SA in control of 2nd Test after Eng collapse

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South Africa took control of the second test against England and saw a way back into the series after a tumultuous second day on Saturday when 15 wickets fell and the Proteas emerged with a 205-run lead and nine wickets in hand.

South Africa was 75-1 in its second innings after weathering a blistering 78 from 76 balls by England captain Joe Root to bowl the English out for 205 in their first innings.

The Proteas' lead grew to beyond 200 at stumps with an unbroken 57-run stand between Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla.

It was a roller-coaster day, though, and South Africa took command only in the final session.

Before that, South Africa lost its last four wickets for 26 runs in 6.2 overs at the start of the day to be all out for 335 under a blistering spell of 4-4 by James Anderson.

England was 3-2 before Root's innings made batting look easy on a swinging, bowler-friendly track at Trent Bridge.

Root's departure began a collapse of 7-62 for England, and South Africa was left with three days to press for victory and a good chance to level the four-test series.

Root was the one batsman to handle the overcast, bowler-friendly conditions at Trent Bridge — apparently with ease — as he struck 12 fours, reached his half-century off 40 balls, and faced just 76 deliveries for his 78.

Around him, England wasn't so comfortable.

And Root's dismissal, to a thin edge behind off Morne Morkel, started an England slide where it lost 3-33.

Overall, nine wickets fell for 210 runs in the first two sessions of the day as the South Africans were bundled out in the morning after continuing on 309-6. James Anderson's blistering spell of 4-4 meant England wrapped up the South African tail in just 6.2 overs, with Anderson taking the last four wickets for figures of 5-72.

Anderson needed just 20 deliveries to finish off South Africa. He started by removing Vernon Philander (54) in the first over of the day and finished with a caught and bowled to remove Chris Morris for 36.

While both team's quick bowlers found an abundance of swing at Trent Bridge, and the batsmen generally struggled against pace, South Africa took two crucial wickets just before tea through left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Maharaj found extra bounce to have Ben Stokes caught by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock after a juggle — and after a review to check the ball hadn't clipped De Kock's helmet before he completed the catch.

Daily Pioneer
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