ENG vs SA: Dean Elgar dismissed in unluckiest fashion off James Anderson's bowling

South Africa are in the driver’s seat in the opening Test match against hosts England after a defining second day. But they could’ve been further ahead of their counterparts had it not been for an unfortunate dismissal of Proteas skipper Dean Elgar that provided England with an opening.

The Proteas bowlers made light work of the English tail in the first session on the second day, restricting the hosts to just 165 in their first innings. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada was their tormentor in chief with his 12th five-for in Tests, deservedly getting his name on the honours board at Lord’s.

After the great work of his pacers, who claimed all ten wickets, Dean Elgar blunted the English pace attack with his typical stubborn batting display, defending diligently, watching the ball till the last moment, and punishing the poor deliveries. Although the opening batter had an early reprieve as Zak Crawley grassed a tough chance when he was batting on seven, his innings was nothing short of a Test batting masterclass.

The top-order bulwark was looking set for a well-compiled half-century before an innocuous delivery from veteran pacer James Anderson struck his thigh pad and deflected off his right arm to disturb the stumps, ending his resilient knock on 47 runs.

A much-needed wicket! 💪

Live clips: https://t.co/2nFwGblL1E

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Maharaj and Jansen ran rampant in the final session on day two

Elgar’s dismissal didn’t deter the progress of his opening partner Sarel Erwee, who scored an unflustered half-century before being scalped by a snorting delivery by English skipper Ben Stokes amidst a fiery bowling spell. The English bowlers threatened to derail all the good work done by the Proteas openers after bagging three quick wickets to reduce the visitors to 210/6.

But Keshav Maharaj, who didn’t get a chance to showcase his bowling skills, alongside the prodigious Marco Jansen, came out with their own version of ‘Bazball’, counterattacking with a rapid 72-run stand for the seventh wicket to throw a spanner in the pans of the English bowlers as South Africa’s lead swole up to 124 runs by the end of day two.