Key events
Show only key events
Please enable JavaScript to use this feature
15th over: South Africa 35-1 (Erwee 22, Petersen 1) Petersen is off the mark off Anderson’s first ball fresh over, a compact push from mid-on for one. On the lefty Erwee, he takes two balls to beat him, naturally. But the experienced opener keeps his cool and forces the next delivery for another single. That’s all they have to do here: overcome this spell. Especially with Anderson making the deliveries rise and move as he does with Petersen when he comes back on strike – the number three does well to get his bat out well. What a good bowling.
“Hello Adam.” Tom Bowtell, for you. “After extremely cursory thought, I wonder if yesterday was the first time two England batsmen with the same name scored tons in the same Test innings since Thorpe and Gooch at this very ground 29 years ago . Open to counter offers.”
Talk about knowing your audience. I suspect I will have no less than 100 emails answering this question in the next ten minutes. Drivers, start your engines.
14th over: South Africa 33-1 (Erwee 21, Petersen 0) With the captain gone, this is the end of Joe Root’s spell and it’s not Jack Leach as we’ve theorized, rather Ollie Robinson gets a crack at Statham End. And just as it was on the first morning, he lands it in a shoebox straight away, his maiden marked by a delivery that skips a length to Erwee from the wicket, hitting him in the gut.
13th over: South Africa 33-1 (Erwee 21, Petersen 0) “I don’t think it was just the previous ball in terms of movement,” notes Mel Jones. “It was also the length.” Ready, as always. Looking back, Elgar tried to cover the line but didn’t push far enough, surely as a natural response to the previous delivery. “Such a breakthrough,” adds Butch. “Knock him down before the ball turns over.”
“It fell off a boat onto my boat in Croatia,” reveals Tim Lindsay, who attached a photo (which I don’t know how to add to the blog, sorry). It also breaks my wrist.” Wow! “The upside is that I can now sit comfortably in our friends’ lovely villa watching the game on their hacked Sky signal while this messes around in the water. Result.”
In another total result of a vacation.
WICKET! Elgar b Anderson 11 (South Africa 33-1)
Oh Jimmy, Jimmy! That’s pretty cool. Around the wicket the visiting captain hits him with one that goes away as a break. The next? Fuller, back to the other side, through the wicket, outside off stump. It’s a monster. An absolute monster.
Updated at 11.17 BST
12th over: South Africa 32-0 (Erwee 20, Elgar 11) OK, ignore my Root/Leach theory – the former has a second around here. I wonder if that was the plan or if Stokes is sticking with it after the former skipper looked a bit of a handful with his first offering of the morning? To Elgar, he is bowling from very wide of the crease with a slip, leg slip and short leg; Bairstow also roams at short cover. Nice one too, researching it. Oooh, and there’s a sharp turn and a bounce! Great job by Elgar not to follow him with his blade and Foakes to glove him. interesting
11th over: South Africa 32-0 (Erwee 20, Elgar 11) “Bowling from his own end, it’s Jimmy Anderson,” says the ground announcer. That was the end where Leach finished last night, reinforcing the argument that the Root over was designed to spin the senior spinner. Anderson starts over Erwee’s wicket and finds his line and length immediately, as expected. A bit of extra length later, the left-hander is delighted to drive carefully through cover, timing it well enough to reach the rope, but Jack Leach gets away like Carl Lewis, dragging it in the end. Much to like about his attitude this summer. Speaking of.
“I think what the new regime admires most about Leach (and Stokes in particular) is his mental toughness,” says Mark Hooper. “That famous 1 not out has meant Stokes backs him to always stand up when he needs to, which is arguably the most important trait at this level where you’re dealing with the ‘one per cent difference’ or whatever the new buzzword”.
Back to Jimmy, who beats Erwee with a chop to finish, well. “Absolutely out of shape,” says Jonny Bairstow at the end of the over, so no swing.
10th over: South Africa 28-0 (Erwee 17, Elgar 11) Root gets a first slip to Erwee and hits him on the pad, causing an ambitious appeal: not out, no review. It’s a useful start, targeting the stumps at that wide angle with his adjusters – he’s got 47 Test wickets, remember. Oh, as soon as I write he gives Erwee a half volley and drives it through cover for the first runs of the day, a boundary. “It’s also a day Dean Elgar will enjoy,” says Mark Butcher on TV. Absolutely.
The players are on the field! And it’s…Joe Root to play the first knock of the day! I suspect (I’m sure) this will be a change thing. PLAY!
“Good morning Adam.” And to you, Mark Unwin. “Currently on the train on the way to Old Trafford with two 10-year-olds going to their first Test match… Lots of snacks, drinks, technology and cash on hand for when they get bored… let’s see how much last time”.
Great! I hope it’s a special day for them and you. My first day in a Test Match was on day four in Melbourne, 1994-95, the day before Warney’s Ashes hat-trick. David Boon completed his 20th Test ton before Damien Fleming brought the house down in front of the stumps, including this absolute beauty. I’m up to 137 Tests now, should get to 150 by next year’s Ashes if all goes to plan. Yes, this is horrible fun.
“A big day for Jack Leach?” asks Gary Naylor. “Take away his twin fives against New Zealand at Headingley, and he has only taken eight wickets since mid-May. I think he needs more variation to create more chances on decent pitches. Now is his chance to prove it.”
Good morning Gaz. I resist #RootMaths (Google it) excluding the ten in Yorkshire – it was an excellent performance under enormous pressure. I can only speak for the radio commentary team I was working on for this series, but almost all of us sacked him after Nottingham and were wrong to do so.
Before this series there was a nice interview a couple of weeks ago with Felix White. The key passage here is that Leach now believes – or, over time, is forced to believe by the new axis of leadership – that his ceiling is higher than he ever thought possible under the previous regime. For someone without any natural courage, my sense is that it is very important. I support him today.
“Good morning Adam,” tweets Harry Lang. “Can’t wait for today’s action. I’m on a boat somewhere in Lefkada in Greece. That’s really the only reason behind this missive. Cheers for the updates!” How do you do! Enjoy your vacation.
Wrapping up yesterday’s coverage, here’s Tanya Aldred’s write-up on Ben Foakes’ comments when speaking to the press after his unbeaten 113.
Barney is also in Manchester. One eye in the middle, the other on the balcony.
There was even time for a wonderful picture on the balcony in England: Stokes in shades of Lennon, slicked back, drinking unbranded water; Brendon McCullum by his side, all beards and shades and guns, hundreds on the bench, the game bowing, Stuart Broad, in a sleeveless shirt also loitering (yes, Stuart, we see you), soaking up the afternoon sun.
We have an early weather update from Ian Thompson. ” Good morning Adam. The forecast for Manchester is sunny intervals, a high of 21 and little chance of rain. Looks like a full days cricket.” Featured news. It looks great on TV. A little crazy, maybe.
“I’m totally disgusted!” roars Tim Maitland in Hong Kong to open the bowling for today’s correspondence. “Outraged! I’ve searched all over the interwebs and nobody seems to have taken advantage of the golden opportunity afforded us by yesterday’s two centuries to nail down a DIFFERENT POINTS FOR DIFFERENT FOAKES headline. I’ll make an official complaint.”
Unlike the 2019 World Cup final, when I think six national newspapers ran Champagne Super Over on the back (or front) cover. happy times
Ben Stokes is talking to Nick Knight on Sky. “We’re in a strong position and we can’t wait to get the ball in our hands. Today we have earned the right to be quite demanding”. Give Ben Foakes a lot of love. “I’m absolutely delighted for him. He’s the best wicketkeeper in the world and he’s shown what he can do with the bat.” On playing style, he explains that he wants to lead by example with his own positive approach. He talks about their chances of turning the ball over today after what the South Africans were able to do in yesterday’s first session in a dry Old Trafford square. He adds that he sees a big role for Jack Leach – he clearly supports his spinner.
preamble
Adam Collins
Good morning! Lovely where I am in London, I hope the same in Manchester in Test, where England have taken the honors, comprehensively, for the first two days.
As if predicted on the day his documentary was released, Ben Stokes hit his 12th Test ton and his first since taking over as skipper. Combining with Ben Foakes for a 173-run stand for the sixth wicket, they took the red hosts to a lead that seems massive in the context of this low-scoring series. For Foakes, he hailed a second Test century and his first since his debut in 2018. He finished with a superb unbeaten 113 as England declared 264 ahead at 415-9.
The Proteas had nine overs to deal with their second dig and emerged unscathed, resuming this morning on the 23rd without…