Root looks to turn the screws vs SA
The contrast between Joe Root and the returning Faf du Plessis could not be starker as the respective captains of England and South Africa head for Trent Bridge for the second Test starting on Friday.
Root delivered a captain’s innings in his opening game in charge to lay the foundations for a 211-run victory on Sunday and quash inevitable suggestions that extra responsibility might affect his own form.
As he looks to turn the screw in the second Test, his only problem is whether to retain two spinners at a ground which traditionally favours seamers.
While Root will bat away suggestions aired by former England captain Geoffrey Boycott that his side should secure a four-test whitewash, England are well-placed to inflict their first home series victory on South Africa since 1998.
Even the welcome return for the tourists of Du Plessis may not be enough to change the series dynamic established at Lord’s, particularly with seamer Kagiso Rabada suspended for Trent Bridge, a ground where he could probably have thrived.
Mistake compounded mistake for South Africa in the first Test, with Root and Bairstow both dropped off catchable chances, poor judgment exercised on reviews and potential wickets lost to no-balls.
BBC’s respected correspondent Jonathan Agnew said South Africa’s fielding drill ahead of the start was the worst he had witnessed in watching hundreds of test matches, and labelled their final batting collapse “embarrassing.”