Second Test day four scores
South Africa won by 340 runs
South Africa 1st inns: 335 all out (96.2 overs. Amla 78, De Kock 68, Philander 54, Morris 36, Kuhn 34; Anderson 5-72, Broad 3-60, Stokes 2-77)
England 1st inns: 205 all out (51.5 overs. Root 78, Bairstow 45, Ballance 27; Maharaj 3-21, Morris 3-38, Morkel 2-45, Philander 2-48)
South Africa 2nd inns: 343-9 dec (104 overs. Amla 87, Elgar 80, Du Plessis 63, Philander 42; Moeen 4-78, Stokes 2-34, Anderson 2-45)
England 2nd inns: 133 all out (44.2 overs. Cook 42, Moeen 27; Philander 3-24, Maharaj 3-42, Morris 2-7, Olivier 2-25)
Day four report
England collapsed to a 340-run defeat well inside four days as their batting failed embarrassingly once again in the second Investec Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge.
Set a world-record target of 474 in a match dominated by the tourists from the start of day two, England never got going despite perfect conditions under cloudless skies – and were bowled out before tea for a flaky 133.
After falling well short by their own admission of required standards in the first innings too, Joe Root's team had lost all 20 wickets in 96.1 overs as South Africa emphatically levelled the four-match series at 1-1.
Vernon Philander (three for 24) made two early breakthroughs – and after Chris Morris then removed both captain Root and his predecessor Alastair Cook, realistic hopes of seriously extending South Africa were already fading fast on 79 for four at lunch.
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Their descent to defeat was in unstoppable mode, but it was still mildly surprising that they continued to subside so quickly in an error-strewn afternoon as Keshav Maharaj (three for 42) took his match haul to six wickets.
England's two out-of-form left-handers Keaton Jennings and Gary Ballance had proved no match for Philander, who saw them off with the new ball for a combined seven runs.
Jennings left a big gap between bat and pad, pushing forward, and lost his off-stump; then Ballance succumbed lbw when Philander's review, after an initial not-out decision, demonstrated the ball pitched on leg-stump and straightened enough off the pitch to hit it.
Cook, who had to overturn an lbw decision the previous evening to avoid a golden duck to the first ball of the innings, took 22 balls to get off the mark and a fair bit longer to locate the middle of the bat.
But he appeared in no mood to go quietly – even after England's prospects had taken a huge dent at the other end when Root lost his off-stump to an unstoppable, outswinging yorker from Morris.
South Africa celebrated like a team who knew already they had victory in their sights.
Cussed Cook stood in their way, but Morris had a delivery to do for him too.
A brilliant bouncer had the normally unflappable opener in a proper tangle – and as he bailed out of an involuntary hook, he gloved the ball fine down the leg-side where wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock completed a high-class dismissal with wonderful reactions to take a diving catch.
Jonny Bairstow's departure straight after lunch was less hard-won, England's wicketkeeper choosing an acceptable attacking option – up the pitch to try to hit Keshav Maharaj over mid-on – but making a hash of it and planting the ball into the hands of the fielder.
Moeen Ali's similar intent brought only brief success before he mistimed a sweep at Maharaj to square-leg – one of several men waiting for his mistake on that specific shot – and when Philander pulled off a neat caught-and-bowled to see off Ben Stokes in the next over, it was merely a matter of how long the England tail could delay the inevitable.
There turned out to be precious little by way of late defiance, the last five wickets falling in a heap for only 11 runs – and the previously unsuccessful Duanne Olivier finishing with numbers 10 and 11 in successive balls.
That confirmed the downward spiral but had no further relevance - because the damage had long been done, not just in a whimpering second innings but in the misplaced adventure of the first too against a pedigree touring attack that will surely demand significant respect for the remainder of the series.
Day three report
England will have to rewrite Test history if they are to beat South Africa at Trent Bridge after the tourists ground out a near impregnable position.
Half-centuries from Hashim Amla (87), Dean Elgar (80) and Faf du Plessis (63) helped South Africa pile up 343 for nine declared just before stumps on day three in the second Investec Test, to set a target of 474 which significantly exceeds the highest total ever made for victory in the fourth innings.
That feat stands to West Indies, who made 418 for seven against Australia at Antigua in 2003, while the ground record of a mere 284 here was down to England against New Zealand a year later.
On a pitch which has offered increasingly variable bounce to the seamers - although most often at the Radcliffe Road end only - England may do well to approach either.
In four nervy overs of batting after South Africa's declaration, they at least came through unscathed on one without loss, albeit after Alastair Cook had to overturn a faulty lbw decision against him when Morne Morkel thought he was in business with the very first ball of the innings.
England bowled admirably at times, Ben Stokes especially, but had already dug their own hole with flaky first-innings batting. And despite at least stopping Amla and Elgar short of their centuries, they were powerless to prevent South Africa extending their control.
The hosts endured a tough morning, were lifted by two quick wickets just before lunch and then strove hard but struck just once in the afternoon.
South Africa were already in a position of such dominance, as they seek to level the four-match series at 1-1, that Amla and Du Plessis simply dug in as necessary before prospering again in a stand of 62.
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Amla's second-wicket partnership with Elgar had earlier realised 135 before Stokes and James Anderson engineered a double-breakthrough in successive overs.
Nothing went right for England until then, though.
Stuart Broad would have had Amla caught-behind on 25 if England had gone to DRS, but no one in the ground - the bowler included - seemed remotely convinced of the edge later demonstrated by technology.
Then in Broad's next over, Elgar speared a drive high to Anderson's left at gully, where he did brilliantly to get even fingertips on barely a half-chance.
Not only did Elgar survive on 55 but as the ball was diverted to Stokes at cover, Amla could have gone had the fielder chosen and hit the target at the non-striker's end as the batsmen dithered and then aborted an attempted single.
Joe Root turned to the spin of Liam Dawson and soon had reasonable cause for regret as Amla followed Elgar to his half-century with a nonchalant six in an over dispatched with alarming ease for 14.
England succeeded at last when Stokes bounced out Elgar, who got in a terrible tangle and was caught at leg-gully as he tried to bail out of a faulty hook shot.
Stokes then produced another brute of a delivery first ball to Quinton de Kock, again round the wicket to the left-hander, this time somehow fended safely but unconvincingly down to fine-leg for a single.
To only his fourth ball, De Kock was sufficiently discomforted to edge the returning Anderson behind, and suddenly it was South Africa rather than England who needed the lunch break.
Only 15 runs came in the 10 overs after lunch as Stokes especially gave little away and posed a plausible threat.
But Du Plessis and Amla were unconcerned, with so much time left in this match, and it was not until the number three got a little greedy at the start of Dawson's next spell that he paid the price, lbw to the slow left-armer for the second time in successive innings.
This time he was up the pitch and missed one that turned, but England still needed DRS to overturn Paul Reiffel's initial not-out decision.
After tea, Temba Bavuma mistimed Moeen Ali (four for 78) to mid-off just before the second new ball, but the circumstances of Du Plessis' departure - lbw to one that kept wickedly low from Stokes - would have sown more trepidation for what was to come than transient jubilation at moving another wicket nearer the bottom-line equation.
An hour later, after the addition of another 68 runs for three wickets as Moeen benefited from some late South Africa adventure, Du Plessis set England a finite if distant task over six-and-a-bit remaining sessions.
Day two report
England surrendered a yawning advantage to South Africa on a manic second day at Trent Bridge.
The hosts, hoping to consolidate here after their wide-margin win at Lord's, will have to do so the very hard way after being 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.
On a pitch already providing variable bounce for the seamers, particularly from the Radcliffe Road end, England were therefore facing a mission improbable to somehow escape Nottingham with their series lead intact.
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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.
Gloomy morning conditions under lights played into Anderson's hands as he continued his wonderful record at this venue. 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 inside-edge precluded lbw, it instead resulted in another caught-behind via the pad.
Morkel made it two in two with the first delivery of the next over - a very good one, and a third dismissal in succession caught-behind with Keaton Jennings the latest victim.
At a crisis point of three for two, the onus was very much on Root and Ballance. Root put pressure back on the bowlers with three off-side fours in one Philander over, and Ballance was good enough to quickly follow the example set in a stand of 83.
But he was gone straight after lunch, bowled via an inside-edge and pad as he pushed forward to Philander's first delivery of the session.
Root shared another half-century stand with Bairstow until he paid for one shot too many at Morkel and edged an attempted drive behind.
England had effectively targeted third seamer Duanne Olivier, but there was an important success for slow left-armer Maharaj when Ben Stokes went for an 11-ball duck - inside-edge on to pad, and Quinton de Kock doing well to readjust his timing for his fourth catch of the innings, from gloves up to shoulder and back again.
Bairstow went too, just before tea, bowled off-stump by Maharaj on the forward-defence to a very good ball that drifted in and then turned sharply.Morris quickly grabbed a double share of the spoils in early evening.
He pushed Moeen Ali on to the back foot with a series of short balls, then had the left-hander poking to cover when he pitched one up at the start of his next over, and was on a hat-trick after DRS confirmed Stuart Broad's golden duck - lbw deep in the crease.
Liam Dawson's mis-sweep at Maharaj meant England had lost three wickets stuck on 199, but they at least scrambled past 200 before Mark Wood was last out to Morris when he fended a catch to second slip.
South Africa were soon minus Heino Kuhn, edging Anderson low to second slip - and only after his departure for a third single-figure score in his four Test innings to date, did the clatter of wickets abate at last as Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla prospered in 14 curiously uneventful overs.
Day one report
England hit back to take four wickets in the evening session but could still claim only a share of the spoils on the first day of the second Investec Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge.
Stuart Broad, returning to his home ground for the first time in a Test since his eight for 15 when England clinched the Ashes here two years ago, shifted third-wicket pair Quinton de Kock (68) and Hashim Amla (78) in a spell of 5-2-8-2 after tea.
De Kock fell to the first ball of the session to end a stand of 113 as the tourists, who had to that point been vindicating Faf du Plessis' gamble to bat first on a teatime 179 for two, faltered to 235 for six.
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They closed with 309 on the board for no further loss thanks to a rearguard from bowling all-rounders Vernon Philander (54no) and Chris Morris.
On a pitch offering sideways movement, and after heavy morning cloud cover had given the bowlers an obvious chance to do early damage, the stumps total was arguably close to par.
South Africa put themselves in position to push for better, but England had their own frustrations as they try to consolidate after their opening victory at Lord's.
In the first two sessions South Africa lost only Dean Elgar before lunch and his fellow opener Heino Kuhn in the early afternoon.
But Amla and De Kock then took over, kicking on in a four-over period against Mark Wood and Liam Dawson which brought 36 runs either side of mid-session drinks.
Elgar's battle had lasted nine overs, and brought him just six runs when he decided to go after a full delivery at the end of a what proved to be a wicket-maiden from James Anderson.
The left-hander drove too close to point where Dawson pulled off a fine catch, diving two-handed to his right.
A shower took 20 minutes out of an absorbing morning then, as the clouds began to break in the afternoon, the only setback for South Africa was Kuhn's edge back on to his stumps off Broad without addition to his lunchtime score.
Amla twice mishooked Broad, and also Ben Stokes just before tea.
But the ball fell safely each time. After reaching his half-century with a shuffle up the pitch to Dawson and a clean strike for six over long-on to add to his six fours, Amla had a more significant moment of fortune on 56 when Alastair Cook dropped him low at slip off Stokes.
De Kock's 59-ball half-century was a typically fluent and stylish one, but to the first ball after tea he went after Broad - switched to the Radcliffe Road end - and edged to Cook, who was safe if not entirely convincing this time.
Amla also went within 30 minutes, paying at last for his failure to control the hook as he mishit Broad straight to Wood at long-leg.
Du Plessis, back after missing Lord's because of the birth of his first child, tried to dig in but was the first of two quick victims for Stokes - very well caught-behind down the leg-side by Jonny Bairstow, after the ball flicked his glove and then his whites.
Temba Bavuma was another who threatened a more substantial contribution before he was then caught-behind off Stokes too, trying to pull the bat away but getting an involuntary edge.
England were surely sensing more wickets before stumps, but Philander and Morris had other ideas and were both assured and productive either side of the second new ball.
Day four reaction
Joe Root on England's top order: "No, I don't think it is a concern. They just need some runs and to spend some time out in the middle.
"I'm sure if they get the opportunity to do that in the next game they will go on and make big scores.
"We'll sit down with selection and make sure we're happy with what we have going into the next one."
On injury problems for Mark Wood: "It's been a tough week for Woody, really.
"He worked really hard throughout the game and was unfortunate not to pick up many wickets but I can't fault his efforts, the way he's gone about it.
"In terms of fitness he came throuh quite well, so hopefully he's fit for selection for the next one."
On following a big win with a crushing defeat: "It's been contrasting emotions in the last couple of weeks.
"It's really important as a side we stay tight and don't mope or dwell too much on this. There's obviously areas to improve and learn quickly from, we have to take the positives out of it and come back really strongly at the Oval.
"We've got to learn quickly from that and, if we find ourselves in a similar position, we have to react better than we did here.
"Credit has to go to South Africa, who played very well over the course of the game, but we've got to make sure this doesn't happen again."
Proteas captain Faf du Plessis on a nine-day wait for the next Test: "Ideally right now the sooner the next game the better, but it's also a bit of time to make sure we can get away from the game for a few days.
"A few of the guys have had a long tour - I've just had a break so I feel mentally refreshed and strong, but I feel a couple of days off will give the guys a chance to relax and get away and in a week's time come back with the same intensity."
On the difference from Lord's: "We did the basics a lot better and put England under pressure for long periods.
"We focused on getting back to things this side does really well. There were periods in the first Test when we played well but then let England dominate us. This was an important Test for us."
Day three reaction
England's Moeen Ali on Alastair Cook surving a late lbw decision: "It was a big one. Thankfully it was going over. He's such a massive player for us tomorrow. He's the one guy in our side who we know can score big runs and also bat a long, long time. If there's anybody in our team that can bat six sessions it's him.
On batting for two days: "We definitely can. We've got some very good batters who are capable of doing that. We know Cookie, once he gets in, is very hard to get out. I hope we can see that tomorrow. We need a good foundation if we're going to bat the six sessions. The top three can be very, very solid and can bat a very long time, and we've got Joe who's in very good form. And the rest of us who can block it for a while. I think if we bat for six sessions, with the players we have there's probably a chance we'll be close to the total."
On conditions in Nottingham: "We saw when the sun was out it was quite nice to bat. When it was overcast, we saw it doing quite a bit - not so much swing, but it nipped a bit more. Once you get over the new ball, it looked quite comfortable. I think we just didn't bat well in the first innings. The way we play in the middle order sometimes we just go and play our shots, and it just didn't come off in the first innings."
South Africa's Dean Elgar on the state of play: "They rely heavily on their experienced batters to score runs, which allows their middle order to come in and play freely. By getting a few guys out cheaply in the first innings, the middle and lower order couldn't come in and express themselves the way they wanted. So I definitely feel we have maybe opened up a few cracks in their side, which is going to be brilliant for us in the future in this Test series."
Day two reaction
James Anderson on England's below-par batting display: "We set ourselves such high standards with the ball and the bat, and we didn't do ourselves justice today. It's frustrating to be bowled out for such a low score. But you're going to have days like that, we have a fairly young side still. We'll try and learn from days like this, not every day is going to be perfect. We'll try and make sure it doesn't happen again.
On England's chances of winning the second Test: "We need a couple of people to stand up with the ball to make inroads, and then bat out of our skin in the fourth innings to chase whatever total we are set. There's plenty of time left in the game - that's a positive for us. There's time to fight back. There's plenty of character in this team. I know we can do it, it's just a case of dusting ourselves down tomorrow and doing it."
South Africa's Chris Morris on the state of play: "The wicket has a bit of juice in it, a bit of seam ... so depending on overhead conditions, 200 could be enough on the right day. I think on this wicket you are quite happy with guys coming at you.
"There's just enough in it for us bowlers to be excited, with the ball swinging and the way the Duke moves around. The message was clear from [skipper] Faf Du Plessis - 'Be aggressive, and bowl fast'. That cleared any doubt on what I needed to do, and I think it worked today."
Day one reaction
England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow on the state of play: "It's pretty even. Obviously, it could have been quite heavily in their favour if we hadn't got those four wickets in the last session. So credit to the way our bowlers bounced back, (but) also credit to the way they applied themselves with the bat."
"I thought the bowlers were unlucky in some ways, especially early on, when there were balls that beat the outside edge very consistently. On another day they could have got two, three, four wickets early on - and it would have been a completely different day.
"We would have chosen to bowl first (anyway), but I thought they got stuck in. They played well first up, counter-acting any movement, and didn't really give a chance until that (Dean) Elgar (dismissal)."
South Africa's Quinton de Kock on his side's start: "I think we did have a lot to prove. It was disappointing the way the last Test ended. We knew coming into this one we needed to fight, and throw the first punch for us to get somewhere.
"It was very up and down today. One session was ours, then another one England's, so it was very back and forth. We'd have liked to have done better ... (but) I think tomorrow will be moving day with us. Vern and 'Morro' have got us into a great position again, so we're just going to look to capitalise on that."
