Player of the Match
Player of the Match

11.18am: This moving Test match continues to move - only in the more traditional sense, as England collapse in a heap. They were 107 for 3 at one point yesterday evening, but lost 7 for 51 and instead of a match-defining lead their advantage is a mere 40. That said, if the ball continues to do a bit, then that might still be enough scoreboard pressure to make South Africa crack again. Dean Elgar will doubtless be keen to make a fight of it... and he'll be back out looking to set the tone shortly

36.2
W
Jansen to Foakes, OUT, steps down, steered to third slip! Jansen gets his maiden Test five-for. Foakes caught again in his tailender vortex, unsure of whether to stick or twist, and he ends up fencing a length ball into the cordon, where Petersen swoops to his left to pull off a smart catch. England rolled in just 16 deliveries this morning!

BT Foakes c Petersen b Jansen 14 (51m 35b 1x4 0x6) SR: 40.00

"What Day 5 ticket holders must be thinking :(" gulps Ziggy. It's still the best chance they've had all series

36.1
0
Jansen to Foakes, no run, pitched up and driven through mid-off... won't take the single on offer

Will Foakes look to open up now, try and score a quick 20? Both Jansen and Rabada are eyeing five-fors here...

END OF OVER:
36 | 2 Runs 1 Wkt | ENG: 158/9

  • James Anderson0 (2b)
  • Ben Foakes14 (33b)
  • Kagiso Rabada13-1-81-4
  • Marco Jansen12-2-35-4
35.6
0
Rabada to Anderson, no run, full toss, bunted back to the bowler

Leg slip is in

35.5
0
Rabada to Anderson, no run, dug in, sliding down the leg side as Anderson hops across and wards it off. Sails through to Verreynne

Out comes James Anderson, 11 minutes into the morning session. England just 40 ahead

35.4
W
Rabada to Leach, OUT, chopped on! Rabada only needs one to Leach, same as with Robinson, and England are nine down! Round the wicket and curving in subtly as he stays back and dangles the bat, takes a thick inside edge and results in middle stump being flattened... Splat's that

MJ Leach b Rabada 0 (9m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

35.4
2nb
Rabada to Foakes, (no ball) 1 run, short of a length on the hip, tucked down to fine leg. Foakes takes the single... but a no-ball means Leach will still have three to face
35.3
0
Rabada to Foakes, no run, pitched up, 86mph/138kph on sixth stump, leans out and sniffs the breeze. Left alone
35.2
0
Rabada to Foakes, no run, touch shorter, climbing through outside off as Foakes goes back and across
35.1
0
Rabada to Foakes, no run, line and length in the channel, comes across and leaves

"I imagine that England would like a lead of at least 80, but would probably settle for 60. A nice test, this, of Ben Foakes' ability to shepherd the tail." True, Mark. Although they might not even get 40

END OF OVER:
35 | 1 Run | ENG: 156/8

  • Jack Leach0 (2b)
  • Ben Foakes13 (29b)
  • Marco Jansen12-2-35-4
  • Kagiso Rabada12-1-79-3
34.6
0
Jansen to Leach, no run, lovely line, angled in and then shaping away, nearly draws Leach into following it

I think Leach is normally a long sleeves man, but he's got the forearms out today...

34.5
0
Jansen to Leach, no run, length in the channel, Leach shuffles across and lets it go
34.4
1
Jansen to Foakes, 1 run, on the stumps, 85mph/137kph and tucked to leg, this time Foakes takes the single on offer
34.3
0
Jansen to Foakes, no run, full outside off and chopped unsuccessfully into the off side
34.2
0
Jansen to Foakes, no run, prancing delivery, coming back in past the inside edge - was there a sound? Umpire Kettleborough shakes his head, and Jansen seems unsure. No review, think it might have flicked the trouser leg
34.1
0
Jansen to Foakes, no run, angled across from over the wicket, Foakes steers down to deep third... and declines the single

Marco Jansen from the Pavilion End. Jack Leach is out at the non-striker's end

END OF OVER:
34 | 4 Runs 2 Wkts | ENG: 155/8

  • Ben Foakes12 (25b)
  • Kagiso Rabada12-1-79-3
  • Anrich Nortje9-0-29-1
33.6
W
Rabada to Robinson, OUT, chipped lackadaisically to cover! Nope, England won't be hanging around...! Rabada strikes with his second ball of the morning and Robinson, who talked before play about sticking with Foakes, is swiftly making the slow trudge back to the dressing room alone. Fullish ball and he steered it straight to Elgar, as if providing catching practice

OE Robinson c Elgar b Rabada 3 (6m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

33.5
1
Rabada to Foakes, 1 run, full length outside off and Foakes steers it away through backward point for a single

Here we go, then. Kagiso Rabada is at the top of his mark from the Vauxhall End. Four slips in place

10.55am: Morning all. After the solemnity and ceremony of day one - followed by the incessant rattle and crash of wickets - what does a superficially snoozy Sunday in south London have in store? England will presumably attempt to come out blazing once again, though with a nine, ten and jack of Robinson, Leach and Anderson, alongside a fairly prim and proper No. 7 in Foakes, they aren't exactly tooled up for a Happy Hour of batting that would get the lead up to 80-90.

"Alan, I think 'Windy' aka Miller has a favourite introductory phrase. It is 'buckle up' which he has used on numerous occasions. Does it possibly refer to his batting days in club cricket?" I couldn't possibly comment, Doosra (although having seen him in the nets a few times, yes, absolutely)

10.45am Right, we're 15 minutes out from the start. Here's Alan Gardner to guide you through the first hour... buckle up!

10.30am Nasser Hussain on the Sky commentary speculates that it could be a better day for batting today. Though all things are relative in this curious bowler-dominated series. This is after all the first time any of the matches has reached the fourth day, and it's taken some unprecedented circumstances to get there.

Mustafa Moudi: "Fun Fact: Today is 254th Day of the year - 11th September. Rabada has 254 Test Wickets while Root's Highest Test Score is 254 !!" It's moments like this that make it all worthwhile…

Philip M McCart: "Oh we ALL love bazball when the bat connects with the ball and we all see it as so "witless" when it doesn't @Jez. We are living by (and captained) by the sword ... and by the sword we shall also die. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!?!?" Well quite!

10.20am Forty minutes until the resumption. Firdose is making her way to the ground and is convinced of the day's outlook. "Looks a lovely day. Partly cloudy, I think we call it." Thanks for that, Wendy Hurrell will be quaking in her boots.

Jez: "After a magnificent costume-drama performance from England's bowlers yesterday, was the witless gameshow batting that followed really entertainment? I had to switch off in frustration." It does seem to have divided opinion. I guess England just don't want to let the three-day game lose momentum. Although, ironically, the best way to win quickly would to have batted more carefully and set up another three-innings match. Hard to see this not going to four now.

9.40am We're about an hour and 20 minutes out from the resumption, so here's a recap of what unfolded yesterday. Vithushan Ehantharajah reflects on the sombre start to the day and the impact on the wider scenes of emotion-release, as cricket put on a fine show in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Firdose Moonda, meanwhile, acknowledges another day of batting malfunction from South Africa, but recognises that the death of such an iconic national figurehead is something that her nation can relate to too.

Stuart Broad spoke at the close of play, and was proud to have been part of a "celebration of the Queen's life", while Ollie Robinson was the dominant figure when the on-field action began, with another display that suggests he's growing rapidly into an attack-leading role.

9.36am Morning all, welcome back to day two four of the third Test at The Oval, the scene of emotions and chaos in abundance during Saturday's unforgettable scenes. What does the Sunday have in store? The first Sunday of a Test in this series, which is curious in itself. England are committed to setting the game up one way or another, so there's no prospect of a let-up in their intensity. How will South Africa respond, now that they are perhaps sensing a chance to get back into the mix?

First things first, the weather prospects. It was very misty across London this morning, but that is lifting rapidly and we should be in for a bright autumnal day. No real prospect of rain at this stage... but y'know, this is England.

6.54pm So, that's the end of an extraordinary day. From Miller, Ashish and Thilak, thanks and good night! See you for an 11am resumption.

6.46pm And that is the end of that. Stumps have been called, after a frenetic first third day! One that will be remembered for evermore for this morning spine-chilling renditions of the National Anthems. And the cricket wasn't half compelling either.

Stuart Broad is speaking on Sky. "It was incredible to be a part of," he says of the morning events. "Walking down the stairs you could hear a pin drop. The respect shown by everyone in the stadium was incredible and to be able to sing the national anthem, with a full house, was brilliant. It felt like a celebration of the Queen's life today and it felt good to be out there representing the badge like we did today."

"Earlier this morning it was too bowler-friendly, but you know I'd never really say that!" he adds. "But it seamed a lot when I first came on as a first-change bowler. I was surprised, it was nipping three or four balls an over, but we also knew that we had some work to do.

"It's not our mentality to prod and poke around, we knew that runs were going to be at a premium, so we had that mindset that we had to go out and put the South African bowlers under pressure. Because there's a good ball in that pitch."

6.34pm In theory play can continue until 7.30pm, but given the umpires have taken their reading, and this is September, I think it's fair to presume we're done here. We'll know soon enough.

Ben: "Only played 70 of 98 overs and they are sending them off for bad light. Honestly so stupid, no respect for the fans or any common sense at all." There is a duty of care aspect to all of this, and Rabada and Nortje are not exactly powder-puff, but yes, there's never been a satisfactory response to the bad light issue.

Ian Blake: "Honestly? Bad light… what is wrong with starting an hour earlier? 10am is perfectly fine to start a day where we need to get in extra overs. Why add the time at the end when we know light is an issue. Come on, its not THAT complicated." Some might say that the early conditions in September would be overly bowler-friendly, but 10.30am starts have happened often enough in Tests and fc cricket, not to mention NatWest finals. But to pretend that we are going to get 98 overs in at this time of year is just disingenuous.

reichs: "the whole light problem could be solved by playing test matches in the cricket season, not the football season"

Bad Light Stops Play. Oh honestly... blue skies all around, but the umpires think it's getting dangerous. Blah.

Still, high fives from the South Africans as they saunter off. This post-tea session has revived their hopes immeasurably. It started with an over-aggressive chop from Root in the first over of the session, and continued through Ben Stokes' chaotically aggressive 6 from 9. Marco Jansen has been superb all day, while Nortje and, in particular, Rabada have improved as the day has gone on. The upshot is that England lead by 36 with ambitions of being at least 60-70 to the good - very healthy but far less dominant than it might have been. And with two days to come, this game is unquestionably making up for lost time!

33.4
0
Rabada to Foakes, no run, on the back foot, and chopped down into the cordon... inches short of fourth slip! All very casual, but that had more legs than expected
33.3
3
Rabada to Robinson, 3 runs, fuller length, into the pads, a compact press through long-on, and a long chase
33.2
0
Rabada to Robinson, no run, outside off, and so close to the edge. Rabada has his tail up now after two quick wickets and finds a threatening line with good lift to the new batter

Here goes Robinson... a handy No.9, but handy enough for a 200-run first innings?

Rohit Kota: "Hoping Broad can come back to that all rounder at number 8 that he was before he got struck by that bouncer." Well sadly he won't, which is why he has been reincarnated as The Nighthawk. But the Hawk has been plucked tonight...

33.1
W
Rabada to Broad, OUT, a swish across the line and Broad snicks off! It took an eternity for an appeal to be voiced, mostly because Verreynne was barely clinging onto the edge after a late wobble. But that's the seventh wicket down, and England's chances of a decisive lead are rapidly diminishing

SCJ Broad c †Verreynne b Rabada 6 (27m 11b 1x4 0x6) SR: 54.54

END OF OVER:
33 | 2 Runs | ENG: 151/6

  • Ben Foakes11 (23b)
  • Stuart Broad6 (10b)
  • Anrich Nortje9-0-29-1
  • Kagiso Rabada11-1-75-1

Tony Torrance: "Rababa has conceded 75/1. The rest 75/5. Jansen proving what a quality bowler he is " Indeed. His absence at Old Trafford was a series-wrecking mistake

32.6
0
Nortje to Foakes, no run, outside off again, good lift through to the keeper
32.5
0
Nortje to Foakes, no run, onto the front foot, and pushed into the off side

JonH: "Hales? He's still first reserve. Buttler and Salt will open" Buttler will be injured for the start of the Pak tour... so [eyes emoji]

32.4
0
Nortje to Foakes, no run, inside-edge on the full length, chopped down into the crease again, as Nortje finds some handy lift
32.3
1
Nortje to Broad, 1 run, retreats to leg again, Nortje follows him, and Broad pushes a measured drive to mid-off