England wiped out by South Africa on day three at Lord's as they collapse to an innings-and-12-run defeat in opening Test; Anrich Nortje with three wickets in searing spell as Proteas take 1-0 lead in three-match series, which continues in Manchester from Thursday
Saturday 20 August 2022 07:52, UK
England tumbled to a first defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as South Africa shredded the hosts for 149 to win the first LV= Insurance Test by an innings and 12 runs inside three days at Lord's.
England fell victim to South Africa's potent bowling attack for the second time in the match, rolled over in 37.4 overs as the speedy Anrich Nortje (3-47) starred, after being skittled for 165 first time around.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (2-35) started the slide on Friday after the hosts began their second innings trailing by 161, pinning the struggling Zak Crawley (13) and then Ollie Pope (5) lbw before lunch.
Then, after Joe Root (6) edged Lungi Ngidi to slip, Nortje had Jonny Bairstow (18), Alex Lees (35) and Ben Foakes (0) pouched by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne in the space of 10 searing deliveries to leave the home side reeling at 81-6 on a sun-kissed afternoon in the capital.
The freewheeling Stuart Broad - who had earlier wowed the crowd with a stunning one-handed catch - then dominated a 55-run stand from 45 balls with Stokes (20 off 28) before chipping a slower ball from Kagiso Rabada (2-27) to mid-off to fall for 35 from 29 deliveries.
Marco Jansen (2-13) and Rabada then accounted for Matthew Potts (1) and Stokes respectively - the former castled and the latter pouched excellently by Maharaj at midwicket - before Jansen cleaned up James Anderson (1) to clinch the most emphatic of results for the tourists.
England's four-match winning streak since Stokes and coach McCullum took up their roles - a 3-0 sweep of New Zealand followed by a record-breaking victory over India - was snapped in dramatic style.
South Africa will now head to the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford from Thursday knowing another triumph will earn them a first series victory over England, home or away, since they won 2-0 on these shores in 2012.
The Proteas had been on top at Lord's ever since reducing England to 116-6 on a rain-trimmed day one and countered the hosts' lowly first-innings total with 326 as opening batter Sarel Erwee top-scored with 73.
South Africa had wobbled on day two, slipping from 160-2 to 210-6 amid a Stokes-inspired England fightback, only for Jansen and Maharaj to then share a seventh-wicket stand of 72 from 75 balls to halt the revival.
Dean Elgar's men resumed on Friday morning on 289-7 with a lead of 124 and swelled that score by 37 runs while Broad (3-71) starred in the field and then with the ball for England.
Broad's first intervention came in the opening over, taking a spectacular one-handed catch at midwicket to remove Rabada (3) off the bowling of Potts, before he denied the towering Jansen (48) a maiden Test fifty and then dismissed last man Ngidi (0).
England took the new ball as soon as it was available three overs into the day but Broad did not get first use of it - skipper Stokes (3-71) and Potts (2-79) deployed instead and predominantly bowling short deliveries.
Broad came on after five overs and went on to nick off Jansen and Ngidi in his second and third overs respectively with pitched-up balls - Bairstow with the catch to remove Ngidi after an initial fumble.
South Africa fielder Keegan Petersen was the man with a fumble early in England's second dig, shelling Lees in the cordon on four after diving across team-mate Aiden Markram.
It was not long before South Africa started chalking up the wickets, though, starting when Crawley was trapped in front by Maharaj on the sweep.
Crawley's latest failure means his Test summer reads 164 runs in 10 innings at an average of 16.40, with Sky Sports Cricket commentator Mark Butcher saying England may be doing the opener "more harm than good" by continuing to back him so publicly amid his run of low scores.
Maharaj struck again on the stroke of lunch as Pope perished lbw after a successful review from the Proteas while the second session was then lit up by Nortje's barrage of wicket-taking, 90mph-plus deliveries.
According to CricViz, Nortje's average speed in the 25th over - the one in which he dismissed Bairstow - was 92mph, making it the quickest over England have faced at home in the last decade.
When Broad was swinging from the hip, England had hopes of making South Africa bat again - but that was not to be as the inspired Proteas wrapped up victory with over two days to spare.
England captain Ben Stokes: "We're disappointed to lose, it would be silly for me to say anything different, but if we dive into this too much, one result in a three-match series, then we are not looking forward. We've got two more games to bounce back from this.
"I look at the captains before me, captains after me, they're always going to get criticised at certain times about the way that they want to go out and play. That's just part and parcel of life, I guess.
"We know when we perform to our capabilities that we can put in some incredible performances, like everyone has seen in the four games, This isn't a wake-up call or anything like that - we we weren't able to execute in the way we wanted and South Africa were better than us. "
Watch day one of the second LV= Insurance Test between England and South Africa, from Emirates Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports The Hundred from Thursday. Build-up starts at 10am ahead of the first ball at 11am.
