SA tear out seven to rein in England

Lunch England 458 and 182 for 8 (Bairstow 28*, Wood 0*) lead South Africa 361 (Bavuma 59, Elgar 54, Philander 52, de Kock 51, Moeen 4-59) by 279 runs
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Kagiso Rabada walks past Ben Stokes nonchalantly after dismissing him © Getty Images

South Africa’s bowlers enjoyed a devastating morning’s work on day four of the first Test, taking seven wickets and limiting England’s attempts to build a match-defining lead. At the same time, every success increased the sense that they may have a difficult chase on – only once has a team successfully pursued more than 300 in the fourth innings at Lord’s.

At lunch, England’s advantage was 279, with two wickets standing, and the presence of Jonny Bairstow at the crease their best hope of squeezing out a few more. There was no question that it was South Africa’s session, however, after they tore out seven wickets for addition of just 63 to England’s overnight total.

Keshav Maharaj claimed three himself, amid increasing signs of the pitch breaking up. The dismissal of Alastair Cook for 69, caught at cover attempting to lift the scoring, precipitated an England collapse of 4 for 10 in 39 balls, with only Bairstow managing to get into double-figures thereafter – and even he benefited from a life when Vernon Philander, who was fit to bowl after injuring his hand batting on the third day, was unable to take a simple catch at long-off.

Bairstow and Moeen Ali decided on a hit-out-or-get-out strategy, adding 31 in 7.2 overs to edge England’s lead up. Moeen was then bowled by a Maharaj delivery that ripped out of the footmarks as he came down the pitch, before Liam Dawson completed a pair when he was bowled by a Kagiso Rabada full toss. There were no tail-end frolics from Stuart Broad this time either, as he was taken at short leg off Maharaj for a golden duck moments before lunch.

The evidence of the first over of the morning was that the Lord’s baize was by now a little rumpled. At least two deliveries from Philander kept low before the last jumped to hit Gary Ballance on the glove. When Maharaj came into the attack shortly before the hour mark, the first ball of his second over went directly to slip off the pitch; the same over concluded with Joe Root being bowled by one that didn’t turn.

Cook and Ballance picked up initially in much the same mood as they guided England to the close on the third evening, a couple of tugboats towing their barge along the Thames. They had added a boundary apiece, taking their partnership to 59, before Cook suddenly pulled anchor and drove aerially into the covers, where Temba Bavuma snaffled a sharp, diving catch.

Morne Morkel continued his impressive Test by having Ballance caught behind with another exacting delivery that straightened from round the wicket and England slide’s continued with the dismissal of Root, England’s captain and first-innings centurion, in the following over. Having seen Maharaj spin the ball sharply, Root swept a boundary but was then caught playing back and got an inside-edge on to his stumps.

Ben Stokes did not have much time for reconnaissance, pinned lbw for 1 by a delivery that shot through low from Rabada. Stokes started walking as soon as it hit him, while Rabada – suspended for the next Test due to his outburst after dismissing Stokes in the first innings – kept his counsel. That left England 149 for 5 and it ought to have been 158 for 6 when Bairstow, on 7, lofted Maharaj towards Philander, only for the fielder to drop it on to the rope. Philander gestured towards the skies, perhaps suggesting that Spidercam had distracted him.

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Source: ESPN Crickinfo