Joe Root said he was looking forward to a tougher challenge as captain after England’s facile victory at Lord’s and he is certainly getting one in the second Investec Test at Trent Bridge. On a bowler’s day which saw 15 wickets fall under overcast skies and with the floodlights on throughout, England’s batting was found badly wanting against a focused South African bowling unit that showed just how carelessly the hosts themselves had performed with the ball on the opening day.
England’s decision at the start of the series to jettison a specialist batsman in favour of an allrounder predictably came a cropper as the team slid from 143 for three to 205 all out, conceding what is likely to prove a decisive deficit of 130 on a sporting pitch on which no batsman has yet topped 80.
“England’s decision to jettison a specialist batsman in favour of an allrounder came a cropper as they slid from 143 for three to 205 all out
With Dean Elgar dropping a solid anchor, South Africa had by stumps raised their advantage beyond 200 for the loss of only one wicket, and it is hard to see how England’s unbeaten record at Trent Bridge dating back to 2007 can now survive. That said, the series would be beautifully poised if it sat 1-1 going to the Oval, though England would then surely have to reshape their side moving forward.
As at Lord’s, Root himself led the way with the bat, being again the only man in the top five to reach 50. However, Jonny Bairstow – who earlier in the day took his 100th catch for England - weighed in with 45. Root, in fact, played even better in the early stages than he had in the first Test, where he took time to find his poise and benefited from some slack fielding.
This time he flew out of the traps despite the early loss of both openers, piling the pressure back on to the bowlers with a string of boundaries, notably three in an over from Vernon Philander, two of them gems.
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In racing to a half-century off only 40 balls, his third-fastest in a Test, he didn’t let the back-up seamers settle and forced Faf du Plessis to withdraw some of his close catchers. Du Plessis twice posted two short third men in an effort to cut off Root’s steers in that region, but the England captain’s silky touch still located the gaps.
Root eventually fell for 78 off 76 balls in typical fashion, well caught by the diving Quinton de Kock essaying another drive, but any feelings of frustration at his failure to convert yet another 50 into a century (this was his twelfth score between 76 and 88 alone) had to be tempered with the thought that without him England would have been sunk below the waterline.
Once he departed, ending a 57-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Bairstow, South Africa’s bowlers were in control for the next two hours until their job was done.
Even though James Anderson had wrapped up the remnants of the South African innings in the morning in double-quick time, in overall terms the trio of Philander, Morne Morkel and Chris Morris gave their English counterparts a lesson in length and line. The disparity would surely have been even greater had Kagiso Rabada been available as his stand-in Duanne Olivier was highly erratic.
There was also a comparative lack of zip about England’s bowling, with Mark Wood notably down on rhythm and pace as he chased his second wicket of the series. Stuart Broad has not been much better. England certainly cannot afford to be outgunned in such fashion when they get to Australia in the winter.
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Philander did not have to wait long for his early probing to be rewarded. With his twelfth delivery, he drew a fine inside edge from Alastair Cook which the umpire did not detect but Ultra Edge did. Off the very next ball from Morkel, Keaton Jennings tickled an out-swinger, a replica of his second-innings dismissal at Lord’s.
If the situation was a test for Root, it was even more one for Gary Ballance. The left-hander, with a highest score of 34 in his last ten Test innings, battled away manfully for an hour, standing out of his crease to counter the moving ball and looking – against instinct - to get forward.
In the end, though, he fell as he has done so often before, playing a delivery of moderate pace from Philander into his stumps when caught in no man’s land.
South Africa’s pace-men received able support from Keshav Maharaj, who after Root’s departure chipped in with the prize wickets of Ben Stokes and Bairstow. Stokes, shorn of momentum by a barrage of early bouncers and then going a long period without facing ball, was caught behind by the juggling De Kock via an inside edge and pad. Bairstow, meanwhile, was the recipient of a jaffa moments before tea, bowled off stump by one of the biggest spinning balls of the match.
Moeen Ali slog-swept his first ball to the midwicket boundary and briefly suggested with Liam Dawson that England’s tail might wag, but he was soon undone by a clever piece of bowling from Morris, who pushed him back with short balls before inviting a drive that merely looped to point.
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Broad was leg-before first ball before Dawson skied a cruder attempt at a slog-sweep to Hashim Amla. Wood completed England’s woes after poking to gully. England’s last four wickets had tumbled for six runs in 29 balls. At least in this respect England’s innings resembled that of South Africa, which was hustled to a swift end by Anderson snaffling four wickets for four runs in the space of 16 balls, the last of which enabled Bairstow to become the first Yorkshire player to complete 100 catches for England.
As play was about to begin, Anderson had negotiated a ball change and the new one swung obligingly to bring him his seventh five-for on his favourite ground. Late in the day, he added another wicket to his collection, Heino Kuhn nicking off to second slip where another pair of Yorkshire hands were waiting, but it is hard to see him leaving Nottingham with the result he wants.
ON TV TOMORROW
England v South Africa, second Test, day three
Sky Sports 2, 10am