Cook fifty propels England forward

Alastair Cook’s unbeaten fifty strengthened England's grip on the first Test at Lord's after South Africa had to toil in the field without Vernon Philander on Saturday.

England was 119 for 1 in its second innings at stumps on the third day, a lead of 216 runs in the opening match of a four-Test series. Cook, the former captain, was 59 not out, after more than three hours of typically painstaking effort, with Gary Ballance unbeaten on 22. Cook’s 127-ball fifty including eight fours.

Philander did not bowl a single one of the 51 overs South Africa sent down on Saturday, after going for an x-ray on a hand injury suffered when he was hit by James Anderson while making 52 in South Africa's first innings 361 earlier in the day. It was a worrying absence for South Africa given that it is already without Kagiso Rabada, another member of its pace attack, for next week’s second Test at Trent Bridge after verbally abusing Ben Stokes on Thursday, triggering his carry-over points and resulting in a ban.

South Africa, with Dean Elgar leading the side for the first time in the absence of Faf du Plessis on paternity leave, wasted its two reviews in the first 80 overs on Cook. The opener was still on his tea score of 31 when Quinton de Kock, partly unsighted, missed a stumping chance off Maharaj to add to South Africa's woes.

Keaton Jennings helped Cook put on 80 for the first wicket. But he fell for 33 when, trying to cut a Morne Morkel ball that was too close to him, he was caught behind by de Kock -- who played in the same XI as Jennings when they were both pupils at Johannesburg's King Edward VII school. Jennings's exit brought in Ballance, under pressure in what is now his third chance at Test cricket and out for just 20 in the first innings.

Earlier, South Africa resumed on 214 for 5 - still 244 runs behind England's first innings 458 which featured Joe Root's 190 in his first Test as England captain as well as fifties from Moeen Ali (87), Stuart Broad (57 not out) and Stokes (56). Temba Bavuma was 48 not out and Rabada, the nightwatchman, unbeaten on 9.

Both Rabada (27) and Bavuma (59) fell to Liam Dawson and Moeen respectively. But after Root took the new ball, de Kock twice struck Broad for three successive fours - the best a whipped drive through mid-on from a ball pitching outside off stump.

It was a typically dashing display by the left-hander, who completed the second-fastest Test fifty at Lord's in a mere 36 balls, including 10 boundaries. But his next ball proved his last, de Kock slicing Anderson to square cover where Stokes took an excellent low catch.

Philander made a fine fifty of his own before he was last man out slogging Moeen, who finished with fine figures of 4 for 59 in 20 overs after he completed the double of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets on Thursday.