Emilio Gay: England player ‘has done enough’ to keep South Africa tour place – Sir Alastair Cook

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Gay “played well” but may be contemplating missing the opportunity to reach triple figures for the first time after he delayed an innings from Razaullah Khan.

“Emilio Gay found his balance early. He struggled in the beginning and then he found his flow,” Vaughan said.

“He will be very disappointed when he gets past 60. He will be desperate to get his first Test match century and I thought it would be today.”

“Razaullah’s little extra pace and some lack of concentration at the end of the day cost him dearly.”

England seamer Josh Tong said Gay’s rigorous training helped him develop the necessary concentration ability for Test cricket.

“The one thing I have seen in Emilio is that he trains very hard in the nets. He will bat for ages with a lot of effort and it shows on the field,” Tong added.

“Even last week at Lord’s he had two terrible dismissals, but today I felt he bowled unbelievably on a difficult pitch.

“He was obviously very disappointed in how he got out. It’s not a good feeling to keep going forward, but he’s put the team in a really good position for tomorrow.”