England v South Africa: First Test, day two recap

First Test latest score

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)

South Africa 1st inns: 214-5 (68 overs. Elgar 54, Bavuma 48*, de Bruyn 48; Broad 2-27, Moeen 2-35)  

First Test headlines

Reviews remaining: England 1 South Africa 2
England bowled out for 458 after late flurry
South Africa recover in final session
Root scores 190 in his first Test as captain
Broad hits 57 off 47 balls
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England v South Africa day two live commentary

🌙  STUMPS: South Africa 214-5 (68 overs) 

South Africa are still 244 runs behind England's first innings total of 458 as day two of the first Test at Lord's comes to an end at Lord's. It was all about Joe Root for the hosts as his 190 helped secure a strong total and credit to Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad for pushing things on too. England are boosted by the late wicket of Theunis de Bruyn but Temba Bavuma remains at the crease to give South Africa a chance of making more progress in the morning. Join Dave Tickner bright and early for the day three action and he's the host in our blog for the rest of this match so enjoy, especially if you are now turning focus to the Twenty20 action. 

Over 68: South Africa 214-5 (Bavuma 48, Rabada 9)
Bavuma's played this game before! He gets off strike again with a single from the first ball of Moeen's over. Rabada now to see things through to the close and the South Africa total gets a boost as a loose throw from Broad reaches the boundary for four extra runs. Rabada had already taken the run. No more drama as South Africa finish the day on 214-5.

Over 67: South Africa 208-5 (Bavuma 47, Rabada 4)
Bavuma gets off strike from the first ball of the Broad over to give Rabada five deliveries to face. He gets through them with ease and even ends with a four. One more over from Moeen to come today.

Over 66: South Africa 203-5 (Bavuma 46, Rabada 0)
No runs from that over so all about the wicket of de Bruyn. Anderson had been looking the most likely England bowler to make the breakthrough and he did just that. Kagiso Rabada is the new batsman as night watchman to keep Quinton de Kock waiting in the changing room.

WICKET! de Bruyn c Bairstow b Anderson 48 

That's what England needed. De Bruyn edges a loose effort by off-stump behind to Bairstow. That's a sloppy end to what had been a decent knock from de Bruyn. Now the England bowlers target more late wickets.

Over 65: South Africa 203-4 (Bavuma 46, de Bruyn 48)
A de Bruyn single ends the wait for a run and then Bavuma adds a couple of his own off the bowling of Broad. South Africa now trying to calmly play their way through to the close of the second day of the first Test. Broad does get Bavuma jumping with a sharp delivery to end the over, a bit of a graze to his elbow from the ball but nothing to worry about.

Over 64: South Africa 200-4 (Bavuma 44, de Bruyn 47)
Six balls from Anderson but no run added to the South Africa total.

Over 63: South Africa 200-4 (Bavuma 44, de Bruyn 47)
A run apiece for Bavuma and de Bruyn as the South Africa total reaches 200. A cracking effort from this duo so far and it will be a job well done if they reach the close of play. 

Over 62: South Africa 198-4 (Bavuma 43, de Bruyn 46)
Bavuma turns a straight delivery from Anderson away for four. Broad back into the attack next, a wicket will get the crowd jumping as its all gone very quiet at Lord's.

Over 61: South Africa 194-4 (Bavuma 39, de Bruyn 46)
De Bruyn swipes Wood through deep mid-wicket for four after a quiet start to the over. There's a show of aggression every now and then from de Bruyn that is keeping South Africa ticking along nicely.

Over 60: South Africa 189-4 (Bavuma 38, de Bruyn 42)
Anderson's over ends without a run being scored.

Over 59: South Africa 189-4 (Bavuma 38, de Bruyn 42)
Baistow spills a loose delivery past leg stump from Wood to give South Africa the chance to add a couple of byes to the total. That's followed by some more quick running for a single to de Bruyn that sees a throw at the stumps from Stokes miss the target. 

Over 58: South Africa 186-4 (Bavuma 38, de Bruyn 41)
Just one run from the Anderson over and a little more control for England. Another couple of wickets will see this very much as the hosts' day but Bavuma and de Bruyn are both looking comfortable. The partnership stands at 82 runs.

Over 57: South Africa 185-4 (Bavuma 38, de Bruyn 40)
Another five runs to South Africa with little fuss. Both Bavuma and de Bruyn are looking to put pressure on the fielders as they run between the wickets. A bad three overs for England so Anderson is back on next.

Over 56: South Africa 180-4 (Bavuma 36, de Bruyn 37)
De Bruyn flicks Stokes' opening delivery off his legs for four. De Bruyn has impressed when the pressure has been on so far. Same goes for Bavuma as this South Africa innings could have capitulated quickly an hour or so ago. That's proved as Bavuma sends the final ball to the third man boundary for four.

Over 55: South Africa 169-4 (Bavuma 31, de Bruyn 31)
There's a review from the first ball of Wood's over. De Bruyn is caught on the pads but the umpire rejects the England appeal. We go to the TV replays but after going through the full process, it comes out as an umpire's call so it remains with the on-field decision. Well worth having a look at for England though as very little in it. The hosts have one review remaining. 

Over 54: South Africa 168-4 (Bavuma 31, de Bruyn 31)
Runs are coming more freely for South Africa now. Bavuma cuts just wide of Anderson at gully for four. Anderson was still some way short of a catch but will go down as a sniff of a chance.

Over 53: South Africa 162-4 (Bavuma 26, de Bruyn 30)
De Bruyn goes aerial with a positive shot down the ground for four to end the over. A slight break in play now as some work is done to one of Bavuma's shoes. He definitely needs to keep them on, a cricket ball is hard enough even with your feet fully protected.

Over 52: South Africa 156-4 (Bavuma 26, de Bruyn 24)
Bavuma doesn't have to run as he plays a lovely shot through cover for four. One other run off the Stokes over. South Africa still getting back on track after losing two early wickets at the start of this session. Credit to both Bavuma and de Bruyn for getting over shaky starts.

Over 51: South Africa 151-4 (Bavuma 22, de Bruyn 24)
Dawson keeping things tight with just a de Bruyn single off the over. A bit of drama from the fifth ball as the South Africa duo started to make a dash for a quick run but a wise change of heart was put into action.

Over 50: South Africa 150-4 (Bavuma 22, de Bruyn 23)
Jennings can't stop Bavuma at cover and the ball races away for four from the third ball of the over. That's the 150 up for South Africa from 50 overs. England's first innings total of 458 still some way away with six wickets remaining.

Over 49: South Africa 146-4 (Bavuma 18, de Bruyn 23)
Maiden over from Dawson. More of that needed to put the pressure of Bavuma and de Bruyn.

Over 48: South Africa 146-4 (Bavuma 18, de Bruyn 23)
Stokes returns for his sixth over of the innings. Just one run off the six balls.

Over 47: South Africa 145-4 (Bavuma 18, de Bruyn 22)
Here's Dawson and here's a four off the first ball of his spell as de Bruyn plays off his legs to the mid-wicket boundary. He also sweeps a paddle shot down to long leg for three. South Africa starting to recover from a tough start to this session.

Over 46: South Africa 136-4 (Bavuma 16, de Bruyn 15)
The picture at the top of this blog is now of Broad celebrating the wicket of Duminy. Something about Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to the expression. Back to business and a lovely lofted shot down the ground from Bavuma brings a four. A second four from the batsman arrives with a neat stroke through the empty deep mid-wicket. Bavuma nearly falls over trying to reach the final delivery but no harm done as he avoids an edge.

Over 45: South Africa 128-4 (Bavuma 8, de Bruyn 15)
A four and a single add five runs to the total from de Bruyn. He's keen to get on with it for South Africa. Not a cause for concern yet for England but still plenty of time left in the evening.

Over 44: South Africa 122-4 (Bavuma 8, de Bruyn 9)
Moeen continues with another maiden. It is that part of the afternoon at Lord's where things get a little quiet. A combination of drink, food and sun always the main reasons.

Over 43: South Africa 122-4 (Bavuma 8, de Bruyn 9)
Anderson takes over from Broad. A single from Bavuma starts things off and de Bruyn ends the over with a couple of runs to the score. Slow start for this duo but South Africa need them to hold firm.

Over 42: South Africa 119-4 (Bavuma 7, de Bruyn 7)
A bit of aggression from de Bruyn to start the over as he swipes Moeen for four with an agricultural effort. Wasn't pretty and England won't be concerned if he keeps taking those kinds of risks. 

Over 41: South Africa 115-4 (Bavuma 7, de Bruyn 3)
A much-needed four for South Africa to start Broad's over as Bavuma tickles a loose delivery past the vacant fine leg. Bavuma also gets a single with a solid stroke that just beats Anderson at mid on and de Bruyn follows up with a run of his own. Better from South Africa but small steps.

Over 40: South Africa 109-4 (Bavuma 2, de Bruyn 2)
De Bruyn gets lucky as the second ball of the over takes a cracking amount of spin just outside off-stump and only just evades the bails. He didn't have a clue where that delivery from Moeen had gone. There are two runs though for South Africa as Bairstow couldn't collect.

Over 39: South Africa 107-4 (Bavuma 2, de Bruyn 2)
Broad's over to Bavuma ends without a run. No close calls but also no changes to the score.

Over 38: South Africa 107-4 (Bavuma 2, de Bruyn 2)
The third ball of the over from Moeen goes just past de Bruyn's outside edge and he sends a clumsy sweep for a single to follow that. South Africa are not looking comfortable, England can really make an impact with a big showing before the close.

Over 37: South Africa 105-4 (Bavuma 1, de Bruyn 1)
Replays show that Duminy's LBW was as plum as it looked. He was caught in front with the ball hitting the middle of middle stump. Hello to Theunis de Bruyn as the new batsman and he's already off the mark with a single off Broad. 

WICKET! Duminy LBW b Broad 15 

A big boost for England as Broad gets Duminy plum LBW. Duminy thought about taking a look at the decision but that's the end of his innings and the hosts are on top at Lord's. South Africa are 104 for 4 with plenty of work to do.

Over 36: South Africa 104-3 (Bavuma 1, Duminy 15)
Mervyn King, the former Governor of the Bank of England, is in the crowd as well today. I'd rather the darts player was at Lord's but it makes more sense that the man I've discovered is the Baron King of Lothbury is in attendance. On the field, just a single for Duminy to end the Moeen over.

Over 35: South Africa 103-3 (Bavuma 1, Duminy 14)
I should obviously have reported to you in the last over that South Africa have gone over the 100-mark to wild celebrations across the ground. It was actually polite applause. There's a gentleman in the crowd with the most incredible glasses and binoculars combination, I couldn't begin to guess where he purchased them from. The over itself ends without a run as Temba Bavuma doesn't look entirely at ease facing the probing Broad.

Over 34: South Africa 103-3 (Bavuma 1, Duminy 14)
The departure of Elgar was the main story from this Moeen over. A simple chance for Ballance that he took easily. The over ended with a four for Duminy after some poor fielding from the 12th man. Not sure of his name but that is for the best after that effort.

WICKET! Elgar c Ballance b Moeen 54

That's the end of Elgar. He's caught by Ballance off the bowling of Moeen. That was the second ball of the over and the early pressure in the session goes on South Africa.

Over 33: South Africa 98-2 (Elgar 54, Duminy 10)
Thanks to Chris for starting off the day. Nick Hext here until the close of play and then the good news for all cricket fans is ace blogger Dave Tickner returns tomorrow. A couple of runs are scored to start the session.

☕️ TEA, day two: South Africa 96-2 (32 overs) (In reply to England's 458)

I suppose that session was a bit of a score draw, with Elgar looking well settled on 54 and Proteas creeping ever closer to bringing up the hundred. But England certainly have room for optimism thanks to the removal of Amla and the fact they still have a more than commanding lead of 362 runs. 

As far as the odds go, England are unsurprisingly favourites at 4/9, with the draw now 3/1 and the tourists 13/2.

And the tea interval also brings my very enjoyable stint in the Test match chair to a close for the day and I'll now be handing over to Nick Hext for the final session. He also apologises for not being Dave Tickner but I assure you our star first-teamer will be back in the hot seat tomorrow.

Over 32: South Africa 96-2 (Elgar 54, Duminy 8)
Moeen is back with his off spin and Duminy blocks it out to ensure South Africa reach tea for the loss of no further wickets.

Over 31: South Africa 96-2 (Elgar 54, Duminy 8)
A full delivery from Wood is punished by a textbook cover drive from Duminy, who has no need to run as the ball races away for a welcome boundary. The left-hander then mis-times an attempted pull and his heart skips a beat as he watches the ball bounce down and narrowly miss the stumps.

Over 30: South Africa 91-2 (Elgar 53, Duminy 4)
Two back-to-back green fruit pastilles keep me going through another rather mundane over from Stokes in which Elgar picks up a single off the back foot into the midwicket region. There was also a pretty swift appeal for leg before - mainly from Bairstow - but they really shouldn't have bothered given thow far it was missing. 

Over 29: South Africa 90-2 (Elgar 52, Duminy 4)
Wood is back in the attack but Duminy, who averages 32.62 in Tests with five centuries and eight 50s, quite competently sees out an uneventful maiden.  

Over 28: South Africa 90-2 (Elgar 52, Duminy 4)
Another steady over from Stokes which consisted of little more than a single and a leg bye down the leg side, which had initially been greeted by an unsuccessful appeal. Nothing to concern the third umpire.

Over 27: South Africa 88-2 (Elgar 51, Duminy 4)
Half-hearted appeals for an LBW are politely ignored as the Proteas collect a couple of leg byes before Duminy puts away a bad 'un - short and wide - with a beautifully timed square cut to get off the mark with a boundary.

Over 26: South Africa 82-2 (Elgar 51, Duminy 0)
Stokes continues and Elgar is content to steady the ship by allowing a maiden to drift by.

Over 25: South Africa 82-2 (Elgar 51, Duminy 0)
It goes without saying that England were in a worse worse position at the same stage of their first innings but this is going to be a real test of the tourists' resolve. Moeen completes a wicket maiden and he'll be expecting even more turn in his favour as this Lord's pitch dries out further over the next day and beyond.

WICKET! Amla LBW b Moeen 29

Big wicket for England which halts South Africa's recovery. Moeen gets one to rip back into Amla's pads, with the batsman rooted right in front of the stumps. A review isn't even considered as Amla trudges back to the pavilion.

Over 24: South Africa 82-1 (Elgar 51, Amla 29)
Elgar guides away a short one from Stokes down to the unguarded third-man boundary and that brings up his seventh 50 in his 36th Test - and first as captain of course. Can he go on to make his eighth ton and by doing so repeat the heroics of Root? 

Over 23: South Africa 78-1 (Elgar 47, Amla 29)
Assertive use off the feet from Elgar as he gets down the track to land a straight drive off Moeen's bowling which races away to the boundary before a single sees him keep the strike.

Over 22: South Africa 73-1 (Elgar 42, Amla 29)
As I thought, Dawson makes away after being dominated by Elgar and going for 29 from his four overs, and in his place comes Ben Stokes. This change doesn't slow down the rate as Amla collects a couple of boundaries in quick succession through midwicket. The gap is subsequently filled and four dot balls follow.

Over 21: South Africa 64-1 (Elgar 42, Amla 21)
Moeen Ali comes into the attack with his spin and this could signal the end of Dawson's spell at the other end. It's a tidy maiden, with Elgar opting to play safe unlike his attacking ploy against Dawson.

Over 20: South Africa 64-1 (Elgar 42, Amla 21)
A straight one from Dawson keeps low and catches Amla on the pads but its sliding down leg side and there's no review requested. Elgar goes over the top with a lofted off drive which lands inside the boundary on its way for four. The left-hander tries the same again and although this one finds a thick edge into gully, he gets away with it and collects two more before taking a single off the last. Expensive stuff from Dawson.

Over 19: South Africa 54-1 (Elgar 35, Amla 18)
After Amla collects a single, Elgar uses the pace of Wood to effortlessly guide the ball to the third man boundary. So far so good for the rookie captain since that silly run out scare early doors and maybe he can put himself in contention to emulate Root's achievement. 

Over 18: South Africa 49-1 (Elgar 31, Amla 17)
Dawson appeals half-heartedly for an LBW but there was plenty of bat on Amla's leg glance which scurries away for four runs. After a single brings Elgar on strike, the left-hander again attempts an aggressive sweep which gives him a couple more. Dawson has gone for 19 runs in his three overs so far and apart from a bit of turn I'd say the Proteas duo are quite enjoying that challenge. Now time for a drinks break.

Over 17: South Africa 42-1 (Elgar 29, Amla 12)
A maiden from Wood, who is clocking around 86mph on the speed gun, and he tests Elgar's alertness with a timley bouncer. 

Over 16: South Africa 42-1 (Elgar 29, Amla 12)
Elgar twice tries to seize the initiative in his duel with Dawson by confidently sweeping away the spinner but his conviction is not rewarded by any boundaries. Nevertheless six more runs are taken from the over and the first landmark of 50 is edging closer.

Over 15: South Africa 36-1 (Elgar 24, Amla 11)
While Broad is off the field getting a bruised knee seen to with some bandages and some magic lotion, he's replaced in the field by the aptly named 19-year-old Jonty Jenner. I say that in reference to the great fielder Rhodes, of course, rather than the former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete and now TV personality.

Over 14: South Africa 34-1 (Elgar 23, Amla 10)
Now we get a first look at Liam Dawson, who gets the chance to impress with the ball in his second Test match after failing so miserably with the bat this morning. The left-arm spinner gets encouraging turn out of the foot marks although six runs come off the over - five of which to Amla.

Over 13: South Africa 28-1 (Elgar 22, Amla 5)
A steward inadvertently leaving a pavilion door next to the sightscreen - just as Wood delivers a low bouncer - invokes the gesticulating wrath of Elgar after he manages to take evasive action. Wood's final ball is punched straight down the ground by Elgar and he satisfyingly watches it race away for a four. 

Over 12: South Africa 24-1 (Elgar 18, Amla 5)
Best shot of the South African innings so far, with Elgar connecting cleanly with a lovely straight drive for a four. The left-hander flicks away a single down the leg side in the other scoring shot of Broad's over.

Over 11: South Africa 18-1 (Elgar 13, Amla 5)
Mark Wood is into the attack now and his fresh pace rushes Elgar into one which allows him to scamper away for a single. The final delivery is pushed away for two through the off side, adding to Amla's tally.

Over 10: South Africa 16-1 (Elgar 12, Amla 3)
Amla's watertight defence isn't offering England any encouragement at the moment but he'll need to compile one of those big innings' of his to give his side a chance. Especially given the inexperience of this Proteas batting line-up.

Over 9: South Africa 16-1 (Elgar 12, Amla 3)
The pair exchange singles before Amla cleanly clips away the final ball of the over through deep midwicket only to see it stopped before reaching the boundary ropes.

Over 8: South Africa 13-1 (Elgar 11, Amla 1)
An uneventful yet tidy maiden all the same from Broad as Elgar continues with a cautious approach for the time being.

Over 7: South Africa 13-1 (Elgar 11, Amla 1)
The departure of Kuhn brings a the great Hashim Amla to the crease. He quickly gets himself off the mark with a single, with Elgar adding a couple more himself. I was actually the man blogging the day Amla batted for what seemed like eternity during the first Test of the 2012 series at the Oval. He finished that incredible innings unbeaten on 311 as he became the first South African to score a triple century.

Over 6: South Africa 10-1 (Elgar 9, Amla 0)
That wicket was indeed the final ball of a maiden and all of a sudden the mountain South Africa were starting to climb has ascended further into the clouds (if there were any above Lord's).

WICKET! Kuhn c Cook b Broad 1

A beauty from Broad forces Kuhn to play but it moves away just enough to find the edge and Cook takes a clean catch in the slips. Early breakthrough from the man who gave England's innings such a fine finish.

Over 5: South Africa 10-0 (Elgar 9, Kuhn 1)
Anderson finds the Elgar edge with the second ball after lunch but it doesn't carry to slips. We saw that happen a couple of times with Philander this morning so now it's England's turn for some slight frustration. Nevertheless it's still a maiden.

1340: The players are back out at Lord's for the afternoon session and let's just say I hope their lunch was far more energising and nutrious than mine, which consisted of a solitary cherry corner yogurt (not even the 'banana chocolate flakes' kind which myself and Tickner both agree is the best yogurt in the world) because I didn't have time to prepare my chicken soup. Oh well.

🍽 LUNCH, day two: South Africa 10-0 (4 overs)
This time yesterday we commented on what a superb morning South Africa had enjoyed, reducing England to 82-4. At that point the hosts were still, a little surprisingly, favourites at 11/10 while the Proteas had shortened into 11/8. But 24 hours later the landscape has changed completely, with the tourists now making their early steps in reply to England's huge 458 in which Root led the way with 190 before Broad's big hitting this morning propelled the score into daunting territory.

If you're a betting man you'll want to know England are now 8/11 favourites with Sky Bet while the draw is 9/4 and South Africa are 9/2.

Over 4: South Africa 10-0 (Elgar 9, Kuhn 1)
Just a single in the final over before lunch and apart from that silly early self-inflicted scare in the second over, the Proteas come through that early examination on this dry pitch unscathed.

Over 3: South Africa 9-0 (Elgar 8, Kuhn 1)
Elgar settles the obvious early nerves evident in the previous over with a four through the covers and then keeps the strike with a single.

Over 2: South Africa 4-0 (Elgar 3, Kuhn 1)
An utterly stupid risk from the openers during Broad's first over. Liam Dawson has almost two stumps to aim at from midwicket when Elgar tries to scamper home for a needlessly quick single and although the skipper is yards from the crease, the throw is wide. Why on earth does any opening pairing do this? Not only when replying to such a big score at this stage of the innings, but also just minutes before lunch? Lunacy. Much has been made of 

Over 1: South Africa 2-0 (Elgar 2, Kuhn 0)
At the bottom of this very steep mountain to climb, rookie skipper Dean Elgar fends off James Anderson's first over, picking up two runs along the way.

1245: A proud moment for Joe Root as he leads his England side out into the field for the first time as captain. He's already set the tone with his historic 190 with the bat and now it's over to the bowlers to see if they can get more out of this pitch than the tourists managed.

England first innings ends - bowled out for 458

It's been a splendid morning for England hasn't it - although they were helped by some sloppy South African bowling and fielding. The Proteas did of course enjoy two bursts of double-wicket overs but they failed to back this up, with Broad taking full advantage with a  cavalier unbeaten 57 off just 47 balls. Even Anderson weighed in with a very rare six which summed up England's mood.  

WICKET! Anderson c de Kock LBW b Morkel 12

The entertaining late flurry of runs from England comes to an end when Anderson nicks one behind off the Morkel, who ends up with four wickets to paper over the cracks of his expensive bowling. Before that Broad had beaten him away for another four through the off side as well as being dropped in the slips following a mistimed upper cut.

Over 105: England 453-9 (Broad 52, Anderson 12)
Anderson does an Embury prod for two before getting the crowd to their feet with a lusty pull for six. Quite a contrast in shots to say the least and it's the third time he's cleared the ropes in his Test career.

Over 104: England 443-9 (Broad 52, Anderson 2)
England's final pair rotate the strike with a couple of single before Broad does well to dig out a yorker to collect a further two through the off side. A strong pull for six is followed by an even bigger one, which brings up his half century. The crowd love it and he raises his bat to mark his first Test 50 in four years.

Over 103: England 427-9 (Broad 37, Anderson 1)
Anderson nudges his first ball for one to quickly get out of the firing line as Broad looks to tee off. A quickly run two keeps him on strike before he bats away a well-disguised slower ball from Rabada for a single.

Over 102: England 421-9 (Broad 32, Anderson 0)
South Africa continue to persist with Morkel, who is clubbed for two fours by Broad with his first and last deliveries of the over. 

Over 101: England 413-9 (Broad 24, Anderson 0)
The London bus metaphor could be lazilly used here as Rabada strikes twice but there's not too much celebration from the Proteas despite getting closer to finishing off the tail. The delivery that caught out Wood stayed low despite not being too full and that will give England's bowlers encouragement.

WICKET! Wood LBW b Rabada 0

It's another second-ball duck of the morning as Mark Wood is trapped plumb LBW. It was a very tail ender effort - beaten for pace and looking like he had no idea how to react, leaving his lifeless legs right in front of the stumps. It's amazing how there's someone still to come in. It's James Anderson...

WICKET! Moeen Ali bowled b Rabada 87

It's the end of Moeen, 13 runs short of a deserved century although few will be too disappointed to have heard the last of that bat after he's clean bowled by Rabada. Prior to that he picked up another couple of twos which added to Morkel's fatigue levels on the boundary.

Over 100: England 408-7 (Moeen Ali 83, Broad 24)
Ha. Following my observations in the previous over, Sir Ian Botham on commentary just said "good shot for no runs" after a Moeen drive was well stopped in covers. Then it happens again! These Derren Brown-style coincidences eh? Just a single to follow from Moeen, who clearly isn't dwelling on that passage of play.

Over 99: England 407-7 (Moeen Ali 82, Broad 24)
Something just happened to Moeen that top pros probably aren't bothered in the slightest about but it always used to annoy me as a mere clubman - a well-timed square cut for no runs. This is followed by a well-timed pull for just a single. In my head now I'd be saying "I should have seven more runs". Dwelling on such a thing would lead to my dismissal and I never learned.

Over 98: England 407-7 (Moeen Ali 81, Broad 24)
Just the one off a largely uneventful over.

Over 97: England 406-7 (Moeen Ali 80, Broad 24)
Change of bowling now as Kagiso Rabada comes into the attack. Broad gets lucky with an edge for four and then connects poorly with a pull/hook - somewhere in between the two - but it still manages to reach the boundary due to the slow reactions in the field. This all brings up the 400 for England and suddenly those two quick wickets from Morkel earlier on seem a mere blip.

Over 96: England 398-7 (Moeen Ali 80, Broad 16)
Broad braves - albeit clumsily - a bouncer into the ribs from the continuing Morkel and manages to pick up a single. Another bouncer hits the splice of Moeen's bat but sadly doesn't break it in two. The next delivery he's able to pull away for a single but then Broad nicks another to keep the strike.

Over 95: England 395-7 (Moeen Ali 79, Broad 14)
Philander slows down that runrate with a timley maiden, but with Moeen's horrible sounding bat on strike, the crowd must feel they've developed some kind of tinnitus.

Over 94: England 395-7 (Moeen Ali 79, Broad 14)
Moeen tickles one through midwicket for a couple more quick runs before a single brings Broad on strike. The all-rounder wafts at one on the back foot, completely missing it but all in all nothing really to write home about.

Over 93: England 392-7 (Moeen Ali 76, Broad 14)
Philander continues but is carted for two fours on the legside by Moeen, who brings up 2,000 career Test runs in the process at an average of 36.40. And he's two short of 100 Test wickets too don't forget. What a fine Test double that will be soon.

Over 92: England 381-7 (Moeen Ali 67, Broad 12)
Good over for England as Broad makes no secret of his attempts to get the score moving swiftly on with a couple of boundaries off Morkel. It's not particularly attractive stuff but the 400 is drawing closer.

Over 91: England 371-7 (Moeen Ali 66, Broad 4)
For the second time in two overs an edge from Moeen off Philander's bowling drops short of the slips. After a single gets him off strike, an edge off Stuart Broad's bats races through for a welcome four. Philander then thinks he's trapped Broad LBW and appeals enthusiastically with the slips but without success. They must review this (but I've already seen the replays) and although Philander wants to, Elgar opts out. Replays say...they would have got the decision overturned. 

Over 90: England 367-7 (Moeen Ali 65, Broad 0)
Morkel completes a superb double-wicket maiden which makes his figures now look pretty decent but more importantly makes this less of a damage limitation exercise for the Proteas. In fact they've pushed the door ajar for a full recovery.

WICKET! Dawson LBW b Morkel 0

It's a second-ball duck for Liam Dawson. Morkel's delivery strikes him on the knee roll and you can't blame the decision to call for a review, albeit in vain. The Lord's members are looking into their lunch boxes a good hour or two early as Dawson walks past just to avoid that embarrassing eye contact.

WICKET! Root c de Kock b Morkel 190

So all those 'highest-scoring captains on debut' records I bothered researching this morning was a waste of time as Root ends one short of Clem Hill's 191 and plenty behind Chanderpaul's 203 and Graham Dowling's 239. Nevertheless it was a record-breaking innings for an English captain and he receives a more than warm round of applause as he heads to the pavillion. 

Over 89: England 367-5 (Root 190, Moeen Ali 65)
Vernon Philander bowls this over. A solid back foot 'punch' from Root brings him his first boundary of the day and he's now just two away from Clem Hill's 191 - although I wonder if he's even aware or bothered about this mini target. After a single, Moeen then edges one which drops just short of the slip cordon.

Over 88: England 362-5 (Root 185, Moeen Ali 65)
Morne Morkel bowls the first over of the day, with Root blocking the opening delivery before clipping the second away nicely for a single through midwicket to edge closer to Clem Hill's 191 and third spot on that all-time highest scoring debuting captains list. The next four deliveries only serve as a reminder of how awful Moeen's bat sounds but it doesn't stop him middling the last one of those with a superb drive through the covers for four.

1100: Out the players come, with Joe Root (184) and Moeen Ali (61) hoping to pile on more runs and make the Proteas suffer...

1050: Weather? Blue skies, sunshine and temperature already approaching 24 degrees and expected to hit 28 later on. Not good news for South Africa's four frontline bowlers, who were pretty tired out yesterday afternoon. 

1040: As we approach the resumption of play on this fine second morning at Lord's, let’s just take a moment to ponder how Root can make more history today.

On the all-time list of highest scores by a batsman in their first match as Test captain, Root's 184no puts him fourth and he’ll need a further 56 to take top spot from New Zealand’s Graham Dowling, who has held this largely unchallenged record since 1967.

His nine-hour 239 in Christchurch remained the only double-century for a player on their captaincy debut until Shivernarine Chanderpaul battled his way to an unbeaten 203 against South Africa in 2005.

But before Root can join that exclusive little group, he must first get past Clem Hill’s 191 for Australia in 1910.

1025. Right, back to cricket. The story of day one was pretty much all about Joe Root.

By reaching the close unbeaten on 184, he’s not only managed the highest score by an England batsman on his first assignment as skipper but more importantly, in the context of this Test and series, helped the side recover from 17-2 and 76-4 to a very healthy position of 357-5.

The Yorkshireman shared century stands for the fifth and sixth wickets with Ben Stokes (56) and Moeen Ali (61no) but he did enjoy his fair share of luck along the way.

Having used up three of his nine lives - on five, 16 and 149 due to a mix of fielder misjudgements, droppages and a no-ball – it’ll be interesting to see if the deflated Proteas give him another six as they find themselves in a damage limitation situation under their rookie stand-in captain Dean Elgar.

Here’s a reminder of the team line-ups for anyone joining us today…

ENGLAND: AN Cook, KK Jennings, GS Ballance, JE Root (capt), JM Bairstow (wk), BA Stokes, MM Ali, Liam Actual Dawson, SCJ Broad, MA Wood, JM Anderson

SOUTH AFRICA: HG Kuhn, D Elgar (capt), HM Amla, JP Duminy, T Bavuma, TB de Bruyn, Q de Kock (wk), VD Philander, KA Maharaj, K Rabada, M Morkel

1010: Oh, the other thing I should have mentioned with my first post is that unlike Tickers, you won’t get any rants about President Trump I'm afraid. Not that I support the petulant big baby on anything but it takes a unique talent to seamlessly weave US politics into a Lord's Test match – and that's one I do not have.  

1000: Morning.

Before we get onto any talk of this Test, I must start with an apology.

Sadly I am not Dave Tickner. Our enigmatic captain, star batsman and opening paceman rolled into one has sadly cried off and I'm sadly the best ringer we could come up with (for a few hours at least).

My cricketing acumen amounts to wasting 10 years bowling ineffective left-arm spin (or more accurately 'slow left arm') and scoring a handful of runs for a team that has since folded and in a league that no longer exists.

However, that particular league (the Oldham and Ashton Cricket Alliance if you know it) did go out with a bang with a superb closing party at Lancashire Cricket Club, hosted by a certain John Gwynne as Master of Ceremonies.

Anyway, enough about me - Chris Hammer - let's now focus on the more competent players of this world...

* Note, Dave hasn't really 'cried off' as such - there are legitimate reasons for his absence and he'll be back tomorrow with his unique musings, observations and expert cricking knowledge which is quite frankly second to none. 

England v South Africa: First Test, day one recap