Morris, Maharaj leave England reeling
Keshav Maharaj and Chris Morris shared six wickets as South Africa made light of Kagiso Rabada's absence to establish a commanding position against England in the second Test at Trent Bridge on Saturday.
The visiting side was 75 for 1 in its second innings at stumps on the second day - already an overall lead of 205 runs. Dean Elgar was 38 not out, with Hashim Amla 23 not out.
South Africa saw James Anderson, England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker, capture the last four first-innings wickets for four runs in 16 balls as the team slumped from an overnight 309 for 6 to 335 all out.
But South Africa's bowlers in turn skittled out England for 205, with Maharaj taking 3 for 21 in 10 overs with his left-arm spin and Morris, the recalled all-rounder, taking 3 for 38 in 8.5 overs.
Joe Root, the England captain, top-scored with 78, having made 190 in his first innings as skipper at Lord's. Jonny Bairstow (45) and Gary Ballance (27), his Yorkshire teammates, were the only other England batsmen to pass 18 on Saturday.
Root came in at No. 4 facing an all-too familiar repair job at 3 for 2. Alastair Cook (3) was caught behind when he got an inside edge to Vernon Philander's inswinger, the former captain getting out on review. Next ball, Cook's fellow left-handed opener Keaton Jennings fell for a duck.
The batsman was undone by a brilliant Morne Morkel delivery from around the wicket that cut away off the pitch and took an edge safely held by Quinton de Kock - who played in the same Johannesburg school side as Jennings.
Root counter-attacked by hitting Philander for three fours in an over. At lunch, Root and Ballance had taken England to 85 for 2. Ballance, however, had added just one to his interval score of 26 not out when the left-hander played on to Philander.
The towering Morkel then had Root edging a drive and de Kock, diving in front of first slip, held an excellent catch. It was the end of Root's impressive 76-ball innings, featuring 12 fours, with England now 143 for 4.
Maharaj had Stokes caught behind for a duck before bowling Bairstow with a classic left-arm spinner's delivery that drifted in and then turned to hit off stump.
England lost three wickets on 199, with Morris taking two in two balls.
In South Africa's second dig, Anderson had Heino Kuhn caught in the slips by Root before Elgar and Amla, who made 78 on Friday, pressed home the team's advantage with an unbroken stand of 57.
This match has so far been a vindication of du Plessis's bold decision to bat first on winning the toss, with de Kock (68) and Philander, out to Anderson's fifth ball Saturday, also making valuable fifties.
Trent Bridge is renowned for aiding swing bowlers such as Anderson, whose first-innings haul of 5 for 72 meant that seven of his 22 Test five-wicket hauls had come on the Nottingham ground.