England trail SA by 40 runs after day one | 2nd Test

England have their noses in front and trail South Africa by 40 runs with seven wickets in hand after day one of the second Test in Manchester.

The Proteas won the toss and this time elected to bowl first. They got off to a rather tetchy start, having attempted to get a feel of the conditions and England’s bowling attack.

Their caution was cracked however in just the fifth over, when Sarel Erwee inside-edged a nip-backer from Kevin Anderson, which sent the ball soundly into Ben Foakes’s gloves. Erwee departed for 3.

SA’s first boundary only came in the sixth over – courtesy of Keegan Petersen – which bore testament to their guarded playing. Captain Dean Elgar was then sent packing for 12 in the 13th over after being caught at third-slip from a Stuart Broad beamer.

Broad then struck again just two overs later, this time taking the scalp of Petersen, who played a defensive shot before edging it to first slip to be caught for 21, which included three 4s.

In the 22nd over, Aiden Markram miscued a pull shot, resulting in a top-edge straight up into the air for Foakes to claim behind the stumps. Ben Stokes was the assailant and Markram was sent walking for 14.

SA began to enter troubled waters in the 24th over when Rassie van der Dussen was Stokes’s next victim. Van der Dussen reviewed an LBW that was given out, but it was to no avail as the ball had shown to be hitting his off-stump.

Van der Dussen was confirmed out for 16 as the Proteas went into lunch two overs later on 77-5, somehow limping along.

They then took a stumble when, in the 31st over, they lost two wickets in as many balls in the form of Simon Harmer (2) and Keshav Maharaj (duck), both as a result of well-placed full deliveries from Anderson.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne then fell in the 38th over when Broad bowled a blinder of a delivery that angled in towards off-stump before straightening out after the bounce, finding the South African’s edge to be caught by Foakes. Verreynne departed for 21.

Tail-enders, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, had put up a plucky 35-run partnership, before the former was dismissed for 10 for an LBW by an Ollie Robinson out-swing straight after tea. Jack Leach then brought the curtains down on SA’s innings by picking off Rabada for a hard-fought 36.

The Proteas posted a below-par 151 in 53.2 overs, as Anderson (3/32) and Broad (3/37) spearheaded the English bowling attack.

SA struck early with the ball though, as Lungi Ngidi bowled the perfect line and length to cause Alex Lees to snick it to Verreynne in just the second over. The English opener was taken for 4.

The hosts were holding their own for a while after that, before Nortje bowled Ollie Pope on the top of off-stump for 23 in the 11th over.

Rabada claimed the big one, Joe Root, in the 14th over when the experienced batter nudged the ball outside-off for Erwee to take at third slip. Root scored 9.

Zak Crawley (17) and Jonny Bairstow (38) were at the crease at stumps on day one, where England are well-placed on 111-3 ahead of the second day.