England vs South Africa 2017, 4th Test: Day 2, 5 talking points

James Anderson, bowling from the James Anderson end at Old Trafford, showed why he is such a highly rated bowler in World cricket, by getting rid of Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis and Theunis de Bruyn in a terrific spell of fast bowling. The spell triggered South Africa's collapse one another time in the series and left them at 220/9 at stumps after England had made 362 in their first innings.

Earlier, Johnny Bairstow held one end strong and looked well set for a hundred before Keshav Maharaj interrupted his celebrations by dismissing him on 99 to close out England's innings on 362.

The visitors lost Dean Elgar off the third ball of the innings to James Anderson. Heino Kuhn and Hashim Amla failed to get going but the rest, save for Bavuma who resisted a bit, were undone by a spectacular spell of fast bowling from Jimmy Anderson.

Brief Scores: England 362 (Bairstow 99, Stokes 58, Rabada 4/91) . South Africa 220/9 (Bavuma 46, Anderson 4/33)

Here are five talking points from the day's play.

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#5 Bairstow wages lone battle before falling for 99

Bairstow fell leg before wicket to Maharaj for 99

Ecstasy and agony is separated by a single run sometimes. England wicket-keeper, Johnny Bairstow, fell victim to one such moment today after waging a lone battle against South Africa's bowlers. He watched as Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad fell off successive overs but found company from James Anderson, probably the World's best no.11.

He unleashed himself from then on, smashing Morkel twice for boundaries before unfurling a scoop and a skip down the track off Olivier to fetch a four and a six. A third boundary followed in the same over.

Anderson, on strike in the next over by Maharaj, survived a close LBW shout that the Proteas reviewed but the left-arm spinner found luck next over when he trapped Bairstow in front for 99.

With this, he becomes the third wicketkeeper After Brendon McCullum and MS Dhoni to get out for 99 in Tests.

#4 South Africa's opening woes continue

South Africa lost Elgar off the third ball of their innings

It is surprising to see that South African openers have been suffered a pretty lean period in the past few years. Dean Elgar, an exception in this regard, was the victim this time around as Anderson trapped the southpaw in front off the third ball of the South African innings.

Before this Test, South African openers had averaged a mere 28.78 since the start of 2015. Only Sri Lankan, West Indian and Zimbabwean openers have done worse during this period. But make no mistake, Elgar isn't at fault for this pathetic show. The southpaw has been a consolation in this regard for the South Africans but at Old Trafford, he succumbed to a beauty from Jimmy Anderson.

#3 Flashy Amla falls yet again to Roland-Jones

Amla once again fell to Toby Roland-Jones

Hashim Amla had fallen to Toby Roland-Jones twice in the Oval Test and looked lost against seam movement along the fourth stump line, a Kohli-ish weakness which flared up the moment the Middlesex seamer ran in on his debut. At Manchester, we saw the return of the flashy Amla.

There was the silken drive, the backfoot punch and the leg side tuck, all neatly done in the typical Amla way. He raced to 30 at nearly run a ball but a leg-side tuck off Roland-Jones was followed by a flick that he nicked through to the keeper. Eventually, it was 3 in 3 for Roland-Jones against the South African wizard at no.3.

#2 Anderson turns the game on its head with double strike

James Anderson picked out Temba Bavuma and Faf du Plessis in the same over

Jimmy Anderson, Jimmy Anderson, Jimmy Anderson!

He has magic in his wrists and wields the red cherry like a wand in front of hapless, clueless, helpless batsmen. The usually stable Dean Elgar had no clue to a perfect Anderson inswinger in the third ball of the innings. But Anderson was just warming up for something special.

One could sense it. The ground had a stand named after him and he was running in from that end. Something is bound to happen on such wickets when James Anderson runs in. Yes, he had nipped out the gutsy Dean Elgar early on, but surely that wasn't the only Anderson special of the day.

He returned to the attack with Bavuma and Faf du Plessis resurrecting the innings after Amla's dismissal and produced a sensational over. He first had Temba Bavuma, solid in defence and mindset, leaving a straight ball, much akin to his skipper at the other end in the previous Test, that clattered onto the stumps. The captain himself followed two balls later, inside edging Anderson to the wicket to further slump South Africa's innings.

Anderson went on to put a master class of swing bowling, troubling de Kock and de Bruyn with his craft, eventually getting rid of the latter soon enough.

#1 South Africa lose defiant de Kock late in the day

Broad shut out any hopes of a de Kock special

Is he a Gilchrist? Maybe not. But surely everytime Quinton de Kock walks out with willow in hand, dragging along his diminutive frame, there is a sense of something special in the offing. Even when the whole team crashes down, de Kock has this aura about him that makes spectators hope.

With Anderson breathing fire at one end, South Africa's sole hope rested on de Kock, who saw through the spell with 4 off 33 balls. He was patient, defiant and responsible, everything that made him a perfect no.7 in Test cricket till two Tests back. But stuck with the tail, de Kock failed to get going and his dismissal in the hands of Broad completed South Africa's horrible day.