A momentous morning for James Anderson meant a handy one for England. At lunch on day three, they hold a lead of 98 for the loss of just one wicket. South Africa, for all their endeavour in the field, look surprisingly listless considering how much was extracted from this pitch so far.
Just a few days ago many were considering the prospect of dropping Anderson was cause for much debate. And, typically, here was his response, of five for 40 in 19 overs.
He became the first quick over 37 to get a five-wicket haul for England since 1951 and, in turn, took his tally of five-fors to 27, beyond Ian Botham’s 26. Having picked up three wickets yesterday, he took the fourth with the morning’s very first ball, removing Kagiso Rabada for a golden duck with the number 10 new to the crease after Anderson removed Keshav Maharaj with what was the final ball of day two.
The hat-trick ball was negotiated by Anrich Nortje but soon enough the No.11, who cracked 40 as a nightwatchman South Africa’s second innings of the first Test, became number 582 for England’s leading wicket-taker.
The dismissal was completed by Ben Stokes, diving to his left to snare his fifth catch of the innings. In the process, he grabbed a bit of history, too: the first non-keeper to take five catches in a Test for England, and the 12th of any nationality to do so in Tests outright.
It meant England strolled into their second digs with a lead of 46 and, perhaps for the first time of the tour, with the game in their control.
Zak Crawley was the first to be dismissed, driving expensively at a ball from Rabada which was too good a delivery to go after. But his five fours – two coming in the first over off the same bowler – pushed England along at a decent rate. He also endured a tough period when he was struck twice: top-edging a pull shot into his grille and then crouching into a short ball which struck his left arm.
Naturally, Rabada, incensed by the boundaries and the odd play-and-miss, celebrated wildly when he got his man. But the manner of the Kent opener’s 25 meant Dom Sibley was able to tick along to 18 from 51 balls without taking too many risks. And at lunch, on 52-1, with Joe Denly for company after the break 9, the prospect of a sizeable target for South Africa seemed more than feasible for England.
A third successive session their well would seem them nailed on as winners of this Test match.
