After being blown away inside three days at Lord's, England bounced back impressively at Old Trafford as they bowled South Africa out for just 151 before ending day one on 111-3.
Needing a response after their lacklustre showing in the first Test, England captain Ben Stokes got one from his bowlers as they needed just 53.2 overs to dismiss a Proteas side which won the toss and decided to bat first. England made the most of some helpful see following conditions, with James Anderson setting the tone with the new ball when he got Sarel Erwee caught behind for just three.
Anderson, a returning Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad and Stokes himself were excellent as they ripped through South Africa's top-order, with the highest score made by a frontline batter the 21 scored by Keegan Petersen and Kyle Verreyne. Broad accounted for captain Dean Elgar, Petersen and Verreyne, while Stokes took the crucial wickets of Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen and Anderson returned to remove Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj in a thrilling double wicket maiden.
Kagiso Rabada did lead a useful lower-order as he made 36, his third-highest Test match score, but was eventually caught at slip off spinner Jack Leach to bring South Africa's innings to a close. In response, though, England lost three early wickets as they threatened to produce a similar collapse.
Alex Lees' struggles continued as he fell to Lungi Ngidi for four, Ollie Pope was cleaned up by the express pace of Anrich Nortje for 23 and Rabada nicked off Joe Root for nine to leave England in trouble at 43-3. However, Jonny Bairstow and the under-pressure Zak Crawley steadied the ship with a crucial 68-run partnership, with Bairstow striking a fluent 38 off 45 balls and Crawley battling his way to 17 off 77 to leave England trailing South Africa by just 40 heading into day two. Here are five talking points from Thursday's action.
The toss
South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first, having selected a second spinner with Harmer replacing left-arm quick Marco Jansen. England, however, would have chosen to bowl first anyway given what Stokes described as "fantastic bowling conditions" and their record when chasing down totals in the fourth innings so far this summer.
It was an interesting decision by South Africa skipper Elgar, who cited a dry pitch as the reason behind picking Harmer and batting first. However, things did not go to plan for the visitors as they lost several early wickets and were bowled out inside 54 overs for just 151.
On the face of it, Elgar's decision seems a strange one given the success England's seamers enjoyed, but it could yet prove fruitful for South Africa if spin comes into the game later on in the Test.
Robinson's return
In his first Test match for England since the Ashes, Robinson impressed despite only picking up the one wicket of Nortje. He was entrusted with taking the new ball alongside Anderson, the first time since January 2010 where Anderson and Broad have not opened the bowling when playing together.
And he delivered a very impressive opening spell, almost dismissing Elgar twice. Stokes first put down a difficult catch at third slip, before Pope took a stunner at short leg only for Elgar to be given a reprieve because Robinson had overstepped.
It was also his fastest spell of bowling in an England shirt, with CricViz clocking his average speed at 83mph. Despite his impressive start, it took until the final session for Robinson to get his first and only wicket as he pinned Nortje lbw for 11.
Robinson was notably criticised during the Ashes by England bowling coach Jon Lewis over his fitness, but he managed to keep his speeds up throughout the day and Sussex teammate Steven Finn was full of praise for the 28-year-old. "Ollie Robinson is a seriously impressive bowler with the subtle changes he makes," Finn said on BBC Test Match Special.
"He's a real competitor, too. He's worked hard at Sussex to build up the fitness and stamina that he was criticised for - sometimes unfairly, I thought - in the Ashes. He's the kind of guy that when he gets into the battle and competitiveness, he'll bowl all day."
Anderson's historic milestone
At the age of 40, Anderson is continuing to deliver the goods and he marked his 100th Test match in England with another impressive display. Anderson is the first cricketer to ever play 100 Tests in one country and he picked up 3-32 from his 15 overs.
He first removed Erwee, getting him caught behind for just three, and then bowled a stunning double wicket maiden to dismissed both Harmer and Maharaj lbw. Anderson was unfortunately denied a first-ever Test hat-trick while bowling from the James Anderson End, but it was a typically excellent display from the veteran.
Comedian Chris Addison joked of Anderson's remarkable longevity: "Jimmy Anderson. A double wicket maiden and almost a hat-trick. He’s remarkable. I can't wait to see how he develops in the second half of his career."
Broad delivers on his promise
In a column for the Mail on Sunday , Broad admitted he was too "tentative" in the first Test at Lord's and vowed to be "ultra-competitive" at Old Trafford and "hit the arena hard". And he did just that in an excellent first spell which saw him pick up 2-17 from six overs before lunch and become just the fifth seamer to take 800 international wickets.
Broad first removed Elgar for just 12 after a brilliant over of bowling which saw him have two LBW shouts against the South Africa captain denied, before he edged a simple catch to Bairstow at third slip. Broad then dismissed Petersen for 21 with another excellent ball that was edged to Root at first slip.
"Stuart Broad has been really good this morning, running in and asking the right questions," former South Africa seamer Vernon Philander said on BBC Test Match Special. Broad ended with figures of 3-37 from 11 overs after also getting Verreynne caught behind for 21.
Root falls cheaply
After an excellent bowling performance, England lost three wickets before the close of play and when Root was caught at first slip by a juggling Erwee for just nine to leave the hosts 43-3 it felt like a moment which could end up being hugely important.
Root has been in magnificent form over the past 18 months or so and England rarely win if he fails to make a big contribution with the bat. He was out for two single-figure scores at Lord's and recorded another at Old Trafford, with the excellent Rabada accounting for him.
"You could hear Root just say 'oh no'," former England captain Michael Atherton said on Sky Sports. "Just as he edged it or maybe a fraction before he edged it he knew he'd pushed a little harder at the ball again.
"Good change from Elgar bringing Rabada back at the opposite end and Root knows he just had a little fiddle at this, a ball that he could easily leave, but it's the extra pace, a bit of bounce and eventually Erwee holds on. There was one just like that at Lord's where he couldn't cling on and that is a massive moment in the game."
