England v South Africa first Test, day three recap

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First Test day three scores

England lead by 216 runs

England 2nd inns: 119-1 (51 overs. Cook 59*, Jennings 33, Ballance 22*; Morkel 1-25)

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

Reviews remaining: England 2 South Africa 0
Cook 50 extends England's lead
Philander injures hand, but no break
Rabada banned for second Test
Latest Sky Bet odds

England v South Africa: Day three live commentary

🌙  STUMPS: England, 119-1 (51 overs), lead by 216 runs with nine wickets remaining
Very much advantage England, with South Africa battered and bruised and facing a lot of hard work to save the game from here. England and their middle-order swashbucklers have a wonderful base from which to push on to a declaration around 450 to the good sometime tomorrow afternoon. At least, that'll be the plan.

Over 51: England 119-1 (Cook 59, Ballance 22)
A single for Ballance from the final over of the day. It's been a grinding day for England, but at the end of it, as the shadows lengthen across the turf, they have full control of proceedings, leading by over 200 with nine wickets and 180 overs still to play with.

Over 50: England 118-1 (Cook 59, Ballance 21)
Maharaj tries a couple of balls to Cook from round the wicket. Seems like a decent shout, but he's soon back to over the wicket, unable to resist the lure of those big dark dusty craters. Last over of the day coming up.

Over 49: England 118-1 (Cook 59, Ballance 21)
Rabada goes for the leg-stump yorker to end the over, having dragged Cook across his crease with a few pushed across the left-hander. Legit tactic, but Cook equal to it, working the ball away for a single.

Over 48: England 117-1 (Cook 58, Ballance 21)
Huge puffs of dust almost every ball now as Maharaj attacks the footholes outside the left-handers' off stump. Ballance survives, just about. Three overs to go tonight.

Over 47: England 117-1 (Cook 58, Ballance 21)
Two singles from Rabada's over. South Africa have hung in well here, but the next two days could be hard work. Second Test starts Friday...

Over 46: England 115-1 (Cook 57, Ballance 20)
Freebie from Duminy, a high full-toss outside off stump, but Ballance can't take full advantage. Only gets it away to deep point for a couple before working to leg for a single. Cook cuts to the point sweeper for a single.

Over 45: England 111-1 (Cook 56, Ballance 17)
Cook plays out a maiden over. At conservative estimate, I've typed that sentence 2763 times in the last 12 years.

Over 44: England 111-1 (Cook 56, Ballance 17)
Lovely shot from Ballance. Uses his feet to Duminy and pumps him over mid-on for a two-bounce four.

Over 43: England 107-1 (Cook 56, Ballance 13)
Four more to Cook now, worked efficiently to the midwicket boundary like so many leg-stump deliveries before it and so many still to come. Close! Genuine edge from Cook, but it doesn't carry to Amla, who does remarkably well to scoop the ball up on the half-volley. He's saved runs there - could easily have gone through him for four.

Over 42: England 103-1 (Cook 52, Ballance 13)
Cook moves to 11,112 with a sweep off Maharaj, and there's a lengthy delay as South Africa get their field just so for Ballance. We're waiting for a helmet, apparently, as the slow handclap begins. Over-rate has been much better today, in fairness, with only nine overs left in the day after this one and South Africa getting through at over 16 an hour so far in this innings. Still, a two-minute delay to source a helmet because the batsmen have changed ends seems a bit rubbish. Nothing rubbish about this sweep shot from Ballance, though, hit hard and true behind square for four. Hundred up. Two-hundred lead up.

Over 41: England 98-1 (Cook 51, Ballance 9)
You have to give South Africa credit here. It's hot, they've got only three frontline bowlers, and there have been 50runs in 25 overs since tea even including a steered boundary to third-man from Alastair Cook here and a push past cover that brings three and takes him to yet another Test half-century. Ballance collects two with a legside nurdle in England's best over for quite some time. Cook now has 11,111 Test runs if you like that sort of thing. And, to be perfectly honest, if you don't like that sort of thing then I'm not sure cricket is really for you.

Cook 50: 127 balls 8x4

Over 40: England 89-1 (Cook 44, Ballance 7)
Maiden from Maharaj, but a bit of weirdness behind the stumps. De Kock is taking his position really wide of off stump, to the extent that Dean Elgar at slip is standing almost behind him. I don't know.

Over 39: England 89-1 (Cook 44, Ballance 7)
Rabada back into the attack and past Cook's outside edge. Not sure what's going on with Cook. He's scored a million runs for Essex this year, and has played plenty of cricket, but his trigger movements and general rhythm at the crease all seem somehow out of sync. A miscued pull shot that pops out to deep midwicket brings two runs, Cook's first scoring shot in 38 minutes and 24 balls.

Over 38: England 87-1 (Cook 42, Ballance 7)
Ballance sweeps Maharaj hard but straight into short-leg. Meanwhile, Philander is prowling just beyond the boundary rope and ready to come back on.

Over 37: England 87-1 (Cook 42, Ballance 7)
The first runs in what seems like an absolute eternity as Ballance jabs his bat down on a very full, very wide delivery from Morkel and squeezes the ball past point for four. A better shot brings Ballance three more as a genuine cover-drive is well reeled in by Maharaj at the longest corner of the ground. Last ball of the over keeps low as it squares up Cook on its way through to de Kock. Not for the first time in his extraordinary career, Cook looking way short of his best form but still there and still scoring runs for England. It's going to be really strange when at some point in the not too distant future he and Anderson aren't fornting up for England with bat and ball.

Over 36: England 80-1 (Cook 42, Ballance 0)
Nip-and-tuck battle this between Maharaj and Cook, the left-arm spinner landing the ball consistently in the craters outside the left-hander's off stump, the left-handed batsman trying to work out a safe way of accumulating runs. Tries a sweep, on the basis it's a free hit if he gets his pad outside the line, but almost contrives to glove the ball into his stumps.

Over 35: England 80-1 (Cook 42, Ballance 0)
Gary Ballance the new batsman for England. Wicket-maiden for Morkel.

WICKET! Jennings c de Kock b Morkel 33

Jennings considerable luck runs out as he fences tamely outside the off stump to Morkel and feathers an inside edge through to de Kock, who makes no mistake. Deserved reward, you have to say, for Morkel.

Over 34: England 80-0 (Cook 42, Jennings 33)
Cook misses an attempted sweep, but the ball flicks off his pad and past de Kock for three leg-byes. Appeal for a catch at short midwicket as Jennings props forward to one that spins and bounces sharply out of a bunker, but it's come straight off the flap of the pad. Jennings nurdles one just past short-leg for a single, but batting against the spinners is getting seriously difficult now. With no disrespect intended to Moeen, Dawson, Maharaj or Duminy, there will be absolute carnage if Ashwin and Jadeja rock up next year to be greeted by a surface like this one.

Over 33: England 76-0 (Cook 42, Jennings 32)
Maiden over from Morkel, Jennings disappointingly doing nothing weird at any stage.

Over 32: England 76-0 (Cook 42, Jennings 32)
Terrible over for Cook, who gets in repeated tangles against some big-spinning deliveries from Maharaj. Cook plays three different shots to one delivery, first shaping to sweep, then leave before eventually attempting a sort of late cut thing. He misses.

Over 31: England 76-0 (Cook 42, Jennings 32)
Back to pace for South Africa in the shape of Morkel and his famous pirouette. Jennings continues to delight and appal in equal measure, edging the ball perfectly into the gap between second and fourth slip. Someone needs to conduct a proper scientific survey into the mysterious phenomenon that attracts cricket balls to the gaps in slip cordons. I can't help but feel that all the secrets of the universe are contained within.

Over 30: England 72-0 (Cook 42, Jennings 28)
Cook top-edges a sweep but lands it short of deep square-leg and picks up a single. Jennings, playing one of the great terrible innings of all time, somehow gets a reverse-sweep down to fine-leg for a single. Looking at the replays, the ball appears to have got there off his backside, which seems somehow apt.

Over 29: England 69-0 (Cook 41, Jennings 27)
Good from Duminy, spinning one past Cook's outside edge in a maiden over.

Over 28: England 69-0 (Cook 41, Jennings 27)
Couple of unconvincing aerial forays from Cook and Jennings bring both men singles but the South African spinners can consider themselves a touch unfortunate not to have anything to show for their efforts in the W column.

Over 27: England 67-0 (Cook 40, Jennings 26)
Maiden over from Duminy, varying his pace well and not allowing Cook to settle into his work.

Over 26: England 67-0 (Cook 40, Jennings 26)
Extraordinary shot, or rather non-shot, from Jennings here. Running down the wicket to Maharaj and then padding up as the ball spins. There's half an lbw appeal, but I reckon that's close. He's half-heartedly put the bat somewhere near the pad after the ball has gone, but there's no way he's playing a shot. Impossible really to give out on the field given the amount of spin and where Jennings was, but it's only the "Over 3m" Umpire's Call that would've saved Jennings had South Africa a) had a review left, and b) used it. Crashing in to leg stump, and the outside off stump impact irrelevant.

Over 25: England 67-0 (Cook 40, Jennings 26)
Cook cuts to point, who gets enough of a hand to the ball to save three. Jennings sweeps fine on the legside for a two, and repeats the shot for a single. South Africa just about clinging on, but you feel it's going to need a mistake to get them properly back into this match now.

Over 24: England 63-0 (Cook 39, Jennings 23)
A single down the ground for Cook in a tidy over from Maharaj. To South Africa's credit, England are at least not getting away from them here.

Over 23: England 62-0 (Cook 38, Jennings 23)
Loose ball to spoil a good Duminy over as a full-toss is popped through midwicket for three by Cook, who is warming to his task.

Over 22: England 59-0 (Cook 35, Jennings 23)
Practice making perfect for Jennings. Two dreadful reverse-sweeps before tea, a half-decent one in Maharaj's last over and now one absolutely nailed out of the middle of the bat for four. Going to be asbolutely tremendous to see the reaction from the old boys in front of the pavilion when an England opener gets out reverse-sweeping on day three of a Test match.

Over 21: England 55-0 (Cook 35, Jennings 19)
Decent over from Duminy, asking some questions of Cook. The veteran opener - that's what we have to call him now - has the answers, though, and drives a full delivery through the covers for four more.

Over 20: England 51-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 19)
Third time's a charm as Jennings finally makes something approaching decent contact with a reverse-sweep and picks up a couple. Big spin for Maharaj, and Jennings is looking to dance down the track to counter that.

Over 19: England 49-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 17)
Huge missed chance for South Africa in JP Duminy's first over of the match. The spinner spears one down the legside, and Cook overbalances but de Kock hasn't gathered cleanly and can't get to the loose ball in time.

Over 18: England 48-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 16)
Maiden over from Maharaj to start the evening session. Still another 33 overs to bowl, so another lengthy spell in the middle awaits.

1601: The players are back out after tea. The word on the street/Twitter is that Philander will not bowl today.

 ☕️ TEA: England, 48-0 (17 overs), lead by 145 runs
Good session for England, and real power to add to this lead before the close and again tomorrow with South Africa's bowling attack significantly depleted by the absence of Philander. We're hearing he's suffered no break from that blow to the wrist while batting, but he's got significant bruising and it's on his bowling hand. Will surely hamper him for the rest of this match at least. England are now 2/7 for victory, with the Proteas right out at 12/1. I was talking nonsense at Lunch, just as well nobody listens to me. Root to top-score now 7/2 given this tidy start from the openers. It's 4/5 for any England player to reach three-figures in this innings.

Over 17: England 48-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 16)
Jennings has looked a bit flighty against the spin, but much more solid against the seam and plays a couple of nice-looking shots here off Rabada. Drives solidly past mid-on for a couple and then clips four through square-leg as Rabada pushes one into the pads.

Over 16: England 42-0 (Cook 31, Jennings 10)
Timing here from Cook, picking up three through midwicket after literally just leaning his bat down on the ball as Maharaj spins it back in to him. Jennings reverse-sweeps again, entirely unconvincingly, but manages to sneak the ball past the man at slip for a single.

Over 15: England 38-0 (Cook 28, Jennings 9)
This is admirable stuff from Rabada. Another maiden, keeping Jennings honest once more. Probably one more over before tea, maybe two. If no wickets fall, it's been a very useful session for England.

Over 14: England 38-0 (Cook 28, Jennings 9)
For the second time already today, Cook steps commandingly out to the pitch to drive Maharaj through the covers for four. South Africa simply cannot afford for him to leak runs here.

Over 13: England 34-0 (Cook 24, Jennings 9)
Rabada changes ends, following Morkel in from the Pavilion End and sending down a maiden over.

Over 12: England 34-0 (Cook 24, Jennings 9)
Jennings tries a reverse-sweep, entirely out of character with his innings to date. Makes decent contact, but gets nothing for it. Does pick up a single next ball for a thick edge wide of slip. Maharaj the absolute key to this innings. Simply has to bowl a long spell, and conditions are helpful.

Over 11: England 33-0 (Cook 24, Jennings 8)
Things just starting to look worrying for South Africa here. Runs flowing, sun shining, attack depleted, pitch misbehaving. Jennings drives nicely through the covers for three, before Cook collects back-to-back boundaries for controlled, safe guides down past second slip all along the ground.

Over 10: England 22-0 (Cook 16, Jennings 5)
Early spin for South Africa, with Maharaj into the attack in the 10th over. Eventful over, too. Cook sweeps him for four and then survives a big lbw shout and review for one that spins back miles from outside the off stump. My word. Hitting the stumps, but Cook was outside the line. South Africa burn both reviews inside the first 10 overs, leaving a gaping 70-over Howler Window™ for the Proteas. Three bowlers, no reviews. Not ideal. Four more for Cook, brave enough to judge the length and drive through the covers against the now-prodigious spin. Backed himself to get to the pitch, and did just that.

Over 9: England 14-0 (Cook 8, Jennings 5)
A maiden over from Morkel, but not a particularly good one. Lot of effort for very little purpose as ball after ball passes harmlessly outside Jennings's off stump through to de Kock.

Over 8: England 14-0 (Cook 8, Jennings 5)
Thick outside edge from Cook runs wide of the slips and away to the boundary before a clip through midwicket brings two more. Good response from Rabada, shaping one past a squared-up Cook from around the wicket. Frustrating. Enough to make a man swear.

Over 7: England 8-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 5)
England not exactly racing out of the blocks to extend their advantage here, but time not particularly a factor just yet.

Over 6: England 8-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 5)
Maiden over from Rabada to Cook. Sky showing the incident that earned Rabada the first three of his four demerit points. It really was a load of fuss about nothing, the very slightest physical contact between batsman and bowler during an ODI against Sri Lanka. Game's gone.

Over 5: England 8-0 (Cook 2, Jennings 5)
South Africa lose a review after Cook is pinned on the crease and hit on the knee-roll. Where the ball pitched always looked the key to this one, and Hawk-Eye agrees with Reiffel's assertion that it was just outside leg stump. Going on to hit the off pole, but it matters not. Cook gets a thick edge to another straight-looking delivery to pick up a single and strangle the South African lbw shouts. It's Cook's 1000th Test run against South Africa, meaning Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are the only teams missing from that particular list for the England opener. He's got 490 runs in six Tests against Bangladesh, and the same amount of Test runs (and caps) against Zimbabwe as I do. His average against South Africa is under 35 - his lowest against any foe. Apart from Zimbabwe.

Over 4: England 7-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 5)
Runs! Nice runs too, Jennings leaning on a leg-stump half-volley from Rabada and finding the midwicket boundary. First no-ball of the innings, and almost certainly not the last, takes England's total to seven and lead to 104. When can we start the declaration speculation? I grow impatient.

Over 3: England 2-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 1)
Back-to-back maidens, Cook showing Morkel the full face of the bat.

Over 2: England 2-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 1)
Maiden over watchfully played by Jennings as Rabada is promoted to new-ball duty in the absence of Philander.

Over 1: England 2-0 (Cook 1, Jennings 1)
Quick singles on the offside get both batsmen off the mark. Jennings, though, was a goner if Heino Kuhn's athletic slide, pick-up and throw had hit the target. Tidy enough start with the ball from Morkel, who has to put behind him the disappointment of being stranded just 98 short of his first Test century.

1430: The South African team are on the field. Vernon Philander, though, is not. He's off for an x-ray on his injured hand/wrist. Massive blow for South Africa if that's anything at all serious, both here and next week at Trent Bridge where they are already without Kagiso Rabada. "Did you bring your whites, Shaun?" asks Nasser Hussain on commentary.

Over 105: South Africa 361 (Morkel 2)
Cracking effort that from Philander to get England's lead down to 97. All eyes on him as he runs from the pitch to get whatever treatment he can on whatever ailments are causing him the most bother before he returns to the middle with the express purpose of making sure England's handy first-innings lead doesn't become a match-winning third-innings one.

WICKET! Philander b Moeen Ali 52

Philander tries to hit Moeen Ali into orbit and succeeds only in dragging the ball apologetically into his leg stump via his boot. The leg bail thinks about it for a moment, before tumbling to earth.

Over 104: South Africa 361-9 (Philander 52, Morkel 2)
Neither Philander nor Morkel seems to know whether they are taking singles or not, or when. Either way, they get three singles from the first five balls of the over before South Africa get the perfect result from the final ball of the over when a thick outside edge brings Philander three runs that gets him to 50 and retains the strike. England's first-innings lead now down to double-figures.

Philander 50: 80 balls 7x4

Over 103: South Africa 355-9 (Philander 48, Morkel 0)
Cook off the field, and I momentarily got excited that this would mean Root was captain. I'll get used to it eventually. Philander gets hit on the body two balls running as Wood tries to chip bits off him, but lands a blow of his own with a stand-and-deliver drive that brings four and takes South Africa past 350. Decent effort, that. Field comes up for the last ball of the over, and Philander clumps it over the infield for four.

Over 102: South Africa 347-9 (Philander 40, Morkel 0)
Philander trusts Morkel to survive four balls against Dawson. His faith is rewarded, with only one minor alarm as the left-handed number 11 plays inside one when expecting some turn.

Over 101: South Africa 346-9 (Philander 39, Morkel 0)
Philander teeing off now. Slaps Wood through point for four and then gets a top-edge on an attempted hook shot that Bairstow can only tip over the bar for four more. A single leaves Morkel one ball to survive, which he does by backing away to square-leg and then producing an almost sarcastically correct shouldering of the arms about six feet away from the ball.

Over 100: South Africa 337-9 (Philander 30)
That is the ultimate modern Test wicket. That sort of thing has never been given out in the history of the game, but technology laughs in the face of history. It's out. Warne on commentary is torn between his instinctive delight at seeing a spinner take a wicket, and rueful calculations of just how many wickets he'd have got in the DRS age.

WICKET! Maharaj lbw b Dawson 9

Second wicket for Dawson, who's bowled really well since lunch. Maharaj is way, way down the pitch when hit on the pad, and umpire Paul Reiffel understandably says not out. But the ball has pitched and straightened perfectly and Hawk-Eye has three red lights, bowler's delight. Maharaj goes - he's still got a big part to play today, though, you fancy. 

Over 99: South Africa 334-8 (Philander 28, Maharaj 9)
A maiden for Wood. But still a bit meh, despite Maharaj almost gifting him a wicket with a swing and a miss at a wide one outside the off stump.

Over 98: South Africa 334-8 (Philander 28, Maharaj 9)
Good over from Liam Actual Dawson, bowling in his sunglasses to really ram home the Ashley Giles comparison. Last ball of the over is the best he's bowled in the match; much slower, spinning sharply and bouncing to hit up around the splice/glove as Philander props forward. Could've gone anywhere.

Over 97: South Africa 334-8 (Philander 28, Maharaj 9)
Mark Wood's pace is not what it ought to be here, and an attempted bouncer is dismissively dispatched over midwicket for four. A back-foot punch brings Philander three more, and it's a bit of a concern for England that Wood is currently not really able to do the job he's in this side to do.

Over 96: South Africa 327-8 (Philander 21, Maharaj 9)
Late cut from Maharaj brings the first four runs of the afternoon session as Liam Actual Dawson begins with the ball. Still blows my mind. "Who's your favourite spinner with the surname Dawson - Richard or Liam?" asks Tottenham Fan on the Twitter. I think I'm going to have to go with Michael.

🍽 LUNCH: South Africa, 323-8 (95 overs), trail by 135
Good session that for South Africa. Could've been blown away in tough conditions this morning, but have taken over 100 out of England's lead and still have two wickets to play with. De Kock was the star, batting way too low, but he fell just before the break to give England a boost ahead of their Famous Lord's Lunch. They're still 1/3 jollies to go on and force victory over the next two-and-a-half days, with a draw 4/1 and the Proteas right out at 15/2. Surely has to be a chance that even if they quickly knock over the last two wickets here England drift to a far more backable price at some stage given the frailty of that top order. Related: Joe Root is a 3/1 Price Boost to top score again in the second dig.

Over 95: South Africa 323-8 (Philander 21, Maharaj 5)
Maharaj looking every inch a man who Knows Which End Of The Bat To Hold as he steers Anderson behind point for a couple and picks up a positively Cooklike single for some legside nurdlage. Good quick single from Philander, who uses all his experience to assess the situation and decide to watch the last two balls of the session leaning on his bat at the non-striker's end. Maharaj gets a single from the second of them.

Over 94: South Africa 318-8 (Philander 20, Maharaj 1)
Philander rocks back to drive Moeen through cover for three, and an edge wide of slip gets Maharaj off the mark.

Over 93: South Africa 314-8 (Philander 17, Maharaj 0)
Wicket-maiden for Anderson, just a leg-bye coming from it to go with the hugely significant wicket of De Kock.

WICKET! De Kock c Stokes b Anderson 51

Big wicket for England. Loose, flat-footed drive from de Kock, and it's in the air just long enough for a diving Stokes at cover to get his fingers underneath it. Smart catch, England back in control.

Over 92: South Africa 313-7 (De Kock 51, Philander 17)
Spin again from Moeen, but no change in De Kock's gameplan. Bang, bang, two balls disappear over midwicket for one-bounce fours. England toiling a bit here, but still in a strong position.

De Kock 50: 36 balls 10x4

Over 91: South Africa 305-7 (De Kock 43, Philander 17)
Maiden over from Anderson to regain some of the control England have lost in recent overs.

Over 90: South Africa 305-7 (De Kock 43, Philander 17)
Fifty partnership comes up in quick time thanks to another pair of De Kock boundaries. Beauties they are too, whipped through square-leg and driven down the ground. They can't keep him down at number seven, surely. Four more to de Kock with a gorgeous shot through midwicket and he's making the game look easy here. Broad, has conceded more runs in four overs today than in the 14 he bowled yesterday. He looks grumpy.

Over 89: South Africa 293-7 (De Kock 31, Philander 17)
Thick but safe outside edge - maybe outside half of the bat is fairer - brings De Kock a single through point, before Philander adds a couple more with a whippy flick through midwicket. Hand seems fine now, and he's looked pretty solid here against the new ball, that one pretty much unplayable lifter apart.

Over 88: South Africa 290-7 (De Kock 30, Philander 15)
Strangled celebrappeal from Broad, always a sign that things aren't quite going right for the great man. At his best, he thinks everything is out. Better over, though, just three singles from it.

Over 87: South Africa 287-7 (De Kock 28, Philander 14)
Good ticker from Philander here. He's worn a couple since the new ball was taken, but is doing a job for his side. Picks up two more tucking Anderson behind square-leg and is denied what looks a certain four on the drive by a fine diving stop at mid-off from Broad.

Over 86: South Africa 284-7 (De Kock 27, Philander 12)
Broad going the journey with the second new ball here. Philander this time, driving nicely behind point for four and then picking up a couple with a push wide of mid-on. A couple of singles make it eight from the over and 20 from two in this spell for Broad, who conceded 27 in 14 overs yesterday.

Over 85: South Africa 275-7 (De Kock 26, Philander 4)
Might have to upgrade (or downgrade, depending on how you view these things) this pitch from Something In It For The Bowlers to Beginning To Misbehave. Another grubber from Anderson pea-rolls past Philander's outside edge, and the next ball bounces sharply off a length and cannons into the batsman's right hand. Big worry for South Africa, this, because he looks to be in genuine bother here. The physio is out with ice and tablets, and Philander is in obvious, visible pain. Could be an issue for the rest of this Test, and potentially leave South Africa's bowling stocks looking very short indeed at Trent Bridge. Philander okay to continue, and gets a gift from Anderson very next ball. Down the legside, and tickled away for four. "NO," screams Anderson as he turns on his heel and heads back to his mark. 

Over 84: South Africa 271-7 (De Kock 26, Philander 0)
The new ball summed up here as Broad gets one past de Kock's outside edge, finds the inside edge with the next, and then gets picked off for three successive fours. Good shots all, as well, the first through midwicket and the next two through cover-point. It's not exactly a controversial observation, but even at seven De Kock is batting way too low in this side. No exaggeration to say he could and should be as high as four. Class player.

Drinks. And if getting 15 overs in an hour isn't a reason to crack open the cans, I don't know what is.

Over 83: South Africa 259-7 (De Kock 14, Philander 0)
A de Kock single takes South Africa officially passed a follow-on that England would not in any case have enforced. The reason for that clear next ball, as a delivery from Anderson with the brand new cherry rolls right along the ground after pitching. Any three-figure lead for England is going to be very handy here.

New ball taken. Probably correct decision now. De Kock having no problem with the spin, and the new ball is rarely the tailender's friend.

Over 82: South Africa 258-7 (De Kock 13, Philander 0)
De Kock rattling along already, biffing Moeen to the cover boundary for four more.

Over 81: South Africa 253-7 (De Kock 8, Philander 0)
The folly of the nightwatchman highlighted by a situation where a batsman of De Kock's outrageous talents faces three balls and then finds himself batting with the tail (albeit at this stage a decent tail). He whacks a Dawson Pie for four.

Over 80: South Africa 248-7 (De Kock 3)
Vernon Philander is the new batsman, and is firmly in the No Mug category. Plenty of work to do for England yet. Bavuma's error, like Rabada's, was to play back when he should have been forward. And I'm now cursing myself for not saving Magic Darts' tweet for five minutes. It's even better now.

WICKET! Bavuma c Stokes b Moeen Ali 59

Definitely keep the spinners on. Bavuma edges to Stokes via Bairstow's leg, and South Africa's good start to the day has evaporated.

Over 79: South Africa 248-6 (Bavuma 59, De Kock 3)
"Turns out Bavuma Rabada was just a passing phase, eh. Eh?" tweets Magic Darts. That's a magic tweet, for mine. Filing that one away to steal repeatedly over the next decade. Quinton de Kock in, and off the mark with a good-looking shot out towards the cover fence that brings three. Decision to make for Root here. New ball straight away, or let the spinners bowl for a bit? I'd be leaning towards keeping these two going for a while. De Kock well used to facing a new ball, and could be destructive against it, while the spinners are Causing Problems and Asking Questions.  

WICKET! K Rabada c Bairstow b Dawson 27

Success for Dawson with his second ball of the morning! Bairstow takes a fine catch as Rabada makes two errors, playing back and for turn. Big deflection, but Bairstow makes no mistake. Big moment for bowler and keeper, you feel.

Over 78: South Africa 244-5 (Bavuma 58, Rabada 27)
Rabada hacks Moeen for four over midwicket, but it's not all that convincing. Looks happier against the pace than the spin.

Over 77: South Africa 238-5 (Bavuma 57, Rabada 22)
Good start this for South Africa, with the pitch not the easiest despite all the evidence of the location and weather suggesting batting should be tremendous fun today. New ball looking like the key to the whole game here.

Over 76: South Africa 237-5 (Bavuma 56, Rabada 22)
Moeen Ali into the attack after a good day yesterday. Almost a perfect start to this one for him. Getting one to bounce and turn and catch the glove of Bavuma, but the ball bounces away behind square and out of Ballance's reach at short-leg. Rabada hammers a couple of big straight drives, but one is well stopped by mid-on and the other is painfully cut off by umpire Paul Reiffel's shin. Hard to tell initially which of the pair is more put out. "Good touch, Pistol," chirps Bairstow from behind the stumps. Good stuff.

Over 75: South Africa 236-5 (Bavuma 55, Rabada 22)
Right, I can't lie. I've missed this over because I was fixing the screen resolution on a colleague's monitor. Don't want to brag, but his screen is looking much sharper now. I've sat down just in time to see Rabada squirt a Wood full-toss past gully for four. He's looking resolute this morning. Resolute, you see. Yeah? Like resolution. Oh, never mind. It's 236-5.

Over 74: South Africa 231-5 (Bavuma 54, Rabada 18)
Stokes oversteps - and by a long way - for the second time this morning. Could be some industrial language if he takes a wicket with one of those. Apropos of nothing, Ben Stokes currently sits on two demerit points. Big fan of "demerit points", by the way. Cricket positively reeks of public school anyway, might as well play up to it. Bavuma, meanwhile, goes to a 114-ball 50 in very decent style with a punchy drive through cover-point. Goes on to keep the strike with a miscued but perfectly safe pull shot to midwicket.

Bavuma 50: 114 balls 9x4

Over 73: South Africa 224-5 (Bavuma 49, Rabada 17)
First run of the morning for Bavuma, worked into the legside off the back foot. Another good bouncer for Rabada to deal with, and he doesn't entirely convince in doing so. It prompts Root to put Gary Ballance in at boot hill. Another short ball from Wood, and Rabada bunts it to midwicket for a single. Still not all that convincing.

Over 72: South Africa 222-5 (Bavuma 48, Rabada 16)
Good short ball from Stokes whacks Rabada on the shoulder as he tries, unsuccessfully, to sway inside the line of the ball as it follows him from the round-the-wicket angle. Stokes follows up with the full delivery hoping to trap Rabada on the crease, but doesn't get it quite full enough and is driven handsomely down the ground through mid-on for four.

Over 71: South Africa 217-5 (Bavuma 48, Rabada 12)
Batting not easy this morning. Reverse with the old ball, and some variable bounce. Keeping not easy either, Bairstow taking a bang on the ankle after a length ball from Wood grubs past Bavuma's off stump. Good to see that captaincy hasn't changed Root, who I'm happy to report is laughing at his team-mate's discomfort.

Over 70: South Africa 217-5 (Bavuma 48, Rabada 12)
Looks like it's going to be Wood and Stokes and possibly a little bit of spin to take us through to the 80-over mark and the new ball. Stokes getting some reverse with the old ball, hitting Rabada on the toe with an inswinging yorker in a decent maiden over.

Over 69: South Africa 217-5 (Bavuma 48, Rabada 12)
No greater partnership combination in world cricket than this, by the way. Bavuma, Rabada. What a wonderful phrase. Mark Wood kicks the day off with a very stiff-looking delivery that just about makes it through to Jonny Bairstow on the full. Rabada gets the first runs of the morning with a firm push past Ben Stokes, who has bravely managed to take the field despite being on the receiving end of The Naughty Word on day one. If swearing at Ben Stokes is going to result in bans, it could rule out more international cricketers than the Aussie pay dispute.

 ☀️ 1050: It's another tremendous day in north-west London, the sun shining through some picture-postcard white clouds. Temba Bavuma still there approaching a hard-earned half-century alonside Sweary Kagiso Rabada, but one suspects the key man in the first part of the day will be Quinton de Kock, now coming in as low as eight but a man well capable of minimising the hosts' advantage.

1030: Welcome. Blimey, what a morning it's been already. If you didn't know/care, it's ludicrously finished all-square over in the egg-chasing. Fancy liking a sport that lasts for absolutely ages and ends in a draw, eh? Anyway, apparently the upshot is that now both the Lions and the All Blacks' dads have to mow the lawn in their wife's Sunday dress. 

Anyway, enough of that. Back to a proper, sensible sport, where a cracking Test match reaches moving day where we just hope and pray that none of the adult humans offends a handful of pearl-clutching fun-haters by using a naughty word in front of other adult humans. It doesn't bear thinking about.

England v South Africa First Test: The Story So Far

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