It's time for us to sign off now, but we'll be back tomorrow. It's another early start as they attempt to make up the overs lost on the first day. Join us from around 0715 GMT.
Until then... goodnight!
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Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on breathesport.com
"Stuart Broad is a class act. A sportsperson who delivers under pressure on a regular basis and plays the game hard... #Loveit"
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I thought 303 is workable and still think it's workable. I don't think it's out of the question. Someone may play very well. It's a good time to take South Africa on and they are in a fragile state of mind."
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England's day could have been better, remember. Ben Stokes had Dean Elgar out lbw but skipper Alastair Cook decided not to review the not out decision.
The nuggety left-hander is 67 not out overnight... he's standing between England and a long-looking Proteas tail.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I think England are sitting pretty. South Africa's batting is slightly worse than England's and when you keep getting out it does your head in. You don't feel confident, you have to get to 25 by hook or by crook, but you are scratching about for runs. I will be very surprised if England don't get a lead and that will be priceless on this pitch."
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Mike Ball: Scorecard makes Broad look like England's top all-rounder at the moment. He's had a good day with bat and ball today.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers were the two big fish. Broad played absolutely gorgeous cricket. If you're a cricket connoisseur you're not just worried about bashing the ball everywhere."
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Geoffrey is right. Stuart Broad led England's attack magnificently.
He had both Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers caught behind - the latter falling when well set as he became muddled in his thinking, wary of Broad's ability to move the ball both ways.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"It's a slow low pitch with a bit of nibble for the bowlers. People are having to work very hard for their runs. England did well this morning. Bairstow was positive and scored quite quickly and then Broad played some shots to get England to a working total on this surface.
"South Africa are a wobbly batting side and their confidence is down after their tour of India. Broad bowled beautifully with a great length and line and he got the two big fish of Amla and De Villiers."
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However, England's last-wicket pair of Stuart Broad and Steven Finn put on 36 runs to edge their side past 300 - a score which is par on this ground.
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So, let's recap on what we've seen today.
England began on 179-4, but soon lost Ben Stokes after a couple of meaty boundaries.
Nick Compton (85) and Jonny Bairstow (41) appeared to be taking England to a very good first-innings total, until a collapse saw the tourists slump from 247-5 to 267-9.
"It's been a fascinating day's cricket on a sluggish pitch. Some balls have kept low and we've seen some spin so I think a target of 250 batting last on this pitch will be an extremely tall order."
Scorecard - close of play
South Africa first innings: 133-4 (52 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 67, Bavuma 10
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7), 100-3 (De Villiers 49), 113-4 (Du Plessis 2)
Joe Root steps up to bowl the final set of six of an enthralling day. Six dots. And that is stumps.
England's day? I think so.
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Not your average household kitty!
Are we about to see a new phenomenon of cats watching cricket?
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SA 137-4 (Elgar 67, Bavuma 10)
It's a little murky out there as we approach what could be the penultimate over of the day. Ben Stokes bowls a bouncer which Dean Elgar ducks beneath... he must be cursing his skipper's decision not to review that lbw decision earlier.
SA 135-4 (trail by 168)
Temba Bavuma has had to battle hard to stay out there, but he's getting his rewards now as he plays a sweet on-drive for three off Steven Finn.
Super-woakesy takes a wicket batting was atrocious
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SA 131-4
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There's a cat on the pitch! He/she is staying very still waiting to pounce on some birds grazing* nearby. I imagine it's pretty hard to be stealthy in front of television cameras and a few thousand people though, and all while being careful not to be wiped out by a Dean Elgar cover drive.
Ben Stokes continues to impress and gets Elgar in all sorts of trouble with a yorker which is sliding down leg. A muted leg-before appeal soon fizzles out.
* Do birds graze? I honestly don't know.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"You've got to be aware of the situation in the moments before breaks. It's about finding the ability to play naturally and within your game plan. As it gets closer to the end of play you will begin to reel it in naturally. From Dean Elgar's perspective he would love to be there at the end of play."
SA 130-4 (trail by 173)
Just 20 minutes or so until the close of play. Can England force a final wicket? Maybe two if South Africa send out a nightwatchman? Dean Elgar has other thoughts and pulls Steven Finn for a well-timed four off the back foot.
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Mike Ball: England's bowling unit is looking pretty strong at the moment. Anderson and Wood both out but I wouldn't say missed currently.
SA 126-4 (trail by 177)
Ben Stokes doesn't strike me as the type of fella who likes to be top-edged over the keeper for four. The diminutive (a nice term for being short) does just that to the fury of the Durham all-rounder.
SA 122-4 (Elgar 61, Bavuma 2)
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Temba Bavuma, you may or may not know, is a bit of a pioneer. He became the first black African specialist batsman to play for South Africa when he made his Test debut. Just one from another tidy Moeen Ali over.
Latest scorecard
South Africa first innings: 121-4 (45 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 61, Bavuma 1
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7), 100-3 (De Villiers 49), 113-4 (Du Plessis 2)
Ben Stokes is a great man to have thundering in, bowling chest-on at the end of a long, sweaty day. He seems to relish getting to work with the old ball and gets one to shape into Temba Bavuma and keep low, the ball narrowly failing to take out the tentative right-hander. It takes 15 balls for Bavuma to get off the mark, and huge cheers mark his single into the leg side.
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Rupert deBeer: Hope Elgar doesn't have too many variations. Could prove a bit of an enigma otherwise.
SA 119-4 (Elgar 60, Bavuma 0)
To Alastair Cook's credit, he stuck with Moeen Ali when he was disappearing into the stands and now it's paying dividends. After Dean Elgar takes a single, Temba Bavuma plays back five dots. Pressure.
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Keep the Mary Poppins references coming in...
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The fielders should have listened to the bowler and backed Stokes. Nine times out of 10 the bowlers are right, the exception being Stuart Broad. Stokes is spitting feathers now. He was absolutely convinced and that normally sways a captain to ask for the review."
SA 117-4 (Stokes 3-1-10-0)
Ben Stokes, who has been under-used today having only bowled two overs, is given his turn and instantly gets one to shape into Dean Elgar and pin the left-hander in front. Looks out, but the umpire says no.
Alastair Cook won't review it... which is a mistake because it would have been out. Three reds. Plumber than Super Mario.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The ball is spinning now so Moeen Ali should be taking the pace off it, bring his fielder in a bit off the boundary and try to tempt Elgar to launch him over the top. Play cat and mouse with him."
SA 114-4 (Elgar 56, Bavuma 0)
Dean Elgar has almost ground to a halt while watching wickets fall at the other end. He takes a single off Moeen Ali, but it appears to be hard work for him to get up to the non-striker's end. Is he cramping up at the end of a long, hot day?
From the press box
SA 114-4 (trail by 189)
Temba Bavuma is the new man at the crease for South Africa, a 25-year-old right-hander who has scored 135 runs five Tests so far. He's a short, compact player who South Africa desperately need runs from with only JP Duminy to come before the four bowlers are exposed.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"South Africa have obviously decided to attack Moeen Ali a bit. Elgar and De Villiers have both done it and hit him over the top, but Du Plessis is not in the form of De Villiers and played an ugly heave."
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Du Plessis went to hit the ball over Ali's head and missed it completely. It looked like it had missed the stumps but it flicked the top of the heavy bail. Talk about a coat of paint. Somehow that was enough to topple the bails."
WICKET
Du Plessis b Moeen 2 (SA 113-4)
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The perfect off-spinner's delivery! Faf du Plessis dances down the track to Moeen Ali and is bowled through the gate, the ball clipping the bail.
The batsman is a bit bemused and wonders if the keeper knocked them off. Jonny Bairstow is in no doubt... I'm fairly certain I heard him mutter "He's bowled you, pal" over the stump microphone.
Your best and worst cricket memorabilia...
SA 112-3 (Elgar 53, du Plessis 2)
England are doing a good job of keeping a check on the South African scoring rate. Another over from Chris Woakes, just one from it.
What do you reckon to this?
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Colin Docker: If England can get Elgar out in the next 5 overs they are well in control.
Mark Shuttleworth: Can Stuart repeat his summer heroics? You bet he can!
SA 111-3 (trail by 192)
Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed Dean Elgar four times, more than any other bowler, so Moeen Ali will fancy his chances against the left-hander. England's offie is managing to keep things tight now AB de Villiers is safely back in the hutch. Could that pressure bring another wicket?
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SA 110-3 (Elgar 51, du Plessis 2)
That's good to see. Chris Woakes walks back to his mark where Stuart Broad is waiting to offer some advice. The senior pro grips the ball in his fingers to demonstrate his point. Maiden over.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"This match is nicely poised. You need patience to graft while batting because it's not easy to play lots of shots. It does a little bit for the bowlers but it will do less and less and, as the ball gets softer, will become harder to time for the batsmen.
"The match situation can change very quickly with quick wickets or two batsmen coming in and batting well. It's there for both sides to win this match."
SA 110-3 (trail by 193)
Every now and again, Moeen Ali gets one to grip and spit at the batsman. One such delivery causes Dean Elgar a moment of alarm. There's still 27 overs possible today if the light holds, by the way.
How's stat?
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"South Africa still don't have a single century partnership in Test cricket this year and this is their eighth match."
From the press box
The Sunday Times cricket correspondent has been doing some research, and it seems Broad enjoys taking the wicket of AB de Villiers...
Drinks break
SA 108-3
Time for a break. Samit Patel brings out the refreshments.
"Samit, where have the chocolate biscuits gone?"
SA 108-3 (Broad 10-5-16-3)
Stuart Broad is shaping the ball back into the right-handers, meaning the one which nips away is always a potential wicket-taker.
Of far more interest is a man in the crowd who's dressed in full whites and helmet, is donning green ODI pads and leaning on his bat as though he's the next man in. Part of me hopes it's the beginning of a prank. I obviously can't condone such behaviour though...
50 for Dean Elgar (off 93 balls)
SA 106-3
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A woefully out of form Faf du Plessis - he averaged 8.5 against India in four Tests - replaces AB de Villiers at the crease.
He will surely try and settle into Dean Elgar's slipstream, the left-hander bringing up his half-century with a six off Moeen Ali.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"That was a piece of beautiful bowling. Broad bowls a wonderful line and length and he got the batsman in no-man's land and thinking he should be leaving the ball. But you don't have time to change your shot, he caught in two minds and that was the end of his innings."
WICKET
De Villiers c Bairstow b Broad 49 (SA 100-3)
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Stuart Broad must surely be put in the world-class bracket now. Against one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, in his own back yard, and with the old ball doing very little on a lifeless pitch, he still finds the skill to wobble the seam past a set AB De Villiers' groping outside edge and Jonny Bairstow does the rest.
Big, big wicket. What a bowler, Broad is. Wow.
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Dave: The gripping thing about this match is both sides have inexplicable collapses in them.
SA 100-2 (Moeen 6-0-33-0)
Moeen Ali manages to beat Dean Elgar in the flight and has an lbw shout turned down by Rod Tucker.
The batsman responds nicely, flicking three through mid-wicket. Excellent fielding from Chris Woakes stops the boundary.
"This will be a big spell for England and especially Stuart Broad as England are in need of a breakthrough now."
SA 95-2 (trail by 208)
Umpire Aleem Dar interrupts play to remove a piece of paper which has blown onto the wicket. Like these things always do, the paper waits for the umpire to bend down before departing the scene via another gust.
Stuart Broad bowls a maiden to Dean Elgar, which is interesting in the fact he bowls over and round the wicket from alternate deliveries. Clever.
Now Dean Elgar is getting stuck into Moeen Ali, bringing up 1,000 Test runs with a lofted four back over the bowler's head. Alastair Cook has got a headache here.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
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"De Villiers looks like he has so much time to play his shots. The key factor is how still his head is. The extra time he has enables him to just guide the ball into the gap in the field.
SA 88-2 (Elgar 34, De Villiers 47)
What is it with mothers and them filling the loft with your old gear and continually ticking you off for not collecting it? Mine's the same. Why wouldn't you want 400 copies of Shoot magazine acting as ready-made insulation?
Back to the middle, where Dean Elgar pinches a single to Moeen Ali at mid-off. The spinner threw down the stumps, but was too slow. He's probably wondering where he can buy body armour in Durban in case De Villiers takes him to the cleaners.
AB is in good nick here, cracking Broad through the covers for four.
Your best and worst cricket memorabilia...
We're discussing your best and worst cricket memorabilia after Graeme Swann's Millennium Falcon woes.
SA 83-2 (Moeen 4-0-21-0)
Moeen Ali is given a twirl and AB De Villiers decides to attack England's premier spinner, dancing down the track and launching a straight six which comes down with snow on it. Huge.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Stuart Broad really seems to relish stepping up to the plate when James Anderson is missing from the attack. He's probably a bit glad because he can get some of the limelight. He's bowled beautifully well in this Test."
SA 76-2 (trail by 227)
There's been some good fielding in this Test from both sides. Ben Stokes is the latest to impressively swoop on the ball like a seagull stealing a Cornish pasty and quickly release it in the manner of a fairground grabber machine. You know the ones I mean... the ones where you get a good grip and then it just lets go for no obvious reason. Grrr!
Stuart Broad returns to the attack and begins to get the type of reverse swing which has been lacking from overs. Just one from the over.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"When I was involved with South Africa, we developed a crop of players who were part of a very successful unit: Amla, De Villiers, Du Plessis, Duminy, Morkel, Steyn. But some of the players who have come in, and some of the tactical decisions that have been made, have been found wanting."
SA 75-2
Chris Woakes is landing the ball on a 50 pence piece. The problem is that he's struggling to get the kind of shape which will trouble the best batsmen on this slow pitch. Just one from a tidy over, but no wicket-taking threat.
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Stephen: As mush as I like Chris Woakes, he's a one-day player not a Test cricketer. Vital player with the white ball though.
Francis Edwards: Do England now only pick players with all-rounder abilities but are average at their main job? Where are the quality specialists?
SA 74-2 (Finn 8-1-26-0)
Then he does that! AB decides to tuck into Steven Finn and belts four through the covers. The type of shot which is his staple in ODI cricket.
Later in the over, he plays an exquisite cover drive to the boundary. Finn might need a breather after this over.
On the back of Graeme Swann's Millennium Falcon woes, how about we discuss your best and worst cricket memorabilia?
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SA 66-2 (trail by 237)
AB De Villiers times everything so sweetly. You see Chris Woakes busting a gut to get the ball down the other end at a decent lick, and AB just flicks it for a single. A supreme timer of the cricket ball. I imagine if he gets invited to a party at 8pm on a Saturday night, he arrives on the dot. Measured and classy.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"England have bowled OK since tea but the pitch is very flat now the ball is 23 overs old and any normal swing has ceased to exist. There's a while before reverse swing comes into play and it looks like South Africa will have a nice easy period ahead with the bat."
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
SA 65-2 (Elgar 30 off 68)
The stump microphone is turned up for this series - which I'm a big fan of - and I can hear one England fielder suggesting a change of deployment because 'he's not going to hit it there'. It must be weird as a batsman to hear people talking about you, knowing you are there. Wait until he leaves the room, lads.
Steven Finn is building up a nice head of steam as he gets one to shape into Dean Elgar round the wicket and it's only a couple of coats of paint from rocking back the off stick. The next ball almost shaves the batsman's armpits as he plays an extravagant leave next up.
Then the ball is over-pitched and Elgar drives four to bring up the fifty partnership.
A proper battle this.
What England are missing...
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Howard Horner: "I personally think Woakes is one of the unluckiest bowlers I've seen - always seems to bowl beautifully with hardly any reward."
SA 61-2 (Woakes 6-0-18-0)
There's a different aura around Chris Woakes now. Rather than looking like the shy, rosey-cheeked young pup, he's got a bit of snarl about him. When Jonny Bairstow dropped Hashim Amla off his bowling earlier, it was the first time I'd seen him get visibly angry on a cricket field. It's increasing his presence.
He's working Dean Elgar over outside off stump, but the batsman capitalises when he gets too straight and whips three off his pads and through mid-wicket.
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SA 58-2 (De Villiers 28, Elgar 22)
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Steven Finn is operating round the wicket to the left-handed Dean Elgar, who is happy to watch the ball through to the keeper whenever possible.
England have three slips in place, plus a wideish fourth slip, but Elgar appears to have dropped anchor and hammered in the 'No fishing today' sign. He's very disciplined outside off stump.
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SA 56-2 (trail by 247)
Chris Woakes is very much at the embryonic stage of his Test career but five of his six dismissals so far have been caught. No caught behinds, no bowled and just one lbw. That has to improve - although he should have had Hashim Amla caught behind earlier. He bowls a decent over first up after lunch, beating the bat of Dean Elgar with a particularly good delivery. Tidy.
Leader of the pack
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The evening session is about to get under way. We could get 44 overs if the light holds so strap yourself in, grab the biscuit tin and pour yourself a cold one.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The worst thing about being on tour on Christmas Day is that you have to train because there's a Test on Boxing Day. Nobody would be in the mood for training. I'd put a Santa hat on for our lap of the ground, more to put two fingers up at the authorities who didn't want us to do that."
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Test Match Special are talking about being on tour on Christmas Day at the moment...
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
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"AB De Villiers will always fight for South Africa and, when he can, will put the pressure back on England. To have him coming in at number four is like what Adam Gilchrist used to do for Australia."
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Thanks James. I'd say England are just about in front too, but WinViz, an online tool which tries to predict each team's chances of victory, has South Africa at 44% and England at 41%. That changes as the game progresses, mind.
Get AB and England will be licking their chops over dinner tonight.
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Time for me to leave you, with this Test match very intriguingly poised. Marc Higginson will see you through to the close.
"It's been an intriguing day of Test cricket. There's been a lot happening, there's been great intensity. England are on top with the runs on the board, so it's set up nicely for the evening session."
Tea interval
SA 55-2
Dean Elgar looks like a gritty customer with his flinty eyes and three-day stubble. He's not going to throw his wicket away in the last over before tea despite Steven Finn's best efforts. That's tea, and England will reckon they're on top here.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"AB is a non-fuss type of cricketer. Jacques Kallis would be messing with his bat handles, the stickers etc, whereas AB would just get padded up and go out there to play."
SA 55-2 (Stokes 2-1-7-0)
Lovely footwork from AB, shuffling onto his back foot with the twinkle-toed grace of a ballet dancer and pulling Stokes through midwicket for four.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's interesting to watch how De Villiers can curb himself and his attacking shots when he has to. Once he gets in he can cut loose but he is able to apply himself and play patiently."
SA 48-2 (trail by 255)
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Sweet from De Villiers, Finn strays a whisker too full and AB clips him regally off his toes for four. But he's still not looking too comfortable - Finn finds that probing line again and De Villiers fences awkwardly at it, sending it towards the slips on the bounce.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"England have a balanced team with four seamers and a spinner, plus they bat really deep. If they can get the rest of the top order contributing alongside Cook and Root, they can become a real force on this tour."
SA 44-2 (Elgar 19, De Villiers 18)
Ben Stokes, perhaps still smarting from that rejected catch, comes into the attack. Elgar, a gritty, survivalist sort of opener, blocks out a maiden.
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Jonathan France: That was out! The zoomed in replay showed it went straight in. Looked out the more you saw it. He'll go on to get 200 now!
Kyle White: Normally these look Not Out, that looked like it carried, 100%.
Mark Thorn: It didn't just carry! It went straight in! What a joke!
SA 44-2 (Finn 3-0-8-0)
The more I look at replays of that De Villiers catch, the more I reckon it was out. Stokes had his fingers under the ball and I don't think it touched the ground before that. Stokes initially let out a yelp of celebration, then - very honestly - shrugged his shoulders to indicate he wasn't sure. Once it went upstairs 'not out' was always favourite. Finn is causing AB problems though - he gets one to fly off the inside edge (and away for four), then whistles one past the outside edge.
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Thomas Hammond: It's high time Broad got proper recognition as a World Class performer.
Jay: Cook should gamble and let Ali bowl at ABDV for a couple of overs. Need to get him out before he gets to double figures.
SA 40-2 (trail by 263)
Moeen rattles through an uneventful over. A couple of singles keep the score ticking over.
From the press box
SA 38-2 (Elgar 18, De Villiers 13)
Well well well, what a moment that might have been. England are still in the ascendancy but the wicket of De Villiers really would have been the stuffing ball on top of the Boxing Day leftovers sandwich. Still, not to be.
"It was a good delivery from Steven Finn. It bounced and turned De Villiers around."
SA 36-2
I reckon it might have carried. But you rarely see these decisions go the way of the fielding side, and sure enough, the not-out decision is upheld.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"I don't think it carried. It just didn't look right."
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Neil Manthorp
BBC Test Match Special
"Ben Stokes is shrugging his shoulders and saying he's not sure."
Umpire review
Have England got De Villiers? Steven Finn squares him up, the ball flies off the glove and Ben Stokes thinks he's grabbed it before it hit the turf at gully. Given not out on the field, but let's have a look...
How's stat?!
AB De Villiers' strike-rate of 54 is only bettered by Graeme Smith (60) of those with 3,000+ runs for South Africa.
SA 36-2 (Moeen 2-0-12-0)
360-degree stuff from AB de Villiers, rubber wrists twirling the bat in his hands like a toothpick and deftly switching his grip to reverse sweep the ball past Ben Stokes for four. Seven off Moeen's over.
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SA 29-2 (Elgar 18, De Villiers 4)
It's a double bowling change as Steven Finn - probably the standout bowler in the warm-up games - takes the nut. There's that familiar tall, lanky action, the ball rearing up awkwardly off the pitch and warming the fingers of Dean Elgar as it hits high on the bat. Elgar nudges one off his hip for two.
"Dean Elgar has been dismissed 13 times by spinners in Test cricket, compared to 15 times by the seamers. That's quite a high ratio."
Drinks break
SA 27-2
Captain Cook rearranges the deckchairs and shuffles Moeen Ali to the front for a bit of early tweakage. Dean Elgar has probably been seeing slow bowlers in his nightmares after a harrowing trial by spin in India, but Moeen isn't quite the same proposition as Ravi Ashwin and co, and he's able to assert his authority with a flick off his hips for two. Time for drinks.
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Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
"AB Villiers averages just 20 against Stuart Broad, who has dismissed him seven times in Test cricket."
SA 22-2 (Broad 5-2-8-2)
Great graphic on TV showing how masterfully Broad set Amla up - he repeatedly targeted that fourth-stump line, not giving Amla any width to free his arms, and the delivery that got him was just a fraction closer to the off pole. Broad keeps Elgar sweating with a maiden.
Broad on a roll?
SA 22-2
Big shout from Woakes against Elgar, looked a bit high though. Elgar has one of compact, snappy defensive techniques. It's more of a punch than a dead-bat, and that leaves him susceptible to the outside edge, as is proved when he nibbles one between the slips for four.
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Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Hashim Amla, at his home ground here in Durban, averages 286 runs at 19."
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Jonny Bairstow will be over the moon with that dismissal after that earlier clanger. Chris Woakes will be fuming though."
SA 17-2 (Elgar 7, De Villiers 3)
AB de Villiers, your country needs you! And to be fair, he usually answers the call. But if England can't somehow nip him out, they'll fancy their chances against the soft underbelly of this South African batting line up. AB is off the mark with a drive through the covers.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Beautifully bowled. Again, it was in the corridor and it squared him up. Amla didn't play it very well... it just left him a bit and he wasn't sure whether to go forward. South Africa are in trouble. Broad's a good bowler. He and James Anderson are the best around. Other than Steyn and Morkel, nobody gets close as a pair."
WICKET
Amla c Bairstow b Broad 7 (SA 14-2)
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Got him this time! Brilliant from Broad, probing away on that fourth stump and getting one to just hold up a fraction. Amla pushes tentatively, displaying all the foot movement of a man in cast-iron boots, and he gets the faintest feather through to Jonny Bairstow. England cock-a-hoop, South Africa struggling.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"If Woakes keeps bowling it there, he will get his rewards. He's got better than when he first came on the scene. However, pitches don't do as much these days so it's harder for the fast-medium seamers."
SA 10-1 (Woakes 3-0-9-0)
Elgar gets South Africa's first boundary - he gets on top of the bounce and guides Chris Woakes through the vacant point region. Otherwise it's an accurate over from Woakes and Elgar defends solidly.
From the press box
SA 6-1 (Elgar 3, Amla 3)
What will that do for Jonny Bairstow's confidence? Remember he muffed a crucial chance in the UAE too, making a horlicks of an attempted stumping of Misbah in the third Test. Amla blocks out an over from Broad.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
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"You've got to catch those if you've got gloves on. It's a flashing drive. You can't drop those. It might have been Cook's catch, but if he goes he's got to get it."
Dropped catch
SA 4-1
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Down! Hashim Amla gets a life, and how costly might that be? It's excellent bowling from Chris Woakes, getting one to shape away from Amla and induce the expansive drive - it flies off the outside edge but Jonny Bairstow, flying across goalkeeper-style, can't wrap his mitt round it. Alastair Cook was waiting for it at first slip, hands agape in expectation like the jaws of a Hungry Hippo. What a let-off.
SA 3-1
I reckon Bruce Oxenford is sitting in the telly truck saying a few silent thankyous to the Almighty that England didn't review that. It would have been an absolute pig of a decision for the third umpire - there's the tiniest flicker on Snicko, but would that really have been enough evidence to overturn the not-out decision?
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"It hasn't done very much for England. It was just a miscalculation which got the wicket. It's a matter of patience for England. Put them under pressure and see how many mistakes they make."
SA 3-1 (Broad 2-1-1-1)
This is straight out of the Stuart Broad textbook: good delivery, beat the bat, turn around, arms raised in celebration, almost daring the umpire to give it not out. That's what happens though, and England take too long to ask for the review, so Amla is reprieved. Tell you what, there was a noise there as well. More drama as a hospitality umbrella breaks free of its moorings and goes cartwheeling across the outfield before a brave steward flings himself in its path. All happening.
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Gus Sammons: Don't leave those, great start! Let's hope it continues.
Jay: That was a great imitation of an England opener by Van Zyl.
Jonny Mango: Remember everyone was panicked when Anderson got injured at Edgbaston. Broad doesn't need anyone else to ruin a lineup.
SA 2-1 (Elgar 1, Amla 1)
So, an unfamiliar opening partner for Stuart Broad: Chris Woakes to take the new cherry at the other end. Dean Elgar's first shot is none too convincing, wafting at one outside off stump, but he's off the mark thereafter with a sharp single and Amla follows suit. Woakes, a little quicker than he was before, a good swinger of the ball, solid action. A good first over from him.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"It doesn't matter how many runs Hashim Amla has made in the past and how much experience he's got, but he didn't get any runs in India and he's got none since in first-class cricket. People remember the great knocks, but it doesn't help you in the middle."
SA 0-1
So the new man is Hashim Amla, and Durban hasn't necessarily been a happy hunting-ground for him over the years - he averages just a shade over 20 at Kingsmead. And immediately he faces a huge shout! Beauty from Broad, just leaving Amla, batsman feeling for it, Broad's face turning purple as he tries to convince the umpire that the batsman has snicked it. Nothing doing, but what a start from Broad.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
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"One or two South Africans I've spoken to feel Van Zyl is very lucky to have kept his place. He's not got any runs in the middle for a while and that's not good for confidence."
WICKET
Van Zyl b Broad 0 (SA 0-1)
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What were we saying about early wickets? Second ball, Stiaan van Zyl plays an ill-judged leave and watches in slack-jawed horror as Stuart Broad's delivery seams back in and cannons into the top of off stump. The batsman just waved it through, like a toreador ushering a charging bull. What an error from Van Zyl, what a breakthrough for England.
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Thank you Higgy. Dear oh dear, quite a contrast between this very closely fought encounter and the almighty shellacking currently being dished out to the West Indies than Australia. Anyway, we're almost ready to go again in Durban. Early wickets the order of the day for England.
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Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Adam Voges has made 375 runs from two innings against West Indies, without being dismissed. He is just the third batsman to score 1,000 runs in the year of his Test debut. The other two are Mark Taylor and Alastair Cook."
Aussies rampant in Melbourne
Australia 551-3 dec; WI 91-6
It's been another chastening day for West Indies in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Resuming on 345-3, Australia piled up the runs serenely, with Steve Smith and Adam Voges coasting to unbeaten centuries.
Declaring on 551-3, Smith then unleashed his bowlers. James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon took two wickets apiece to destroy the top order, then local hero Peter Siddle took two in two balls to leave the tourists on 91-6 at the close.
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We'll be back very shortly, but here's some news from around the world of cricket while we grab a bite to eat. When we return, James Gheerbrant will be taking the live text reins. Enjoy.
"I think from 190-3, England will be very disappointed. But from 267-9, they'll be over the moon."
How's stat?!
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"England have scored 124 runs today and lost six wickets in 35 overs. That was Dale Steyn's 50th wicket against England."
Lunch
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is lunch. South Africa will begin their reply to England's 303 all out in around 40 minutes' time.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"This is as dead as a dodo."
WICKET
Finn lbw b Steyn 12 (Eng 303 all out)
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Full, fast and straight from Dale Steyn and Steven Finn is hit in front. Plumb!
The finger goes up, but England review it - because they might as well.
A waste of time really... that was always going to be out.
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Robin Booth: A total of 300ish I will take after being 8 down for 250. Top order once again letting the side down.
San J: Great stuff from Broad. Now we have a decent score on the board.
Julian Hignell: Nice little innings here...keep it going! @StuartBroad8
England innings falls apart
BBCCopyright: BBC
Eng 303-9 (Broad 32, Finn 11)
England just carry on chipping away at a first-innings total which has now surpassed the average for a team batting first at Kingsmead.
Eng 302-9
Yep, the impact was outside the line of off stump. Steven Finn can carry on.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"This looks very similar to the dismissal of Joe Root. The only thing that will save Steven Finn is if this hasn't hit him in line."
Review
Eng 302-9 (Broad 32, Finn 11)
This looks a decent shout. Steven Finn is hit in front by spinner Dane Piedt. The umpire says no, but the bowler reviews it. It might be outside the line.
"You feel England are still short, even though the pitch is slow, but Broad and Finn have done well to get up to the 300 landmark."
300 up!
Eng 301-9
Stuart Broad averaged 47.5 on England's recent tour of the UAE, so his form should not come as too much of a surprise.
Steven Finn looks in good touch too as he clips a single into the leg side which brings up the England 300.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Dane Piedt doesn't look at all comfortable bowling round the wicket to left-handers. He isn't doing his captain any favours."
Eng 299-9 (Broad 30 off 30)
A proper batsman's shot from Stuart Broad, who sweeps a full toss from spinner Dane Piedt to the boundary. Another sweep is top-edged and falls short of the man rushing in from the ropes.
The over ends with a muscular pull for four more. A lively cameo.
"England are going to have to bowl pretty well. They haven't got any leeway."
Eng 289-9 (Broad 20, Finn 10)
Lunch is delayed because England are nine down. We'll play until England lose a wicket or for another 20 minutes or so. Steven Finn continues to prove a capable, obdurate number eleven with the odd block and the odd push into the off side which brings two. A leading edge also brings two.
They all count.
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Neil Manthorp
BBC Test Match Special
"South Africa tend to just push a little bit too hard when they get down to the tail-enders."
Eng 285-9
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Dean Elgar looks to be a very, very good grabber at second slip, but the opening batsman hurts his shoulder when making a diving stop to deny Steven Finn an edged four. Finn's batting partner, Stuart Broad, then feels the full force of a Morne Morkel bouncer.
BBC Cricket's alternative awards 2015...
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Today we're asking for your suggestions of alternative cricket awards for 2016...
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Neil Manthorp
BBC Test Match Special
"I don't see days four and five being easy to bat. But days two and three: good, very good."
Eng 284-9 (Broad 20, Finn 5)
South Africa are aggressive against the England lower order - Kyle Abbott throwing the ball back at Stuart Broad's stumps when the batsman plays a neat defensive shot. The left-hander stands his ground and carves the next ball through point for four. Good cricket.
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Oli Cary: It is the flirtation with a competitive score that is so infuriating. Recovery and resilience or flatter to deceive.
Eng 280-9 (run-rate 2.98)
This is a useful partnership for England. If they can somehow get their team to 300, it looks much, much better than the 267 which were on the board when they came together.
Stuart Broad smears Morne Morkel through the leg side for four. A succession of bouncers follow, one of which the left-hander tries in vain to get hold of. Close, but no cigar.
What does history tell us?
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Eng 275-9 (Broad 11, Finn 5)
Look at Steven Finn playing an on-drive to the boundary. Kyle Abbott is not best pleased and digs one in which clatters into the batsman's you-know-whats. Everyone smiles, as everyone does when these things happen.
Joe Root was asked for his favourite moment of his record-breaking, Ashes-winning year recently. His answer? When Alastair Cook was hit in the nether region.
Eng 271-9 (Morkel 24-5-70-4)
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It's the big, tall guys slugging it out now.
We've got 6ft 5ins Morne Morkel bowling to 6ft 6ins Stuart Broad and 6ft 7ins Steven Finn. Land of the giants.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"We could be in for some entertaining batting from Broad now - I don't think there will be any defensive strokeplay with nine wickets down."
Eng 267-9 (Broad 9, Finn 0)
This is a spectacular collapse for a side which supposedly bats down to number 10. They'll be lucky to scrape to 280 now.
The wickets may be tumbling, but look at the view...
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Jack Beecroft: I only went to have a shower and I come back to an England collapse, would 300 be good considering our poor start?
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"I think Bairstow was drawn into that shot by the way Stuart Broad has been batting. England are really in bother now. They haven't capitalised on being 190-4 overnight, and Morne Morkel has pulled South Africa back into it."
WICKET
Bairstow c Elgar b Abbott 41 (Eng 267-9)
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Remember when Nick Compton was batting and England were in complete control?
That all seems like a long time ago as Jonny Bairstow plays an ugly waft which flies to the impressive Dean Elgar at second slip.
Eng 267-8
The score is rattling along now as Stuart Broad pulls a Kyle Abbott bumper, which drops just short of the athletic Temba Bavuma in the deep.
Mark Peters: Classic England! A walk in the park for Compton and Bairstow at 5 down before flaky collapse hands over initiative again. Typical.
Richard Barter: Ah, the ol' England Batting Collapse. Haven't seen that for some time...
Eng 265-8 (Bairstow 40, Broad 8)
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Stuart Broad decides to throw the kitchen sink at Morne Morkel and it brings him a rather fortuitous four over fly slip. He and Jonny Bairstow won't hang around here, with Steven Finn the only batsman left in reserve.
Morkel fights fire with fire and bowls a bouncer which hits Bairstow on the shoulder. Ouch.
BreakingYasir Shah fails drug test
Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah has been provisionally banned after testing positive for a banned substance.
Yasir tested positive for chlortalidone, a diuretic, after the second ODI against England on 13 November.
Yasir was instrumental in Pakistan's Test series win over England, taking 15 wickets and being named man of the series. He is currently the world's third-ranked bowler in Test matches.
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Eng 258-8
South Africa look a different team now they are not being ground into the Durban dirt by Nick Compton. Dale Steyn is thundering in and bowling a mixture of full balls and bouncers. England add five precious runs, mind.
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Come back Compton, all is forgiven...
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Broad has improved his batting recently, but I don't think he's back to his best yet."
Eng 253-8 (Bairstow 36, Broad 0)
Morne Morkel on a hat-trick. He roars in and delivers a perfect outswinger to Stuart Broad who has a little nibble but just about avoids edging behind. A bouncer follows, which the batsman ducks underneath.
South Africa have wrestled back some control. Remember, par at this ground is around 300 in the first innings of a Test match.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Woakes got tangled up. We always say, you've got to get in, the first 20 runs are the difficult part."
WICKET
Woakes lbw b Morkel 0 (Eng 253-8)
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England falling like dominoes now - three wickets have gone in 12 balls.
Replays show the ball was just clipping leg stump, but it's enough to send Chris Woakes packing. Next.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"That looked full. I'd have been shouting for that if I was at slip."
Umpire review
It looks like Morne Morkel's got another one. He pins Chris Woakes in front first ball. The finger goes up, but Woakes reviews it.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I was slightly concerned about Moeen not having had enough batting on this tour. I don't care how good you are, you need some middle practice."
"A bit of a tame, feely prod outside the off stump from Moeen, and this is a good burst for South Africa."
WICKET
Moeen c De Villiers b Morkel 0 (Eng 253-7)
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A nothing shot from Moeen Ali who trudges off having scored... well, nothing.
He hangs his bat out to Morne Morkel, who is running the ball across the left-handers, and edges behind to the keeper. Not one of his better moments.
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Some appreciation from one of Nick Compton's Middlesex team-mates...
How's stat?!
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Compton was at the crease for six hours and 19 minutes"
It's his second longest Test innings in terms of duration.
From the press box
Eng 253-6 (Bairstow 36, Moeen 0)
So, Moeen Ali joins Jonny Bairstow at the crease. England's batting is a long way from being done yet. With Chris Woakes still to come too, England's tail is about as short as that of a pug dog.
Bairstow, by the way, is playing very well. He nonchalantly flicks Dale Steyn through the off side for another four. There's talent there if he can cut out the loose shots.
"He's played very well: a disciplined, determined innings in conditions in which scoring at any rate were difficult. At 3-1, England needed that."
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Morkel got it up high, above shoulder height, and wide of off stump, so he had to fetch it. That's when it becomes a hook rather than a pull and it's harder to control. But Compton has done his job and played nicely - he held the innings together."
WICKET
Compton c De Villiers b Morkel 85 (Eng 247-6)
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What a shame. Nick Compton looked nailed on for a century, but he perishes trying to up the scoring rate as he attempts to pull Morne Morkel but gets an under-edge to the keeper. A marathon 236-ball knock comes to an end.
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Ben Shepherd: @thecompdog is absolutely perfect for this England team, so many shot makers, we need his persistence and determination.
Mohammad Omar: Compton is a throwback. The modern game demands a more dynamic approach. Openers bat 50 overs then go go go.
Sal Seduce: Nick Compton is a dinosaur of a cricketer with no place in modern test cricket.You need to be able to play both roles... he can't.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's just a bit too predictable from the South African seamers at the moment. We haven't had one bouncer."
Eng 242-5 (Compton 85, Bairstow 25)
I imagine there's a few of you who will know the feeling about a guest overstaying their welcome? Certainly at Christmas.
Well, you'll be able to relate to Dale Steyn who seems to have upped his game against Nick Compton. There's added verbal aggression, more pace and a brute of a delivery which crashes into the batsman's gloves.
When the bowler delivers a half-volley, Compton plays a beautiful cover drive to the boundary. As good a shot as you'll see.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"Morne Morkel is incredibly supple, he's like an elastic man. He can put both feet behind his head. Whereas Dale Steyn is the opposite, he can barely touch his toes."
Eng 238-5 (Morkel 20-4-55-1)
There's a break in play while a fielder disposes of a '6' card thrown on to the ground. One spectator has decided he won't be needing it while Nick Compton is batting.
Jonny Bairstow can hit a long ball, mind, and he's timing it sweetly. An on-drive brings just one, but is a sign he's beginning to feel more comfortable at the crease.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"I expect the ball to come onto the bat a bit better today, but I don't think you'll see 25 overs of swing - you'll probably get 10 at the max. So it's really important that the South African bowlers are on the money."
Eng 236-5 (Steyn 20-5-49-3)
Nick Compton's judgement of his off stick is as good as anyone I've seen. He's superb at leaving the ball. That's not meant to be a slight, it's a skill in itself. I imagine he's good at parking his car in tight spots with such impressive spatial awareness.
The bowler, Dale Steyn, thinks Compton is playing a risky game but the batsman is strong in his conviction. He's also strong when the ball is short and wide, the right-hander hammering four over the vacant gully region.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"South Africa's new-ball bowling has been a bit soft so far. It's almost as if they're searching for something that's not there. England have shown a lot more intent to score today."
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Drinks break
Eng 232-5
This drinks break deserves its own entry, because of the quality of the platter being brought out by South Africa's 12th man. It's a plate of fruit and sugary snacks. Silver service at Kingsmead.
Eng 232-5 (Bairstow 24 off 34)
One of Jonny Bairstow's signature shots is the whip through the leg side, and it brings him four runs against Kyle Abbott. Twice. It's almost KP-like in its execution.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's pretty even at the moment, Stokes' wicket was important to South Africa. Stokes is a dangerous player at number six and he has the ability to take the run rate away.
"Any score near 350 will be a good score for England. The team behind will be playing with immense pressure."
Eng 224-5 (Compton 76, contains six fours)
Just look at that ball skip off the turf. The first ball delivered with the new cherry is driven through backward point by Nick Compton. He then pushes two into the covers. Comp Dog has found second gear.
South Africa go for the new ball. Dale Steyn cranks himself up.
Eng 218-5
Bairstow leans on one and steers it into the covers. A faint touch from the sprawling Dane Piedt keeps it to two.
Eng 216-5
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The game is always alive when Jonny Bairstow is at the crease. He very rarely looks in, but always looks like he'll score runs if he bats any length of time. He and Nick Compton rotate the strike to advance the England score by three singles.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"If Compton is doing this job he has to do it all the way through. If he gets a beauty with the new ball, he's batted his team into a bit of a hole."
Eng 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Kyle Abbott has got a good yorker in his armoury and Nick Compton has to go some to dig it out. He ends up in a crumpled heap on the floor in doing so, resembling a drunk who's tripped over a bar stool. The steely glare which follows acknowledges the impressive delivery.
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Crickettees: Compton may score slowly but it's better than everybody's quick fire 20 and out. You always need someone to play the anchor!
Russell Morris: England need Compton. Many aggressive batsmen who need an anchor at other end.
Sam Bartram: Come the apocalypse Nick Compton will still be batting!
Eng 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Dean Elgar is brought back for a twirl - he was the only bowler who Nick Compton had a strike-rate of 50 against yesterday (13 runs in 26 balls faced). Jonny Bairstow is busy and hitting the ball cleanly, but he continually picks out the fielder. Maiden.
How slow is Compton?
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The answer is...quite slow. But let's put this in context. Compton faced 200 balls for 68 runs, giving him a strike rate of 34.
That's very much in keeping with his previous form - in his previous nine Tests Compton made 479 runs at a strike rate of 34.68.
By modern standards that is pretty slow. Of the current top 10 batsmen in the ICC rankings, Misbah ul-Haq is the slowest, with a strike rate of 44.15.
But he's not quite as slow as some England batsmen of the past. Famed blocker Chris Tavare operated at a leisurely strike rate of 30.60, and former skipper Mike Brearley managed a positively glacial strike rate of 29.80.
Eng 213-5 (Compton 69 off 205 balls)
Is Nick Compton batting too slowly? I don't think so. England need this glue in the middle order. He flicks a single into the leg side to inch towards 70.
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Jordan Forster: Batting at six Stokes has to do better. He has to trust in his technique more, need a proper batsman there not a pinch hitter.
Eng 211-5 (Abbott 17-3-46-0)
I remain to be convinced on the merits of Jonny Bairstow's batting, but the fact England have the most prolific batsman in the County Championship coming in at number seven has got to be a good thing. Equally, Moeen Ali at number eight is just a ridiculously long middle order.
Bairstow underlines the fact with a lovely cover drive for four off Kyle Abbott.
View from the boundary
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The job Compton is doing at the moment is brilliant, I'm not having a go at that. I just think there are small areas where he could develop his game."
Eng 205-5 (Compton 68, Bairstow 5)
That's nice. Jonny Bairstow gets off the mark with a forceful cut off the back foot which earns him four runs against Morne Morkel. Incidentally, Ben Stokes failed to score a run in 15 deliveries against Morkel before being dismissed by the big pacer. He scored 21 off 19 against Dane Piedt and Dale Steyn.
Nick Compton joins in the fun by edging Morne Morkel through gully for four of his own.
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Francis Edwards: The way people talk about Stokes you'd think he averages 50 with bat and 19 with the ball. He averages less than 28 now...
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Where I think Compton limits himself is that he doesn't score off his defensive strokes. Jonathan Trott was brilliant at picking up ones and twos. When you're sitting in the dressing room, you want the score to move on every half an hour."
Eng 196-5
Kyle Abbott, the 2015 equivalent of Gus Fraser, sends down a maiden to Nick Compton.
Nick Compton and Ben Stokes put on 22 for the fifth wicket, and Stokes got 21 of them. I'll let you do the rest of the maths.
Jonny Bairstow is the new batsman and he looks nervy against Morne Morkel.
From the press box
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"That was a poor end, it was unnecessary. I've no problem with him being positive and aggressive, but you have to be selective with the balls. Morkel is almost going to be a little bit more difficult to pull because of his height. He's making something that isn't there."
WICKET
Stokes c Duminy b Morkel 21 (Eng 196-5)
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South Africa strike! It's hard to be too critical of Ben Stokes considering the way he makes his runs, but his dismissal is of his own doing as he tries to pull a short one from outside off stump and watches as a top edge flies to JP Duminy in the third slip/gully region.
Eng 196-4 (Compton 64 off 191)
The television cameras pan the ground, starting with the blue skies and fluffy clouds and then sweeping round to reveal a hotchpotch of stands, hospitality tents, grassy banks and a giant bottle of orange juice (laid on by the sponsors).
In the middle, Dale Steyn steams in to Nick Compton who is more protective of his wicket than your Dad is of the television remote at Christmas. Another maiden.
"Nick Compton's uncle Patrick is a cricket writer for the Natal Mercury. He's a bit nervous today, as you'd expect, but he has a chance to write something unique."
Eng 196-4 (run-rate 2.80)
Rex FeaturesCopyright: Rex Features
Ben Stokes seems the perfect foil for Nick Compton. He's almost hogging the strike at the moment, which is good for England because he's scoring quick runs and putting South Africa on the defensive. Down on the boundary, Dale Steyn swigs a drink and then checks out the 12th man's tattoos.They are impressive, to be fair.
From the press box
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Stokes is an old-fashioned player: he doesn't worry about technique, if you bowl it in an area you can hit it, he hits it."
Eng 196-4 (Stokes 21 off 25)
There's a lot to like about Dale Steyn's bowling action. He sprints in like a 100m runner, has a spring like a high jumper and the follow-through of a javelin champion. A supreme athlete.
When he does stray in line though, Ben Stokes is quick to slice him through backward point. A half-tracker follows and it's dismissively flicked to the mid-wicket boundary.
The fast bowler has now developed the snarl of a burly shot-putter.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I like Morne Morkel, but I don't think he gets enough wickets. He gets that awkward bounce. That's why big servers do well at Wimbledon: it's awkward when you get that bounce from a height."
Eng 186-4 (Morkel 16-1-44-0)
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Ben Stokes smashed 158 in England's opening warm-up game of the tour and, judging by his best Test innings so far, he likes it on the faster, bouncier decks of the southern hemisphere. He looks comfortable against Morne Morkel as he leaves well outside off stump and defends those which threaten his timbers. Maiden.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I watched carefully the match in India that Piedt played and there doesn't look enough body in his action. I don't rate him."
Eng 186-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 11)
Ben Stokes is up and running with a big shot early on. Dale Piedt bowls a half-tracker and the burly all-rounder belts it through mid-wicket for four. There's no stopping that in the field.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Dale Steyn absolutely adores bowling, you can see. Malcolm Marshall was the same: he always wanted the ball."
Eng 179-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 5)
I bet Nick Compton slept like a baby last night, considering all the concentration he spent battling South Africa's quicks yesterday.
In fact, who coined that phrase? The two babies I've got don't sleep.
Anyway, good start from Dale Steyn who is fast, furious and jagging it back early on. Compton is up to the task. Maiden.
Eng 179-4
Here we go then. Dale Steyn has the ball in hand. Let's play.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"England have got to think positively this morning. They've got to remember the ball is 50 overs old. Dale Steyn is a quality bowler, but even he needs the right tools, and he told me the ball wasn't staying hard.
"However, add two wickets to the score and it doesn't look too clever for England. Bairstow and Ali haven't had much batting."
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Anyway, I think the time has come. Christmas is behind us and we're counting down the days until 2016.
So, let's put together BBC Cricket's alternative awards for 2015.
You're the ones dishing out the awards. For example, I'm giving the Andre Nel award for gasket-busting wicket celebrations to Dale Steyn.
Get involved on Twitter, using #bbccricket, send a text to 81111 or email tms@bbc.co.uk.
Aggers column
Nick Compton and James Taylor really stood up when it mattered for England yesterday, and BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew praised the pair of them in his column, which you can read here.
A long time coming
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I actually think England are slightly ahead. I'm not one to criticise Compton and Taylor for going slow and steady. I thought they played rather well. Compton did his normal way of playing, and I don't think he should try to change. But after 18 collapses in 25 Test matches, I think England have realised they need some solidity."
TMS on air
BBC Test Match Special
Morning everyone! I trust the early start hasn't caught you on the hop.
It's not found out the Test Match Special team, who are lighting up the airwaves with their wit and wisdom.
Join Aggers and Co now, by clicking at the top of this page. Or, for the more traditional among you, stick to the wireless (BBC Radio 5 live sports extra).
Enjoy.
In good Nick
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Nick Compton might not be everybody's cup of tea, but England would be in a right pickle without him and his trusted technique.
In today's world of Ram-Slamming, Big-Bashing batsmen, it was refreshing to see a batsman using his bat as a spade to dig his side out of a hole.
Now it's time to crack on. From small acorns grow mighty oaks and all that...
An old friend
It's been a long time since we've seen you, Mr Block... but welcome back!
Live Reporting
Marc Higginson and James Gheerbrant
All times stated are UK
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Latest PostNight!
There's not much to add to that, is there?
It's time for us to sign off now, but we'll be back tomorrow. It's another early start as they attempt to make up the overs lost on the first day. Join us from around 0715 GMT.
Until then... goodnight!
Post update
Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on breathesport.com
"Stuart Broad is a class act. A sportsperson who delivers under pressure on a regular basis and plays the game hard... #Loveit"
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I thought 303 is workable and still think it's workable. I don't think it's out of the question. Someone may play very well. It's a good time to take South Africa on and they are in a fragile state of mind."
Post update
England's day could have been better, remember. Ben Stokes had Dean Elgar out lbw but skipper Alastair Cook decided not to review the not out decision.
The nuggety left-hander is 67 not out overnight... he's standing between England and a long-looking Proteas tail.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I think England are sitting pretty. South Africa's batting is slightly worse than England's and when you keep getting out it does your head in. You don't feel confident, you have to get to 25 by hook or by crook, but you are scratching about for runs. I will be very surprised if England don't get a lead and that will be priceless on this pitch."
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Mike Ball: Scorecard makes Broad look like England's top all-rounder at the moment. He's had a good day with bat and ball today.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers were the two big fish. Broad played absolutely gorgeous cricket. If you're a cricket connoisseur you're not just worried about bashing the ball everywhere."
Post update
Geoffrey is right. Stuart Broad led England's attack magnificently.
He had both Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers caught behind - the latter falling when well set as he became muddled in his thinking, wary of Broad's ability to move the ball both ways.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"It's a slow low pitch with a bit of nibble for the bowlers. People are having to work very hard for their runs. England did well this morning. Bairstow was positive and scored quite quickly and then Broad played some shots to get England to a working total on this surface.
"South Africa are a wobbly batting side and their confidence is down after their tour of India. Broad bowled beautifully with a great length and line and he got the two big fish of Amla and De Villiers."
Post update
However, England's last-wicket pair of Stuart Broad and Steven Finn put on 36 runs to edge their side past 300 - a score which is par on this ground.
Post update
So, let's recap on what we've seen today.
England began on 179-4, but soon lost Ben Stokes after a couple of meaty boundaries.
Nick Compton (85) and Jonny Bairstow (41) appeared to be taking England to a very good first-innings total, until a collapse saw the tourists slump from 247-5 to 267-9.
Post update
Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"It's been a fascinating day's cricket on a sluggish pitch. Some balls have kept low and we've seen some spin so I think a target of 250 batting last on this pitch will be an extremely tall order."
Scorecard - close of play
South Africa first innings: 133-4 (52 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 67, Bavuma 10
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7), 100-3 (De Villiers 49), 113-4 (Du Plessis 2)
Bowling figures: Broad 10-5-16-3, Woakes 11-1-22-0, Moeen 13-0-45-1, Finn 10-1-34-0, Stokes 7-1-19-0, Root 1-1-0-0.
England first innings: 303 all out (100.1 overs)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).
Not out batsman: Broad 32
Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.
Full scorecard
Close of play
SA 137-4 (trail by 166)
Joe Root steps up to bowl the final set of six of an enthralling day. Six dots. And that is stumps.
England's day? I think so.
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Not your average household kitty!
Are we about to see a new phenomenon of cats watching cricket?
SA 137-4 (Elgar 67, Bavuma 10)
It's a little murky out there as we approach what could be the penultimate over of the day. Ben Stokes bowls a bouncer which Dean Elgar ducks beneath... he must be cursing his skipper's decision not to review that lbw decision earlier.
SA 135-4 (trail by 168)
Temba Bavuma has had to battle hard to stay out there, but he's getting his rewards now as he plays a sweet on-drive for three off Steven Finn.
Super-woakesy takes a wicket batting was atrocious
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SA 131-4
There's a cat on the pitch! He/she is staying very still waiting to pounce on some birds grazing* nearby. I imagine it's pretty hard to be stealthy in front of television cameras and a few thousand people though, and all while being careful not to be wiped out by a Dean Elgar cover drive.
Ben Stokes continues to impress and gets Elgar in all sorts of trouble with a yorker which is sliding down leg. A muted leg-before appeal soon fizzles out.
* Do birds graze? I honestly don't know.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"You've got to be aware of the situation in the moments before breaks. It's about finding the ability to play naturally and within your game plan. As it gets closer to the end of play you will begin to reel it in naturally. From Dean Elgar's perspective he would love to be there at the end of play."
SA 130-4 (trail by 173)
Just 20 minutes or so until the close of play. Can England force a final wicket? Maybe two if South Africa send out a nightwatchman? Dean Elgar has other thoughts and pulls Steven Finn for a well-timed four off the back foot.
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Mike Ball: England's bowling unit is looking pretty strong at the moment. Anderson and Wood both out but I wouldn't say missed currently.
SA 126-4 (trail by 177)
Ben Stokes doesn't strike me as the type of fella who likes to be top-edged over the keeper for four. The diminutive (a nice term for being short) does just that to the fury of the Durham all-rounder.
SA 122-4 (Elgar 61, Bavuma 2)
Temba Bavuma, you may or may not know, is a bit of a pioneer. He became the first black African specialist batsman to play for South Africa when he made his Test debut. Just one from another tidy Moeen Ali over.
Latest scorecard
South Africa first innings: 121-4 (45 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 61, Bavuma 1
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7), 100-3 (De Villiers 49), 113-4 (Du Plessis 2)
Bowling figures: Broad 10-5-16-3, Woakes 11-1-22-0, Moeen 12-0-44-1, Finn 8-1-26-0, Stokes 4-1-12-0
England first innings: 303 all out (100.1 overs)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).
Not out batsman: Broad 32
Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.
Full scorecard
SA 121-4 (trail by 182)
Ben Stokes is a great man to have thundering in, bowling chest-on at the end of a long, sweaty day. He seems to relish getting to work with the old ball and gets one to shape into Temba Bavuma and keep low, the ball narrowly failing to take out the tentative right-hander. It takes 15 balls for Bavuma to get off the mark, and huge cheers mark his single into the leg side.
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Rupert deBeer: Hope Elgar doesn't have too many variations. Could prove a bit of an enigma otherwise.
SA 119-4 (Elgar 60, Bavuma 0)
To Alastair Cook's credit, he stuck with Moeen Ali when he was disappearing into the stands and now it's paying dividends. After Dean Elgar takes a single, Temba Bavuma plays back five dots. Pressure.
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Keep the Mary Poppins references coming in...
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The fielders should have listened to the bowler and backed Stokes. Nine times out of 10 the bowlers are right, the exception being Stuart Broad. Stokes is spitting feathers now. He was absolutely convinced and that normally sways a captain to ask for the review."
SA 117-4 (Stokes 3-1-10-0)
Ben Stokes, who has been under-used today having only bowled two overs, is given his turn and instantly gets one to shape into Dean Elgar and pin the left-hander in front. Looks out, but the umpire says no.
Alastair Cook won't review it... which is a mistake because it would have been out. Three reds. Plumber than Super Mario.
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The ball is spinning now so Moeen Ali should be taking the pace off it, bring his fielder in a bit off the boundary and try to tempt Elgar to launch him over the top. Play cat and mouse with him."
SA 114-4 (Elgar 56, Bavuma 0)
Dean Elgar has almost ground to a halt while watching wickets fall at the other end. He takes a single off Moeen Ali, but it appears to be hard work for him to get up to the non-striker's end. Is he cramping up at the end of a long, hot day?
From the press box
SA 114-4 (trail by 189)
Temba Bavuma is the new man at the crease for South Africa, a 25-year-old right-hander who has scored 135 runs five Tests so far. He's a short, compact player who South Africa desperately need runs from with only JP Duminy to come before the four bowlers are exposed.
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"South Africa have obviously decided to attack Moeen Ali a bit. Elgar and De Villiers have both done it and hit him over the top, but Du Plessis is not in the form of De Villiers and played an ugly heave."
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Du Plessis went to hit the ball over Ali's head and missed it completely. It looked like it had missed the stumps but it flicked the top of the heavy bail. Talk about a coat of paint. Somehow that was enough to topple the bails."
WICKET
Du Plessis b Moeen 2 (SA 113-4)
The perfect off-spinner's delivery! Faf du Plessis dances down the track to Moeen Ali and is bowled through the gate, the ball clipping the bail.
The batsman is a bit bemused and wonders if the keeper knocked them off. Jonny Bairstow is in no doubt... I'm fairly certain I heard him mutter "He's bowled you, pal" over the stump microphone.
Your best and worst cricket memorabilia...
SA 112-3 (Elgar 53, du Plessis 2)
England are doing a good job of keeping a check on the South African scoring rate. Another over from Chris Woakes, just one from it.
What do you reckon to this?
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Colin Docker: If England can get Elgar out in the next 5 overs they are well in control.
Mark Shuttleworth: Can Stuart repeat his summer heroics? You bet he can!
SA 111-3 (trail by 192)
Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed Dean Elgar four times, more than any other bowler, so Moeen Ali will fancy his chances against the left-hander. England's offie is managing to keep things tight now AB de Villiers is safely back in the hutch. Could that pressure bring another wicket?
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SA 110-3 (Elgar 51, du Plessis 2)
That's good to see. Chris Woakes walks back to his mark where Stuart Broad is waiting to offer some advice. The senior pro grips the ball in his fingers to demonstrate his point. Maiden over.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"This match is nicely poised. You need patience to graft while batting because it's not easy to play lots of shots. It does a little bit for the bowlers but it will do less and less and, as the ball gets softer, will become harder to time for the batsmen.
"The match situation can change very quickly with quick wickets or two batsmen coming in and batting well. It's there for both sides to win this match."
SA 110-3 (trail by 193)
Every now and again, Moeen Ali gets one to grip and spit at the batsman. One such delivery causes Dean Elgar a moment of alarm. There's still 27 overs possible today if the light holds, by the way.
How's stat?
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"South Africa still don't have a single century partnership in Test cricket this year and this is their eighth match."
From the press box
The Sunday Times cricket correspondent has been doing some research, and it seems Broad enjoys taking the wicket of AB de Villiers...
Drinks break
SA 108-3
Time for a break. Samit Patel brings out the refreshments.
"Samit, where have the chocolate biscuits gone?"
SA 108-3 (Broad 10-5-16-3)
Stuart Broad is shaping the ball back into the right-handers, meaning the one which nips away is always a potential wicket-taker.
Of far more interest is a man in the crowd who's dressed in full whites and helmet, is donning green ODI pads and leaning on his bat as though he's the next man in. Part of me hopes it's the beginning of a prank. I obviously can't condone such behaviour though...
50 for Dean Elgar (off 93 balls)
SA 106-3
A woefully out of form Faf du Plessis - he averaged 8.5 against India in four Tests - replaces AB de Villiers at the crease.
He will surely try and settle into Dean Elgar's slipstream, the left-hander bringing up his half-century with a six off Moeen Ali.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"That was a piece of beautiful bowling. Broad bowls a wonderful line and length and he got the batsman in no-man's land and thinking he should be leaving the ball. But you don't have time to change your shot, he caught in two minds and that was the end of his innings."
WICKET
De Villiers c Bairstow b Broad 49 (SA 100-3)
Stuart Broad must surely be put in the world-class bracket now. Against one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, in his own back yard, and with the old ball doing very little on a lifeless pitch, he still finds the skill to wobble the seam past a set AB De Villiers' groping outside edge and Jonny Bairstow does the rest.
Big, big wicket. What a bowler, Broad is. Wow.
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Dave: The gripping thing about this match is both sides have inexplicable collapses in them.
SA 100-2 (Moeen 6-0-33-0)
Moeen Ali manages to beat Dean Elgar in the flight and has an lbw shout turned down by Rod Tucker.
The batsman responds nicely, flicking three through mid-wicket. Excellent fielding from Chris Woakes stops the boundary.
Post update
Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"This will be a big spell for England and especially Stuart Broad as England are in need of a breakthrough now."
SA 95-2 (trail by 208)
Umpire Aleem Dar interrupts play to remove a piece of paper which has blown onto the wicket. Like these things always do, the paper waits for the umpire to bend down before departing the scene via another gust.
Stuart Broad bowls a maiden to Dean Elgar, which is interesting in the fact he bowls over and round the wicket from alternate deliveries. Clever.
Latest scorecard
South Africa first innings: 95-2 (30 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 41, De Villiers 47
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7)
Bowling figures: Broad 7-3-14-2, Woakes 8-0-20-0, Moeen 5-0-28-0, Finn 8-1-26-0, Stokes 2-1-7-0
England first innings: 303 all out (100.1 overs)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).
Not out batsman: Broad 32
Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.
Full scorecard
Drinks break
SA 95-2
Now Dean Elgar is getting stuck into Moeen Ali, bringing up 1,000 Test runs with a lofted four back over the bowler's head. Alastair Cook has got a headache here.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"De Villiers looks like he has so much time to play his shots. The key factor is how still his head is. The extra time he has enables him to just guide the ball into the gap in the field.
SA 88-2 (Elgar 34, De Villiers 47)
What is it with mothers and them filling the loft with your old gear and continually ticking you off for not collecting it? Mine's the same. Why wouldn't you want 400 copies of Shoot magazine acting as ready-made insulation?
Back to the middle, where Dean Elgar pinches a single to Moeen Ali at mid-off. The spinner threw down the stumps, but was too slow. He's probably wondering where he can buy body armour in Durban in case De Villiers takes him to the cleaners.
AB is in good nick here, cracking Broad through the covers for four.
Your best and worst cricket memorabilia...
We're discussing your best and worst cricket memorabilia after Graeme Swann's Millennium Falcon woes.
SA 83-2 (Moeen 4-0-21-0)
Moeen Ali is given a twirl and AB De Villiers decides to attack England's premier spinner, dancing down the track and launching a straight six which comes down with snow on it. Huge.
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Stuart Broad really seems to relish stepping up to the plate when James Anderson is missing from the attack. He's probably a bit glad because he can get some of the limelight. He's bowled beautifully well in this Test."
SA 76-2 (trail by 227)
There's been some good fielding in this Test from both sides. Ben Stokes is the latest to impressively swoop on the ball like a seagull stealing a Cornish pasty and quickly release it in the manner of a fairground grabber machine. You know the ones I mean... the ones where you get a good grip and then it just lets go for no obvious reason. Grrr!
Stuart Broad returns to the attack and begins to get the type of reverse swing which has been lacking from overs. Just one from the over.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"When I was involved with South Africa, we developed a crop of players who were part of a very successful unit: Amla, De Villiers, Du Plessis, Duminy, Morkel, Steyn. But some of the players who have come in, and some of the tactical decisions that have been made, have been found wanting."
SA 75-2
Chris Woakes is landing the ball on a 50 pence piece. The problem is that he's struggling to get the kind of shape which will trouble the best batsmen on this slow pitch. Just one from a tidy over, but no wicket-taking threat.
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Stephen: As mush as I like Chris Woakes, he's a one-day player not a Test cricketer. Vital player with the white ball though.
Francis Edwards: Do England now only pick players with all-rounder abilities but are average at their main job? Where are the quality specialists?
SA 74-2 (Finn 8-1-26-0)
Then he does that! AB decides to tuck into Steven Finn and belts four through the covers. The type of shot which is his staple in ODI cricket.
Later in the over, he plays an exquisite cover drive to the boundary. Finn might need a breather after this over.
On the back of Graeme Swann's Millennium Falcon woes, how about we discuss your best and worst cricket memorabilia?
Post update
SA 66-2 (trail by 237)
AB De Villiers times everything so sweetly. You see Chris Woakes busting a gut to get the ball down the other end at a decent lick, and AB just flicks it for a single. A supreme timer of the cricket ball. I imagine if he gets invited to a party at 8pm on a Saturday night, he arrives on the dot. Measured and classy.
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"England have bowled OK since tea but the pitch is very flat now the ball is 23 overs old and any normal swing has ceased to exist. There's a while before reverse swing comes into play and it looks like South Africa will have a nice easy period ahead with the bat."
SA 65-2 (Elgar 30 off 68)
The stump microphone is turned up for this series - which I'm a big fan of - and I can hear one England fielder suggesting a change of deployment because 'he's not going to hit it there'. It must be weird as a batsman to hear people talking about you, knowing you are there. Wait until he leaves the room, lads.
Steven Finn is building up a nice head of steam as he gets one to shape into Dean Elgar round the wicket and it's only a couple of coats of paint from rocking back the off stick. The next ball almost shaves the batsman's armpits as he plays an extravagant leave next up.
Then the ball is over-pitched and Elgar drives four to bring up the fifty partnership.
A proper battle this.
What England are missing...
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Howard Horner: "I personally think Woakes is one of the unluckiest bowlers I've seen - always seems to bowl beautifully with hardly any reward."
SA 61-2 (Woakes 6-0-18-0)
There's a different aura around Chris Woakes now. Rather than looking like the shy, rosey-cheeked young pup, he's got a bit of snarl about him. When Jonny Bairstow dropped Hashim Amla off his bowling earlier, it was the first time I'd seen him get visibly angry on a cricket field. It's increasing his presence.
He's working Dean Elgar over outside off stump, but the batsman capitalises when he gets too straight and whips three off his pads and through mid-wicket.
Post update
SA 58-2 (De Villiers 28, Elgar 22)
Steven Finn is operating round the wicket to the left-handed Dean Elgar, who is happy to watch the ball through to the keeper whenever possible.
England have three slips in place, plus a wideish fourth slip, but Elgar appears to have dropped anchor and hammered in the 'No fishing today' sign. He's very disciplined outside off stump.
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SA 56-2 (trail by 247)
Chris Woakes is very much at the embryonic stage of his Test career but five of his six dismissals so far have been caught. No caught behinds, no bowled and just one lbw. That has to improve - although he should have had Hashim Amla caught behind earlier. He bowls a decent over first up after lunch, beating the bat of Dean Elgar with a particularly good delivery. Tidy.
Leader of the pack
Post update
The evening session is about to get under way. We could get 44 overs if the light holds so strap yourself in, grab the biscuit tin and pour yourself a cold one.
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Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The worst thing about being on tour on Christmas Day is that you have to train because there's a Test on Boxing Day. Nobody would be in the mood for training. I'd put a Santa hat on for our lap of the ground, more to put two fingers up at the authorities who didn't want us to do that."
Post update
Test Match Special are talking about being on tour on Christmas Day at the moment...
Get Involved
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"AB De Villiers will always fight for South Africa and, when he can, will put the pressure back on England. To have him coming in at number four is like what Adam Gilchrist used to do for Australia."
Post update
Thanks James. I'd say England are just about in front too, but WinViz, an online tool which tries to predict each team's chances of victory, has South Africa at 44% and England at 41%. That changes as the game progresses, mind.
Get AB and England will be licking their chops over dinner tonight.
Post update
Time for me to leave you, with this Test match very intriguingly poised. Marc Higginson will see you through to the close.
Scorecard at tea
South Africa first innings: 55-2 (19 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 22, De Villiers 26
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7)
Bowling figures: Broad 5-3-8-2, Woakes 4-0-14-0, Moeen 3-0-14-0, Finn 5-0-12-0, Stokes 2-1-7-0
England first innings: 303 all out (100.1 overs)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).
Not out batsman: Broad 32
Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.
Full scorecard
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's been an intriguing day of Test cricket. There's been a lot happening, there's been great intensity. England are on top with the runs on the board, so it's set up nicely for the evening session."
Tea interval
SA 55-2
Dean Elgar looks like a gritty customer with his flinty eyes and three-day stubble. He's not going to throw his wicket away in the last over before tea despite Steven Finn's best efforts. That's tea, and England will reckon they're on top here.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"AB is a non-fuss type of cricketer. Jacques Kallis would be messing with his bat handles, the stickers etc, whereas AB would just get padded up and go out there to play."
SA 55-2 (Stokes 2-1-7-0)
Lovely footwork from AB, shuffling onto his back foot with the twinkle-toed grace of a ballet dancer and pulling Stokes through midwicket for four.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's interesting to watch how De Villiers can curb himself and his attacking shots when he has to. Once he gets in he can cut loose but he is able to apply himself and play patiently."
SA 48-2 (trail by 255)
Sweet from De Villiers, Finn strays a whisker too full and AB clips him regally off his toes for four. But he's still not looking too comfortable - Finn finds that probing line again and De Villiers fences awkwardly at it, sending it towards the slips on the bounce.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"England have a balanced team with four seamers and a spinner, plus they bat really deep. If they can get the rest of the top order contributing alongside Cook and Root, they can become a real force on this tour."
SA 44-2 (Elgar 19, De Villiers 18)
Ben Stokes, perhaps still smarting from that rejected catch, comes into the attack. Elgar, a gritty, survivalist sort of opener, blocks out a maiden.
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Jonathan France: That was out! The zoomed in replay showed it went straight in. Looked out the more you saw it. He'll go on to get 200 now!
Kyle White: Normally these look Not Out, that looked like it carried, 100%.
Mark Thorn: It didn't just carry! It went straight in! What a joke!
SA 44-2 (Finn 3-0-8-0)
The more I look at replays of that De Villiers catch, the more I reckon it was out. Stokes had his fingers under the ball and I don't think it touched the ground before that. Stokes initially let out a yelp of celebration, then - very honestly - shrugged his shoulders to indicate he wasn't sure. Once it went upstairs 'not out' was always favourite. Finn is causing AB problems though - he gets one to fly off the inside edge (and away for four), then whistles one past the outside edge.
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Thomas Hammond: It's high time Broad got proper recognition as a World Class performer.
Jay: Cook should gamble and let Ali bowl at ABDV for a couple of overs. Need to get him out before he gets to double figures.
SA 40-2 (trail by 263)
Moeen rattles through an uneventful over. A couple of singles keep the score ticking over.
From the press box
SA 38-2 (Elgar 18, De Villiers 13)
Well well well, what a moment that might have been. England are still in the ascendancy but the wicket of De Villiers really would have been the stuffing ball on top of the Boxing Day leftovers sandwich. Still, not to be.
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Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"It was a good delivery from Steven Finn. It bounced and turned De Villiers around."
SA 36-2
I reckon it might have carried. But you rarely see these decisions go the way of the fielding side, and sure enough, the not-out decision is upheld.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"I don't think it carried. It just didn't look right."
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Neil Manthorp
BBC Test Match Special
"Ben Stokes is shrugging his shoulders and saying he's not sure."
Umpire review
Have England got De Villiers? Steven Finn squares him up, the ball flies off the glove and Ben Stokes thinks he's grabbed it before it hit the turf at gully. Given not out on the field, but let's have a look...
How's stat?!
AB De Villiers' strike-rate of 54 is only bettered by Graeme Smith (60) of those with 3,000+ runs for South Africa.
SA 36-2 (Moeen 2-0-12-0)
360-degree stuff from AB de Villiers, rubber wrists twirling the bat in his hands like a toothpick and deftly switching his grip to reverse sweep the ball past Ben Stokes for four. Seven off Moeen's over.
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SA 29-2 (Elgar 18, De Villiers 4)
It's a double bowling change as Steven Finn - probably the standout bowler in the warm-up games - takes the nut. There's that familiar tall, lanky action, the ball rearing up awkwardly off the pitch and warming the fingers of Dean Elgar as it hits high on the bat. Elgar nudges one off his hip for two.
Latest scorecard
South Africa first innings: 27-2 (10 overs)
Batsmen: Elgar 16, De Villiers 4
Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Van Zyl 0), 14-2 (Amla 7)
Bowling figures: Broad 5-3-8-2, Woakes 4-0-14-0, Moeen 1-0-5-0
England first innings: 303 all out (100.1 overs)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).
Not out batsman: Broad 32
Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.
Full scorecard
How's stat?!
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Dean Elgar has been dismissed 13 times by spinners in Test cricket, compared to 15 times by the seamers. That's quite a high ratio."
Drinks break
SA 27-2
Captain Cook rearranges the deckchairs and shuffles Moeen Ali to the front for a bit of early tweakage. Dean Elgar has probably been seeing slow bowlers in his nightmares after a harrowing trial by spin in India, but Moeen isn't quite the same proposition as Ravi Ashwin and co, and he's able to assert his authority with a flick off his hips for two. Time for drinks.
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Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"AB Villiers averages just 20 against Stuart Broad, who has dismissed him seven times in Test cricket."
SA 22-2 (Broad 5-2-8-2)
Great graphic on TV showing how masterfully Broad set Amla up - he repeatedly targeted that fourth-stump line, not giving Amla any width to free his arms, and the delivery that got him was just a fraction closer to the off pole. Broad keeps Elgar sweating with a maiden.
Broad on a roll?
SA 22-2
Big shout from Woakes against Elgar, looked a bit high though. Elgar has one of compact, snappy defensive techniques. It's more of a punch than a dead-bat, and that leaves him susceptible to the outside edge, as is proved when he nibbles one between the slips for four.
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Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Hashim Amla, at his home ground here in Durban, averages 286 runs at 19."
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Jonny Bairstow will be over the moon with that dismissal after that earlier clanger. Chris Woakes will be fuming though."
SA 17-2 (Elgar 7, De Villiers 3)
AB de Villiers, your country needs you! And to be fair, he usually answers the call. But if England can't somehow nip him out, they'll fancy their chances against the soft underbelly of this South African batting line up. AB is off the mark with a drive through the covers.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Beautifully bowled. Again, it was in the corridor and it squared him up. Amla didn't play it very well... it just left him a bit and he wasn't sure whether to go forward. South Africa are in trouble. Broad's a good bowler. He and James Anderson are the best around. Other than Steyn and Morkel, nobody gets close as a pair."
WICKET
Amla c Bairstow b Broad 7 (SA 14-2)
Got him this time! Brilliant from Broad, probing away on that fourth stump and getting one to just hold up a fraction. Amla pushes tentatively, displaying all the foot movement of a man in cast-iron boots, and he gets the faintest feather through to Jonny Bairstow. England cock-a-hoop, South Africa struggling.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"If Woakes keeps bowling it there, he will get his rewards. He's got better than when he first came on the scene. However, pitches don't do as much these days so it's harder for the fast-medium seamers."
SA 10-1 (Woakes 3-0-9-0)
Elgar gets South Africa's first boundary - he gets on top of the bounce and guides Chris Woakes through the vacant point region. Otherwise it's an accurate over from Woakes and Elgar defends solidly.
From the press box
SA 6-1 (Elgar 3, Amla 3)
What will that do for Jonny Bairstow's confidence? Remember he muffed a crucial chance in the UAE too, making a horlicks of an attempted stumping of Misbah in the third Test. Amla blocks out an over from Broad.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"You've got to catch those if you've got gloves on. It's a flashing drive. You can't drop those. It might have been Cook's catch, but if he goes he's got to get it."
Dropped catch
SA 4-1
Down! Hashim Amla gets a life, and how costly might that be? It's excellent bowling from Chris Woakes, getting one to shape away from Amla and induce the expansive drive - it flies off the outside edge but Jonny Bairstow, flying across goalkeeper-style, can't wrap his mitt round it. Alastair Cook was waiting for it at first slip, hands agape in expectation like the jaws of a Hungry Hippo. What a let-off.
SA 3-1
I reckon Bruce Oxenford is sitting in the telly truck saying a few silent thankyous to the Almighty that England didn't review that. It would have been an absolute pig of a decision for the third umpire - there's the tiniest flicker on Snicko, but would that really have been enough evidence to overturn the not-out decision?
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"It hasn't done very much for England. It was just a miscalculation which got the wicket. It's a matter of patience for England. Put them under pressure and see how many mistakes they make."
SA 3-1 (Broad 2-1-1-1)
This is straight out of the Stuart Broad textbook: good delivery, beat the bat, turn around, arms raised in celebration, almost daring the umpire to give it not out. That's what happens though, and England take too long to ask for the review, so Amla is reprieved. Tell you what, there was a noise there as well. More drama as a hospitality umbrella breaks free of its moorings and goes cartwheeling across the outfield before a brave steward flings himself in its path. All happening.
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Gus Sammons: Don't leave those, great start! Let's hope it continues.
Jay: That was a great imitation of an England opener by Van Zyl.
Jonny Mango: Remember everyone was panicked when Anderson got injured at Edgbaston. Broad doesn't need anyone else to ruin a lineup.
SA 2-1 (Elgar 1, Amla 1)
So, an unfamiliar opening partner for Stuart Broad: Chris Woakes to take the new cherry at the other end. Dean Elgar's first shot is none too convincing, wafting at one outside off stump, but he's off the mark thereafter with a sharp single and Amla follows suit. Woakes, a little quicker than he was before, a good swinger of the ball, solid action. A good first over from him.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"It doesn't matter how many runs Hashim Amla has made in the past and how much experience he's got, but he didn't get any runs in India and he's got none since in first-class cricket. People remember the great knocks, but it doesn't help you in the middle."
SA 0-1
So the new man is Hashim Amla, and Durban hasn't necessarily been a happy hunting-ground for him over the years - he averages just a shade over 20 at Kingsmead. And immediately he faces a huge shout! Beauty from Broad, just leaving Amla, batsman feeling for it, Broad's face turning purple as he tries to convince the umpire that the batsman has snicked it. Nothing doing, but what a start from Broad.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"One or two South Africans I've spoken to feel Van Zyl is very lucky to have kept his place. He's not got any runs in the middle for a while and that's not good for confidence."
WICKET
Van Zyl b Broad 0 (SA 0-1)
What were we saying about early wickets? Second ball, Stiaan van Zyl plays an ill-judged leave and watches in slack-jawed horror as Stuart Broad's delivery seams back in and cannons into the top of off stump. The batsman just waved it through, like a toreador ushering a charging bull. What an error from Van Zyl, what a breakthrough for England.
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Thank you Higgy. Dear oh dear, quite a contrast between this very closely fought encounter and the almighty shellacking currently being dished out to the West Indies than Australia. Anyway, we're almost ready to go again in Durban. Early wickets the order of the day for England.
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Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Adam Voges has made 375 runs from two innings against West Indies, without being dismissed. He is just the third batsman to score 1,000 runs in the year of his Test debut. The other two are Mark Taylor and Alastair Cook."
Aussies rampant in Melbourne
Australia 551-3 dec; WI 91-6
It's been another chastening day for West Indies in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Resuming on 345-3, Australia piled up the runs serenely, with Steve Smith and Adam Voges coasting to unbeaten centuries.
Declaring on 551-3, Smith then unleashed his bowlers. James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon took two wickets apiece to destroy the top order, then local hero Peter Siddle took two in two balls to leave the tourists on 91-6 at the close.
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We'll be back very shortly, but here's some news from around the world of cricket while we grab a bite to eat. When we return, James Gheerbrant will be taking the live text reins. Enjoy.
England scorecard
England 303 all out (100.1 overs)
England added 124 runs for six wickets today
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0), 267-9 (Bairstow 41), 303-10 (Finn 12).
Not out batsman: Broad 32
Bowling figures: Steyn 25.1-5-70-4, Abbott 24-4-66-1, Morkel 26-5-76-4, Piedt 16-2-63-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0.
Full scorecard
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"I think from 190-3, England will be very disappointed. But from 267-9, they'll be over the moon."
How's stat?!
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"England have scored 124 runs today and lost six wickets in 35 overs. That was Dale Steyn's 50th wicket against England."
Lunch
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is lunch. South Africa will begin their reply to England's 303 all out in around 40 minutes' time.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"This is as dead as a dodo."
WICKET
Finn lbw b Steyn 12 (Eng 303 all out)
Full, fast and straight from Dale Steyn and Steven Finn is hit in front. Plumb!
The finger goes up, but England review it - because they might as well.
A waste of time really... that was always going to be out.
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Robin Booth: A total of 300ish I will take after being 8 down for 250. Top order once again letting the side down.
San J: Great stuff from Broad. Now we have a decent score on the board.
Julian Hignell: Nice little innings here...keep it going! @StuartBroad8
England innings falls apart
Eng 303-9 (Broad 32, Finn 11)
England just carry on chipping away at a first-innings total which has now surpassed the average for a team batting first at Kingsmead.
Eng 302-9
Yep, the impact was outside the line of off stump. Steven Finn can carry on.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"This looks very similar to the dismissal of Joe Root. The only thing that will save Steven Finn is if this hasn't hit him in line."
Review
Eng 302-9 (Broad 32, Finn 11)
This looks a decent shout. Steven Finn is hit in front by spinner Dane Piedt. The umpire says no, but the bowler reviews it. It might be outside the line.
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Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"You feel England are still short, even though the pitch is slow, but Broad and Finn have done well to get up to the 300 landmark."
300 up!
Eng 301-9
Stuart Broad averaged 47.5 on England's recent tour of the UAE, so his form should not come as too much of a surprise.
Steven Finn looks in good touch too as he clips a single into the leg side which brings up the England 300.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Dane Piedt doesn't look at all comfortable bowling round the wicket to left-handers. He isn't doing his captain any favours."
Eng 299-9 (Broad 30 off 30)
A proper batsman's shot from Stuart Broad, who sweeps a full toss from spinner Dane Piedt to the boundary. Another sweep is top-edged and falls short of the man rushing in from the ropes.
The over ends with a muscular pull for four more. A lively cameo.
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Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"England are going to have to bowl pretty well. They haven't got any leeway."
Eng 289-9 (Broad 20, Finn 10)
Lunch is delayed because England are nine down. We'll play until England lose a wicket or for another 20 minutes or so. Steven Finn continues to prove a capable, obdurate number eleven with the odd block and the odd push into the off side which brings two. A leading edge also brings two.
They all count.
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Neil Manthorp
BBC Test Match Special
"South Africa tend to just push a little bit too hard when they get down to the tail-enders."
Eng 285-9
Dean Elgar looks to be a very, very good grabber at second slip, but the opening batsman hurts his shoulder when making a diving stop to deny Steven Finn an edged four. Finn's batting partner, Stuart Broad, then feels the full force of a Morne Morkel bouncer.
BBC Cricket's alternative awards 2015...
#bbccricket
Today we're asking for your suggestions of alternative cricket awards for 2016...
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Neil Manthorp
BBC Test Match Special
"I don't see days four and five being easy to bat. But days two and three: good, very good."
Eng 284-9 (Broad 20, Finn 5)
South Africa are aggressive against the England lower order - Kyle Abbott throwing the ball back at Stuart Broad's stumps when the batsman plays a neat defensive shot. The left-hander stands his ground and carves the next ball through point for four. Good cricket.
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Oli Cary: It is the flirtation with a competitive score that is so infuriating. Recovery and resilience or flatter to deceive.
Eng 280-9 (run-rate 2.98)
This is a useful partnership for England. If they can somehow get their team to 300, it looks much, much better than the 267 which were on the board when they came together.
Stuart Broad smears Morne Morkel through the leg side for four. A succession of bouncers follow, one of which the left-hander tries in vain to get hold of. Close, but no cigar.
What does history tell us?
Eng 275-9 (Broad 11, Finn 5)
Look at Steven Finn playing an on-drive to the boundary. Kyle Abbott is not best pleased and digs one in which clatters into the batsman's you-know-whats. Everyone smiles, as everyone does when these things happen.
Joe Root was asked for his favourite moment of his record-breaking, Ashes-winning year recently. His answer? When Alastair Cook was hit in the nether region.
Eng 271-9 (Morkel 24-5-70-4)
It's the big, tall guys slugging it out now.
We've got 6ft 5ins Morne Morkel bowling to 6ft 6ins Stuart Broad and 6ft 7ins Steven Finn. Land of the giants.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"We could be in for some entertaining batting from Broad now - I don't think there will be any defensive strokeplay with nine wickets down."
Eng 267-9 (Broad 9, Finn 0)
This is a spectacular collapse for a side which supposedly bats down to number 10. They'll be lucky to scrape to 280 now.
The wickets may be tumbling, but look at the view...
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Jack Beecroft: I only went to have a shower and I come back to an England collapse, would 300 be good considering our poor start?
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"I think Bairstow was drawn into that shot by the way Stuart Broad has been batting. England are really in bother now. They haven't capitalised on being 190-4 overnight, and Morne Morkel has pulled South Africa back into it."
WICKET
Bairstow c Elgar b Abbott 41 (Eng 267-9)
Remember when Nick Compton was batting and England were in complete control?
That all seems like a long time ago as Jonny Bairstow plays an ugly waft which flies to the impressive Dean Elgar at second slip.
Eng 267-8
The score is rattling along now as Stuart Broad pulls a Kyle Abbott bumper, which drops just short of the athletic Temba Bavuma in the deep.
Latest scorecard
England 265-8
Batsmen: Bairstow 40, Broad 8
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21), 247-6 (Compton 85), 253-7 (Moeen 0), 253-8 (Woakes 0).
Bowling figures: Steyn 23-5-64-3, Abbott 21-4-56-0, Morkel 23-5-67-4, Piedt 14-2-50-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0
Full scorecard
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Mark Peters: Classic England! A walk in the park for Compton and Bairstow at 5 down before flaky collapse hands over initiative again. Typical.
Richard Barter: Ah, the ol' England Batting Collapse. Haven't seen that for some time...
Eng 265-8 (Bairstow 40, Broad 8)
Stuart Broad decides to throw the kitchen sink at Morne Morkel and it brings him a rather fortuitous four over fly slip. He and Jonny Bairstow won't hang around here, with Steven Finn the only batsman left in reserve.
Morkel fights fire with fire and bowls a bouncer which hits Bairstow on the shoulder. Ouch.
BreakingYasir Shah fails drug test
Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah has been provisionally banned after testing positive for a banned substance.
Yasir tested positive for chlortalidone, a diuretic, after the second ODI against England on 13 November.
Yasir was instrumental in Pakistan's Test series win over England, taking 15 wickets and being named man of the series. He is currently the world's third-ranked bowler in Test matches.
Eng 258-8
South Africa look a different team now they are not being ground into the Durban dirt by Nick Compton. Dale Steyn is thundering in and bowling a mixture of full balls and bouncers. England add five precious runs, mind.
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Come back Compton, all is forgiven...
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Broad has improved his batting recently, but I don't think he's back to his best yet."
Eng 253-8 (Bairstow 36, Broad 0)
Morne Morkel on a hat-trick. He roars in and delivers a perfect outswinger to Stuart Broad who has a little nibble but just about avoids edging behind. A bouncer follows, which the batsman ducks underneath.
South Africa have wrestled back some control. Remember, par at this ground is around 300 in the first innings of a Test match.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Woakes got tangled up. We always say, you've got to get in, the first 20 runs are the difficult part."
WICKET
Woakes lbw b Morkel 0 (Eng 253-8)
England falling like dominoes now - three wickets have gone in 12 balls.
Replays show the ball was just clipping leg stump, but it's enough to send Chris Woakes packing. Next.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"That looked full. I'd have been shouting for that if I was at slip."
Umpire review
It looks like Morne Morkel's got another one. He pins Chris Woakes in front first ball. The finger goes up, but Woakes reviews it.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I was slightly concerned about Moeen not having had enough batting on this tour. I don't care how good you are, you need some middle practice."
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Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"A bit of a tame, feely prod outside the off stump from Moeen, and this is a good burst for South Africa."
WICKET
Moeen c De Villiers b Morkel 0 (Eng 253-7)
A nothing shot from Moeen Ali who trudges off having scored... well, nothing.
He hangs his bat out to Morne Morkel, who is running the ball across the left-handers, and edges behind to the keeper. Not one of his better moments.
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Some appreciation from one of Nick Compton's Middlesex team-mates...
How's stat?!
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"Compton was at the crease for six hours and 19 minutes"
It's his second longest Test innings in terms of duration.
From the press box
Eng 253-6 (Bairstow 36, Moeen 0)
So, Moeen Ali joins Jonny Bairstow at the crease. England's batting is a long way from being done yet. With Chris Woakes still to come too, England's tail is about as short as that of a pug dog.
Bairstow, by the way, is playing very well. He nonchalantly flicks Dale Steyn through the off side for another four. There's talent there if he can cut out the loose shots.
Post update
Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"He's played very well: a disciplined, determined innings in conditions in which scoring at any rate were difficult. At 3-1, England needed that."
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Morkel got it up high, above shoulder height, and wide of off stump, so he had to fetch it. That's when it becomes a hook rather than a pull and it's harder to control. But Compton has done his job and played nicely - he held the innings together."
WICKET
Compton c De Villiers b Morkel 85 (Eng 247-6)
What a shame. Nick Compton looked nailed on for a century, but he perishes trying to up the scoring rate as he attempts to pull Morne Morkel but gets an under-edge to the keeper. A marathon 236-ball knock comes to an end.
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Ben Shepherd: @thecompdog is absolutely perfect for this England team, so many shot makers, we need his persistence and determination.
Mohammad Omar: Compton is a throwback. The modern game demands a more dynamic approach. Openers bat 50 overs then go go go.
Sal Seduce: Nick Compton is a dinosaur of a cricketer with no place in modern test cricket.You need to be able to play both roles... he can't.
Post update
Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's just a bit too predictable from the South African seamers at the moment. We haven't had one bouncer."
Eng 242-5 (Compton 85, Bairstow 25)
I imagine there's a few of you who will know the feeling about a guest overstaying their welcome? Certainly at Christmas.
Well, you'll be able to relate to Dale Steyn who seems to have upped his game against Nick Compton. There's added verbal aggression, more pace and a brute of a delivery which crashes into the batsman's gloves.
When the bowler delivers a half-volley, Compton plays a beautiful cover drive to the boundary. As good a shot as you'll see.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"Morne Morkel is incredibly supple, he's like an elastic man. He can put both feet behind his head. Whereas Dale Steyn is the opposite, he can barely touch his toes."
Eng 238-5 (Morkel 20-4-55-1)
There's a break in play while a fielder disposes of a '6' card thrown on to the ground. One spectator has decided he won't be needing it while Nick Compton is batting.
Jonny Bairstow can hit a long ball, mind, and he's timing it sweetly. An on-drive brings just one, but is a sign he's beginning to feel more comfortable at the crease.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"I expect the ball to come onto the bat a bit better today, but I don't think you'll see 25 overs of swing - you'll probably get 10 at the max. So it's really important that the South African bowlers are on the money."
Eng 236-5 (Steyn 20-5-49-3)
Nick Compton's judgement of his off stick is as good as anyone I've seen. He's superb at leaving the ball. That's not meant to be a slight, it's a skill in itself. I imagine he's good at parking his car in tight spots with such impressive spatial awareness.
The bowler, Dale Steyn, thinks Compton is playing a risky game but the batsman is strong in his conviction. He's also strong when the ball is short and wide, the right-hander hammering four over the vacant gully region.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"South Africa's new-ball bowling has been a bit soft so far. It's almost as if they're searching for something that's not there. England have shown a lot more intent to score today."
Drinks break
Eng 232-5
This drinks break deserves its own entry, because of the quality of the platter being brought out by South Africa's 12th man. It's a plate of fruit and sugary snacks. Silver service at Kingsmead.
Eng 232-5 (Bairstow 24 off 34)
One of Jonny Bairstow's signature shots is the whip through the leg side, and it brings him four runs against Kyle Abbott. Twice. It's almost KP-like in its execution.
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Graeme Smith
Ex-South Africa captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It's pretty even at the moment, Stokes' wicket was important to South Africa. Stokes is a dangerous player at number six and he has the ability to take the run rate away.
"Any score near 350 will be a good score for England. The team behind will be playing with immense pressure."
Eng 224-5 (Compton 76, contains six fours)
Just look at that ball skip off the turf. The first ball delivered with the new cherry is driven through backward point by Nick Compton. He then pushes two into the covers. Comp Dog has found second gear.
Latest scorecard
England 218-5 (80 overs)
Batsmen: Compton 70 (214 balls), Bairstow 16 (27 balls)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21)
Bowling figures: Steyn 18-5-39-3, Abbott 20-4-48-0, Morkel 19-4-53-1, Piedt 14-2-50-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 7-2-22-0
Full scorecard
New ball
South Africa go for the new ball. Dale Steyn cranks himself up.
Eng 218-5
Bairstow leans on one and steers it into the covers. A faint touch from the sprawling Dane Piedt keeps it to two.
Eng 216-5
The game is always alive when Jonny Bairstow is at the crease. He very rarely looks in, but always looks like he'll score runs if he bats any length of time. He and Nick Compton rotate the strike to advance the England score by three singles.
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"If Compton is doing this job he has to do it all the way through. If he gets a beauty with the new ball, he's batted his team into a bit of a hole."
Eng 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Kyle Abbott has got a good yorker in his armoury and Nick Compton has to go some to dig it out. He ends up in a crumpled heap on the floor in doing so, resembling a drunk who's tripped over a bar stool. The steely glare which follows acknowledges the impressive delivery.
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Crickettees: Compton may score slowly but it's better than everybody's quick fire 20 and out. You always need someone to play the anchor!
Russell Morris: England need Compton. Many aggressive batsmen who need an anchor at other end.
Sam Bartram: Come the apocalypse Nick Compton will still be batting!
Eng 213-5 (Compton 69, Bairstow 12)
Dean Elgar is brought back for a twirl - he was the only bowler who Nick Compton had a strike-rate of 50 against yesterday (13 runs in 26 balls faced). Jonny Bairstow is busy and hitting the ball cleanly, but he continually picks out the fielder. Maiden.
How slow is Compton?
The answer is...quite slow. But let's put this in context. Compton faced 200 balls for 68 runs, giving him a strike rate of 34.
That's very much in keeping with his previous form - in his previous nine Tests Compton made 479 runs at a strike rate of 34.68.
By modern standards that is pretty slow. Of the current top 10 batsmen in the ICC rankings, Misbah ul-Haq is the slowest, with a strike rate of 44.15.
But he's not quite as slow as some England batsmen of the past. Famed blocker Chris Tavare operated at a leisurely strike rate of 30.60, and former skipper Mike Brearley managed a positively glacial strike rate of 29.80.
Eng 213-5 (Compton 69 off 205 balls)
Is Nick Compton batting too slowly? I don't think so. England need this glue in the middle order. He flicks a single into the leg side to inch towards 70.
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Jordan Forster: Batting at six Stokes has to do better. He has to trust in his technique more, need a proper batsman there not a pinch hitter.
Eng 211-5 (Abbott 17-3-46-0)
I remain to be convinced on the merits of Jonny Bairstow's batting, but the fact England have the most prolific batsman in the County Championship coming in at number seven has got to be a good thing. Equally, Moeen Ali at number eight is just a ridiculously long middle order.
Bairstow underlines the fact with a lovely cover drive for four off Kyle Abbott.
View from the boundary
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"The job Compton is doing at the moment is brilliant, I'm not having a go at that. I just think there are small areas where he could develop his game."
Eng 205-5 (Compton 68, Bairstow 5)
That's nice. Jonny Bairstow gets off the mark with a forceful cut off the back foot which earns him four runs against Morne Morkel. Incidentally, Ben Stokes failed to score a run in 15 deliveries against Morkel before being dismissed by the big pacer. He scored 21 off 19 against Dane Piedt and Dale Steyn.
Nick Compton joins in the fun by edging Morne Morkel through gully for four of his own.
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Francis Edwards: The way people talk about Stokes you'd think he averages 50 with bat and 19 with the ball. He averages less than 28 now...
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Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Where I think Compton limits himself is that he doesn't score off his defensive strokes. Jonathan Trott was brilliant at picking up ones and twos. When you're sitting in the dressing room, you want the score to move on every half an hour."
Eng 196-5
Kyle Abbott, the 2015 equivalent of Gus Fraser, sends down a maiden to Nick Compton.
Latest scorecard
England 196-5
Batsmen: Compton 64 (191 balls), Bairstow 0 (3 balls)
Fall of wickets: 3-1 (Cook 0), 12-2 (Hales 10), 49-3 (Root 24), 174-4 (Taylor 70), 196-5 (Stokes 21)
Bowling figures: Steyn 18-5-39-3, Abbott 16-2-40-0, Morkel 18-4-44-1, Piedt 12-2-46-1, Van Zyl 2-1-2-0, Elgar 6-1-22-0
Full scorecard
Eng 196-5 (new ball due in eight overs)
Nick Compton and Ben Stokes put on 22 for the fifth wicket, and Stokes got 21 of them. I'll let you do the rest of the maths.
Jonny Bairstow is the new batsman and he looks nervy against Morne Morkel.
From the press box
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"That was a poor end, it was unnecessary. I've no problem with him being positive and aggressive, but you have to be selective with the balls. Morkel is almost going to be a little bit more difficult to pull because of his height. He's making something that isn't there."
WICKET
Stokes c Duminy b Morkel 21 (Eng 196-5)
South Africa strike! It's hard to be too critical of Ben Stokes considering the way he makes his runs, but his dismissal is of his own doing as he tries to pull a short one from outside off stump and watches as a top edge flies to JP Duminy in the third slip/gully region.
Eng 196-4 (Compton 64 off 191)
The television cameras pan the ground, starting with the blue skies and fluffy clouds and then sweeping round to reveal a hotchpotch of stands, hospitality tents, grassy banks and a giant bottle of orange juice (laid on by the sponsors).
In the middle, Dale Steyn steams in to Nick Compton who is more protective of his wicket than your Dad is of the television remote at Christmas. Another maiden.
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Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special
"Nick Compton's uncle Patrick is a cricket writer for the Natal Mercury. He's a bit nervous today, as you'd expect, but he has a chance to write something unique."
Eng 196-4 (run-rate 2.80)
Ben Stokes seems the perfect foil for Nick Compton. He's almost hogging the strike at the moment, which is good for England because he's scoring quick runs and putting South Africa on the defensive. Down on the boundary, Dale Steyn swigs a drink and then checks out the 12th man's tattoos.They are impressive, to be fair.
From the press box
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Stokes is an old-fashioned player: he doesn't worry about technique, if you bowl it in an area you can hit it, he hits it."
Eng 196-4 (Stokes 21 off 25)
There's a lot to like about Dale Steyn's bowling action. He sprints in like a 100m runner, has a spring like a high jumper and the follow-through of a javelin champion. A supreme athlete.
When he does stray in line though, Ben Stokes is quick to slice him through backward point. A half-tracker follows and it's dismissively flicked to the mid-wicket boundary.
The fast bowler has now developed the snarl of a burly shot-putter.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I like Morne Morkel, but I don't think he gets enough wickets. He gets that awkward bounce. That's why big servers do well at Wimbledon: it's awkward when you get that bounce from a height."
Eng 186-4 (Morkel 16-1-44-0)
Ben Stokes smashed 158 in England's opening warm-up game of the tour and, judging by his best Test innings so far, he likes it on the faster, bouncier decks of the southern hemisphere. He looks comfortable against Morne Morkel as he leaves well outside off stump and defends those which threaten his timbers. Maiden.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I watched carefully the match in India that Piedt played and there doesn't look enough body in his action. I don't rate him."
Eng 186-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 11)
Ben Stokes is up and running with a big shot early on. Dale Piedt bowls a half-tracker and the burly all-rounder belts it through mid-wicket for four. There's no stopping that in the field.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Dale Steyn absolutely adores bowling, you can see. Malcolm Marshall was the same: he always wanted the ball."
Eng 179-4 (Compton 63, Stokes 5)
I bet Nick Compton slept like a baby last night, considering all the concentration he spent battling South Africa's quicks yesterday.
In fact, who coined that phrase? The two babies I've got don't sleep.
Anyway, good start from Dale Steyn who is fast, furious and jagging it back early on. Compton is up to the task. Maiden.
Eng 179-4
Here we go then. Dale Steyn has the ball in hand. Let's play.
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"England have got to think positively this morning. They've got to remember the ball is 50 overs old. Dale Steyn is a quality bowler, but even he needs the right tools, and he told me the ball wasn't staying hard.
"However, add two wickets to the score and it doesn't look too clever for England. Bairstow and Ali haven't had much batting."
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Anyway, I think the time has come. Christmas is behind us and we're counting down the days until 2016.
So, let's put together BBC Cricket's alternative awards for 2015.
You're the ones dishing out the awards. For example, I'm giving the Andre Nel award for gasket-busting wicket celebrations to Dale Steyn.
Get involved on Twitter, using #bbccricket, send a text to 81111 or email tms@bbc.co.uk.
Aggers column
Nick Compton and James Taylor really stood up when it mattered for England yesterday, and BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew praised the pair of them in his column, which you can read here.
A long time coming
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Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I actually think England are slightly ahead. I'm not one to criticise Compton and Taylor for going slow and steady. I thought they played rather well. Compton did his normal way of playing, and I don't think he should try to change. But after 18 collapses in 25 Test matches, I think England have realised they need some solidity."
TMS on air
BBC Test Match Special
Morning everyone! I trust the early start hasn't caught you on the hop.
It's not found out the Test Match Special team, who are lighting up the airwaves with their wit and wisdom.
Join Aggers and Co now, by clicking at the top of this page. Or, for the more traditional among you, stick to the wireless (BBC Radio 5 live sports extra).
Enjoy.
In good Nick
Nick Compton might not be everybody's cup of tea, but England would be in a right pickle without him and his trusted technique.
In today's world of Ram-Slamming, Big-Bashing batsmen, it was refreshing to see a batsman using his bat as a spade to dig his side out of a hole.
Now it's time to crack on. From small acorns grow mighty oaks and all that...
An old friend
It's been a long time since we've seen you, Mr Block... but welcome back!
We've missed you.