when he came back for a second spell. After a good start by opening batsmen Kraigg Brathwaite and Smith, the West Indian batting disintegrated in dispiriting fashion. Brathwaite and Smith saw off South Africa's new ball attack, putting on 72 for the first wicket before Philander dismissed both openers in successive overs.
The right-handed Brathwaite looked solid and well organised from the start but the left-handed Smith survived a confident appeal - and an unsuccessful review - for leg before wicket by Philander with his score on five in the second over. Smith went on to make 35 before being caught behind off Philander's fourth ball of his second spell. He was given not out by umpire Billy Bowden but Philander immediately asked for a review which showed a faint bottom edge as Smith played a cramped pull shot.
Brathwaite fell for 34 in Philander's next over, edging a low catch to Hashim Amla at first slip. Philander took two for two in four overs in his second spell. Kyle Abbott had Leon Johnson caught at cover for 33 after lunch and Morne Morkel took the important wicket of Marlon Samuels, who chopped the ball on to his stumps after making 33 - the fourth successive batsman to be dismissed in the thirties.
That left Shivnarine Chanderpaul holding West Indian hopes but Philander returned to the attack and had the veteran left-hander caught at second slip for 21, with Jermaine Blackwood following in similar fashion in the last over before tea. The rest of the batting crumbled after tea with captain Denesh Ramdin setting a poor example when South African captain Amla brought on occasional left-arm spinner Dean Elgar to bowl some tempting flighted deliveries outside off stump. Ramdin obliged by hitting Elgar's sixth ball straight to cover. Morkel wrapped up the innings by catching Jerome Taylor off his own bowling and then bowling Sheldon Cottrell. Kemar Roach did not bat after suffering an ankle injury while bowling. Morkel finished with three for 55.
Scoreboard

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South Africa, first innings, 552-5 declared

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West Indies, first innings

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K. Brathwaite c Amla b Philander         34

D. Smith c De Villiers b Philander       35

L. Johnson c sub (Peterson) b Abbott     31

M. Samuels b Morkel                      33

S. Chanderpaul c Petersen b Philander    21

J. Blackwood c Petersen b Philander      12

D. Ramdin c Van Zyl b Elgar              14

J. Taylor c and b Morkel                  4

S. Benn not out                           6

S. Cottrell b Morkel                      2

K. Roach absent injured

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Extras: (lb6, w3)                         9

Total: (60.2 overs)                     201

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Fall of wickets: 1-72 (Smith), 2-73 (Brathwaite) , 3-117 (Johnson), 4-162 (Samuels), 5-169 (Chanderpaul), 6-184 (Blackwood), 7-193 (Ramdin), 8-193 (Taylor), 9-201 (Cottrell)
Bowling: Steyn 14-3-53-0, Philander 15-6-29-4 (1w), Abbott 14-3-50-1 (1w), Morkel 15.2-4-55-3 (1w), Elgar 2-0-8-1.

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West Indies, second innings (following on)

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K. Brathwaite c Petersen b Morkel        20

D. Smith c sub (Bavuma) b Philander       5

L. Johnson not out                       33

M. Samuels not out                       13

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Extras: (lb2, w2)                         4

Total: (2 wkts, 27 overs)                76

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