Superman Faf: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis takes a stunning one-handed catch - Watch
Sa vs Eng: After not enforcing the follow on, England went full throttle in the second innings and when they were eventually bowled out for 183, they set the hosts 466 runs to win the match.
South Africa endured another tough day out in the field, but then towards the end of the day, there was an inspired piece of fielding by their captain Faf du Plessis which could possibly lift the morale of the side when they come out to bat on Day 4. Faf du Plessis pulled off a stunning one-handed diving catch to dismiss England skipper Joe Root The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Beuran Hendricks bowled a full and wide delivery and Joe Root went after it. The ball too the edge and flew to Faf who went after the ball full stretch to pluck an absolute screamer. This also helped Hendricks get his maiden fifer in Test cricket.
After not enforcing the follow on, England went full throttle in the second innings and when they were eventually bowled out for 183, they set the hosts 466 runs to win the match.
Faf will now have to lead the charge with the bat as well amid the debate over his captaincy. He has the backing of the team management and head coach Mark Boucher said that he is still in charge of the side.
“He is under pressure from a weight of runs as well, from captaincy, all that stuff,” Boucher said. “The players back him in the dressing room. It’s nice to see him take that catch towards the end of the day. Hopefully it will lift his spirits. He will go out there and fight. He understands that he is the leader and he wants to do well and lead from the front. Hopefully there is something big around the corner for Faf. The whole scene is set for him to come in under pressure and score big runs and hopefully get us close to winning a Test match.”
Brief scores: England 400 & 248 (Joe Root 58; Beuran Hendricks 5-64) lead South Africa 183 (Quinton de Kock 76; Mark Wood 5-46) by 465 runs.