England vs South Africa LIVE: Cricket score from first Test at Lord’s after Dean Elgar wicket

South Africa maintained their stranglehold on the first Test at Lord’s by bowling England out for 165 on the second morning with Kagiso Rabada claiming an impressive five-wicket haul.

Rain halted the tourists’ charge on day one with England struggling to 116-6 and on the verge of posting their lowest total since the new regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum set about transforming red-ball cricket in this country.

While the hosts moved beyond the 141 they scored here against New Zealand in June, Rabada sent Ollie Pope back to the pavilion early and picked up 5-52 to bring England’s first innings to an end inside an hour on day two.

South Africa openers Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee were handed a tricky 50-minute period to negotiate before lunch but did so to walk off with their side 27 without loss after Elgar successfully reviewed a caught behind off Stuart Broad, while Zak Crawley also put down a thick edge from the away captain. But Elgar then fell to Anderson in unfortunate circumstances, playing on to his stumps.

Lord’s was a sea of red with the home of cricket turning ‘Red for Ruth’ for the fourth successive year in memory of Sir Andrew Strauss’ wife Ruth, who died in 2018. Follow the latest score and over-by-over updates from the first Test below.

England vs South Africa - Day Two

• Wicket! Petersen 24, c Pope b Potts. South Africa 138-2

• Wicket! Elgar 47, b Anderson. South Africa 85-1

• England began the day on 116-6; bowled out for 165

• Wicket! Anderson 0, b Rabada. England 165 all out

• Wicket! Leach 15, b Jansen. England 164-9

• Wicket! Broad 15, c Elgar b Rabada. England 145-8

• Wicket! Pope 73, b Rabada. England 134-7

• South Africa’s bowlers shone but Ollie Pope dug in on a rain-hit day one

South Africa 174-3, Erwee 68 Van der Dussen 7; England 165

16:51 , Lawrence Ostlere

48th over: Leach continues. Erwee tries an ambitious reverse sweep which top-edges into the air and comes down safely, and they pick up three runs. Van der Dussen finishes with another three.

South Africa 168-3, Erwee 65 Van der Dussen 4; England 165

16:47 , Lawrence Ostlere

47th over: Anderson draws a rare loose shot from Erwee, attempting to cut through point, but fortunately for the batsman it flies straight through to keeper Foakes. Erwee picks up three off his legs and then Van der Dussen edges towards fourth slip, but it doesn’t carry.

South Africa 165-3, Erwee 62 Van der Dussen 4; England 165

16:42 , Lawrence Ostlere

46th over: An important wicket from Leach, though Rassie van der Dussen wastes no time hitting back with a well-struck four through cover.

Wicket! Markram 16, c Foakes b Leach. South Africa 160-3

16:38 , Lawrence Ostlere

Jack Leach strikes! His first ball of the over turns sharply off the pitch and flicks Markram’s outside edge en route to Foakes’s gloves. An important breakthrough straight after tea.

South Africa 160-2, Erwee 62 Markham 16; England 165

16:36 , Lawrence Ostlere

45th over: Anderson steams in and Erwee immediately prods him for two runs. This could be a hard evening’s toil for England.

South Africa 158-2, Erwee 60 Markham 16; England 165

16:31 , Lawrence Ostlere

The players are back out on the field for the day’s final session, and it looks like James Anderson will begin from the Pavilion End.

South Africa in control

16:30 , Lawrence Ostlere

Another session goes the way of South Africa. Sarel Erwee has showed great composure in picking his moments and picking off England’s bad balls, while the bowling hasn’t been as quick nor as consistently threatening as the South African seam attack. Admittedly, conditions have not favoured England – perhaps it would be them amassing quick runs now had they bowled first yesterday – but it has still been more of a struggle than it might have been.

Tea: South Africa 158-2, Erwee 60 Markham 16; England 165

16:11 , Lawrence Ostlere

44th over: Serious spin for Leach, who dances with the edge of Markham’s bat a couple of times, although he is also on the receiving end of a wonderfully cut four. And that’s tea.

South Africa 154-2, Erwee 60 Markham 12; England 165

16:07 , Lawrence Ostlere

43rd over: A lovely cover drive by Markram, who powers Anderson’s in-swinger to the boundary. A back-foot single too, and South Africa are closing in on England’s total.

South Africa 149-2, Erwee 60 Markham 7; England 165

16:02 , Lawrence Ostlere

42nd over: Leach finds a bit of spin immediately and Erwee is given a leg slip to think about after barely getting his bat in front of his pads against Leach’s turning second ball. He fends off a maiden.

South Africa 149-2, Erwee 60 Markham 7; England 165

15:59 , Lawrence Ostlere

41st over: Anderson continues, and Erwee knocks a quick single before Markram sees off the rest of the over. Jack Leach is loosening up.

South Africa 148-2, Erwee 59 Markham 7; England 165

15:54 , Lawrence Ostlere

40th over: Potts targets the front pad of Erwee but the opener is seeing it so clearly right now and flicks away to the leg side for a single. Markram plays a beautiful cover drive for four and already looks at home in these conditions. He got runs in the warm-up game against the Lions and will be hoping to add to that here after coming into the side for the injured Bavuma.

South Africa 143-2, Erwee 58 Markham 3; England 165

15:49 , Lawrence Ostlere

39th over: Anderson to Erwee, who prods one through point for a single and brings the new man Aiden Markham into the line of fire – five slips, or perhaps four and a gully, for England as they try to seize the momentum – but Markham pushes away a single and gets off strike.

Wicket! Petersen 24, c Pope b Potts. South Africa 138-2

15:42 , Lawrence Ostlere

There it is, and no one has deserved a wicket more than Matthew Potts today. He swings one away outside off stump and tempts Keegan Petersen, who thick-edges to Ollie Pope.

South Africa 138-1, Erwee 56, Petersen 24; England 165

15:39 , Lawrence Ostlere

37th over: Erwee earns two from a wearying Broad.

South Africa 136-1, Erwee 54, Petersen 24; England 165

15:36 , Lawrence Ostlere

36th over: Potts brings good movement off the seam but can’t quite find the edge of Petersen. A frustrating day for the bowler so far.

South Africa 134-1, Erwee 54, Petersen 22; England 165

15:33 , Lawrence Ostlere

35th over: Nearly a run out! Erwee dabbed and ran for a single which wasn’t there, and Broad rushed in and flung the ball at the stumps, but missed his target. That non-existent single becomes three.

South Africa 129-1, Erwee 51, Petersen 20; England 165

15:30 , Lawrence Ostlere

34th over: Petersen drills a half-volley through the covers, then nudges a single. It’s not quite Bazball but South Africa are ticking along at a good pace here.

South Africa 124-1, Erwee 51, Petersen 15; England 165

15:21 , Lawrence Ostlere

33rd over: 50 up for Erwee, who was contemplating retirement 18 months ago. A lovely stroke through the covers for four to bring up the landmark. He has been open about seeking help for mental health issues and the result is a blossoming Test career a little later than most at 32.

South Africa 120-1, Erwee 47, Petersen 15; England 165

15:18 , Lawrence Ostlere

32nd over: Petersen chunks a leading edge down to third man for a couple of runs as Potts steams in again, after an Erwee single. He is edging closer to a half century.

South Africa 117-1, Erwee 46, Petersen 13; England 165

15:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

31st over: Broad does indeed rejoin the attack, and it’s quite an expensive over. Petersen thick edges through point for four, and a few more runs tick South Africa on. The sun is shining and South Africa are enjoying themselves – this match is in danger of getting away.

South Africa 108-1, Erwee 42, Petersen 8; England 165

15:08 , Lawrence Ostlere

30th over: Erwee picks up three runs from Potts, who is back into the attack after four overs from Stokes. It looks like Broad will be replacing Anderson from the Pavilion End next.

South Africa 105-1, Erwee 39, Petersen 8; England 165

15:04 , Lawrence Ostlere

29th over: A bit of a wild over by Petersen, who fails to read Anderson’s inswinger and then gets himself in a tangle missing the outswinger as he tried to hit it into the Pavilion and completely missed. Root and his fellow slips have a chuckle. A maiden.

South Africa 105-1, Erwee 39, Petersen 8; England 165

15:01 , Lawrence Ostlere

28th over: Petersen grabs a single in front of point, before Erwee thinks better of trying to read Stokes’ swing.

South Africa 104-1, Erwee 39, Petersen 7; England 165

14:50 , Lawrence Ostlere

27th over: Erwee is ticking along nicely, picking up two through midwicket from a short Anderson delivery before seeing off the rest of the over. Anderson tries around the wicket to the lefty with his last ball and that ties up the opener a little with the angle into the body – perhaps one to try again.

South Africa 102-1, Erwee 37, Petersen 7; England 165

14:46 , Lawrence Ostlere

26th over: A good over by Stokes who is looking like England’s most threatening bowler this afternoon. His gets fierce swing on his final ball in particular which almost earns an lbw off Petersen but ends up running away for four leg byes.

South Africa 98-1, Erwee 37, Petersen 7; England 165

14:44 , Lawrence Ostlere

25th over: Petersen picks up three runs and Erwee two. The sun is shining and conditions look pretty benign out there bar a little swing in the air.

South Africa 93-1 – Erwee 35, Petersen 4. England 165

14:39 , Lawrence Ostlere

24th over: Stokes probes well, bringing up a half-hearted appeal as he almost catches the edge of Sarel Erwee’s bat. A moment later a thick edge brings four. The new man in is Keegan Petersen, by the way, who hit a crisp four off his first ball from Anderson.

Wicket! Elgar 47, b Anderson. South Africa 85-1

14:30 , Lawrence Ostlere

With Elgar on the brink of a half century, Anderson rips a quick one into his mid-riff and it bounces around before bumping into his stumps, and the bails fall. An unlucky way to go, and a big wicket for England. A refrain of “Oh, Jimmy Jimmy!” goes up around Lord’s.

South Africa 84-0 - Elgar 47, Erwee 30. England 165

14:26 , Luke Baker

22nd over: South Africa’s skipper is looking set, so England’s captain brings himself into the attack to replace Durham teammate Matty Potts.

Early leg bye off the hip and Elgar then gets up on his toes to punch the ball to the off-side boundary for FOUR. Not a bad ball from Stokes per se, just outside off stump, but classily dispatched. And FOUR more, this one just behind square from a similar shot, off the final delivery as the ball just outruns a diving Ollie Pope.

South Africa 75-0 - Elgar 39, Erwee 30. England 165

14:21 , Luke Baker

21st over: Jimmy Anderson replaces Broad at the Pavilion End and starts with an absolute pearl! Coming around the wicket, he angles one in to Elgar and it then angles away, completely beating the bat. Classic Jimmy. Far too good for the South Africa skipper, who gives a wry smile in response.

Anderson then angles one in that raps the pad before Elgar finally gets off a couple of runs with a well-timed push into the off-side.

South Africa 73-0 - Elgar 37, Erwee 30. England 165

14:17 , Luke Baker

20th over: Hmmm... Potts is leaking runs at a fair lick here as Elgar flicks a ball that’s far too full and straight for FOUR. Then it’s FOUR more, leg byes this time, as it strays on to the pads and Elgar tries another flick - no bat involved though.

Better line from Potts and a bit of movement but Elgar watchfully forces it to leg for a single regardless. Ben Stokes is warming up and that’s probably end of spell for Potts.

South Africa 64-0 - Elgar 32, Erwee 30. England 165

14:13 , Luke Baker

19th over: Not to alarm England fans out there but conditions appear to be becoming easier and easier to bat in. Broad not being offered much assistance.

He does get one to move as Elgar plays and misses before Ollie Pope takes a shy at the stumps from his gully position. Direct hit but Elgar got his bat back in the crease to avoid a disastrous wicket. They then take three of the final ball as the skipper steers one through the covers.

South Africa 61-0 - Elgar 29, Erwee 30. England 165

14:08 , Luke Baker

18th over: Classy from Elgar as he cuts a short, wide Potts delivery away for FOUR. Just enough on it to reach the rope. The South African skipper then punches the next ball in front of square for three more before Erwee gorgeously whips one off his pads through the leg-side for FOUR.

Potts couldn’t find his length or line in that over and it’s an expensive one for the hosts.

South Africa 50-0 - Elgar 22, Erwee 26. England 165

14:03 , Luke Baker

17th over: It’s 50 UP for South Africa as Erwee squirts one through point for two. These two look largely unruffled as an opening partnership and they’re starting to slowly put the Proteas in control of this Test.

A half-appeal as a Broad ball down the leg side has a bit of extra bounce and goes through to Foakes but it’s clearly off Erwee’s hip rather than bat.

South Africa 48-0 - Elgar 22, Erwee 24. England 165

13:59 , Luke Baker

16th over: England starting to get frustrated here as South Africa edge towards 50 without loss. First ball is too full from Potts and it’s punched down the ground for FOUR by Erwee.

A shorter ball takes an edge into the leg side but loops harmlessly on to the turf for a single. 48-0.

South Africa 43-0 - Elgar 22, Erwee 19. England 165

13:56 , Luke Baker

15th over: The first ball of Broad’s next over is a leg-stump half-volley and Elgar happily whips it to the midwicket boundary for FOUR.

Good response from Broad but the final ball of the over is pushed through the slips for FOUR. Not entirely as intended by Elgar, a bit of an edge as he just hung the bat out.

South Africa 35-0 - Elgar 14 Erwee 19. England 165

13:51 , Luke Baker

14th over: Matty Potts continuing from the other end. A bit of movement off the seam as Erwee plays all round one that nips back, straight between pad and wafting bat.

That’s a better shot though. Erwee times a shot through point for FOUR and then takes two off the final ball with a bit of an edge to the off-side. Six from the over.

South Africa 29-0 - Elgar 14 Erwee 13. England 165

13:47 , Luke Baker

13th over: Broad will be looking for swing in this session to really test the South African openers. Elgar mistimes a drive outside off but it harmlessly dribbles back down the track. A couple of safe leaves before Elgar nudges one down the slope through the off-side for a couple of runs.

South Africa 27-0, Elgar 12 Erwee 13. England 165

13:44 , Luke Baker

Right, the players are back out and play is about to resume. England desperately need a breakthrough with the ball and they need to dominate this session.

Stuart Broad to bowl the first over after lunch. Here we go.

WATCH: Lord’s turns red for Ruth

13:43 , Luke Baker

It has been fantastic spectacle to see Lord’s resplendent in red to help promote the work of the Ruth Strauss Foundation. The annual “Red for Ruth” day is always incredible and today has been no different.

WATCH: Kagiso Rabada finishes off England’s innings

13:41 , Luke Baker

Kagiso Rabada made it on to the Lord’s honours board as he took five wickets in the first innings. Here’s how he completed his five-fer and polished off the England tail

Lord’s turns red for Ruth Strauss Foundation on day two of England vs South Africa

13:29 , Luke Baker

Lord’s turns ‘Red for Ruth’ on Thursday in recognition of the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

The former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss’s wife died from lung cancer in December 2018, aged 46. Strauss, whose two sons Sam and Luca were young children at the time of Ruth’s illness and death, has since set up the foundation to support families as they prepare for grief and bereavement.

Red for Ruth has become an annual event in which players wear bright red caps and blazers and the home of cricket is transformed in colour, with spectactors encouraged to wear red too. This summer it falls on the second day of England’s first Test match with South Africa, the start of a three-match series.

England vs South Africa: Lord’s turns red for Ruth Strauss Foundation

South Africa dismiss England for 165 as Kagiso Rabada takes five wickets

13:18 , Luke Baker

South Africa maintained their stranglehold on the first Test at Lord’s by bowling England out for 165 on the second morning with Kagiso Rabada claiming an impressive five-wicket haul.

Rain halted the tourists’ charge on day one with England struggling to 116-6 and on the verge of posting their lowest total since the new regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum set about transforming red-ball cricket in this country.

While the hosts moved beyond the 141 they scored here against New Zealand in June, Rabada sent Ollie Pope back to the pavilion early and picked up 5-52 to bring England’s first innings to an end inside an hour on day two.

South Africa dismiss England for 165 as Kagiso Rabada takes five wickets

LUNCH: England vs South Africa

13:09 , Luke Baker

The first session this morning could hardly have gone better for South Africa. They skittled England fairly comfortably - dismissing them for 165 - and openers Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee made it to the break unscathed.

Can England respond in the second session of the day and start to make some dents into this Proteas top order?

South Africa 27-0, Elgar 12 Erwee 13. England 165

13:05 , Lawrence Ostlere

12th over: Matthew Potts bowls the final over before lunch, and he finds some late swing – though almost too much, bowling a hooping wide. With the very last ball he almost clatters the stumps of Erwee but the opener survives, and you’d have to say that was South Africa’s session.

South Africa 26-0, Elgar 12 Erwee 13. England 165

12:59 , Lawrence Ostlere

11th over: Anderson to Elgar – a maiden. Elgar is not going to drawn in to nibbling outside off-stump before lunch, it seems.

South Africa 26-0, Elgar 12 Erwee 13. England 165

12:54 , Lawrence Ostlere

10th over: Erwee gets his bat on a full one from Potts and jabs out three runs down the ground, before Potts decides to go around the wicket to Elgar. He immediately draws an edge which flies towards Zak Crawley in the slips, who gets only fingertips to it as it races away for four. That was a tough chance, but still a chance nonetheless.

South Africa 18-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 10. England 165

12:50 , Lawrence Ostlere

9th over: Erwee gets lucky with a single before Elgar sees off the rest of the Anderson over in notably conservative, anti-Bazball style. Matthew Potts is coming into the attack as lunch approaches.

South Africa 17-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 9. England 165

12:47 , Lawrence Ostlere

8th over: Wicket... or is it? Broad seems to find Elgar’s inside edge and a big appeal goes up, as does the umpire’s finger. But Elgar immediately reviews – always a concerning sign for a bowler – and he’s right to, because the faint noise was the top of his pad, not his bat. Ball tracking checks for LBW but the ball was heading over the stumps.

South Africa 16-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 8. England 165

12:40 , Lawrence Ostlere

7th over: An attempted leave by Erwee is too late and he inside edges down, luckily, to the ground before reaching Foakes behind the stumps. They run a single and with the next delivery Anderson whistles a brilliant away-swinger past the bat and Elgar’s off-stump almost goes flying. England’s best over yet, but still no breakthrough.

South Africa 15-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 7. England 165

12:36 , Lawrence Ostlere

6th over: Broad hasn’t quite found his groove yet; his line is too straight around the wicket which is easy for Elgar to leave outside off-stump. Finally he finds something closer to the stumps and it almost induces an edge from the touring captain, but narrowly misses. A maiden.

South Africa 15-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 7. England 165

12:32 , Lawrence Ostlere

5th over: Another half-appeal from behind the stumps but tellingly Anderson is unmoved having pitched the ball outside leg bowling to the left-handed Erwee.

South Africa 13-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 5. England 165

12:28 , Lawrence Ostlere

4th over: Erwee clips a beautiful stroke through midwicket to get off the mark with a boundary. The penultimate ball of the over brings a half-hearted shout from Broad but it was bat, not pad, and Erwee adds a single to retain the strike.

South Africa 8-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 0. England 165

12:25 , Lawrence Ostlere

3rd over: Just a leg bye as Erwee and Elgar safely navigate Anderson’s probing second over.

South Africa 7-0, Elgar 7 Erwee 0. England 165

12:19 , Lawrence Ostlere

2nd over: Elgar drives Broad, bowling around the wicket, through long-off for four, then pushes through the off-side for two more. The final ball of the over offers England’s first sniff of a wicket as Elgar edges towards Potts at fourth slip, but it doesn’t quite carry.

South Africa 1-0, Elgar 1 Erwee 0. England 165

12:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

1st over: South Africa captain Dean Elgar leaves the first few – one of which is brilliantly stopped down the leg side by keeper Ben Foakes – before nudging a single through point. Sarel Erwee, another left-hander, sees off the final ball. Stuart Broad will take up the attack from the Nursery End.

England 165 all out

12:10 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here we go then, England are out in the field and James Anderson has the ball in hand.

England 165 all out

12:03 , Lawrence Ostlere

Rabada leads South Africa back to the pavilion and holds the ball aloft, to gentle applause. He finishes with 5-52, backed up by Nortje’s 3-63 and Jansen’s 2-30.

England’s scorecard doesn’t make for pretty reading. Only Ollie Pope surpassed 20, scoring a 102-ball 73.

Wicket! Anderson 0, b Rabada. England 165 all out

11:58 , Lawrence Ostlere

45th over: Potts has done well to fend off Rabada this morning and does so again, before knocking an edged single to bring Anderson on strike. But that proves the end: Anderson is trapped lbw by Rabada, and a review does not save him. A five-fer for Rabada!

Wicket! Leach 15, b Jansen. England 164-9

11:52 , Lawrence Ostlere

44th over: Leach flicks Jansen off his pads for three after Rabada chases it down to stop it reaching the boundary, and Potts adds a single, but with the final ball Jansen finally finds his range to clatter Leach’s off stump out of the ground.

England 160-8, Potts 4 Leach 12; South Africa yet to bat

11:47 , Lawrence Ostlere

43rd over: Rabada continues to test Potts outside his off stump as he searches for his fifth wicket of the innings, but with a bit of luck and bit of judgement, Potts survives a maiden.

England 160-8, Potts 4 Leach 12; South Africa yet to bat

11:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

42nd over: Marco Jansen comes into the attack and Leach immediately smacks him for four to backward point! Lovely shot, and he follows it soon after with another lovely drive through the covers.

England 152-8, Potts 4 Leach 4; South Africa yet to bat

11:40 , Lawrence Ostlere

41st over: Rabada whistles ball after ball past Potts’ outside edge without finding it. This could all be over very quickly...

England 150-8, Potts 2 Leach 4; South Africa yet to bat

11:36 , Lawrence Ostlere

40th over: After feeling for a few which flew past his bat, Leach sends a thick edge racing through the slips, and such is Nortje’s pace that it zips all the way for four.

England 146-8, Potts 2 Leach 0; South Africa yet to bat

11:33 , Lawrence Ostlere

39th over: Jack Leach earns England a bye from the final ball of the over.

Wicket! Broad 15, c Elgar b Rabada. England 145-8

11:31 , Lawrence Ostlere

Stuart Broad chips Rabada to the South African captain Dean Elgar at point, a cheap way to go, as he tried to open up the off-side and ended up almost falling over as he reached for the ball.

England 143-7, Broad 13 Potts 2; South Africa yet to bat

11:27 , Lawrence Ostlere

38th over: Stuart Broad is taking the fight to the South Africans, cracking a four through cover before getting another three which is not quite so well hit, but well run. Broad gives Potts a little pep-talk before facing Nortje’s pace, and it works as the Durham seamer dives out of the way of a short one before swiping the final ball for two through the offside.

England 134-7, Broad 6 Potts 0; South Africa yet to bat

11:22 , Lawrence Ostlere

37th over: Matthew Potts survives the rest of the over.

Wicket! Pope 73, b Rabada. England 134-7

11:19 , Lawrence Ostlere

It’s the one South Africa desperately wanted this morning – Ollie Pope. Rabada offers something outside off-stump and Pope slashes a little loosely to take out his stumps with an inside edge.

England 134-6, Pope 73 Broad 6; South Africa yet to bat

11:17 , Lawrence Ostlere

36th over: Pope faces Nortje, rather than Broad this time, which is how England will like it given the short stuff the England tailender was facing a couple of overs ago. Pope knocks three leaving Broad the final ball to face, which is short, and bounces all the way through via a glance off the gloves for four runs.

England 127-6, Pope 70 Broad 2; South Africa yet to bat

11:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

35th over: Pope hits Rabada for two through midwicket, then a single to put Broad on strike. Broad is in Bazball mode, and he slashes one high over mid-off for two more. He finishes the over with a slightly wild shuffle forwards which lets the ball fly through, but it misses the stumps to Rabada’s growing frustration.

England 122-6, Pope 67 Broad 0; South Africa yet to bat

11:09 , Lawrence Ostlere

34th over: Anrich Nortje’s pace was a nightmare for England’s middle order yesterday, and he starts with a rapid maiden full of bounce aimed at Stuart Broad’s upper body. One ball reaches 94mph.

England 122/6, Pope 67 Broad 0; South Africa yet to bat

11:06 , Lawrence Ostlere

33rd over: Dropped! Oh, what a moment this might prove to be. Kagiso Rabada opens the morning’s bowling and probes Ollie Pope’s off-stump, before Pope knocks a four down to fine leg. But the sixth delivery is a peach, pitching on the stumps before jagging straight and Pope edges to the slips... where Sarel Erwee fumbles it. A huge chance. Rabada had even started celebrating.

England vs South Africa

11:02 , Lawrence Ostlere

We are under way at Lord’s...

Lord’s turning red for “Red for Ruth” day

10:56 , Luke Baker

Lord’s turns ‘Red for Ruth’ on Thursday in recognition of the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

The former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss’s wife died from lung cancer in December 2018, aged 46. Strauss, whose two sons Sam and Luca were young children at the time of Ruth’s illness and death, has since set up the foundation to support families as they prepare for grief and bereavement.

Forecast set fair

10:53 , Luke Baker

Some good news after rain disrupted play on day one - today looks set to be much drier. It’s currently sunny at Lord’s with no rain in the sky, so we should be absolutely fine for the scheduled 11am start.

The forecast also looks pretty clear for the rest of the day, so fingers crossed no interruptions and we should have a full day’s play on ‘Red for Ruth’ Day.

10:45 , Luke Baker

Superstar seamer Kagiso Rabada proved a thorn in England’s side on day one and he claims variation was the key to putting England on the ropes.

Rabada’s two wickets in 12 overs for just 36 runs came despite him being a doubt ahead of the game due to an ankle injury sustained during the T20 series against England earlier in the summer.

The fast bowler insisted that there is no animosity between the sides after a war of words in the build-up to the first Test, believing his team have to adapt to the opposition.

“We’ve always bowled the same and there was a bit in the wicket today and I think we got rewards for putting the ball in the right areas,” Rabada said. “Normally you tend to do the same thing over and over in Test cricket but I think you have slightly different plans to different batters.

“Different teams have different strategies and I guess it’s just about adapting to what the opposition throws at you.

“So there’s nothing really going around that brings any animosity or white line fever, but I think it’s just about adapting to the team’s strategy.”

England set to play Ireland in one of 22 Tests from 2023 to 2027

10:40 , Luke Baker

The ICC has revealed its next Future Tours Program cycle with England set to play Ireland in a home Test ahead of next summer’s Ashes.

Cricket’s governing body outlined its international calendar between 2023 and 2027 on Wednesday with England set to play 22 Tests, the most of any of the ICC’s 12 full members.

With more franchise leagues set to begin next year, it has only increased the scrutiny and pressure on the schedule and Australia and India are the other two countries who will play the most Tests during the four-year cycle with 21 and 20 respectively.

The 2023-2027 FTP cycle confirms next summer’s Ashes will not take place in August, the month set to be dominated by the third edition of English cricket’s franchise league The Hundred. Instead, England and Australia will contest the Ashes during June and July.

A home Test against Ireland at the beginning of June will act as a precursor ahead of Ben Stokes’ side looking to win back the urn.

England’s next Test assignment after the Ashes will be a five-match series in India at the start of a busy 2024. West Indies and Sri Lanka will provide home challenges in red-ball cricket before Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand end the year.

India will return the favour in 2025 with a five-match home Test series during the summer and a trip Down Under awaits in the winter.

New Zealand and Pakistan provide the red-ball cricket entertainment in the UK in 2026 before three Tests in South Africa and a further two away to Bangladesh occur during the winter.

It means England will not play Test cricket in the West Indies for at least five years having lost the recent series there in March.

PA

Sir Andrew Strauss hopes review will make English game ‘cleaner and more simple’

10:34 , Luke Baker

Sir Andrew Strauss hopes his performance review of English cricket can help make the domestic game “a little bit cleaner and more simple” and called for the buy-in of the 18 first-class counties.

The former England captain is currently leading a wide-ranging investigation into the domestic structure and whether the county system prepares players properly for the rigours of international cricket with the long-term ambition of England being the best team in the world across all three formats.

Strauss is nearing the conclusion of the review and will put forward proposals to the first-class counties shortly, with 12 required to vote in favour of his recommendations for them to be implemented.

Sir Andrew Strauss hopes review will make English game ‘cleaner and more simple’

Lord’s to turn red for Ruth Strauss Foundation on day two of England vs South Africa

10:27 , Luke Baker

Lord’s turns ‘Red for Ruth’ on Thursday in recognition of the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

The former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss’s wife died from lung cancer in December 2018, aged 46. Strauss, whose two sons Sam and Luca were young children at the time of Ruth’s illness and death, has since set up the foundation to support families as they prepare for grief and bereavement.

Red for Ruth has become an annual event in which players wear bright red caps and blazers and the home of cricket is transformed in colour, with spectactors encouraged to wear red too. This summer it falls on the second day of England’s first Test match with South Africa, the start of a three-match series.

The foundation raises money for research into rare cancers and has launched a family support service which aims to help some of the 41,000 children each year who lose a parent.

England vs South Africa: Lord’s to turn red for Ruth Strauss Foundation

Zak Crawley given vote of confidence by Paul Collingwood

10:19 , Luke Baker

Zak Crawley is the one player yet to deliver in the “Bazball” era but the opening batter still has the full backing of the coaching staff.

Crawley was out for nine on the opening day, caught off the bowling of Kagiso Rabada following a tentative prod, but assistant coach Paul Collingwood is adamant that these failures are an acceptable part of the wider plan.

“The messaging is very clear with Zak. We don’t necessarily look for consistency with Zak,” Collingwood said. “It’s about match-winning performances and being able to do special things.

“One innings ago he had a hundred partnership against India to chase down over 350 so we don’t forget about those contributions in our dressing room and they are huge contributions to winning games of cricket. He’s got a lot of talent, we know that.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated he’s not getting more runs but certainly in the dressing room ourselves we’re confident he can turn things around and have those match-winning contributions.”

Paul Collingwood backs Ollie Pope to lead England fightback at Lord’s

10:12 , Luke Baker

Paul Collingwood hailed Ollie Pope for his unbeaten half-century and insisted England have the capacity to fight back after a difficult opening day of the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s.

South Africa’s charge was halted by the rain which ultimately forced an early close of play with England up against it at 116-6.

Pope offered the only resistance for England, bringing up his 50 just before lunch, having played confidently and in the spirit of the so-called ‘Bazball’ approach adopted under Brendon McCullum, finishing the day unbeaten on 61.

England assistant coach Collingwood believes Pope embodied the spirit of the team instilled by head coach McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

“I thought he was fantastic today,” Collingwood said. “Our mantra of trying to put the opposition under pressure, he did that brilliantly today.

“I thought he was composed, he looked busy at the crease and on a wicket that was giving them quite a lot of assistance he got us into a position at the end of the day’s play where we’re not necessarily out of the game, but he’s batted exceptionally well and shown a lot of skill.”

Paul Collingwood backs Ollie Pope to lead England fightback at Lord’s

South Africa put England’s attacking philosophy to the test with ruthless bowling display

10:11 , Luke Baker

Dean Elgar had dared England to try their brand of gung-ho cricket against his South African seam attack in the build-up to this series, and his bowlers backed up their captain’s provocations with a ruthless assault of pace and swing on the first day at Lord’s, writes Lawrence Ostlere.

Kagiso Rabada made the initial incisions into England’s batting line-up before Anrich Nortje tore through the middle order with raw pace, splaying the stumps to remove the star of England’s cricketing summer, Jonny Bairstow, for a duck, and coaxing a thick edge from Ben Stokes’s bat with the last ball before lunch. The South Africans fiercely celebrated the England captain’s wicket, and there was just time for Nortje to take out Ben Foakes before heavy afternoon rain ended play with England on 116-6.

England put on a show of full-throttle “Bazball” earlier this summer to whitewash New Zealand and beat India, staying true to their philosophy even when under the pump. Stokes insists his players will not veer from their newfound attacking instincts whatever the weather, but their determination to break Test cricket’s conventions will come under its greatest scrutiny yet if South Africa continue to produce bowling performances like this over the three-match series.

South Africa put England’s bold philosophy to the test with ruthless bowling display

England vs South Africa - day two

10:09 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of day two of the first Test between England and South Africa at Lord’s.

Ollie Pope will attempt to get England out of trouble after they lost early wickets on day one before the rain came after lunch. England had fallen to 55-4 before the No 3 slowly rebuilt and he had reached 61 not out when play was ended for the day due to the weather.

Pope had to remedy a dismal situation in the morning session after England faltered, with Zak Crawley failing again, Jonny Bairstow getting out for a duck and Ben Stokes caught just on the stroke of lunch.

The hosts start day two on 116-6 and will hope to deal with the South African seamers better than they did on the opening day. Stick with us for over-by-over live updates from the home of cricket as the “Bazball” era rolls on for England.