NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) Joe Root steadied England again with a rapid half-century, guiding his team to 85-2 at lunch after it lost both openers in successive balls to slip to 3-2 on Day 2 of the second test against South Africa on Saturday.
The bowlers were clearly in the ascendancy on the second morning until Root got to the crease, with James Anderson making quick work of South Africa’s tail with a superb spell of 4-4. The Proteas went from 309-6 overnight to 335 all out in their first innings.
But England’s batsmen also struggled at first at a cloudy Trent Bridge, with Alastair Cook (3) and Keaton Jennings (0) quickly falling to bring skipper Root to the crease in the fifth over.