Reckless England collapse at Trent Bridge to leave South Africa in the driving seat on day two

South Africa 335 & 75-1, England 205: Joe Root top-scored for the hosts with 78 but England lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs and now face defeat

England now face defeat in the second Test against South Africa (Getty)

An X-rated batting display from England means they are facing not only what appears an impossible fight to save this second Test but searching questions over the make-up of their top six for the remainder of this series.

James Anderson, who took five wickets, really ought to have been the story of a second day that started with South Africa being dismissed for 335 in their first innings.

However, he was let down by England’s batsmen, who contrived to cede a 130-run first-innings advantage after they collapsed from 143 for three to 205 all out.

By the close, South Africa had stretched their lead to 205, with Anderson’s dismissal of opener Heino Kuhn their only setback as they reached stumps on 75 for one in their second innings.

Both Dean Elgar, on 38, and Hashim Amla, on 23, are well set heading into day three. And it really would take a comeback of epic proportions from England to throw this contest wide open again.

The tourists will feel another hundred runs – a lead of 305 and more than the record successful chase of 284 on this ground - should put England completely out of reach in this Test. If that is the case then memories of their 211-run defeat at Lord’s last weekend can be forgotten and this series will be level at 1-1 with two matches to play.

It’s a tantalising prospect, but one which would stretch Joe Root’s powers of leadership to their limit so early in his tenure as captain.

England have it all to do to save the second Test (Getty)

The Yorkshireman’s efforts with the bat could not be faulted after his brilliant 78 from 76 balls helped his side rebuild from the precarious position of three for two five overs into their reply.

Root had started his Test captaincy with a match-defining 190 in the first Test, an innings that bailed out his team at Lord’s after they had collapsed to 76 for four.

Yet his batting here was even more fluent, Root setting about South Africa’s attack with the purpose of a man who knows if you want a job done properly then he’d better do it himself.

This has been a theme of England’s batting for at least the past two years, top-order collapses followed by a Root rescue act.

Root was unable to single-handedly save England this time (Getty)

However, unlike Lord’s, his runs in this first innings were to prove insufficient to dig England out of a hole this time given the lack of support around him.

Root’s dismissal in the afternoon session, edging behind after going hard at Morne Morkel, was to precipitate the collapse that saw his team lose their final seven wickets for 62 runs.

He cannot be blamed, though, when so many others around him failed.

Of the other frontline batsmen, only Jonny Bairstow can be excused too much criticism given the wicketkeeper contributed 45 runs before he was bowled by a good delivery from Keshav Maharaj.

Stokes was another who failed to deliver (Getty)

The left-arm spinner picked up three key wickets, with Ben Stokes, whose 12-ball duck lasted 37 minutes, and Liam Dawson his other victims.

Things had started badly when both Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings fell cheaply, both caught behind off Vernon Philander and Morkel respectively.

Cook’s place is not in question given he is England’s all-time record runscorer.

But the jury is still out on Jennings, whose century on debut in Mumbai last December cannot protect him from proper scrutiny this English summer.

The jury is still out on Jennings (Getty)

The question of whether Jennings will be in England’s XI by the time the Ashes start in November is pertinent. Yet the same can be posed of Gary Ballance, whose recall to the side at No3 this summer – his third and surely final chance to cut it at Test level – has seen him return scores of 20, 34 and 27.

A man who averaged 67.93 in his first ten Tests now has one of 19.79 in his past 13 matches.

Ballance, playing back in his crease and chopping Philander onto his stumps, may be averaging 101 for Yorkshire this summer but this is a far more exacting standard and so far this summer he has been found wanting.

Test cricket is at its most thrilling on days like this when ball dominates bat and it was Anderson who set the tone with a masterful display of swing bowling that wrapped up South Africa’s first innings in 6.2 overs.

South Africa are firmly in the driving seat (Getty)

Resuming on 309 for six following a 74-run stand between Philander and Chris Morris the previous evening, the tourists added just 26 runs to that total after Anderson’s spell of four for four that wrapped up his seventh five-wicket haul at this ground.

It started when Philander, on 54, skied the fifth ball of the day to Liam Dawson following a leading edge.

Maharaj was then bamboozled by some brilliant bowling from Anderson, England’s leading wicket-taker finding the edge with away swing after his previous delivery had been a prodigious inswinger.

Morris, caught and bowled, and Morkel, edging behind, followed as South Africa were bowled out for what appeared a slightly under-par 335.

England, though, ensured that was enough to manufacture a big first-innings lead and what now appears a match-winning advantage.