England v South Africa first Test: Day four recap

First Test scores

England win by 211 runs

South Africa 2nd inns: 119 (36.3 overs. Bavuma 21, Philander 19*, De Kock 18; Moeen Ali 6-53, Wood 1-3, Anderson 1-14, Dawson 2-34)

England 2nd inns: 233 (87.1 overs. Cook 69, Bairstow 51, Ballance 34, Jennings 33, Wood 28; Maharaj 4-85, Rabada 3-47, Morkel 3-64)

South Africa 1st inns: 361 (105 overs. Bavuma 59, Elgar 54, Philander 52, de Kock 51, de Bruyn 48; Moeen 4-59, Anderson 2-44, Broad 2-58, Dawson 2-67)  

England 1st inns: 458 (105.3 overs. Root 190, Moeen Ali 87, Broad 57*, Stokes 56; Morkel 4-115, Philander 3-67, Rabada 3-123)

Get in touch: @tickerscricket | Dave.Tickner@sportinglife.com 

First Test headlines

Moeen takes six as Proteas crumble
Rabada banned for second Test
Latest Sky Bet odds

England v South Africa: Day four commentary

ALL OVER: England (458 & 361) beat South Africa (361 & 119) by 211 runs
That's a thrashing. The pitch was tricky, but South Africa offered pitiful resistance there. But take nothing away from the magnificent Moeen Ali, six wickets in the innings and 10 in the match to go with a crucial 87 when the first innings was in the balance, and he will surely be named as man of the match despite Root kicking off his captaincy with 190. We go again at Trent Bridge on Friday - we'll have our betting preview and guide to that game available for you on Wednesday.

WICKET! Morkel c Jennings b Dawson 14

Morkel launches a couple into the stands for the lolz, but is caught by Jennings in the deep when attempting another. Thumping great win for England.

Over 36: South Africa 107-9 (Philander 19, Morkel 2)
What a nice gesture from the sporting Lord's crowd to enthusiastically cheer South Africa's hundred. Hashtag Nice Touch. Needs four byes to help them there as one spins sharply down the legside, while Philander then clubs the last ball of the over for six over long-on. Might as well.

Over 35: South Africa 94-9 (Philander 12, Morkel 0)
Almost a second wicket for Dawson, Philander beaten by one that spins sharply up the so-called slope. Chance for Moeen to get a seventh, then.

Over 34: South Africa 94-9 (Philander 12, Morkel 0)
Morkel blocks the last ball of the over. Huge roars for Moeen as he returns to his fielding post. Match figures of  10-103 from 34 overs now. And 87 runs in the first innings. Handy.

WICKET! Rabada c Bairstow b Moeen Ali 4

Ten in the match for Moeen Ali! His best ever Test figures as well as Rabada whacks one down the ground before nicking an attempted cut through to Bairstow, who continues his tidy game with the gloves.

Over 33: South Africa 90-8 (Philander 12, Rabada 0)
Rare loose delivery in this innings from Dawson, a full-toss that Philander gratefully pumps over midwicket for four. Picks up a pair of twos to follow, one on each side of the wicket.

Over 32: South Africa 82-8 (Philander 4, Rabada 0)
Almost another for Moeen, Rabada lunging forward, edge found, but no bounce this time and it doesn't carry to Stokes at slip.

WICKET! Maharaj b Moeen Ali 10

Maharaj smacks a couple of boundaries but then chops on to give Moeen a five-wicket haul. Magnificent stuff, and he's on the Honours Board. Only needs one of the two remaining wickets and he'll be on the 10-wicket board as well.

Over 31: South Africa 74-7 (Philander 4, Maharaj 2)
Maiden over from Dawson. WE DEMAND MORE WICKETS AND WE DEMAND THEM NOW.

Over 30: South Africa 74-7 (Philander 4, Maharaj 2)
Maharaj, whose own figures of 4-85 don't look quite so clever now, is off the mark with a hoik for two. Jennings does well to prevent the boundary. Bad running not to get a third.

WICKET! De Bruyn c Stokes b Moeen Ali 1

Another one for Moeen, who now has the chance of a 10-wicket match haul. De Bruyn unsure whether to play for spin or not, and is tentatively half-back nicking to Stokes at slip. Stokes does not drop them.

Over 29: South Africa 72-6 (de Bruyn 1, Philander 4)
Philander not having any fun here. Lunges forward to Dawson, and the ball bounces to thud into his injured hand. Even from the spinner, it's still enough to cause him to wrench the hand off the bat and wince in pain.

Over 28: South Africa 71-6 (de Bruyn 0, Philander 4)
Root's had a pretty decent first Test as captain really. But surely he needs more than a slip and a short-leg here as two balls bounce and beat Philander's defensive lunges before thudding into the pad. Leg-slip does come in for the final ball of the over. I'd have someone in catching on the offside as well, but they'd have been hopping to avoid the ball as Moeen drops short and Philander smacks it to the fence.

WICKET! Bavuma b Moeen Ali 21

Bavuma rocks back looking to pull Moeen, misses, and the ball kisses the off bail. Three for Moeen, South Africa six down and facing an embarrassing defeat.

Over 27: South Africa 65-5 (Bavuma 18, de Bruyn 0)
Bavuma almost having to sway out of the way as Dawson gets one to bounce ludicrously from outside the off stump. I know Bavuma isn't tall, but still. A single off the over, worked into the legside by Bavuma to keep the strike.

Over 26: South Africa 64-5 (Bavuma 17, de Bruyn 0)
Genuinely not sure how de Kock managed to do that. Not sure he is.

WICKET! De Kock b Moeen Ali 18

De Kock somehow contrives to drag a short ball into his off stump via inside edge and boot. Proteas circling the drain.

Over 25: South Africa 63-4 (de Kock 18, Bavuma 17)
De Kock tries three times to get a reverse-sweep away off Dawson. It's a ricky option - all cross-bat shots are on here now - but he gets away with a couple of misfires before eventually getting one away in front of square for a couple.

Over 24: South Africa 61-4 (de Kock 16, Bavuma 17)
Bavuma looking more comfortable against Moeen than Dawson here. Sweeps him hard for four and picks up two more with a repeat performance.

Over 23: South Africa 54-4 (de Kock 15, Bavuma 11)
Maiden over. One from Dawson spins sharply past the outside edge, but for the most part he's targeting the pads and the stumps.

Over 22: South Africa 54-4 (de Kock 15, Bavuma 11)
Good over for South Africa. De Kock collects a couple of boundaries cut hard through point, before jogging a single and giving Bavuma one ball to deal with. He also goes through point and collects three.

Over 21: South Africa 42-4 (de Kock 6, Bavuma 8)
Bavuma cracks a rare loose ball from Dawson to the cover boundary before the bowler spends the rest of the over trying to hit the batsman's pad in front of the stumps. Comes pretty close a couple of times.

Over 20: South Africa 38-4 (de Kock 6, Bavuma 4)
Bavuma sweeps Moeen hard to deep square for a single, before de Kock comes down the track working the ball to leg and has to smartly regain his ground as Ballance gathers at short-leg. He does it safely.

Over 19: South Africa 37-4 (de Kock 6, Bavuma 3)
Bavuma does make contact with the sweep this time, picking up three as he paddles the ball down towards the fine-leg boundary. Dawson getting the ball to curve through the air before spinning out of the footholes. Tough to play. Memo to Mick Hunt: Don't prepare a pitch like this when India turn up next year.

Over 18: South Africa 34-4 (de Kock 6, Bavuma 0)
Positive intent from de Kock, looking to use his feet against Moeen and make something happen. It's so hard to do, though, with the ball spitting out of the rough. Does manage to maneouvre one into the legside for a single. Three byes to the total as the ball spins and bounces past Bavuma's attempted sweep and past a wrongfooted Bairstow. Might've been a deflection off the arm there actually, but it goes down as byes.

Over 17: South Africa 30-4 (de Kock 5, Bavuma 0)
Maiden over from Dawson, who almost gets a second wicket as a Bavuma leading edge lands short of midwicket.

Over 16: South Africa 30-4 (de Kock 5, Bavuma 0)
First runs off Moeen as de Kock works him away for a couple.

Over 15: South Africa 28-4 (de Kock 3)
Bavuma the next man in for South Africa. This could very easily finish tonight now.

WICKET! Amla lbw b Dawson 11

That surely is that. Just a question of when now as Dawson gets the big fish in his first over. Beautiful left-arm delivery that pitches middle-and-leg and spins past the bat before thudding into the back pad. Plumb, and despite a desperate Star Man's Review, Amla has to go.

Over 14: South Africa 25-3 (Amla 11, de Kock 0)
It is de Kock at number five for South Africa. Sensible. Not on strike for now, though, and watches from the non-striker's end as Amla has a big swing and a miss outside off stump as Moeen flights one temptingly.

 ☕️ TEA: South Africa, 25-3 (13 overs), need another 306 runs to win
Great session for England, whose last two wickets added 20 more than South Africa's first three have amassed. Another 306 looks an absolute world away for South Africa here on a pitch offering plenty for bowlers of all types and asking serious questions of batsmen's technique and ticker. England now just 1/14 for victory having drifted to 2/5 during that morning collapse. South Africa back out at 12s, and the draw 20/1. Amla now a 5/4 Price Boost to top score for the Proteas. He might already have enough.

Over 13: South Africa 25-3 (Amla 11)
Approaching the sort of territory where only hundreds from Amla and de Kock can get South Africa out of dodge here. Such a bonus for England for Duminy to toss it away from the last ball of the session there.

WICKET! Duminy c Moeen Ali b Wood 2

What a bonus for England just before tea. Duminy nails a pull shot but hits it straight to Moeen at midwicket. Second sharp catch of the afternoon for the England all-rounder.

Over 12: South Africa 22-2 (Amla 10, Duminy 0)
Another good maiden over from Moeen, almost pinning Duminy as the left-hander plays back to one that goes on with the arm.

Over 11: South Africa 22-2 (Amla 10, Duminy 0)
Four for Amla, but not without risk as he drives Anderson on the up and in the air just past the sticky hands of a diving Stokes at cover. Anderson tries to catch Amla out with the inswinger, but you have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch the great man unawares; whips it through midwicket with plenty of bottom hand and picks up four more. Interestingly - and correctly - looks like de Kock is padded up on the South Africa balcony. Definitely the right call. De Kock is at worst the second-best batsman in this side and number five is the absolute lowest he should bat.

Over 10: South Africa 12-2 (Amla 0, Duminy 0)
Duminy joins Amla in the middle with much work to be done. Wicket-maiden for Moeen.

WICKET! Elgar c&b Moeen Ali 2

Elgar drills a drive straight back at Moeen, who clings on right in front of his face. South Africa in strife already.

Over 9: South Africa 12-1 (Elgar 2, Amla 0)
Ooof. First ball Hashim Amla faces leaps at him from back of a length and thuds into the wrist. Sore. Physio on with the ice pack, but Amla managing to look typically serene for a man who must be in pain there. Third ball keeps low - of course it does - and Amla chops it into his pads off the inside edge. Amla survives, but he'll be under no illusions about the size of the task ahead.

Over 8: South Africa 12-1 (Elgar 2, Amla 0)
Early look at Moeen Ali, who begins with a maiden over to Elgar. Got him caught short-leg in the first innings off the inside edge, and goes past the outside edge here.

Over 7: South Africa 12-1 (Elgar 2)
That's Anderson's 299th Test wicket in England (and Wales).

WICKET! Kuhn c Bairstow b Anderson 9

There will be no match-winning 160 not out. But this is all down to a quite brillaint piece of work from Bairstow, diving away low to his left to snaffle what looks a pretty decent leg-glance from the South Africa opener.

Over 6: South Africa 12-0 (Kuhn 9, Elgar 2)
Look, he might get a match-winning 160 not out or something, but I can't shake the notion that there is something of the Gerhardus Liebenberg about Heino Kuhn.

Over 5: South Africa 11-0 (Kuhn 8, Elgar 2)
Still chuckling at that lbw in the last over. Ravi just loves giving stuff out, and fair play to him, he's consistent in his interpretation of the lbw law. That is: if it hits you on the pads and the stumps are somewhere vaguely nearby, then on your way you go.

Over 4: South Africa 8-0 (Kuhn 7, Elgar 1)
Review. Nonsense lbw given by S Ravi, who just loves giving everything out. Elgar hit way above the knee by one angling down the legside from round the wicket. Broad doesn't even completely go through with the full celebrappeal before realising that the finger has gone up. Elgar reviews and is rightly spared.

Over 3: South Africa 8-0 (Kuhn 7, Elgar 1)
Elgar off the mark with a single to midwicket. There hasn't even been a single ball roll along the ground yet in this innings. WE'RE DOOOOMED.

Over 2: South Africa 7-0 (Kuhn 7, Elgar 0)
Four more for Kuhn, edging Broad wide of the slip cordon and down to the fence at third-man.

Over 1: South Africa 3-0 (Kuhn 3, Elgar 0)
Anderson snakes one past Heino Kuhn's outside edge, as is his wont, before pushing one just a touch too full looking for a repeat and gets driven past cover for three.

Balls. England literally unhappy with the new ball - a new ball they will have picked - before the innings has even begun. The box of balls is back out in the middle for Anderson to choose from. He's picked one he's happy with, and that must surely be the earliest ball change on record.

England, 233 (87.1 overs), lead South Africa by 330 runs
So 331 to win then. Surely that's too much on this pitch. Surely. Isn't it? Must be. Although... last time Root captained a game here the opposition successfully chased down 472. Now that was a County Championship game three years ago, but it's enough to see the return of The Fear.

WICKET! Bairstow st de Kock b Maharaj 51

Innings over as Bairstow attempts a sweep but misses and drags his foot out of his crease. De Kock misses the stumps at his first pass, but still has time to go again before Bairstow can regain his balance. South Africa need 331 to win.

Over 87: England 233-9 (Bairstow 51, Anderson 0)
Bairstow turns down another single before pulling far enough in front of the square-leg sweeper to collect two and complete his half-century. Massive innings in the context of the game, and Philander's drop when he had just seven looking like the day's key moment right now. De Kock does brilliantly to save four when the last ball of the over is fired down the left-handed Anderson's legside from round the wicket and bounces just in front of the keeper.

Bairstow 50: 74 balls 6x4

Over 86: England 230-9 (Bairstow 48, Anderson 0)
Shot-a-ball from Bairstow against Maharaj. Turns down a single from the first, reverse-sweeps straight to point with the next and misses the next two. Field in for the last ball of the over, and Bairstow gets first prize with a paddle-sweep for three to fine-leg, a very weary-looking Morkel labouring around the boundary from long-leg.

Over 85: England 227-9 (Bairstow 45, Anderson 0)
Jimmy 'Hook Shot' Anderson last man in for England. Rabada still running right down the middle of the pitch in his followthrough, which seems like a strange tactic really.

WICKET! Wood b Rabada 28

Wood's cameo comes to an end, but not before he's made 28 valuable post-lunch runs to help extend England's lead well beyond 300. Hacks across the line against Rabada, and has his off stump knocked back for his trouble.

Over 84: England 226-8 (Bairstow 44, Wood 28)
New-ball time here, surely. England now scored 26 runs in four overs since it could have been taken. South Africa can't afford that. Wood twice drives in-out over cover for two, and then paddles a single to fine-leg before Bairstow picks up an easy single with no run-saver on the offside.

Over 83: England 220-8 (Bairstow 43, Wood 23)
Bairstow steers Morkel to third-man and runs the first hard in the hope there might be a second. There is not, but Wood doing a grand job in any case. Again, Morkel strays in line and again, Wood helps the ball on its way to the fence at fine-leg. A pull shot loops into safe, open ground at midwicket for two more and Wood, warming to his task, keeps the strike with a single.

Over 82: England 212-8 (Bairstow 42, Wood 16)
Had some moments of good fortune, but this innings from Wood now officially reaching Useful status as he clumps a slog-sweep off Maharaj to the midwicket boundary.

Over 81: England 208-8 (Bairstow 42, Wood 12)
No new ball for South Africa, as Elgar weighs up the runs/wickets potential of the hard new nut and comes down on the side of caution. Bairstow drives out to deep cover for two, and collects a single to deep midwicket. Wood miscues a pull shot out to deep square-leg, but it lands short of the fielder and brings another run. The lead is beyond 300. Someone is going to have to bat outrageously well for South Africa to win this. They do have a couple of candidates, though. Beauftiful shot from Bairstow to end the over, leaning back and ramping a short ball over de Kock's head for four. No fielders there.

Over 80: England 200-8 (Bairstow 35, Wood 11)
Bairstow eager to get on strike against Maharaj, but wants a single that just isn't there as the ball rolls away to Bavuma at point. Wood rightly sends him back, and Bairstow is able to safely beat Bavuma's throw. Maharaj overpitches to end the over, and Wood drives him nicely through point for four. Nothing wrong with that shot against a long half-volley. England get to 200, the lead now three short of 300. England really are in a great position here, albeit not as great as it was first thing this morning.

Over 79: England 196-8 (Bairstow 35, Wood 7)
Three singles for Bairstow in three balls at the start of each over in the session so far. Wood gets a single off a thick inside edge before Bairstow collects a streaky four off a thick inside edge that bounces past the off stump and down to the fence.

Over 78: England 190-8 (Bairstow 30, Wood 6)
Bairstow again happy to take the single first ball. Big lbw shout against Wood, but it's sliding down leg. Didn't spin enough. Wood has a big mow at a slog-sweep and manages to just avoid Spidercam as the ball arrows into the sky, and also just evade the backpedalling and diving Duminy at midwicket. Two more to the total.

Over 77: England 187-8 (Bairstow 29, Wood 4)
Bairstow happy to take a single from the first ball of the over. Might as well. This now a pitch where one with your name on it could turn up at any moment. Four bonus runs for England next ball as Morkel fires one down leg and Wood manages to catch up with it and tickle it away out of de Kock's reach. England would love now to get that lead up to 300. Morkel ends the over with a fine yorker that Wood plays superbly well, jamming the bat down on it and getting his toes out of the way as well.

1339: The players are back out for the afternoon session. The match could very well be over as a contest by the end of it if South Africa come a cropper against the new ball and/or Moeen Ali. I was going to put "or the spinners" there, but hahahahaha.

🍽  LUNCH: England, 182-8 (76 overs), lead by 279 runs
Brilliant session for South Africa, who have taken 7-63 in that session to give themselves the slimmest chance of achieving something remarkable. But that session has also highlighted just how difficult it's going to be to chase the thick end of 300 in the fourth innings here. The ball is ragging square and the uneven bounce isn't going to improve now. England still very warm favourites at 2/5, but South Africa right back in the equation at 5/2 having been double-figure quotes at the start of the day. It's the draw that is now the rag, at 12/1 and I'll give you twice that and more if you want.

Over 76: England 182-8 (Bairstow 28, Wood 0)
Wood, also on a pair, comes to the middle. Survives the last two balls before lunch. What. A. Session.

WICKET! Broad c b Maharaj 0

Broad gone first ball! Tries to work the ball into the legside, but just helps it into the hands of de Bruyn at short-leg. Smart catch, and England plans of declaring about tea have been revised to trying not to get bowled out before lunch. Test cricket >>>>>> That thing you like.

Over 75: England 181-7 (Bairstow 27)
Game moving forward!

WICKET! Dawson b Rabada 0

Dawson bags a pair, and it's an embarrassing dismissal here really. High full toss from Rabada, and Dawson just gets nothing on it. Middle stump cartwheels, and Dawson produces a baffled face not seen since Chris Read here against Chris Cairns all those years ago.

Over 74: England 180-6 (Bairstow 26)
Bairstow on to 26 with that trio of boundaries. Liam Actual Dawson the new batsman, on a pair.

WICKET! Moeen Ali b Maharaj 7

Bosh, bosh, bosh, tap, wicket. Three straight boundaries; good runs these for England, especially because they come from the blade of Bairstow, who should have been removed in Maharaj's last over. The first is the shot he tried to play in the last over, lifted over extra-cover, the second whistles through midwicket and the second is swept hard to the square-leg fence. Next ball bopped down the ground for an easy single, and sarcastic cheers for Philander as he fields the ball cleanly. An eventful over ends with the fifth wicket of the morning as Moeen Ali runs down the pitch and is defeated by spin, the ball sneaking between bat and pad and thumping into the leg stump.

Over 73: England 167-5 (Bairstow 13, Moeen Ali 7)
South Africa really have been sloppy in this match. The sort of fielding errors you really don't associate with the Proteas. Does Rabada's banter make up for all of that? To my mind yes, of course it does, but I can see why others might disagree.

Over 72: England 163-5 (Bairstow 11, Moeen Ali 5)
Moeen gets a single for a top-edged sweep that lands well short of deep square-leg. Drop! Oh my, this is a shocker for South Africa. Bairstow aims a drive over extra-cover but drags it to long-off where Philander is waiting, waiting... and drops it. To make it worse, Philander can only watch in horror as the ball bobbles away into the boundary Toblerone for four. Might be at least in part due to his injured hand, while Philander is also gesturing unhappily at Spidercam.

Over 71: England 158-5 (Bairstow 7, Moeen Ali 4)
Moeen opens the face to dab the ball square of the wicket for a single. Bairstow steer-drives Rabada behind point for two more. Last ball of the over grubs along the ground. Bairstow grins, despite being the man who has to deal with that kind of nonsense both now and when England come to bowl.

Over 70: England 155-5 (Bairstow 5, Moeen Ali 3)
Just a single off Maharaj's over. The lead is up beyond 250, and that really does look a lot of runs now.

Over 69: England 154-5 (Bairstow 5, Moeen Ali 2)
Couple of singles from Rabada's over. Can't wait to see how many demerit points the ICC give him for doing a banter. My guess is two. Two demerit points.

Over 68: England 152-5 (Bairstow 4, Moeen Ali 1)
England have a plan, and the plan is this. They're going to sweep their way to a winning lead. They probably already have a winning lead, to be honest, but it still wouldn't hurt to have a few more on the board.

Over 67: England 149-5 (Bairstow 2, Moeen Ali 0)
This is brilliant. Having learned the hard way that swearing when getting Ben Stokes out is costly, he decides instead to rub his own head in reference to Stokes' bald patch. You have to say that's magnificent.

WICKET! Stokes lbw b Rabada 1

Stokes walked for this, which tells you all you need to know as the ball shoots under the bat and thuds into the pad at shin height. Rabada doesn't swear at him.

Over 66: England 148-4 (Bairstow 1, Stokes 1)
Stokes gets off the mark with a legside nurdle, Bairstow follows suit with a punch to deep cover off the back foot.

Over 65: England 146-4 (Bairstow 0, Stokes 0)
Bairstow plays out a maiden over from Morkel as England look to regroup again.

Over 64: England 146-4 (Bairstow 0)
That slow partnership between Cook and Ballance looking quite useful now, tbh.

WICKET! Root b Maharaj 5

Root watches one spin from outside off stump straight to slip and, with that undertainty in his mind, plays tentatively back at one that goes on with the arm and is bowled via the inside edge. Root moving the game on, but not in the way he perhaps intended.

Over 63: England 142-3 (Root 1, Bairstow 0)
Assumption now, with Bairstow joining Root, is that the scoring rate will increase. It probably will in time, but I'm not sure it's quite that simple to start knocking it around at four or five an over on here.

WICKET! Ballance c de Kock b Morkel 34

Beauty from Morkel, angling in and seaming away to find Ballance's outside edge. De Kock completes the formalities, and England lose their second wicket of the morning. Ballance's first Test back probably best, and most charitably, filed under 'inconclusive'.

Over 62: England 141-2 (Ballance 34, Root 0)
Spin for the first time today, Maharaj aiming for the ever-increasing circles outside the left-hander's off stump. Ballance gets a couple for a good old-fashioned bottom-hand shovel out to deep midwicket, where Amla ambles stiffly around to do the necessary.

Over 61: England 139-2 (Ballance 32, Root 0)
"Rooooooot" echoes around Lord's as the England captain strides to the crease. Twice in his first four balls he's shimmying down the crease to Morkel, who, as Nasser correctly notes on commentary "ain't no spinner".

WICKET! Cook c Bavuma b Morkel 69

Very similar to Quinton de Kock's departure yesterday, Cook leaning back on the drive and smartly caught at cover by Temba Bavuma.

Over 60: England 138-1 (Cook 69, Ballance 31)
Cook flicks Philander away to long-leg for a single. At some point, England are obviously going to want to step on the gas here, but it's not going to be easy. The ball is moving left and right, up and down. Also, Morkel and Philander are quite good. Ballance keeps the strike with a single to deep square-leg.

Over 59: England 136-1 (Cook 68, Ballance 30)
Lovely, confident drive from Ballance brings him three as the cover sweeper scampers around the rope and saves a run. Cook pushes to cover and scurries through for a single.

Over 58: England 132-1 (Cook 67, Ballance 27)
Maiden over from Philander, arrowing in on Cook's stumps but the England opener's defensive technique is well up to the task.

Over 57: England 132-1 (Cook 67, Ballance 27)
Gorgeous cover-drive from Cook, but there's a sweeper in position so it brings only a single. Ballance beaten by a good one from Morkel, operating from round the wicket and getting the ball to jag away from the left-hander. Sorry to report that Warne has already commenced Declaration Speculation on comms. Four hours of this to come.

Over 56: England 131-1 (Cook 66, Ballance 27)
Cook drives nicely down the ground, but gets only a single as mid-off makes a scrambling stop and pushes the ball to the mid-on fielder.

Over 55: England 130-1 (Cook 65, Ballance 27)
Cook cuts again, but no timing on this occasion and he has to settle for a sauntered single.

Over 54: England 129-1 (Cook 64, Ballance 27)
Four more as Ballance helps one off its hip to the long-leg fence, where a gamboling Morkel gets to the ball in time but then dives over it, limbs all over the shop.
Grubber Watch: 1
Lifter Watch: 0

Over 53: England 125-1 (Cook 64, Ballance 23)
Another good sight for South African fans, and they need some good sights right now. Faf du Plessis is back in the country, wandering round the ground to the Nursery Ground for a net. Cook, meanwhile, cracks a cut to the cover-point boundary as Morkel drops short and offers width. No future in that against Cook

Over 52: England 121-1 (Cook 60, Ballance 23)
Batting is going to be interesting today. Significant uneven bounce in Philander's first over of the innings, two balls grubbing through to the keeper and the last ball of the over spitting at Ballance and hitting the glove

1058: Some early good news for South Africa. Vernon Philander is fit enough to bowl today after suffering that badly bruised hand when making 52 with the bat yesterday.

1050: Nasser Hussain and Rob Key currently on Sky Sports 2 bantering each other off and whacking tennis balls thrown at them by Ian Ward. Absolutely no exaggeration to say that in a sane world this show would be on for at least two hours in primetime every evening for the rest of time.

1030: Welcome. England got their chores done yesterday, now they can have some fun. It was a bit of a Saturday grind at times, but they have put themselves in a wonderfully dominant position and can now set about amassing the kind of lead that puts South Africa out of contention. We'll also get an early look at what kind of captain Joe Root is from the timing of his declaration. Everyone watching always thinks the declaration should be coming 50 runs or 30 minutes earlier; not so easy for the man in the middle of it. In any case, for South Africa it's a daunting prospect. Already 200 runs in the hole, sun shining, pitch wearing, and Root, Bairstow, Stokes and Moeen to come. Ach.

England v South Africa First Test: The Story So Far

England v South Africa: Day three recap
England v South Africa: Day two recap
England v South Africa: Day one recap