England vs South Africa 2017: 1st Test Day 3, 5 talking points

Modified Jul 09, 2017 00:48 IST

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 08: Alistair Cook of England in action on day three of the 1st Investec Test match between England and South Africa at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 8, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) — Alastair Cook made full use of helpful batting conditions to score a half-century

#1 Elgar just can't get his reviews right

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Dean Elgar heads the ball during a South Africa Net Session at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 4, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) — Elgar's decision making has been questionable on his captaincy debut

Dean Elgar seemed all over the place from the word go. His DRS calls were unreliable in the first innings and it took a turn for the worse in England's second innings. Morkel rapped Alastair Cook on the pads early in the second innings and Elgar opted for a review only to see the on-field umpire's not-out call being upheld.

If losing one review and Philander wasn't bad enough for a team already lagging behind in the game, Elgar decided to waste one more review when Keshav Maharaj hit Cook's pad on an attempted cut. The ball was turning prodigiously and Cook was already outside the off-stump as ball tracking later revealed. South Africa lost their second review and their grip on the game loosened.

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Edited by Staff Editor