Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar punished West Indies for their fielding lapses and helped South Africa reach to a commanding position on the opening day of the second Test match in Port Elizabeth.
Elgar smashed his third Test hundred, while du Plessis is just one run short of what could be his fourth ton in the whites, as the Proteas made 270 on an expense of just two wickets, with Hashim Amla at the other end.
The day could have been much different for the touring party had they taken the chances that came their way. They missed numerous run out opportunities, while dropping du Plessis twice and Elgar once over the course of play.
Elgar (121) and du Plessis (99 not out) stitched a 149-run partnership for the second wicket to take the game away from the visitors. After Elgar’s dismissal, du Plessis and Amla (17 not out) have made an unbeaten 44 runs partnership.
“Luckily you have a guy at the other end that you communicate with,” Elgar said. “Faf and I get along quite well when we have the bat in hand, don’t get me wrong we also get on well off the field.
“We have batted a lot together over the last four or five years from SA A and in the Test side,” he added. “We have had a few substantial partnerships together so we know what to say to each other at the right time.”
