Faf du Plessis’ second century at Adelaide and his tactical declaration late on day one meant that he was back in the news for all the right reasons following day one of the final Test between Australia and South Africa.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, South Africa didn’t get off to a great start as they lost three of their top four on 5 as Australia's seamers bowled a tight line and length, forcing mistakes from the batsmen.
Although Stephen Cook survived an early reprieve after being out off a no ball, he couldn’t quite convert it and the onus fell on South African captain Faf du Plessis, who stood up when it mattered as his unbeaten century took the Proteas to 259/9.
In response, Australia’s openers, Matt Renshaw and Usman Khawaja saw off the pink ball under lights without the loss of any wickets with some careful and considerable batting that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Geoffrey Boycott’s heydays.
Here are the reactions from the cricket fraternity:
James Taylor:
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke:
South African all-rounder Albie Morkel:
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris:
Grant Elliott:
Former England captain Michael Vaughan:
Mark Butcher:
Mpumelelo Mbangwa:
Former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming:
Tom Moody:
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