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Report and analysis of the match
A long day, which ends at seven, with the late summer sun already disappearing. Advantage South Africa, who patiently gathered the runs on offer and kept them very well in the side. Are England missing out on the practice that comes with Championship cricket? It’s hard to say, as they often take a break from these games; I’m sure Ben Stokes will let us know in time. That’s all from us for today – thanks for sticking with our new system, quirks and all. Good night!
I wrote this yesterday: We seem to be stuck in a paradox where England’s Test players are simultaneously overworked and undercooked. One feels a certain degree of sympathy for Lees, but little for a setup that allows this nonsense to play out.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) August 18, 2022
Jack Leach, who had a good day: “We’re behind in the game but we’ve held on really well. Trying to take wickets, it’s hard to summarize right now, but we could have got a few more. We were creating half chances, we have to hold on.
“I can feel Stokesy in the half, I feel that belief in me and I’m trying to make the most of it. It’s a mixture of things, confidence after playing enough Test cricket to learn through games and belief from those performances” .
It felt like a mini-epic – challenging on the day from South Africa, but endlessly entertaining from the England side that threw themselves into it. After keeping things tight after that South African opening partnership, and Stokes being beaten almost into the dust, Jensen and Maharaj took the South African lead from useful to important.
Stumps: South Africa 289-7, lead by 124 runs
77th over: South Africa 289-7 (Jansen 41, Rabada 3) Stokes calls for the last over of the day, but Jansen is ready and spins to five, pulling Stokes past a Bairstow who it sinks into the rope. It is routed safely under the final bouncer and that’s stumps!
76th over: South Africa 285-7 (Jansen 37, Rabada 3) Leach steps up for what could be the last over of the day, but is actually so quick that he’ll bring in one more Rabada on the last ball, but that squeezes past slip and takes two.
75th over: South Africa 283-7 ( Jansen 37, Rabada 1) Stokes gets his man, but not before the pendulum has swung.
Why do England look so tired @tjaldred? They’ve bowled just 72 overs and it’s not exactly scorching. Most have had weeks to prepare for this.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) August 18, 2022
I have no answer to that! Maybe Test cricket is exhausting when you’re not in the groove?
WICKET! Maharaj c Potts b Stokes 41 (South Africa 282-7)
This looks a bit like a bought wicket – 41 off 49 balls and a very useful little innings, ending with a blind burst at a bouncer from Stokes, well caught by Potts in the eye of the setting sun.
74th over: South Africa 277-6 ( Jansen 39, Maharaj 34) Oh dear. Maharaj takes no pity on his former Lancashire colleague, hitting two perfect fours.
Hello Tanja, hello Eva!
“I’m not surprised the comment box experiment has been temporarily suspended – I always feel that OBOs are like the Archers’ listeners – they’re not very interested in change. I wonder what the big overlap of ‘these two groups… -mail option, by the way!’
I think the Venn diagram would be interesting! What else would you throw in the mix? Real beer?
73rd over: South Africa 269-6 (Jansen 34, Maharaj 31) Stokes has had enough, and in the manner of a big brother who can’t bear to let his siblings complete a task incompetently, takes the ball But it doesn’t quite work. Jansen spins it to long-on, where Jimmy Anderson chases it down, and four runs. A couple more in the same direction are chased down by Stokes as there are no linemen on this unorthodox pitch. Jansen takes six off a short one, then four more. The lead extends to 104.
72nd over: South Africa 253-6 (Jansen 18, Maharaj 31) When all else fails, he turns to Anderson. Maharah drives him through covers for four, then leans back and pancakes him over midwicket for four more. South Africa have scored 27 in the last four overs.
71st over: South Africa 243-6 (Jansen 18, Maharaj 21) The catch is leaking here in the last half hour. Seven off Leach, including a long loft from Jansen to the long-on boundary.
Updated at 18.43 BST
70th over: South Africa 236-6 ( Jansen 14, Maharaj 18) Maharaj and Jansen rather ride Potts here, a four each, as the lead goes up to 71. A good crowd staying for the last hurray in the sun, as the rain falls outside my window.
Updated at 18.43 BST
69th over: South Africa 227-6 ( Jansen 10, Maharaj 12) And from the pavilion end this time, with half an hour to go, Jack Leach. His last ball almost squeaks through the gap between Jansen’s bat and pad.
Updated at 18.42 BST
68th over: South Africa 226-6 ( Jansen 10, Maharaj 12) A maiden from the Potts laces.
67th over: South Africa 220-6 ( Jansen 10, Maharaj 12) The shadow of a searchlight bisects the batsman and the slips. Maharaj hits two boundaries in three balls off Broad, one to an edge through the slips that has Broad down on his haunches, the other cuts a cake.
In defense of Bazball by Tim Maitland, “Before you start writing all the Bazball obituaries, doesn’t the state of this test match come down to the pitching and the huge difference in bowling conditions from day one to day two?
“If South Africa had batted first, they too would be struggling to avoid being put in a losing position by now.”
66th over: South Africa 216-6 (Jansen 9, Maharaj 3) Potts builds as the afternoon winds down. Each race is worth double.
65th over: South Africa 215-6 (Jansen 9, Maharaj 2) Jansen goes for the edge, but there’s no slip and the ball falls into the shade. Broad keeps Maharaj on his toes. The camera pans back and the crowd splashed with red looks like fruit on a cherry tree full of joy. The lead goes up to fifty.
Hi Daniel Lees: “I kid you not. Every time I leave the room to cook dinner for myself and the boss, plus the kids (two separate pasta dishes…successful parents we are not) we grab a port.Given my late afternoon consumption of rosé wine, you can expect the remaining 4 ports to drop before the game closes.After that, I’ll cross my legs and stay in the room, I promise! “
64th over: South Africa 210-6 ( Jansen 6, Maharaj 0) A 6:3 pitch down the leg side as Potts takes on ex-Lancashire and Yorkshire man Maharaj. Just the race.
63rd over: South Africa 210-6 ( Jansen 6, Maharaj 0) Somewhere in the ether someone, sorry if it was you, sent a great message about how Stokes’ captaincy doesn’t go astray. I can’t find him now, but he was very observant. England, inspired by their captain, are clinging to this South African innings with both hands, desperate not to let it slip out of sight. And the lead has been limited to 45.
WICKET! Verreynne c Foakes b Broad 11 (South Africa 210-6)
Hanging, hanging: Verreynne was caught in two minds at the crease, some extra bounce and a slip of an edge. Stuart Broad’s 100th Test wicket at Lord’s!
Stuart Broad removes Kyle Verreynne. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Updated at 18.06 BST
62nd over: South Africa 210-5 (Jansen 6, Verreynne 11) Out of nowhere, Verreynne goes on the charge, cutting Leach and skewing it ugly and wide for three. Almost, almost, but no cigar.
61st over: South Africa 206-5 ( Jansen 5, Verreynne 8) Did I mention slips? England still has plenty. Four await Stuart Broad but no reward. With an hour or so to go, the lead is 41. England are playing in the ditch, making a mockery of cricket.
I think the new checkout gimmick has already been removed for the day; so feel free to email me at the usual address: tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com
60th over: South Africa 202-5 ( Jansen 3, Verreynne 5) Once Leach is over, they adjourn for the final break of the day.
Harry has been scratching with a pencil. “From my (admittedly out of date) B grade in GCSE maths calculations, if Jimmy is still bowling in internationals early next year he will be closer to 60 than he was (21) when he played for the first time. debut (vs. Zimbabwe, 22 May 2003). (Quite remarkable, although it would be useful to have the version of his first bowling this afternoon to spice things up a bit)
59th over: South Africa 201-5 ( Jansen 3, Verreynne 5) Time for Stokes to rest his knee and Stuart Broad to take the wicket. The sun on his tanned face briefly turns him into a modern Botticelli angel. The temptation hangs, but the tall Jansen resists.
“This,” writes Jon D, “is a tough South African side and won’t fold as easily as NZ and India. It will come down to England’s middle order against South Africa’s top order . I think South Africa will take it because their technique is superior to England.”
58th over: South Africa 200-5 ( Jansen 3, Verreynne 5) Verreynne cuts Leach’s point and over the rope to release the tension.
57th over: South Africa 195-5 ( Jansen 2, Verreynne 1 ) Ooooff, Stokes’ leg doesn’t look pretty. He gives up on the follow-through after one ball and then limps back to his mark. A final no-ball tests his patience, but he reignites the thunder. Surely this must be because of this (magnificent) spell.
“Hello from the People’s Republic of South Yorkshire (Sheffield),” writes Nick. “England’s batting, for all the magic we’ve seen in the last four Tests, is still deeply flawed and, against a decent pace attack, they have fallen well short. ||I remember a few months ago McCullum said that Crawley would never be a consistent player, but that he would back him 100%. But is it even possible to have a successful career as an inconsistent test starter? There are only so many times a team can find themselves down 20-2 and 50-4 and rally, before they finally start to blow themselves up…