England thrashed by South Africa inside three days after first Test batting collapse

If there was always a slight feel of “live by the sword, die by the sword” to England’s much-vaunted “Bazball” approach to Test cricket, then you could say that South Africa came along with a full armoury of rapiers, cutlasses and katanas to cut it to shreds.

It would be unnecessary to throw the baby out with the bathwater but England’s display during this first Test at Lord’s, especially on what was billed as the third day but turned out to be the final day, ruthlessly exposed its flaws.

And it raised plenty of questions about how sustainable such a gung-ho, borderline reckless approach, that may work in white-ball cricket, is for the long term with the red ball.

This South Africa team are hardly a conservative throwback to the dull, dogged Test cricket teams of yesteryear but they seemed positively old school compared to their hosts. And far, far more effective.

In England’s disastrous second innings on Friday, Anrich Nortje was bowling up to 95mph and a scintillating spell saw him rip the heart out of the middle order. Jonny Bairstow, Alex Lees and Ben Foakes all fell in quick succession in almost carbon-copy fashion – edging behind to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.

Foakes should feel particularly dismayed by his dismissal – given how inexplicable the tentative, nothing waft at a ball well outside off stump was – but all three were only possible due to Nortje bowling the “traditional” Test line and length just outside off and moving the ball. The rewards were self-evident.

By contrast, England’s “Bazball” approach to removing Nortje and his fellow tailenders at the start of day three was short-pitched bowling to increasingly bizarre fields that featured acres of room in front of square on the off side. Bouncers are an