'Jofra Archer doesn't know how to use Kookaburra' - Dale Steyn after De Kock hits him for two consecutive sixes

The battle between Archer and De Kock was one of the best in recent times.

Published - 28 Dec 2019, 19:15 IST | Updated - 28 Dec 2019, 19:15 IST

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Ongoing South Africa vs England Test series has got off to a great start. Two flawed sides with plenty of questions to answer during the course of the four Tests have produced pulsating cricket thus far. The series is only three days old and already we have seen immaculate pace bowling, a plethora of erratic batting, swashbuckling counter-attacks, a regular English batting collapse [7-39], beamers, controversies, and bodyline stuff.

The third day of any Test match is expected to be a moving day. But, the way this game has ebbed and flowed, it has steadily moved with every passing hour. The second day saw 15 wickets tumble as both sides- especially England- were guilty of erratic display of batting. After having bowled England out for 181, the hosts themselves lost four wickets in the final session.

The final session had everything. It had the counterattack of du Plessis followed by a pretty brainless hoick over the bowler, it also had Jofra Archer bowling back-to-back beamers to Anrich Nortje. The short-pitch stuff by Archer continued on the third morning as he continued to test the likes of Nortje and Rassie van der Dussen.

Nortje, however, dealt with the bodyline stuff admirably as he scored a patient 89-ball 40 before eventually succumbing to the same bowler, after having walked and return unscathed a million times.

Rudolph and Steyn engage in a conversation on Twitter

But, the battle of the day turned out to be between Quinton de Kock and Jofra Archer. De Kock had played what is slowly turning out to be a game-changing knock [95 off 128 balls] in the first innings. And, Archer and England knew the significance of the southpaw’s wicket. So, what does Archer do? He bangs it in short and all De Kock did was pull him for consecutive sixes over square-leg. Rather he missed the third one with the ball going down the legside.

De Kock finally fell to Stokes but not before he had won the battle against Archer, something that not only excited the fans but also former South African cricketers. Jacques Rudolph took to Twitter where he criticized the tactics of Archer. Rudolph wrote, “Ludicrous tactics from Archer.”

Dale Steyn, who is currently in Australia for the Big Bash League (BBL) quickly asked Rudolph as to what he was referring to, to which one of the fans replied, “De Kock is pulling, slapping Archer all over the place”, much to the bemusement of Dale Steyn, who replied with, “Quinny too good for him, don’t know how to use the kooka! Haha.”