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A year ago, Arsenal’s need for a new striker was exacerbated by injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

A year on, the two forwards are now back in contention to start games for the Gunners but arguably, they still need a striker.

Jesus did score his first goal back from a horrific ACL injury on Tuesday night, netting the fourth in their win over Aston Villa, but Viktor Gyokeres continues to struggle.

He may have netted from the spot in the 1-0 win over Everton prior to Christmas but he is now without a non-penalty goal since 1st November when he found the net from a header against Burnley.

It’s safe to say his performances are becoming all the more concerning.

How Gyokeres fared against Aston Villa

On paper, this was a game that suited Gyokeres. For most of his Arsenal career, the Swede has had to play against deep blocks.

That hardly suits his swashbuckling and quick style of play. He doesn’t get any room whatsoever. Yet, Villa, who play with a higher line and come at their opponents, looked like a good match.

Gyokeres did manage to have three shots, notably placing a header wide in the first half, but he continues to float through games pretty anonymously.

He managed just 16 touches of the ball against the Villans, producing only three accurate passes and winning one of his seven duels. While it was an improved performance on what we’ve seen in recent weeks, certainly as far as generating shots is concerned, it was another game in which he failed to find the net.

Gyokeres vs Aston Villa

Minutes played

77

Touches

16

Accurate passes

3/6 (60%)

Shots

3

Shots on target

0

Big chances missed

1

Possession lost

6x

Key passes

0

Ground duels won

1/6

Aerial duels won

0/1

Stats via Sofascore.

The fact of the matter is that Arsenal paid Sporting a lot of money for Gyokers to score goals. He is not doing that with enough regularity.

It was thought when the former Coventry City man arrived that he would be the player to fire Arsenal to the title. He may still do that but the early signs are damning. It said it all that Jesus, who had been on the pitch for a matter of moments, instantly found the net.

He certainly looks like a better option at the moment and it won’t be too long, surely, before Havertz leapfrogs the summer arrival in the pecking order.

Why Kai Havertz is still the main man

It’s funny how quickly things change in football, isn’t it? As we entered 2024, the debate was rife about Havertz.

Like Gyokeres, he was being branded as a flop. Why on earth did the Gunners pay £65m to sign him from Chelsea? Well, as 2024 played out, it quickly became apparent.

Initially signed as a central midfielder, it was as a centre-forward where he wove his way into the hearts of supporters inside the Emirates Stadium. His Arsenal journey is eerily similar to that of Mikel Merino.

As a striker, the big German has been sublime. In 2023/24, he netted just six times in 33 appearances as a midfielder but when leading the line, he scored eight and assisted eight in 18 outings. Nine of his 14 goals that campaign came in February and beyond.

On that evidence, there is hope for Gyokeres yet. However, in Havertz, they have someone who not only suits the system but, crucially, makes Arsenal tick. As we approach a busy stage of the term, his return from injury is timely.

This side are not used to having a striker who runs in behind and as much as they need to adapt better to Gyokeres’ style of play, it speaks volumes that some of Arsenal’s best performances this season have come with a similar player to Havertz in Merino leading the line.

The Spaniard was selected as the number 9 in the enthralling wins over Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur within a few days of each other.

While the Germany international isn’t yet ready to start games, his reemergence on the bench against Villa on Tuesday night was a very welcome sight. His array of qualities are going to be huge for Arteta and Co throughout the second half of this season.

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A summary from England boss Thomas Tuchel, who managed him at Chelsea, tells us a lot.

“I see a bit of Dennis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, [Dimitar] Berbatov kind of player. He can play in the half position because he has good runs, but also feels free from the nine and creates overload to one side. When I watched him at Leverkusen, I didn’t know that I would coach him, when I watched him at Paris [Saint-Germain], they made him play as a nine which was very interesting.”

He’s not the only one to make that sort of comparison. Former Arsenal man Paul Merson said at one stage that he was a “Bergkamp kind of player.”

He may not possess the same technical elegance as the great Dutchman but you can see where Tuchel and Merson are coming from. Like Bergkamp, he’s a selfless figure, someone capable of not just scoring but bringing others into play.

It will take a while for Havertz to get up to speed but if he can do it swiftly, it could be the end for Gyokeres in an Arsenal shirt.

Saleh Ahmed Shawon is fidgety, unlike the mostly calm Nazmul Hossain Shanto or the bright-eyed Bangladesh Under-19s captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz. The left-arm spinner is the Bangladesh team’s prankster, making wisecracks and keeping everyone cheerful, while at times, by his own admission, being the victim of his team-mates’ pranks. Despite his antics, Shawon has been the team’s leading wicket-taker since January last year, with 53 dismissals at 16.01 in 30 matches.He doesn’t look at one person for too long and his hands are constantly fidgeting, but he did stand still for the duration of the press briefing. The bowler has also started to like the big stage, and draws motivation from the crowd cheering his name.”I always try to keep my team-mates amused, I joke around, especially when I see someone down,” Shawon said. “I try to poke him, ask him what’s wrong. And they, too, have fun at my expense. I also find a lot of motivation playing in front of a crowd where they are calling out my name and cheering us. Maybe some people take it as pressure, but I like it.”While bowling, he has the run-up of a front-on bowler but slides into a side-on action and flights the ball consistently. He has set himself a target of finishing as one of the leading wicket-takers in this tournament, although he admitted his primary job was to keep the runs down.”In team meetings, we have been told to keep the runs in check,” he said. “I don’t go for wickets. I just want to keep it to 20-25 in my ten overs. [Getting a] Wicket is a matter of luck. We think that our bowling attack can defend a score like 240, which will be hard for any opponent in any condition.”My target is to be among the top five wicket-takers in the tournament, or if possible the highest wicket-taker.”Shawon stated that in a bid to keep the players under less pressure, the team management had told them to approach the World Cup as a set of two three-match series’. Personally, though, he doesn’t seem too nervous about the big stage.”We are looking at it as a series, not a World Cup. We shouldn’t be tensed about playing a World Cup, that’s what our captain and vice-captain have told us ahead of the tournament,” he said. “We have divided it into two three-match series. So we have the three matches in the group stage, and three in the knockout. If we can win six, we can win the World Cup.”It is not really possible to think this way but it is about believing it yourself, you get what I’m saying?”

Marvan Atapattu refused to have a chat with the selectors © Getty Images

Marvan Atapattu, the former Sri Lanka captain, is unlikely to make the team for the tour of Australia after refusing to attend a meeting with the selectors.”I got an email from the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket inviting me for a discussion at 5pm [on October 3],” Atapattu told . “The email said the selectors were going to be there too and I replied saying that I did not want to waste my time with a selection committee headed by Ashantha de Mel.”Following Atapattu’s snub, de Mel, the chairman of selectors, told there would be no further attempts to speak to him and Sanath Jayasuriya would be chosen insteadPrior to the scheduled meeting, de Mel had indicated that Atapattu would be recalled. “We need his experience in Australia,” de Mel said. “He has the technique and temperament to stay at the crease. It will be very important for the two Tests against Australia. I will talk to him about his availability.”Atapattu did not play a single game in the World Cup in the West Indies, despite being in the squad, and was overlooked for the subsequent one-day series in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan. He then announced his unavailability for the home series against Bangladesh citing personal reasons and asked to be released from his central contract, sparking speculation that he might be linked to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, had also supported Atapattu’s inclusion and called on the selectors to find out whether he would be willing to commit to a tough series.”We love to have him around,” Jayawardene said. “He is a top class performer. For a fact I know that he still wants to continue to play cricket for Sri Lanka. He wanted to be released from his contract purely because he wanted to see other avenues in his career. The best thing would be to have a dialogue with him and find out what he wants to do.”Sri Lanka play two Tests in Australia in November and return for the tri-nation CB Series in February, also featuring India.

ScorecardRailways prevailed in a exciting contest at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi scampering home by 14 runs against Madhya Pradesh. A comprehensive win was on the cards as Madhya Pradesh lost their ninth wicket at 181, still needing another 85, but a fighting stand between Sunil Dholpure (53) and Anand Rajan (17*) gave Railways a scare. Earlier, Madhya Pradesh’s chances hinged around Monish Mishra, who fell for 87, trapped leg before by Sanjay Bangar with the score at 179 for 7. Jai Prakash Yadav rounded off a sound allround performance, picking up four wickets, finishing with a match haul of 9 for 99 and a half century to boot.
ScorecardThe match between Kerala and Vidarbha ended in a stalemate as Kerala chose to bat out the last day to finish at 277 for 6. Sadagoppan Ramesh, overnight on 49, scored 60, while Robert Fernandez and captain Sreekumar Nair helped themselves to half centuries, with Nair and Fernandez adding 101 for the fourth wicket. Akshay Wakhare, the offspinner, picked up two wickets.
ScorecardDebasis Mohanty fell three short of what would have been his first first-class century, as Orissa gained first-innings points against Services Cuttack. Mohanty hung around till the end as his side were bowled out for 399, 53 ahead of Services’ total. He added 161 for the seventh wicket with H Das before Das fell at 312, and his last-wicket stand of 73 with Kuldeep Sharma gave Orissa the lead. Fazil Mohammed and AK Mohanty were the most effective bowlers for Services, taking three wickets each.
ScorecardSeamer Vineet Jain bowled Tripura to their first ever outright win in the Ranji Trophy, beating Jammu and Kashmir by 132 runs at Agartala. Chasing 288, Jammu and Kashmir never recovered from their overnight position at 88 for 4, as Jain made early inroads, reducing the opposition to 98 for 8. He finished with 5 for 40 in 14 overs. Abid Nabi entertained with an unbeaten 37 off 42 balls which included five fours and a six, in a losing cause.

Brian Lara has stuck to the shadows for a while, but Shane Warne believes he will shine soon © Getty Images

Brian Lara has scored only 102 runs in four innings in West Indies’ series against Australia, but has a backer in Shane Warne, who has tipped him for big runs. “Lara has got at least one big innings in him somewhere and he hasn’t had that quite yet, so hopefully it’s [the] Test match after this one,” Warne said. “To me he is probably the most destructive player in my 15 years in cricket that I’ve played against.”Lara surpassed Steve Waugh as Test cricket’s second-highest scorer during the second match at Hobart, and is only 213 away from Allan Border’s tally of 11,174. Eight of his 30 hundreds have come against Australia, who were menaced by him as early as his fourth Test, when he struck a memorable 277 at the SCG. “I remember in that Sydney Test when he got 277,” said Warne. “If you didn’t run him out I think he would still be batting now. He was hitting the gaps every time.What prompted Warne to speak out for Lara was the sign of old form: a less shuffly, more assured approach. “He looked good in the second innings in Hobart, he looked a lot more settled, he wasn’t moving as much and he looked in ominous form, hopefully for us it’s not the game where he makes a big one.”Lara has looked back to his last Test at Adelaide for inspiration. “I remember playing the Youth World Cup semi-finals here in 1988 but, most importantly, my last Test match here I got 100,” he said in the . “It would be really nice to come to Adelaide again and get some runs finally. I’ve been here for two months and unable to get any sort or runs. I’m looking forward to it and optimistic that things can turn around for me.”

Michael Vaughan hauls his luggae through Harare airport© Getty Images

The England side finally arrived in Harare at lunchtime along with many of the journalists whose ban had originally threatened the future of the tour.The welcome was low key, with nobody from Zimbabwe Cricket on hand to greet them. The squad were rushed through the airport and then driven to their city-centre hotel accompanied by a hefty police escort.Security round the hotel was equally heavy and one eyewitness described the atmosphere as “hostile”. He added that there were “many people in suits who are clearly government agents keeping an eye on journalists”.Earlier, England rejected a request from Zimbabwe Cricket to reschedule Friday’s opening one-day international at the Harare Cricket Club to Saturday. England’s late arrival meant the players and management felt they had insufficient time to prepare for a game so soon. Sources in Zimbabwe reported that there will now be two matches at Harare and two at Bulawayo, with the fifth game scrapped.Meanwhile, David Morgan, the beleaguered ECB chairman, defended his actions in visiting Harare. “I have certainly looked at what’s happening here. We have sympathy with the people here, but the ECB is in business. Our trade is cricket and the revenue part of our trade is international cricket,” Morgan told reporters. “In order to trade internationally, we have to play by the rules of the ICC, and the rules of ICC are such that member countries are not allowed to avoid tours as part of the Future Tours Programme for moral reasons.”

An emotional Nasser Hussain faces the media

Michael Vaughan has been appointed as England’s new Test captain after an emotional Nasser Hussain stood down at the end of the first Test at Edgbaston. Hussain keeps his place in the team for the second Test at Lord’s starting on Thursday, with England’s selectors naming an unchanged XI.Hussain, 35, explained that he had “grown tired” after four years as captain. This announcement comes less than five months after he resigned the one-day captaincy following England’s World Cup exit.Hussain told the post-match news conference at Edgbaston that he felt the time was right to hand over to Vaughan. “I feel it is coming to a slight change in era,” he said “I think Michael has shown in the last few months that he is a very capable leader and that’s what I have been waiting for. There are some good lads playing under him and the last thing they want is a tired leader.”It’s not the sort of job where you just take the cash and plod on and stand at mid-off. I’ve always felt it’s the sort of job where you have to give it everything. After last winter the stuff that went on off the field and on the field in Australia there were a lot of difficult times. I’ve tried to play these mental games but I found myself out there on Thursday not the kind of captain I wanted.”Hussain, who at times appeared close to tears, dismissed suggestions that he no longer had the full backing of his team-mates. “I never felt I had lost the team,” he insisted. “I never walked out on the field without everyone’s support. A lot of stuff has been written and spoken. I have always had 100% support. It has been nice to have had them [players] behind me.”The captaincy always affects your game. Every England captain will say that. As far as batting goes I am happy to take my chances. You get runs, you get picked, if not you go off to county cricket. I’ve taken the decision, now it’s up to others.”He insisted that he was keen to continue playing for England for as long as the selectors picked him. “I’ll play and get some runs but if David Graveney rings and says I’m not needed I’ll go off and do something else.”I had a chat with the chairman of selectors this morning, I left the coach out of it. Basically I just want to go back to being a batsman, picking my bat up and batting if I’m good enough to stay in the Test side. I’d love to carry on playing, I’d love to play 100 Test matches. I just want to be treated like how I’ve treated my players in the last few years.””I’ve had many highlights … any moments where we have won and been together have been good. Any little plan that comes off cheers you up.I have been thinking about this since the end of the World Cup. No one then knew who the real successor was – now we have seen Vaughan.”Asked how he would like to be remembered, Hussain said it was as “someone who tried his hardest at all times, someone whose players played for him, not someone who did it just because there was a few quid involved.”Hussain admitted that the wear-and-tear of the job had taken its toll.”Four-and-a-bit years in the job can be a bit repetitive and it tests you mentally. I just felt I wasn’t on the boil. I just felt it was time for someone else to do it.”He hinted that the split captaincy, with Vaughan leading the one-day side, had made his position harder. “It was very difficult for me – my style of captaincy had been about aggression. On my first day back it was very difficult for me to stand up there and do something different to Michael.”Review: The best England captain since Brearley
Wisden Comment

At the end of the 5th round, Customs and NBP are at the top of the point?s table while PIA and HBL are running 2nd but KRL have slipped to 3rd position. The swings in fortunes are mostly due to international duty for the star players.NBP v ABL
National Bank won massively by an innings and 111 runs. NBP won the toss and put ABL to bat who managed only 266. Naved Latif and Humayun Farhat hit but Pakistan leggie Mushtaq Ahmed took 5 wickets. NBP reached a huge 514/9 and declared. NBP?s Sajid Ali played a captains knock of 104 runs. ABL, trailing by 248, were bowled out in their 2nd innings for 137 with Shabbir Ahmed and Zahid Saeed sharing 4 wickets each.Customs v ADBP
Customs defeated ADBP by 7 wickets. ADBP decided to bowl first after winning the toss. Customs did well and scored 400 with the help of all rounder Azhar Shafiq?s 89. ADBP replied with 137 and had to follow on reaching 372 runs in their 2nd innings. Waqar Ahmed a left arm pacer was their main destroyer and took 5 wickets in each innings. Customs had to score only 160 in their 2nd innings, duly achieved losing only 3 wickets.HBL v KRL
HBL defeated the Round-4 top team by 10 wickets. HBL won the toss bowled KRL out on a green wicket for a meagre 150. Ali Naqvi was top scorer with 89 while HBL?s Shahid Nazir took 5 wickets. KRL came back strongly and bowled HBL out for 196. In their 2nd innings KRL batsmen did not capitalize on their bowlers? effort and could only muster 109. HBL openers batted soundly and reached the easy target of 64 without loss.WAPDA v PWD
WAPDA won by 89 runs. PWD won the toss and put WAPDA in. WAPDA scored 286 runs with the help of Tariq Aziz?s century and bowled PWD out for 231. Bilal Asad was the top scorer with 91, while Kashif Raza of WAPDA took 4 wickets. WAPDA only managed 141 runs in the 2nd innings and gave PWD a target of 197. However, inexperienced PWD could not handle the pressure and were all out at 107. Raees Amjad was the match winner for WAPDA grabbing 5 wickets.PIA v SGCP
PIA scraped up 3 points because of their 1st innings 3 run lead in a drawn match against SGCP. PIA were put in after losing the toss and reached 379. Ghulam Ali was top scorer with 90, while SGCP?s Azhar Abbas took 5 wickets. The SGCP batsmen fought well and were finally bowled out just 3 runs short of PIA?s total. Kamran Sajid and Fareed Butt led for SGCP with 109 and 81 respectively, while Fazl-e-Akbar took 5 wickets. PIA batted slowly to reach 251 helped by Nadeem Khan?s match saving innings of 90. With little time left, SGCP had to score 255 and at close of play, had made 49 losing 1 wicket.

ScorecardReece Topley’s four wickets kept Hampshire on the back foot•Getty Images

Essex batsmen Mark Pettini, Nick Browne and Tom Westley all scored fifties as the Eagles eased to a six-wicket win against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.The top three all collected half centuries as Essex chased down 209 simply and moved above Hampshire in Group B of the Royal London Cup. Reece Topley, 4 for 26, was the pick of the bowlers as Hampshire had two collapses.After losing the toss and bowling Hampshire out for 209, Essex openers Pettini and Browne sprayed the home side’s attack around the Ageas Bowl.Browne, on just his fifth List A appearance, had previously only scored nine format runs but freely spread the ball around – reaching fifty in 47 balls, including nine boundaries. He departed for 69, bowled by former team-mate Liam Dawson, after a 122-run opening stand.Pettini batted slower than his partner but reached his half century in 74 balls as Essex never got out of first gear in an easy chase. The batsman got Essex to within 43 within victory before he was stumped off Will SmithWestley got himself in quickly and smashed Mason Crane for back-to-back boundaries and completed a trio of top three fifties, from 50 balls.Westley charged Crane to be stumped by Wheater and Jesse Ryder was bowled but Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate saw the visitors home with 48 balls to spare.Earlier the home side had rushed to 31 in six overs before Michael Carberry was caught cutting to point in a staccato 6 from 19.The next delivery, opening partner Jimmy Adams was out in odd circumstances, as he clipped his own wicket with his trailing foot while attempting to steer down the leg side after a lively 23.Vince was bowled by Jamie Porter two overs later and three balls later Wheater, against his former county was castled in an instant replay of the skippers wicket.Hampshire had scored just five runs in 19 balls for the four early wickets to leave them up against it.Joe Gatting and Dawson attempted to add some much needed runs as the pair put on 32 runs, with the former top edging over the top four for but Topley had his revenge next ball when he fired straight to Bopara at mid-on.Where Gatting failed Smith succeeded, moving past 50 for the sixth wicket with Dawson from 71 balls. Dawson scored his 2000th List A run before he reached a ninth format fifty in 69 balls in a classy knock.Smith followed his partner to the landmark in six balls fewer as the Hampshire middle order rebuilt after a stodgy start The duo collected a 100-run partnership from 123 balls before Smith was caught behind attempting to cut to end the 124 run stand.That wicket started a 32-ball collapse where Hampshire fell from 192 for 5 to 209 all out. Chris Wood was run out by almost the length of the pitch in a horrible mix up with Dawson before Topley comprehensively bowled Crane.Dawson, was dismissed top edging a hook short to Browne at short fine leg – for a magnificent 85 – before Fidel Edwards was the final man to go when he mistimed a pull to Pettini to give Topley his fourth wicket.

Close
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOn a day when the whole of Melbourne seemed to have descended on the MCG to witness a domestic T20 derby, Test cricket needed an enticing day to reassure its admirers that it still had a great future as well as a glorious past. It found it at Newlands, packed to the brim and looking at its most resplendent as England made decent first use of an excellent batting strip in the second Test.Around 12,000 England supporters were among the 20,195 in Cape Town, enough to encourage predictions that this Test will set record attendances in the city if it lasts the course. There was no tablecloth over Table Mountain, but the batsmen had napkins in place. The travelling supporters soaked up the rays and wondered whether England’s first hundred would be logged before the sunburn really began to set in. The sunburn won, although a late spurt by Ben Stokes, 74 not out at the close, provided some heat of its own.By the time the second new ball was immediately taken, England, at 271 for 5, had been slightly tentative, held at three an over. But Stokes’ immediate joust against Chris Morris, South Africa’s debutant seamer, brought four boundaries in an over. Stokes muscled his way past 50 and, in leage with Jonny Bairstow, 46 runs came in seven overs before overtime elapsed with three overs still unused.

Rabada’s home comforts

Despite an estimated 12,000 England supporters at Newlands, including the Barmy Army, South Africa still feel at home at home, as of course they should.

“Well the Barmy Army haven’t been singing that much,” said Kagiso Rabada, who claimed three wickets on the opening day. “I haven’t felt their presence too much but I know that they are there. “Even when they do sing, I still feel like I am at home. It’s our backyard.”

Unlike on previous visits, the Barmy Army have not come out with any cleverly-worded tunes against the South African players (“He’s got his head on upside-down,” was a favourite for Hashim Amla) or even the exchange rate. When England last toured here, a pound could buy about 16 Rands and the Barmy Army would begin with “We’ve got one rand to the pound…” to the tune of Ten Green Bottles. Now, it is almost 23 Rands to the pound but they are seemingly too coy to crow about it.

Instead, they have begun every Test with a rendition of and there were some England supporters crying out for Joe “Roooooooooooooot,” through the day, but many of the cheers were from the South African contingent, especially with Rabada in full flow.

“The South Africans supporters were magnificent today,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was away.” And he shouldn’t.

Newlands is also sold out for the next two days, although South Africa may feel they will have to play better to keep the supporters on their side. Firdose Moonda

It was a bountiful pitch, showing decent pace and bounce, encouraging presumptuous thoughts of 500, but it was a long time before England fully availed themselves of its pleasures. Barring a bad second morning, England now have a golden opportunity to build on their 241-run win against South Africa in the opening Test in Durban.After waving goodbye to a problematic 2015, South Africa must have been encouraged by the gameness shown by their four frontline bowlers, which partially compensated for a morning session in which they bowled too short and too straight.Most exciting of all, though, were the flashes of potential from Kagiso Rabada, a 20-year-old quick who took three top-order wickets on his home Test debut, dislodging Alastair Cook before lunch and removing Nick Compton and James Taylor, first ball, in successive balls either side of tea.At 20, Rabada looks a considerable prospect. Newlands might have been a demanding challenge for a bowler whose natural length looked a bit shorter than the Philander-style probing demanded on such a surface, but it sure beat his only other experience of Test cricket last year as he toiled away on India’s calculated turners.Newlands carries dangers for a visiting side batting first – there again, there are generally dangers whatever they do, such has been South Africa’s dominance here against all but Australia – but recent hot weather had stripped most of the first-session threat out of the surface.Morris, who had shed tears when awarded his first Test cap before start of play, was given the new ball ahead of Rabada. A conservative move perhaps, and not entirely convincing considering that Morris’ international career has been spent as a one-day specialist and that his fate against the tourists in a warm-up match in Pietermaritzburg was the return 0 for 93 in the match.Rabada’s opening lines were also fluffed: full and fast followed by short and wide, both deliveries despatched to the boundary by Hales. With the likelihood that Dale Steyn and Philander might return by the end of the series, Rabada knew he had to earn another opportunity. He worked up enough pace to strike Hales on the back, had good control of the seam and looked at the graceful and athletic end of the fast-bowling template.Cook was a big first wicket for Rabada, departing before lunch to a wonderful catch at third slip by Morris, flinging himself low to his left.England edged towards a position of strength in a second-wicket stand of 74 between Hales and Compton, a somewhat idiosyncratic affair in which both batsmen played in fits and starts, two batsmen seeking the right tempo, but coming from different directions: Hales a dasher trying to be responsible, Compton a painstaking soul aware that his innings must not lose impetus.Hales never looked entirely comfortable, encapsulated by three slightly streaky boundaries off Rabada soon after lunch to take him to his maiden Test fifty, but he will rightly regard it as an important staging post nonetheless. It was a good ball that dismissed him, Morkel finding bounce from a good length around off stump and de Villiers diving across Dean Elgar at first slip to hold the catch.Compton’s first three runs encompassed 38 balls, leading one contributor to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball service to remark memorably that he had “the highest ratio of handsome dashing looks to handsome dashing strokeplay.”Ben Stokes took the attack to South Africa in the closing overs•Getty Images

He found impetus with a favourite get-out shot – a paddle sweep against the offspin of Dane Piedt – and then to general surprise drove him straight for six. There was considerable irony in the fact that his third Test six took him level with his grandfather Denis, who managed the same number in 78 Tests but was much treasured for being a great entertainer. You made your own fun in the 1950s.Rabada, who bowled a combative pre-tea spell, removed Compton with what became the last ball before tea when he pulled a short ball sweetly enough but straight to Temba Bavuma at midwicket. A first-baller for James Taylor, pushing at a wide one, gave the bowler two in two.The stage looked set for Root, who had made 13 Test half-centuries in a prolific 2015, but to his frustration had repeatedly failed to deliver a big one when well set. He survived on 13, a devilishly difficult chance off Morkel which Morris, this time diving to his left from gully, let slip through his fingers. He was fortunate again during Rabada’s pre-tea assault when he was done for pace on a pull shot and the ball lobbed up safely from his incomplete stroke.There were also enough of Root’s usual delicacies on show – the best a pull against Rabada – to suggest the omens for South Africa were not good, but the New Year retained old habits and, as soon as another half-century was stored away, he gave the persevering Morris a first Test wicket when he chopped him to the wicketkeeper. It has been a common mode of dismissal when well set.Hashim Amla was reluctant to go for the jugular with only four frontline bowlers and the second new ball only 12 overs away: understandable but probably mistaken. Instead, Stiaan van Zyl trundled in, time was generally wasted and by the time South Africa did meaningfully seek late wickets, Stokes crashed all around him. How South Africa, a bowler light, would value someone like him.