England took a 36-run lead with just three wickets in hand against the Proteas after the first day’s play in the third and final Test at The Oval on Saturday.

A 5-for from Ollie Robinson put paid to South Africa’s chances on an action-packed day that belonged significantly to the bowlers, despite an effortful showing from the English batters.

Back on the first day, on Thursday, England had won the toss and chose to bowl, but the opening day’s play was entirely rained out. 

The second day’s play was cancelled in order to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, so a result for the deciding Test would hinge on the final three days.

As Kevin Pietersen mildly put it in the preview, both teams’ batting line-ups are “significantly damaged”, meaning the bowlers could do the job in finishing off the match.

The Proteas rung true to those sentiments when, in just the second over, SA’s skipper Dean Elgar had gotten bowled for one on off-stump by Robinson, before other opener, Sarel Erwee, was caught behind for a duck from a James Anderson out-swinger the very next over.

Keegan Petersen was England’s next victim, getting bowled for 12 on the top of off-stump by Robinson after the South African left it before the delivery nipped in, bamboozling him in the process.  

Rickelton’s outing wasn’t third time lucky, after he’d gotten dismissed for 11 in the ninth over from a snick-behind off a Stuart Broad delivery. Kyle Verreynne too snicked the ball behind the next over to be sent walking for a duck. Robinson was the assailant.

Ben Foakes, from behind the stump, had a hand – or a glove – in another dismissal, catching Wiaan Mulder out for 3 in the 12th over from yet another cunning Robinson beamer.  

Khaya Zondo and Marco Jansen survived the next 12 overs until lunch, when SA were on 69-6.

Zondo won an appeal for an LBW straight after lunch, with the tracker showing the ball clearly missing leg stump, but that was almost to no avail since he got dismissed four balls later. He knocked the ball to last slip after a tentative shot off a Broad out-swinger. He departed for 23.

Robinson claimed his fifth scalp in the 34th over, that of Jansen for 30 after he’d thick outside-edged the ball to first slip.

Broad bowled Keshav Maharaj for 18 the next over after the latter bottom-edged the ball on to his stumps, before SA’s innings came to a close after Anrich Nortje was caught at cover for 7 in the 37th over. 

The Proteas were all out for 118.

Jansen got SA’s defence off to a decent start, having bowled Alex Lees for 13 in the fourth over after delivering a fine in-swinger. He also got Zak Crawley out for an LBW for 5 in the 10th over, which the Englishman unsuccessfully reviewed.

England were 84-2 at tea after 16 overs, before Jansen got the big wicket of Joe Root when proceedings restarted. Root edged the ball to third slip after Jansen had bowled a rather wide delivery from over the wicket. He was dismissed for 23.

The covers came on at the end of the 22nd over, when England were 11 shy of SA’s score.

As play resumed, Jansen continued with his surge, picking off Harry Brook. Brook hooked the ball to deep fine-leg to be caught for 12. Ollie Pope, on the other hand, reached his ninth half-century in the 25th over.

Nortje took his first, claiming Ben Stokes’s wicket in the 27th over for 6 after nicking the ball to first slip. Kagiso Rabada then also chipped in, taking the big one of Pope, who nicked a swinger to the keeper to be sent walking for a solid 67.

Rabada also got rid of Broad, who’d top-edged a bouncer due to some indecision. He was caught by Verreynne for 6 in the 34th over. 

Bad light stopped play at the end of that over where England a were 154-7, with Foakes (11*) and Robinson (3*) at the crease.