Plays of the day from the second T20 in Johannesburg, where South Africa handed out a thrashing
Firdose Moonda21-Feb-2016First act of the day – again
JP Duminy misfielded the first ball of the Cape Town T20 and he went one worse in Johannesburg. In continuing with England’s aggressive mindset, Jason Roy wanted to hit the cover off the first ball but only managed to send it to short extra cover. Duminy was stationed exactly there, did not have to move, got the ball in his hands and then let it slip out. It was hit hard but it should have stayed.Mix-up of the day
On an outfield as big as the Wanderers’, running two should be routine but Eoin Morgan got a little too casual when we wanted to chance Chris Morris’ arm. Joe Root had been dismissed the ball before and Morgan, the new batsman, was at the non-striker’s end when Alex Hales nudged Imran Tahir to midwicket. The pair ran and should have stopped there but Morgan called for a second and then, on seeing Morris swoop in, changed his mind. He sent Hales back it was too late. The throw came in sharply and Tahir had enough time to break the stumps while Hales, who may yet earn a fine, took out his frustration on the turf.Bizarre dismissal of the day
Mankading as been making the news but Morgan must not have been reading. He was stealing ground at the non-striker’s end but Kyle Abbott did not resort to trying to run him out mid-delivery stride. Instead, when Ben Stokes drove the ball back to him, Abbott stuck out a hand in an attempt to take a return catch but only got a fingertip to it and the ball ricocheted on to the stumps with Morgan well out of his crease.More bizarre dismissal of the day
South Africa had their share of luck with the run-outs but then they got a bit more. Stokes got a full ball from Morris, he turned the face of the bat to hit the ball down but, in defiance of the laws of physics, the ball popped up and offered a return catch. Morris accepted it but only he and Faf du Plessis appealed as the rest of the squad and the crowd thought it was a bump ball – only for replays to show that the ball didn’t hit the ground at all and Stokes had to go.Redemption of the day
As he did in Cape Town, Duminy made up for his drop with a fantastic catch, although luckily this time it did not involve being rugby tackled by a team-mate. Duminy was at deep cover when Moeen Ali sent an aerial drive in roughly his direction. Duminy had to make up the ground and put in a dive and he managed to take the catch inches off the ground. Some like them tough.Shot of the day
AB de Villiers gave the Wanderers a special reminiscent of his fastest ODI hundred there little more than a year ago which made it difficult to pick a favourite shot but the six he clobbered off Chris Jordan was the showstopper. After taking 16 runs off the first five balls of Jordan’s first over, including an improvised lofted drive over cover, de Villiers gave Jordan the charge and swatted him over deep square leg and on to the grass embankment.Shot of the day II
Hashim Amla was not to be outdone and provided opposite but equally satisfying viewing pleasure. Amla’s best came with a delicately destructive stroke off Stokes, when he opened the face of the bat at the last moment to a full delivery and lofted it over the off side and into the stands.
