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England chip away as South Africa make them wait for victory

England managed to prise two of the 10 wickets they need to seal victory at The Wanderers and a 3-1 series win over South Africa.

Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes have been the two to provide the breakthroughs. Pieter Malan and Dean Elgar the batsmen to go, though they will lunch with the score 90 for two after 29 overs of play and wonder why they played the shots they did. Both can bat time, both were well set and, now, both have no more say in where this match goes.

The tourists arrived knowing they would need a huge amount of patience to take the 10 wickets needed. The weather was at its most showy: the sun high and bright with temperatures set to tip over 30 degrees as the day wears on. Rotation of quicks and ends is the order for the day, as it was in the morning.

Despite talk of this being a “new ball” pitch, England found little, if any joy in the opening hour of play. Stuart Broad and Sam Curran opened from the Corlett Drive and Golf Course End respectively but were both done after seven overs with little of note off the surface.

Mark Wood replaced Broad, Woakes replaced Curran and there was the odd speck of joy. Wood’s extra pace pinned Dean Elgar on the hip in Durham quick’s second over which elicited an appeal for short leg - not given - and a sore spot to rub for the left-hander.

He and Malan defended well, left better and generally exuded the sort of calm that reassures a dressing room full of batsmen to come that batting was not as tough as the target of 466 would have them believe. At drinks, 39 for no loss after 15 overs, things could not have been better for the hosts.

But with the first ball after the drinks break, Woakes somehow elicited a loose shot from a usually resolute Malan. An outswinger starting wide of off stump and only going wider was flashed at to Ben Stokes at second slip.

Four deliveries later, Woakes was given Rassie van der Dussen as his second, adjudged LBW by standing umpire Joel Wilson. However a tentative review proved worthwhile: the ball predicted to be going over the top of the stumps.

Further toil followed and, in a bid to refresh his attack and rest his quicks, Joe Root brought himself on after 26 overs for Curran, who had switched ends and found some joy, beating Elgar's inside and outside edges on a handful of occasions.

Immediately, van der Dussen went after the part-time off-spin in a targeted move to not let the England captain settle. That had been one of the biggest regrets in the Proteas camp when Root was allowed to put together a set in the previous Test in Port Elizabeth that allowed him to net career-best figures of four for 87. A six over midwicket, also courtesy of van der Dussen, came in Root's second.

Just as it looked like South Africa would make it through to stumps with just the one casualty, Stokes sent them in with a second. A short-pitched delivery rushed Elgar into a pull shot that he'd got a third of the way through before the ball had reached. Up it went to allow Stokes a simple caught-and-bowled at the end of his follow-through.

Faf du Plessis joined van der Dussen for the final seven balls of the session. This could well be his last Test outright, not just as captain and not just at home. At the very least, an innings of worth, even in vain, might give the 35-year old, in his 65th cap, some joy on what has been a chastening series.