England, having taken a lead of 97 runs on the first innings, had stretched that lead to 216 by the close of the third day of the first Test match against the Standard Bank Proteas at Lord’s in London on Saturday.

With 9 wickets still in hand, including Alastair Cook currently unbeaten on 59, they hold a very strong hand with the spinners becoming increasingly dominant in the game and the pitch getting lower and slower.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada has been suspended for next week’s Trent Bridge Test after his accumulated demerit points reached four within a 24-month period following his latest breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for which he received a 15 per cent fine and one demerit point.

During the opening day’s play in the Lord’s Test against England on Thursday, Rabada was found guilty of breaching article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”. 

Temba Bavuma and Theunis de Bruyn, two of the least experienced men in the Standard Bank Proteas top order produced a fightback of skill and good temperament to revive their side from a potential collapse on the second day of the first Test match against England at Lord’s in London on Friday.

Their stand of 99 for the fifth wicket which was broken 10 minutes before stumps when De Bruyn was dismissed by Jimmy Anderson mirrored the similar stand of 114 for the same wicket between Joe Root and Ben Stokes to launch a similar England revival the previous day.

Joe Root celebrated his debut performance as England’s Test match captain with his 12th career century on the opening day of the first Test match against the Standard Bank Proteas at Lord’s in London on Thursday. It was also his second century against South Africa and the higher of his two, beating the 110 he made at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium last year.

England finished the day on 357/5 with Root unbeaten on 184 (227 balls, 26 fours and a six). His performance spearheaded an England fightback after the Proteas had picked up four wickets in the morning session after losing the toss in good batting conditions, thanks in the main to Vernon Philander who picked up three of the wickets.