South Africa vs Sri Lanka 2016, 1st Test, Day 3: 5 talking points

#4 Cook and Elgar match 87-year-old record

Elgar and Cook put on a show

Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar are not the prettiest of openers. But in a country which has produced openers like Graeme Smith, Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hudson in the ugly-but-beautiful mould, Cook and Elgar are heavenly, if not flamboyant.

The duo had no 50+ stand in 8 innings together at the top before this Test. All of a sudden they have two in a single match, becoming just the second South African opening pair to make two hundred-run partnerships in the same Test. The previous one came in 1929.

Cook went on to notch up a fine hundred while Elgar was dismissed soon after his half-century. With South Africa leading by 81 runs going into their second innings, it was important that they did not lose early wickets in overcast conditions. The openers not only negotiated the seam movement but also set a firm platform for the middle order to cash in on.