The excellence of South Africa’s pace attack turned the Trent Bridge Test into a rout as England were dismissed in only 44.2 overs, their hopeless pursuit of a world-record 474 to win on a deteriorating pitch transformed with indecent haste into a 340-run defeat.
Faf du Plessis missed South Africa’s defeat at Lord’s to be at the birth of his first child but he has supervised a staggering turnaround at Trent Bridge, where England had not lost since 2007, which told not just of South Africa’s skill but invited increasing questions about England’s ability to perform when the going gets tough.
England’s coach Trevor Bayliss, appointed primarily because of his reputation in the limited-overs cricket, has now overseen a sequence of seven defeats in England’s last 10 Tests. A 4-0 trouncing in India was embarrassing enough, but this feckless batting display will probably attract the loudest condemnation of all. “We’ve had a shocker,” he said.
Data suggests no surface degenerates more reliably than Trent Bridge in Tests in England – and that is normally no bad thing – and South Africa made voracious use of their opportunity, removing England’s top four by lunch and then rushing through the rest of the scorecard in unconstrained fashion.
This is an England batting line-up that at its best can be highly entertaining, but which gives the impression it can only swim with the tide. Joe Root, two matches into his Test captaincy, must gather together resolve if his first series in charge is not to end in defeat.
South Africa’s new-ball attack, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, were at the peak of their game and this time they gained excellent support from Chris Morris with only Duanne Olivier, an unimpressive stand-in for Kagiso Rabada, failing to pose a perpetual threat.
Philander repeatedly battered away on an excellent line and length as if determined to wear his own hole in the pitch, Morkel possessed uncomfortable bounce and Morris mixed up bouncers and yorkers with alacrity as England struggled to muster resistance. Morkel went wicketless, scant reward for his consistent menace only a few months after he feared his career might be over because of back trouble. England had a single to their name overnight. It felt utterly worthless; their defeat looked only a matter of time. Perhaps they could have planted it and hoped it germinated, or framed it and put it on the wall. Wickets would not be long delayed. By the time the lunch clock brought temporary release, they had careered 79 for 4. Only 16.2 overs later it was all over. – Agencies
