Top 5 Cricketers of the Week: 28th December – 3rd January

#3 Dean Elgar – 129

Dean Elgar is living up to his potential

The pitches in South Africa are doing quite a bit – not a surprise, given Sri Lanka’s inexperienced batting will find it really tough on such tracks. At Cape Town that could’ve backfired when South Africa, put into bat in the second Test of the series, lost their opener Stephen Cook in the very first over.

After a 66-run partnership, Hashim Amla lost his stumps and in the same over, JP Duminy had to walk back to the pavilion too. At 66 for 3, Sri Lanka had South Africa nervous. But the host’s other opener, Dean Elgar battled the conditions and ensured South Africa had an imposing first innings total.

Elgar batted 230 balls for his 129 and was the sixth wicket to go, after adding 76 with Faf du Plessis and then another 103 with Quinton de Kock, once again when South Africa were in trouble at 169 for 5. South Africa eventually managed 392, thanks to a de Kock century that came off just 124 balls. Quinton in the process also broke the record for fewest innings by a wicket-keeper batsman to score 1000 Test runs.