South Africa v England - Ben Stokes to the rescue yet again as Joe Root falls early

Stokes, the freshly minted world player of the year following his match-winning exploits in 2019, was left to carry the can when Joe Root lost his off stump to leave England 148-4, but came together with Pope to reach 224 without further loss.

England had threatened to fritter away an opening stand of 70 between Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley, but what initially looked like a bowler’s graveyard at St George’s Park was slowly revealed as a trickier proposition as the Proteas gnawed away.

Stokes battled through some tough moments, and no less than three reviews, to finish 38 not out at stumps, with Pope timing his shots better than anyone in a lively 39no.

Sibley (36) and Crawley (44) had earlier become the first English openers to bat out the opening session of a Test since Sir Andrew Strauss and Sir Alastair Cook in 2011, setting up false expectations of a one-sided contest between bat and ball.

Yorkshire’s Keshav Maharaj played a crucial role in recalibrating expectations, working through 30 unbroken overs for 54 at the Duck Pond End, and doing much more for his side than the solitary wicket told.

Having lost his sixth toss in a row, Proteas captain Faf du Plessis surprisingly handed debutant Dane Paterson the new ball, rather than strike bowler Kagiso Rabada.

The latter watched on as England’s inexperienced openers had a gentle start, with Vernon Philander generating so little off the surface that Quinton de Kock felt able to stand up to the stumps after only seven overs. Once called upon, it took Rabada all of three deliveries to change the mood, Crawley top-edging a pull agonisingly close to mid-on with just eight to his name.

But the rest of the morning belonged to the tourists, not least when Sibley was winning his sparring bout with Anrich Nortje. A score of 61-0 suited England just fine given their tendency for first-innings collapses but the scoreboard was moving slowly enough to give South Africa hope.

That they harnessed their opportunity owed much to Maharaj, who locked things down with a relentlessly nagging line and began to find subtle variations in bounce and turn.

That allowed the quicks to attack in rotation and it was Rabada who opened the door, aiming one in at Sibley’s hips and seeing the ball turned round the corner to Dean Elgar at leg gully; the partnership broken at 70.

What initially looked like an unexpected gift was soon revealed as a smart ad-hoc tactic, Crawley almost replicating Sibley’s dismissal on 37 and then falling in similar fashion while six short of a maiden half-century.

Nortje’s ball was fuller, Crawley’s connection sweeter and Rassie van der Dusssen’s catch considerably sharper, but the trap behind square had been sprung again. Root’s first scoring shot was a top-edged sweep that dropped a yard or two in front of fine-leg and he was also lucky to see a mis-timed pull land safe.

Maharaj finally got his just rewards when he trapped Joe Denly lbw for 25 – a place-holder of an innings lasting 100 balls.

The prospect of Stokes and Root in tandem proved better in theory than practice, the skipper gone for 27 when a re-energised Rabada knocked back off stump. Not for the first time Stokes held the cards for his side in a stand of 76 with Pope.