Quinton de Kock frustrates England with quick-fire fifty for South Africa

Quinton de Kock completed a brisk half-century after England ripped through South Africa’s top five on day one of the Boxing Day Test at Centurion.

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James Anderson removed Dean Elgar (0) with the first ball of his 150th Test before Stuart Broad and Sam Curran picked up two wickets apiece to leave the Proteas, inserted by England, on 111-5.

However, De Kock (64no) cracked a 45-ball, 18th Test fifty during an unbroken partnership of 76 with debutant Dwaine Pretorius (25no) as the Proteas rallied to 187-5 at tea at SuperSport Park.

De Kock had a couple of scares off the bowling of Joe Root, ballooning the part-time spinner close to Anderson down the ground and then edging him to Ben Stokes at slip before the umpires decided the ball had not carried.

Root was England’s chief spinner at Centurion with the tourists opting for an all-frontline pace attack of Anderson, Broad, Curran, Stokes and Jofra Archer, albeit that Stokes is yet to bowl.

Stokes played with his father, Ged, now in a stable condition in a Johannesburg hospital – but England were without Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes and Jack Leach due to illness, with Pope’s absence leading to a recall for Jonny Bairstow.

Anderson became the second Englishman, after close friend Sir Alastair Cook, to 150 Tests, and received his milestone cap from Sky Cricket expert Nasser Hussain.

The 37-year-old is the ninth player from any country to feature in 150 Test matches and first out-and-out bowler.

Watch continued live coverage of the first Test on Sky Sports Cricket.

(c) Sky Sports 2019: Quinton de Kock frustrates England with quick-fire fifty for South Africa