Three things we learned from England's thrashing of the Proteas

England overwhelmed South Africa by an innings and 85 runs in the second Test at Manchester's Old Trafford on Saturday. 

This win, which meant England levelled a three-match series at 1-1, was even more emphatic than South Africa's innings and 12-run triumph in the first Test at Lord's. 

Here, AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from another three-day finish in the series. 

Foakes stars with the bat as well as the gloves 

Ben Foakes has long been acknowledged as one of the best wicketkeepers in England, but the presence of Jonny Bairstow -- now deployed as a specialist batsman -- and white-ball captain Jos Buttler in and around the red-ball set-up has seen him denied Test chances amid concerns over his batting. 

Surrey gloveman Foakes, 29, has, in particular, suffered from the perception he is particularly vulnerable against fast bowling. 

But against one of the best pace attacks in the world, Foakes's 113 not out in a total of 415-9 declared at Old Trafford was exactly what England required. 

England were still behind South Africa's meagre first innings 151 when Foakes came into bat at 147-5, but his sixth-wicket stand of 173 with captain Ben Stokes (103) proved to be the decisive partnership of the match. 

Foakes has now scored two Test hundreds, as many as Buttler but in just over a quarter of the number of matches -- 16 to 57. 

"It was a match-defining hundred from him batting at number seven," said Stokes of Foakes's hundred. "But then also there is his wicketkeeping. He's the best in the world." 

England can win without Root's runs 

Joe Root is the outstanding England batsman of his generation, as exemplified by an overall Test record of 10,481 runs, including 28 hundreds, from 123 matches at an average of over 50 --