England’s pace attack rattled through South Africa’s top order as the tourists’ decision to bat first at Emirates Old Trafford backfired on the first morning of the second LV= Insurance Test.
Despite skittling England cheaply twice in their innings victory at Lord’s, the tourists spurned the chance to make use of murky conditions in Manchester and paid the price by slumping to 77 for five.
Lancashire local James Anderson got the ball rolling with the initial breakthrough, before Stuart Broad and captain Ben Stokes took two apiece to take a firm grip on the innings.
Anderson, creating history as the first Test cricketer to make 100 appearances at home, was in familiar territory as he opened up from the end that bears his name and got the hosts on the board quickly.
Sarel Erwee had been beaten a handful of times on the outside edge when Anderson swung one back in, clipped the inside of the bat, and had him well caught by the alert Ben Foakes for three.
Stokes broke with convention by pairing Anderson with Robinson, demoting Stuart Broad from his usual new ball duties, and the Sussex seamer made an encouraging start.
He found decent rhythm in his seven-over spell and hit a testing length on his first appearance in seven months, but only had himself to blame for missing out on a wicket. Ollie Pope’s excellent one-handed catch at short-leg looked to have done for Proteas captain Dean Elgar, but Robinson was guilty of over-stepping and was called for a no-ball.
Elgar’s reprieve did not last long, with Broad making up for his belated introduction by snagging the captain’s outside edge for 12. Jonny Bairstow did the rest, snapping up a low chance at third slip.
Broad’s attacking lengths brought him a couple of lbw appeals before another dismissal, Keegan Petersen (21) nicking to Joe Root.
Three wickets represented a decent return for England but Stokes’ double strike turned a promising session into a dominant one, Aiden Markram top-edging a short ball and Rassie van der Dussen lbw to a tight decision.
South Africa’s woes could have got even worse when Kyle Verreynne under-edged Jack Leach in the last over of the morning, but Foakes could not hang on.
