NEIL MANTHORP: South Africa’s middle order flops are testing the loyalty of captain Dean Elgar

The one aspect of the game in which the two teams are surely equally matched is the fragility of their top-order batting, and that is being kind to South Africa.

Whereas England have one of the greatest in Joe Root backed up with Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, the Proteas have only captain Dean Elgar of proven international calibre — yet he averages below 40 in 78 Tests.

It was obvious before the series that both teams would be prone to collapses and low totals against two strong bowling attacks, but for the last 18 months South Africa have lived up to an old adage: ‘If you can’t score a lot of runs, make sure you can score enough’.

They have made a habit of doing exactly that with bits and pieces from here and there without any Root-esque contributions.

Pitches have always been ‘spicy’ in South Africa, but in the last three or four years they have often been spiteful. A culture has developed among batters in which 50s and 60s, even 30s and 40s, have become, if not acceptable, then substantive enough to have a material effect on the course of the match. Temba Bavuma has been South Africa’s most consistent Test batter for two years but has not scored a single century in that time.

Another factor in the prolonged persistence with Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen in the middle order is captain Elgar’s obsession with ‘experience’ and an admirable, but misguided, sense of loyalty. The former is averaging 16.5 in 10 Test innings this year and the latter 26.1. It is a combined 26 innings since either of them reached 50.

Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen have failed to reach 50 in a combined 26 innings

Markram’s Test form has been a worry for three years. Having raced to his first 1,000 runs in just 18 innings with four hundreds including a brilliant 151 against Australia, he scored his 2,000th run in his 59th Test innings. For his first 1,000 runs, he averaged 56. For his second 1,000, he averaged 25. It may or may not be coincidental that he has become an accomplished T20 player in that time.

There is an understandable conclusion that South Africa’s problems started before a ball was bowled when Elgar chose to bat under leaden skies and in perfect seam-bowling conditions.

In truth, they may have started weeks ago with the ‘long-term’ plan of having Simon Harmer renewing his twin-spin partnership with Keshav Maharaj based on Old Trafford statistics. Not on overhead conditions on the day or, indeed, the compelling form of one of the most exciting young bowlers in the world, left-armer Marco Jansen.

South Africa have gambled with two spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj

The planned inclusion of two spinners left Elgar with no choice but to bat first after winning the toss but a large chunk of him would have been thinking about the damage his unrelenting Lord’s pace attack could have caused in yesterday morning’s conditions.

All would have been well and good had the tourists finished the day with 250-plus on the board and a couple of wickets to play with today.

Even if they had scraped together 230, they might have been able to make it enough. But if England can take their 111 for three past 250 and lead by more than 100, it is highly unlikely that South Africa’s batting frailties can be sufficiently papered over to drag them back into the game. Unlikely, but not impossible.

If England are somehow facing a fourth-innings target of around 200 and the ball is turning sideways, Harmer and Maharaj may still get the job done and what seemed like an unnecessary gamble will have paid off.