Rain and staunch South African resistance scupper England's victory charge

• South Africa (284 & 181/5) draw with England (417/8 dec)

Forget Bradman, Warne or Perry. The greatest threat to English cricket has always come from the skies overhead.

So it proved again as the one-off Test between South Africa and England came to a soggy close with only 88 overs completed across the final two days. The captains shook hands at 5:36pm with South Africa on 181 for five in their second innings.

England batted once in this contest, scoring 417 for eight declared. On the first day they bowled South Africa out for 284 and would have backed themselves to take the final five wickets if given enough time to chase a first Test victory since 2014. Instead they were forced to watch rain pelt the tarpaulin covers.

Broader pieces dedicated to the subject will examine the disparity that exists in cricket. A sharp line cuts across the sexes. Women very rarely play this revered format with a red ball in white clothing and when they do their games are confined to four days.

But that debate is best left for another time because what cricket was on show in Taunton is worthy of praise. There was something in it for all palates.

Kate Cross was exceptional with the new ball on the first day and helped reduce South Africa to 89 for five before Marizanne Kapp plundered 150 faultless runs to drag her team to a respectable tally.

The next day the calamitous run-out of Heather Knight was the catalyst of a collapse engineered by Anneke Bosch’s probing away swing. With the score at 121 for five, high school mates Nat Sciver and Alice Davidson-Richards rebuilt and then counterattacked in a partnership worth 207.

Davidson-Richards fell on the last ball of the day for 107 but Sciver continued where she left off. Her unbeaten 169 was littered with sumptuous drives on the up and bludgeoned pulls in front of square.

After several rain delays, Issy Wong, one of the most exciting characters in the English game, steamed in to rip two wickets under the lights on day three. Like she did in the first innings, she claimed the prized wicket of Laura Wolvaardt to kickstart a duel that could define a generation in the women’s game. Then, with South Africa needing to hold on, night-watcher Tumi Sekhukhune faced 132 balls for her 32.

The protagonists deserved more than this. This match was meant to prove that women deserve more Tests around the world. If the status quo remains, blame the weather before the 22 players who put on a show while they could.