At the end of an extraordinary day on which 17 wickets fell, Stuart Broad singled out for praise not a player but “whoever decided to put the game on”. Friday’s second day had been cancelled after the death of Queen Elizabeth II but instead of abandoning the Test the England and Wales Cricket Board opted to precede its resumption with a short but memorable tribute that was largely conducted in complete silence, culminating in the singing of the national anthem.
Without any instruction, those present rose and stood silent even before the players had left their dressing rooms, creating an eerie and extraordinary atmosphere that ended only after God Save the King had been sung, and with the ninth ball of the match Ollie Robinson ripped out the off stump of the South Africa captain, Dean Elgar.
