Dean Elgar’s ‘brainfart’ gives England the chance they need to put second Test firmly back in the balance

If World War III does come to pass, only cockroaches and Dean Elgar pushing a ball perpendicular to where he’s facing will survive.

On a day when England made hard work of a second and third session, despite having the run of things in the first, the South African left-hander shone in the only way he does. Bright but not blindingly.

An 88 from the start of South Africa’s innings to the 63rd over took them through many passages, some treacherous, and none more so than when, off the back of a fine burst from Stuart Broad and a supplementary shift from James Anderson – both from the more productive Wynberg End – the hosts found themselves 40 for three: Pieter Malan, Zubayr Hamza and skipper Faf du Plessis all knocked off before lunch. They’d made light work of England’s first innings, barely a quarter of an hour taken to dismiss Anderson, leaving Ollie Pope unbeaten on 61.

As ever with Elgar, the runs were just as important as the time he took up in the middle. Whenever he’s there, everything seems to happen at the other end. Typically, in his 117-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen, he was the innocent bystander as his right-handed compatriot lived more on the edge than a mountain goat.

With 19 to his name, Van der Dussen was undone by a brute of a delivery from Broad which went through to Jos Buttler for what should have been 86 for four. Broad, however, had over-stepped – one of many bowled but the only to be called officially. Elgar, by this point, had ticked over to his 14th half-century, from 79 balls.

On 43, Van der Dussen was dropped: Stokes almost pulling off the most outrageous of catches – certainly beating the four he did manage – with a one-handed dive to his right to scoop the ball before it hit the turf but only to lose it from his grasp when his right elbow jarred into the ground. Elgar then played out a maiden to the part-time spin of Joe Root.

Even Elgar’s boundaries seemed to merge into the background. Pull shots hit perfectly but quietly enough to not alert anyone to his presence. It’s a hell of a gift for a batsman who is the leader in this nu-wave of ugly run-lings who feature as openers across the world, such as England’s Rory Burns and Dom Sibley. You can’t help but notice his scraggly ways, from set-up to execution, an uncomfortable mess of too many limbs and too many elbows, as if he’s three kids in one long coat trying to order a whiskey.

Yet still, he slips by, in sight but out of mind. For instance, it’s so very Elgar that he scored a magnificent 141 against Australia at this ground in March 2018 – a match which will only ever be remembered for sandpaper. Elgar, simply, is what happens when you are making other plans.

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A wicketless middle session of 81 runs was particularly bemusing by the lack of Anderson until 16 overs deep. His second over created a glimpse of a chance, again to Stokes, again just too low.

But just as it looked like Elgar was taking the game away from England, he made what would be his first and only mistake to an equally unnoticed Dom Bess.

The Somerset off spinner was not an original member of this touring party, drafted in as cover for Jack Leach and finding himself jumping ahead of Matt Parkinson through as much of the leg spinner’s lack of control. And for 18 overs, he had been going at just under two an over. Not totally clamping things down – there were just two maidens – but minding his own business, drifting the ball in and, occasionally, turning it away.

At times, it felt like a staring match between him and Elgar, both satisfied to pass the ball between themselves while the others did the louder stuff. But in Bess’ 19th over, Elgar blinked first.

Elgar had already struck Bess over the top for one four. But in trying to repeat the trick, he got more height than distance, finding a back-tracking Joe Root in the deep of extra cover. Just like that, England came alive: 157 for three as that ball was being sent down soon becoming 215 for eight at stumps. A collapse of five for 58 instigated by the one man whose underlining quality is making sure nothing happens. “A brainfart and then I was back in the changing room,” was Elgar’s typically straight take.

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Quinton de Kock was undone by a Sam Curran slower ball. Stokes took a blinder to finally see off Van der Dussen (68) and a simpler one off Anderson, armed with the second new ball, who was able to take a third when Keshav Maharaj smashed one into his pad to Dom Sibley. That closed the day on 215 for eight, England 54 ahead, at odds with where many thought the game was going this time yesterday.

“It’s turned out to be quite a good contest between bat and ball,” ceded Elgar, despite his best efforts to make that not so.

Perhaps it was a good thing that Elgar could not hold on. While there are a dearth of quality Test cricketers like Elgar, the quality of Test cricket as volatile entertainment has never been higher, especially when England are involved. With three days still to go, there are very few clues as to where this match will go. And one imagines there won't be much of Elgar's sensibilities to come.