Day to forget as Joe’s England surrender
The hosts were bowled out for 205 to concede a first-innings deficit of 130 in this second Investec Test.
South Africa then extended their lead to 205 with a stumps total of 75 for one, as a curiously serene late passage of play broke the mould and yielded a solitary wicket in a daily tally of 15.
James Anderson added just that one further success to his first-innings five for 72, having kickstarted the cameo appearances – which continued almost throughout under cloudy skies – by taking four for four in 16 balls as South Africa mustered only 26 more runs to be bowled out for 335.
Joe Root (78) then responded to the early loss of both England openers with a 40-ball half-century. But his and Gary Ballance’s all-Yorkshire counter-attack did not last long enough, before Keshav Maharaj (three for 21) and Chris Morris ( three for 38) restated South Africa’s supremacy in a home innings which lasted only 51.5 overs.
Six wickets fell in under 10 overs before lunch – and Root then reached his 50, in under an hour, with his ninth four three balls before lunch.
Anderson began an apparently unstoppable chain of events with the wicket of Vernon Philander, and he also did for Morris – the pair who had frustrated England in a partnership of 74 on Friday evening.
It took him only five deliveries to have Philander caught in the off-side ring off a leading edge, without addition to his overnight 54.
In his next over, a second successive wicket-maiden, Maharaj was well-caught at second slip by Root.
Morris then closed the face and got a leading edge back to England’s all-time record wicket- taker, who completed South Africa’s slide when Morne Morkel was last out – edging an expansive drive behind to Jonny Bairstow.
The change of innings did nothing to halt the spate of wickets.
Philander went straight to DRS when he got one to straighten back into Alastair Cook in the fourth over - and although an
Joe Root and Alastair Cook can’t disguise their feelings at Trent Bridge. inside- edge precluded lbw, it instead Quinton de Kock doing well to readjust resulted in another caught-behind via the his timing for his fourth catch of the pad. innings.
Morkel made it two in two with the first Bairstow went too, just before tea, delivery of the next over – a very good bowled off- stump by Maharaj on the one, and a third dismissal in succession forward-defence to a very good ball that caught-behind with Keaton Jennings the drifted in and then turned sharply. latest victim. Morris quickly grabbed a double share
At a crisis point of three for two, the of the spoils in early evening. onuswasverymuchonRootandBallance. He pushed Moeen Ali on to the back
Root put pressure back on the bowlers foot with a series of short balls, then had with three off-side fours in one Philander the left-hander poking to cover when he over, and Ballance was good enough to pitched one up at the start of his next quickly follow the example set in a stand over, and was on a hat-trick after DRS of 83. confirmed Stuart Broad’s golden duck –
But he was gone straight after lunch, lbw deep in the crease. bowled via an inside-edge and pad as he Liam Dawson’s mis-sweep at Maharaj pushed forward to Philander’s first meant England had lost three wickets delivery of the session. stuck on 199, but they at least scrambled
Root shared another half-century stand past 200 before Mark Wood was last out with Bairstow until he paid for one shot to Morris at second slip. too many at Morkel and edged an South Africa were soon minus Heino attempted drive behind. Kuhn, edging Anderson low to second
England had effectively targeted third slip – only after his departure for a third seamer Duanne Olivier, but there was an single-figure score in four Test innings important success for slow left- armer did the clatter of wickets abate – as Dean Maharaj when Ben Stokes went for an Elgar and Hashim Amla prospered in 14 11-ball duck – inside-edge on to pad, and curiously uneventful overs.