South Africa vs England: Five questions from second Test's erratic draw

It was not simply that England scored 629 for 6 in their first innings, it was that they scored them in 125.5 overs. Even in this era, gathering Test runs at almost five an over is high-velocity stuff.

Of the 51 Tests in which the side batting first has made a total of 600 or more, 37 have been won and 36 now drawn. This level pegging is almost certainly because a flat pitch is a flat pitch, and the five Tests (out of 2,198) in which both sides have made in excess of 600 have all been drawn.

However, as England’s head coach, Trevor Bayliss, observed, that does not tell the full story of what happened at Newlands this year. England created a real opening with their rapidity and then threw it away through the alacrity with which they spurned chances. Bayliss recognised an opportunity missed.

“Certainly from my point of view,” he said. “You just never know, do you? And you can’t take things back. I’ve seen nine or 10 catches reported, I think it was four or five we should have taken.

“The others were half-chances. If one or two of them stick you do well. But I think if we’d have taken those – and you can’t really tell how the rest of the game would have panned out – I believe it could have been us bowling on this last day going for a Test win.”

Under Bayliss’s tutelage, England’s close catching has improved markedly. That heady morning against Australia at Trent Bridge last August, capped by Ben Stokes’ screamer, when everything went to hand and everything stuck, was unique but England had started to be much less capricious than for years.

“We’ll certainly be working on it but no more, no less than what we’ve done in the past,” Bayliss said resignedly. “We do spend a lot of time on the catching especially. That’s why it’s disappointing when you put in the hard work and every now and again it doesn’t work. Hopefully, it’s something that’s a one-off.”

If something less than straightforward had stuck it might have had a galvanising effect on the others. Five chances should have been taken, another three were on any professional’s radar, another two might have stuck on a good day. It was far from a good day.

Highly unlikely. And Bayliss certainly was not falling for the idea. If it was unexpected, coming when it did in the middle of the series and after Amla had redeemed a poor run of form with a handsomely appointed, vital innings of 201, it was well known he was a reluctant leader.

Ultimately – and the process probably took many months – he simply decided that others – and in particular AB de Villiers – would be appropriate to lead a team in transition. It seems he felt that they needed something other than his quiet, studious approach. De Villiers will certainly bring that.

“I don’t think it’ll have too much of a difference with the South African team,” Bayliss said. “They’ve got an able replacement. Obviously, Amla will still be in the team and he’s in form, scoring 200 runs, so that may even free his mind up even more.”

Bayliss was being candid, as ever, but privately he and Alastair Cook may think that not all is quite right in the opponents’ camp. The appearance of unity does not mean they are unified, and they are 1-0 down.

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It was every bit as sensational as it seemed at the time. Thinking back now, it defied credibility and it will still do so a year from now: 258 from 198 balls, with 30 fours and 11 sixes.

Yet perhaps the most pertinent feature was that nobody around the touring party seemed surprised. To a man they had seen this coming for months in the way Stokes carried himself and netted. Again Bayliss knows his man.

“I’m not sure how much bigger you can get than 250 in a short space of time,” he said. “To be honest, we didn’t say anything to him in either innings – that’s just the way he went out and played. He just let it happen. In the second innings he made 20-odd runs in a short space of time. I think the shot he was out on was the right shot, he probably just didn’t play it correctly.

“So making the right decisions is an area he’ll learn, going forward. But you don’t want to stifle that sort of ability and he’s going to be one of those players who can win a match and at different times he’s going to disappoint, as all of those types of players in history have shown.”

England (and most other countries) long ago made a trade-off. They will tolerate lapses in their wicketkeepers in exchange for runs scored. It remains a risky business.

For five years or so, England were spoiled by having Matt Prior at the top of his game in both disciplines. But it took Prior some 30 Tests before he cracked the keeping part.

Jonny Bairstow is a long way yet from cracking it (as was Jos Buttler, whose batting suffered, before him). He has messed up three chances in this series already – a stumping and two diving catches. All being well his masterly 150 not out (not to mention his important 30 not out in the second innings) may have an effect on his keeping.

“Certainly, his wicketkeeping is a work in progress, as I think our other wicketkeepers are as well,” said Bayliss. “Both Jonny and Jos work terribly hard on their keeping.

“We know both of them in form can quite possibly play in this Test team as a batter anyway. So it’s all in front of both of them. Having confidence in anything you do or confidence you belong at this level, whether it’s batting or bowling or wicketkeeping, that’s got to give him confidence.”

It should at least help Bairstow to relax, and the first diving catch that sticks could open the floodgates.