Player of the Match
Player of the Match
1860dThe Report by David Hopps

England routed as South Africa surge to series-levelling win

The excellence of South Africa's pace attack turned the Trent Bridge Test into a rout as England were dismissed in only 44.2 overs

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

HM Amla
HM Amla
87(180) 14x4 - 1x6
Control %87%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 24 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
8 13 16 1 6 9 16 18
D Elgar
D Elgar
80(136) 12x4 - 0x6
Control %82%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 20 runs
  • 3x4 - 0x6
2 21 0 3 25 1 8 20

Best performances - Bowlers

JM Anderson
JM Anderson
O23.2
M6
R72
W5
Eco3.08
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W1W
MM Ali
MM Ali
O16
M2
R78
W4
Eco4.87
RHB
OFFLEG
2W1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF

Scorecard Summary

SOUTH AFRICA 335(96.2 OVERS)
1ST INNINGS

ENGLAND 205(51.5 OVERS)
1ST INNINGS

SOUTH AFRICA 343/9d(104 OVERS)
2ND INNINGS

ENGLAND 133(44.2 OVERS)
2ND INNINGS

Scorer: Thilak Ram | Commentator: Andrew Miller

3.35pm Thanks once again for all your feedback. Have a read of David Hopps' match report before you go, and be sure to be back here in nine days' time for what promises to be a fascinating and wildly unpredictable third Test at The Oval. From Miller, Gnasher, Thilak and the Trent Bridge team, good bye.

3.25pm So, that just about wraps things up. But here's Saeed: "This England performance (or lack thereof) puts into even greater perspective the impact players like Misbah-ul-Haq have had on their teams. His tuk-tuk (block-block) approach out to have many more takers now."

Pierre : "A bit off topic but surely this turnaround shows that Faf being captain in ODIs as Well may be SAs best chance for a World Cup? Amazing how the team responds to his captaincy " Couldn't agree more... he is such a vital factor in their revival.

Adam: "Verne bowled well but not sure if 5 wickets in the match is worthy of the MOM award! Amla should have got that for top scoring in both innings and taking the pressure of the middle and lower order." Don't forget his 96 runs in the match ... he alone batted for 26 overs, a quarter of the span of England's collective innings

Ian: "James Anderson started his batting career without a duck in 40 odd innings didn't he? He must be closing in on Atherton as the most ducky batsman in test history by now!" Fair point ... in fact he's surged ahead of him already!

Vernon Philander is the Man of the Match: "All the senior players put their hand up and made it easy for us. Coming into the Test I was a bit cold, but I got my groove going and I'm feeling a lot better."

On Morkel: "He makes it uncomfortable for batters, and they try and take me on. It's an awesome effort from all the bowlers. And our batsmen toughed it out, it looked ugly at times but came through key phases of the game."

Faf du Plessis: "It's not an easy gig. We just did the basics better," he says. "We want to put this performance towards Russell [Domingo, who has had a family bereavement]. There were periods in the first Test when we played well and England dominated us. Hashim and Heino's partnership was crucial, it was about absorbing pressure. And Morne's bowling was the best I've seen for him for some time."

Nine days off between Tests now: "Mentally I feel refreshed and strong, but we need to come back in a week's time with the same intensity."

3.20pm So, it's time for some presentations. Over to Athers with the questions. Here's Joe Root. "A contrast of emotions this past two weeks. It's important we stay tight and don't mope. We have to take the positives out of it and come back strong at The Oval. South Africa reacted to the conditions better than we did, we have to learn quickly from that, and react better. Credit has to go to South Africa, but we have to make sure we don't do this again."

On the top three: "It's not a concern, they just need runs." On Wood: "He worked hard, he's come through this game quite well, hopefully he'll come through for the next game."

"We want to get better and become more consistent ..." Not a lot to get the teeth into there from Joe

3.15pm John: "So, there are understandable question marks over two or three players in the line-up but, why are we still discussing England as a team that are consistently inconsistent? Why do this England team still struggle to dig in and bat with attrition when required? Is the answer to those questions Trevor Bayliss?" Hmm ... I suggest you stay tuned for George Dobell's take on that particular subject. It promises foggy metaphors aplenty.

3.10pm Noman: "Ok so I just went on a call for like 2 min and came back and the match is over? This is a test match right? Not the best advert by England here for test cricket." It was a Test match. It is now very much an ex-Test match. An extinct Test match. A ceased-to-be-Test match

Oh, and it's hello to Andrew Schulz, our resident angry ocker... Hint: If you want to be published, ease up on the swearwords, there's a good boy...

2.59pm What a stunning turnaround for South Africa. Humiliated at Lord's, and now splatting a whopping great custard-pie of a 340-run win, right in the middle of England's noggin. Faf du Plessis, South Africa's returning captain, has galvanised his team like few leaders since Mike Brearley in the 1981 Ashes, and now who knows what we've got in store for the next two Tests.

But England's effort ... good grief it was desperate. All out in a grand total of 96.1 overs - not even the equivalent of batting out their overs in consecutive ODI innings ...and they have got some frankly existential questions to address... they've lost six of their last eight Tests, 8 of their last 13, and, since 2015, they've now lost on eight separate occasions in the very next match after pulling off a victory.

Mustafa: "Haha! So much for this! Btw who will be the MOM? Amla maybe?" He's a worthy shout... Philander, maybe? Or Morris, simply for that exocet to Root this morning. One of the few genuine Test-class dismissals in this processional innings.

Andre: "Olivier might be the only man sitting on a hat-trick, and never getting another test." Harsh, but it seems likely he won't play at The Oval, with Rabada on his way back after suspension. Which, in turn, is another superb bit of captaincy from du Plessis. Giving his squad player a sense of belonging.

44.2
W
Olivier to Anderson, OUT, outside off, two in two. Game over! A flimsy poke to an off-stump lifter, and de Kock completes an utterly crushing win

JM Anderson c †de Kock b Olivier 0 (2m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

"Oh Jimmy, Jimmy!" cry the crowd. At least one of England's players still deserves an ovation

Snaz: "what? Why no mention of the fact that england have now passed South africaÂŽs first innings total?" There we go. Pyrrhic victories and all that. England have technically avoided an innings defeat

44.1
W
Olivier to Wood, OUT, he can you know! Back of a length, angled into the body, Wood rises on his toes, splices a thick edge, low to the gully!

MA Wood c Morris b Olivier 0 (4m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Duanne Olivier returns. Why not? Can he get a morale-boosting wicket?

END OF OVER:
44 | 3 Runs 1 Wkt | ENG: 133/8

  • Liam Dawson5 (13b)
  • Mark Wood0 (0b)
  • Keshav Maharaj12-2-42-3
  • Vernon Philander10-3-24-3
43.6
0
Maharaj to Dawson, no run, fully forward and blocked

Triumphant from South Africa, but good grief, this is desperate. Even Dean Elgar is probably feeling a bit flat at the moment, judging by his prescient comments last night...

43.5
W
Maharaj to Broad, OUT, aha, Broad obliges. Another pitiful dismissal, greeted with an empty, exasperated groan from a very dischuffed crowd. A big yawning slog sweep, a simple hole-out to Morkel at deep midwicket, who barely had to flinch to get into position for the take

SCJ Broad c Morkel b Maharaj 5 (13m 12b 1x4 0x6) SR: 41.66

43.4
0
Maharaj to Broad, no run, fully forward, blocked to cover

If England want to get bowled out inside a total of 100 overs, they need to start losing wickets again ...

43.3
1
Maharaj to Dawson, 1 run, swept to backward square

Quick end

96.1

Overs faced by England in this Test. The last time they faced less than 100 overs in a home Test, getting all-out in both inns, was at Headingley in Ashes 2009.

Bairstow v Maharaj

12.00

Bairstow's average against Maharaj in this series. In 3 of the 4 inns he has got out to him scoring 36 runs off 68 balls. Against others: 86 off 143 with 1 dismissal.

away at home

21.93

Cook's average at Trent Bridge, his lowest at any home venue. In 17 innings he has just one fifty.

Big task

332

Highest target successfully chased by England, at MCG in 1928. The highest at Trent Bridge is 284, by Eng v NZ in 2004.

Amla's double

2010

Last time Amla scored 50+ in both innings of an away Test - 80 & 118* in Dubai. Between 2008 and 2010 he had made the double 4 times in away Tests.

Top stand

135

The partnership between Elgar and Amla, their first century stand in 27 innings in Tests. Their previous best was 78, also against England, in Cape Town last year

Collapsed

6

Runs for which England lost their last four wickets. Last time they lost their last 4 wkts for 6 or fewer runs at home was in 2013.

Unballanced

19.79

Gary Ballance's average in last 13 Tests and 24 inns, with just 2 fifties. In his first 10 Tests, he averaged 67.93 with 4 100s and 5 50s in 17 inns.

Openers go cheaply

2005

Last time England's openers aggregated fewer runs in a Test innings, than the 3 runs in this Test. In Faisalabad, 2005, both their openers had got ducks.

Philander's bunny?

10.40

Cook's average against Philander - 52 runs, 5 wickets in 9 inns. It is the most Philander has dismissed any batsman in his career.

Anderson-Broad pair

702

No. of wickets between Anderson and Broad in the 92 Tests they played together. Only one fast bowling pair has more wickets - 762 by Ambrose-Walsh in 95 Tests.

Rules Trent Bridge

7

No. of 5-wkt hauls for Anderson at Trent Bridge, his most at any venue. No other bowler has more than 4 5-fors at this venue.

Amla's nemesis

8

No. of times Amla has got out to Broad, the most to any bowler in Tests. He was out to Johnson 7 times. Amla averages 39.12 per dismissal against Broad.