South Africa’s Dean Elgar has insisted that he did not hit the ball when dismissed caught behind off England’s part-time leggie Joe Denly – despite DRS supporting the umpire Paul Reiffell’s decision to give him out.
Elgar, a key figure in South Africa’s hope of batting 146 overs to save the Second Test match after two days of England dominance, became Denly’s first Test victim when DRS revealed a very thin edge, although the batsman is confident he did not hit it.
The loss of Zubayr Hamza late in the day to James Anderson left England needing eight wickets on the final day for victory.
“No. I wouldn’t waste a referral knowing that I’d nicked it,” he told Sky Sports News when asked if he hit it. “I don’t play cricket like that. I like to see myself as someone who takes their outs if they’re out. I wouldn’t waste a referral like that.
"It’s a bit of an emotional time when those kind of things happen. When I’d simmered down and was watching the footage I could still say that I hadn’t hit it.”
Both South Africa’s batting consultant Jacques Kallis and Elgar remained tight-lipped on what they thought of the trust the technology that said he edged the ball.
“I don’t know,” said Elgar. “I’m gonna reserve my comments because I don’t want to get into trouble with the ICC. But as a player I can say I’m very confident I didn’t nick out.”
There was some suggestion that Elgar’s elbow hit his pad, creating the spike on UltraEdge.
“Our coach also alluded to that, but it is what it is,” he said. “So be it. It’s what creates the theatre of Test cricket I guess.”
Elgar’s opposite number Dominic Sibley enjoyed a day to remember, adding 48 to his overnight 85 to record a maiden Test century. He admitted to feeling nervous overnight but that the experience of scoring a Test hundred was better than he had dreamt.
“I slept terribly to be honest. I was up at 2am, watching tv and just thinking about the 15 runs,” he said. "It feels amazing right now and I'm glad that I got over the line.
Read More
“It [reaching three figures] was better than I thought [it would be] I reckon. That moment when I saw that ball go for four was what I have been working towards since I was 13 years old and you dream of that moment. Hopefully there are more of them to come over the next few years.
“I love Cape Town, I've been here on some academy tours for Surrey and I played an Under-19 Test match here against SA. This ground is amazing, to score a hundred here with the atmosphere… [Ben] Stokesy said to me 'take it in, just enjoy it for a second'. It seems like a bit of a blur now but I certainly enjoyed it at the time.
