England vs South Africa: Ben Stokes’ side lose six wickets on wet opening day at Lord’s | Cricket News

Ollie Pope unbeaten on 61 as rain ends play earl, with England 116-6 after a torrid morning against South Africa’s pace attack – watch day two at Lord’s live on Sky Sports Cricket on Thursday, with coverage starting at 10.15am and play under way from 11am

England spluttered to 116-6 after being inserted by South Africa in helpful bowling conditions on a rain-affected first day of the first LV= Insurance Test at Lord’s.

Kagiso Rabada (2-36), back fit after an ankle injury, saw off England openers Alex Lees (5) and Zak Crawley (9) cheaply, while the raw pace of Anrich Nortje (3-43) ran through the middle order.

Joe Root fell for eight to Marco Jansen (1-18), before the in-form Jonny Bairstow was clean-bowled for a duck by a 93mph Nortje delivery that sneaked through his defences.

Ben Stokes (20) fell to Nortje’s final ball of the first session, while Ben Foakes’ (6) stumps were also dismantled by the Proteas pace bowler shortly before the rain arrived in mid-afternoon to take the players off, with no further play possible.

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Ollie Pope (61no) played nicely as wickets tumbled around him, bringing up an eighth Test fifty, and he will be hoping to cash in with better batting conditions expected for the remainder of the Test match.

Rabada strikes early after South Africa elect to bowl

Under cloud-leaden skies on the first morning, and with rain expected, it was no surprise when South Africa captain Dean Elgar elected to bowl first after winning the toss.

It took just 18 deliveries for the first wicket to arrive, albeit it came courtesy of a batter error more than any help from the pitch or those dismal overheads, Lees simply picking the wrong length to have a drive at and serving up a routine catch for Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps.

At the other end, Crawley’s wretched Test form continued as, having made a watchful start, he eventually found a ball with his name on it, steering an outside edge to second slip for Rabada’s second.

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Anrich Nortje took three wickets on day one at Lord’s, bowling Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes either side of having Ben Stokes caught at slip

Root can perhaps consider himself rather unlucky to be given out lbw to left-armer Jansen (1-18). Bowled from over the wicket, and coming back into the right-hander, he hopefully reviewed thinking the ball might have been sliding down, only to see it clip leg stump on ‘umpire’s call’.

Bairstow bowled as Nortje strikes three times

In came Bairstow, so often the star for England this summer, but he could provide no counter punch on this occasion, his middle stump uprooted by a ripper from Nortje fifth ball.

Nortje had otherwise been rather wayward to start his spell from the Nursery End, but the wicket certainly helped him grow into the contest and he claimed the key wicket of Stokes on the stroke of lunch to another brutal delivery.

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Ian Ward and Mel Jones reflect on a rain-shortened day at Lord’s as South Africa’s seamers ripped through England

This one, bowled from round the wicket, was a bit more back-of-a-length and completely squared Stokes up, the England skipper forced to fend an edge through to Keegan Petersen at third slip.

The wicket ended what had been a briefly positive partnership for England, with Pope and Stokes putting on 45 together – Pope bringing up his half century earlier in the same Nortje over, a ball after having himself been dropped by Petersen in the slips.

But that was as bright as things would get on day one, with Foakes falling after the interval to coincide with the arrival of the rain and dark, ominous clouds overhead.

Watch day two of first LV= Insurance Test between England and South Africa, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Thursday. Coverage starts at 10.15am, with play getting under way at 11am.