James Anderson steals the show with four wickets as England take control of final Test against South Africa
England 362 (108.4 overs), South Africa 220-9 (68.3 overs), England lead by 142 runs: Anderson was superb after Jonny Bairstow had earlier fallen for an agonising 99
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Your support makes all the difference.James Anderson, wreaking havoc from the end that now bears his name, effectively administered the last rites on South Africa’s series hopes with a devastating exhibition of swing bowling that put England inexorably on the path to victory in this final Test.
England’s leading all-time wicket-taker took just three deliveries to strike at the newly-christened James Anderson End, trapping Dean Elgar lbw.
But it was his three wickets after tea on this second day that precipitated a collapse that saw South Africa close on 220 for nine, 142 runs behind England’s first-innings total of 362 and seemingly out of this match.
The tourists, who had started the final session on 93 for three, must win to avoid their first Test series defeat in England since 1998.
However, surely nothing can stand between the hosts, who went into this final Test with a 2-1 lead, and a notable triumph in Joe Root’s first series as captain.
The Manchester weather could still play a part over the final three days.
Yet even if the forecast rain does appear, there is surely more than enough time for England to wrap up a victory that would see them seal their first Test series win in over a year with a flourish.
Anderson may have turned 35 last Sunday and the re-naming of Old Trafford’s Pavilion End in his honour may have felt like a gesture towards a man who is nearing the end of his career.
But he is showing no signs of slowing up, with the dismissals of Elgar, Faf Du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and Theunis De Bruyn taking his tally for the series to 17 wickets at an average of 15.35.
Anderson has never taken a five-wicket haul on his home ground. He will hope Root throws him the ball in the morning so he can finally have a crack at achieving that feat.
It was by no means a one-man performance by England, though, on this second day as Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali also played significant parts in guiding their team to a position of dominance.
Bairstow batted brilliantly with the tail to reach the brink of his fourth Test century. In the end, he fell one run short, becoming the 13th England Test batsman to be dismissed for 99.
He would later reach a century of a different kind, Hashim Amla caught down the legside to become Bairstow’s 100th dismissal as a Test wicketkeeper.
Moeen, too, has now produced his best bowling figures for a series, his two wickets today taking his tally to the series to 20, beating the 19 he took against India in 2014. Not bad for England’s No2 spinner.
Bairstow’s brilliance in the morning was just what England required after they collapsed from their overnight 260 for six to 312 for nine.
Toby Roland-Jones, the nightwatchman who did not face a single ball the previous evening, was the first to go when he was caught at point off Kagiso Rabada.
Moeen, edging Rabada to second slip on 14, was next as England slipped to 303 for eight.
Stuart Broad then had a brain fade when he was bowled playing an expansive shot to Morne Morkel.
Bairstow, who had started the day on 33, was on 53 when No11 Anderson came out to the crease.
And the Yorkshireman was dropped on that score by South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock, whose error cost his side 50 runs and Rabada a five-wicket haul.
Bairstow’s dominance of that half-century last-wicket stand was illustrated by the fact he scored 46 of the runs and exposed Anderson to just 15 of the final 55 balls of the innings.
Belief that Bairstow could actually get to three figures was fired by two extraordinary shots that saw him move from 80 to 90 in the 106th over of the innings, bowled by Duanne Olivier.
The first was an audacious paddle sweep for four down to fine leg. The second saw Bairstow muscle the next delivery over long-off for six.
Anderson had done well to see out an over from Keshav Maharaj when his team-mate was in the 90s.
But Bairstow was denied a remarkable century when, with the field up, he was trapped lbw sweeping Maharaj to bring an anti-climactic end to the innings.
Anderson, though, ensured a sold out Old Trafford crowd went home with a spring in their collective step.
He got things rolling in the first over of South Africa’s innings with the wicket of Elgar, who followed up his fine century at The Oval with a duck here.
Roland-Jones then dismissed Amla for the third time in this series, the South African playing a horrible shot to a horrible delivery that Bairstow gathered down the legside.
Moeen got involved, tempting Heino Kuhn forward and the opener edging to Ben Stokes.
But it was the spell from Anderson after tea that proved telling.
Bavuma, shouldering arms to a delivery that swung in and took out his off stump, and Du Plessis, bowled via a thick inside edge, fell inside three balls.
De Bruyn, edging Anderson to Root at slip, followed to leave South Africa reeling on 146 for six.
They lost their seventh wicket when Moeen trapped Maharaj leg before.
Broad then took over from the Anderson end, De Kock and Rabada falling before the end of the day - the former edging a length ball behind to Bairstow and the latter the victim of a quite brilliant one-handed catch from Stokes at gully.
It was that kind of day for England.
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