LONDON: South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje paid tribute to captain Dean Elgar’s “honesty” after the Proteas’ innings and 12-run rout of England in the first Test at Lord’s.
Nortje finished with match figures of 6-110 as South Africa completed a crushing victory inside three days in London to go 1-0 up in a three-match series.
The 28-year-old express quick was especially effective after lunch on Friday, taking three wickets for no runs in 10 balls to have Jonny Bairstow, Alex Lees and Ben Foakes all caught behind as he repeatedly topped speeds of 90 mph (145 kph) and even surpassed 95 mph at one stage.
There was no way back for England, who were dismissed for 149 in under 38 overs, with South Africa’s bowlers effectively giving themselves some unexpected, but valuable, extra rest ahead of Thursday’s second Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford.
South Africa were already top of the World Test Championship table before this game and they have now won eight of their 10 matches at this level since experienced opening batsman Elgar became their permanent captain in red-ball cricket last year.
“Dean is quite straight forward,” Nortje told reporters after stumps.
“If he thinks you’re not playing your A-game, he’ll tell you and the whole team respects that. We need that. You need someone to tell you and not to beat around the bush.”
Nortje, who occasionally got carried away with short-pitched bowling at Lord’s before reverting to a fuller length, added: “He will tell you if it is not good enough and at stages that is what happened.
“At stages he thought what I was doing is the right thing and he encourages me to bring energy and bowl quick because that’s my job -- to bowl quick, to try to bring energy and momentum for the team.
“It paid off here and hopefully it pays off again but he does encourage me to try to express myself as a bowler,” Nortje explained.
“I am really enjoying having him as a captain and it is nice to have that honesty from a captain as well.”
- ‘Unbelievable attack’ -
Nortje has taken 53 wickets in his 13 Tests at an average of exactly 27, having spent six months on the sidelines nursing back and hip injuries following last year’s T20 World Cup.
But he now finds himself back in Test action as a member of a formidable four-man pace attack that also includes spearhead Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and towering left-armer Marco Jansen.
The quartet were all in the wickets at Lord’s, with Rabada’s superb 5-62 in England’s meagre first innings 165, where Nortje offered good support with 3-63, leading the way.
“It is an unbelievable attack and guys have shown what they can do,” said Nortje.
“Everyone covers a different aspect in their own department and it is just really nice to be joining up and playing red-ball cricket with the team again.
“KG (Rabada) did unbelievably well for us in this game as well.”
Stokes says England can recover
England captain Ben Stokes said his side “can’t be great every day” following a crushing defeat by a “relentless” South Africa in the first Test at Lord’s.
The Proteas needed fewer than three days’ play to complete an innings and 12-run win, with England bowled out for just 149 before tea on Friday after a meagre 165 in their first innings.
This was England’s first defeat under a new leadership duo of Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum following a run of just one win in 17 Tests that signalled the end of Joe Root’s captaincy.
England had won all four of their previous Tests since Stokes and former New Zealand captain McCullum took up their positions.
The victories were notable for their attacking batting in the fourth innings, including a superb run chase of 378 to beat India at Edgbaston last month.
Stokes insisted England had no intention of retreating into their shell in the second Test against South Africa at Old Trafford starting Thursday, where they will look to level the three-match series.
“We’ve got a certain way we want to play,” he said. “We know we can be an incredibly hard team to play against if we execute that, hard to beat.
“We can’t be great every day. This week was just off for us. But we’re not going to hold on to it for too long and carry any baggage to Manchester,” the all-rounder added.
England’s approach has been dubbed ‘Bazball’ in honour of McCullum’s nickname, although the coach is not a fan of the term.
Stokes was adamant England, repeatedly undone by South Africa fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje at Lord’s, were about more than playing ‘gung-ho’ cricket regardless of the match situation.
“Not only do we speak about wanting to put pressure on to the opposition, but there are going to be times when we need to absorb that pressure,” the skipper said.
