YOU’RE IN FIGHT CLUB NOW, JOE!
Skipper faces scrap to avoid huge defeat by rampant South Africa
JOE ROOT insisted before this second Test that he wanted to be in more of a scrap than at Lord’s, and that he was looking forward to dealing with the odd grumpy fast bowler. Clearly the new England captain should be careful what he wishes for.
England have been in a scrap-and-a-half at Trent Bridge and unless they can pull off the greatest run chase in Test history over the next two days, they will head to The Oval next week with this Investec series all square.
And Root had to deal with at least three grumpy fast bowlers during the course of a third day when good old-fashioned application from South Africa’s batsmen piled the misery on England’s largely toothless six-man attack.
Only Mark Wood among Root’s seamers managed to retain something of a sunny disposition in the course of a long, hard day. And that was more to do with his personality than his own worryingly under-par performance.
Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes were all rather less enamoured with a day when South Africa rattled up 343 for nine before declaring to leave England needing a mammoth 474 to win.
They made one of them, just about, in the four overs Faf du Plessis left before the close but not without the alarm of Alastair Cook being given out lbw by Paul Reiffel off Morne Morkel’s very first ball. To England’s enormous relief, a review showed the ball to be heading over the top.
Considering no side have scored more than 418 to win a Test — and the highest successful chase in Trent Bridge history is the 284 England made to defeat New Zealand in 2004 — it is fair to say Root is very much up against it.
‘I wouldn’t put it past us. We’ve got two days to knock it off, so it’s not impossible,’ said a rather optimistic Moeen Ali after taking four wickets on his belated arrival into the attack.
Everything went right for Root when he led England to a thumping victory at Lord’s in his first Test in charge but the maddening inconsistency that haunted much of Cook’s reign has quickly brought the new captain back to earth.
This was mighty hard work for England as South Africa, with all the time in the world after 15 wickets fell on the second day, reminded England of the graft and correct tempo that is so often lacking in their own Test batting.
None more so than Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar, who could have belonged to a different age as they nullified the threat of an attack used to getting their own way at Trent Bridge in a stand of 135 that ended any realistic English hopes.
England’s state of mind was not helped by the knowledge that Amla had edged Broad through to Jonny Bairstow when he had made only 25 of his 87, but inexplicably they barely appealed and Australian umpire Simon Fry said not out.
It was in sharp contrast to England’s shambolic approach to reviews that has seen Root cave in to his bowlers far too readily throughout this match.
That saw them waste yet another referral yesterday, this time on Du Plessis. It is the South Africa captain, his side’s third half- century maker yesterday, who has been the biggest reason behind the huge improvement in a team who looked down and almost out at Lord’s, but who are right back in this series now.
It was not so much that England bowled badly — and Stokes performed as well as he has done at any point since his latest knee injury — but simply that South Africa had too much nous, determination and appreciation of the situation.
Root tried everything to change things but suddenly the new captain has plenty on his plate with a rather abrupt end to his honeymoon period coming into view and just five more Tests left before the Ashes.
‘I think we have opened up a few cracks in their side,’ said Elgar last night.
The England captain’s biggest mistake yesterday was again holding back his main spinner — but don’t tell him that’s what he is, whatever you do. Moeen did not bowl until 2.55pm, then took his series tally to 14 wickets.
Root will surely know the man England insist bizarrely is their No 1 spinner, Liam Dawson, is not up to the job, even though he did finally dismiss Amla yesterday with the help of a review that dismayed umpire Reiffel.
England must surely consider replacing Dawson for the third Test — Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel, a better version of the player Dawson is, was here yesterday — while the captain’s pick in Gary Ballance and even Keaton Jennings need runs badly today with time running out before the first Ashes Test in Brisbane in November.
Add the fact that Wood has taken just one wicket in this series and is struggling with a bruised heel, and that Stokes ended the innings with the suspicion of a limp yesterday, and Root has much to ponder.
Welcome to captaincy, Joe.