Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Not good from Stokes. I read some commentary, only half joking, that said the ECB might be more annoyed about the term 'four-eyes' rather than c***, as one of their major sponsors is Specsavers.

Perhaps they ought to fix Joel Wilson up with a free eye test?

Probably just a fine and a demerit point for Ben, but he should know better. At least he owned it and for apologised straight away.

Sir Gentle Ben OBE fights who he wants

I don't have much sympathy for a spectator who goes out of his way to abuse a player as he leaves the field . But Stokes really ought to know better than to react like that. Would fine him heavily - not that he can't afford it - and if I were Joe Root I'd let him know what I thought about unprofessional conduct detracting from the team's otherwise good performance on this tour.

Moving on : this match seems to be following the script from Port Elizabeth quite closely. Insipid SA effort with the ball in the first session followed by their bowlers roaring back after a break and inducing a somewhat typical England collapse from a position of strength. And again it is young Pope walking in at six and immediately exerting a calming influence on the game... Will he and Root now go on to a mammoth stand tomorrow ?
Even if this innings is cut off rather quicker than last time you'd think anything north of 300 would be reasonable on a pitch which is offering a bit of bounce and carry for the massed battalions of fast bowlers on both sides. SA may have cause to regret that strangely flat first session...
I still wish England had included a proper spinner : it isn't automatic that their pace attack will just roll over the South Africans - they are about due to get a good early partnership going and as we've seen today this ground is pretty good for fast scoring. Might possibly need a bit of change of pace at some point...but that is for the future. And at least they have options in Root and Denly.

Best thing - apart from the way Pope looks again - from this day , for England , was the way Crawley played . Early days - and he's not without flaws - but there was a lot to like about the strokes he produced in that first couple of hours. He will have ups and downs - and indeed will face a challenge just to hold his place when Burns recovers fitness : but he appears to have something. How it survives tougher tests and the targeted approach of opposition bowlers as he is subjected to analysis and planning remains to be seen ; but he has made a higher score than his previous best in every Test innings he's played so far - which is by definition an upward trend

after a delayed start, we are now off

Root and Pope take the score past 200

Well played again by Ollie Pope. Lucky we don't have Bayliss there or he'd be batting at 3 by the summer.

100 partnership

50's for both

250 up

Pope falls first ball after drinks

ain't that always the way

Buttler next up

England might not get to 300

Curran seems to be falling away a bit with the bat. First baller today.

Averages progression for Curran by year, number of Tests are 7-7-2.
Batting-37-21-17
Bowling-25-34-39.

Probably already a handy score for England.

JB2 has to get some runs eventually. Only got the bottom three for company, but Woakes should be a good partner. Then again, new ball.

Well done to Nortje with the old ball.

No runs for JB2. Blame Arthur for that ?

Woakes going alright ...318/8 : get it up to 350 and I'd call it job done ; but there is a bit of work left to do that...

Scratch all that as Woakes goes...good catch Faf and a deserved five wicket haul for Nortje

Looks like 320-330 tops. OK ; but not a rock-crusher.

Ha ! Reckoned without Stuart Broad rolling back the years and smithing the bowlers to all parts...

Not many number elevens have a Test century to their credit. Fifty stand really rubbing it in to SA.

Never expected 370 plus...

400 it is, and 9, 10, jack all score more runs than JB2

How long before Pope gets thrown the gloves?

Malan continues his downward trajectory. Out for 15.

Similar for RvdD who was out for a duck!

Both have Test averages of 29, which will be less than that after this Test.

South Africa waiting for Markram to recover from his injury. The cupboard is bare.