Innings victory for South Africa in first Test

South Africa take the lead in the three-Test series beating England comprehensively by an innings and 12 runs before tea on the third day after a most lamentable batting performance from England.

If England batsmen had intentions of making amends after their poor batting in the first innings, they certainly went about it the wrong way in their intended fight-back. There was a total lack of application against some excellent bowling by the tourists. Within a quarter of an hour of the start of the innings England were two wickets down for 38 in just twelve overs.

It was a good move by Dean Elgar the South Africa captain to bring on left arm spinner Keshav Maharaj shortly before lunch and it paid off as Zak Crawley, on 13, was trapped lbw as he attempted a sweep. There wasn’t a question of a review which he seemed for a moment to be thinking of.

Then on the stroke of lunch, Ollie Pope, who topped scored in the first innings with a fine 73 was also pinned in front of the stumps for 5. South Africa kept the pressure on after the break and Joe Root went for 5 as he pushed to the off and got an edge to second slip to give Lungi Ngidi his first wicket of the match. It was the first time since 2016, against Sri Lanka, that Root had been dismissed for single figures in both innings of a Test match.

Following that, England went on to lose three further wickets in a space of five runs. All three were claimed by Anrich Nortje with the help of catches taken by Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps. Jonny Bairstow went for 18 edging a ball which he could have left and Alex Lees and Ben Foakes both fell on the total of 86.

Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad then embarked on some lusty hitting before Broad fell for 35 from 29 balls, it included a six and five fours. Stokes and Matthew Potts tried to hold what was left of the disintegrating innings with England facing the ignominy of losing the match within three days.

However, Potts didn’t last long and departed for 1 bowled by Jansen and the first ball of the next over removed Stokes, caught at the mid-wicket boundary off Rabada.

Earlier, South Africa resumed their first innings on the overnight score of 289 for seven and England were quick to strike with the third ball of the day. The six foot seven tall Stuart Broad leaped high to take an excellent one-handed catch off Matthew Potts and Kasigo Rabada was on his way without adding to his overnight 3.

South Africa took the new ball straight after it was due and seven overs later Marco Jansen, having added seven to his score, was held at first slip off Broad as he attempted a drive without getting behind the line of the ball. He had 48 and the tourists were 318 for nine. Finally, Ngidi was held at third slip, at the second attempt, by Jonny Bairstow off Broad and the innings was wound up on 326. Broad and Stokes both finished with three for 71.