Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope steady the ship as England shuffle ahead

England 224-4, South Africa yet to bat: The tourists recovered from 138-4 to finish the first day with the best of it after winning what could well prove to be an important toss in Port Elizabeth

Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes led the fightback for England (Getty)

About 61.4 overs in, with South Africa huddled together and Joe Root and Joe Denly gathered just a few feet away, the game had been reliant on hunches.

Dom Sibley had been caught at leg gully for 34 after lunch. Zak Crawley (44), 17.5 overs and 33 runs later, was pocketed in a similar region by a squarer fielder. And in that moment, both groups were turned towards the big screen not knowing what to expect.

They were awaiting the video review of an LBW against Denly that neither the batsman who middled it nor the bowler who stifled an appeal thought would be out. But Faf du Plessis had an inkling.

The game had not quite ebbed or flowed, but spluttered along up to that point of 134 for two. England had won the third consecutive toss and batted first allowing Root to sit back and watch Crawley and Sibley take the opening session fairly comprehensively. Victory, for what it was worth, was less the 61 runs and more the lack of wicket.

The second swayed gently back the other way: 56 scored in 31 overs, but South Africa battling back through the control of a man they did not think they would rely on in Keshav Maharaj and the menace of the one Faf du Plessis opted to take the new ball off, Kagiso Rabada.

It was Dane Paterson, the debutant, who opened up from the Duck Pond End. A bustling scrum-half sized bowler from Cape Town with the kind of backside Fred Trueman used to preach of but not the pace. His inclusion felt like something of a punt, as did the dropping of all-rounder Dwayne Pretorious, whose performances have been neither here nor there.

Rabada, though, nabbed the first breakthrough four overs after lunch, giving Sibley some bounce he could not ride and Elgar a catch around the corner he could not drop. Anrich Nortje then profited from Crawley's confidence and Rassie van der Dussen's athleticism at a catching backward square leg.

Both were indicative of a St George's surface slower than expected but the sort which created indecision in the fielding side. Slips were kept interested though rarely in play. Mid-wickets and covers were doubled, staggered and, occasionally, staring at their studs to pass the time. All, to a man, certain of their roles if uncertain of their positions.

They had seen Crawley (on 8) go early on a hook that almost landed into the hands of mid on; Sibley, on 30, coming close to popping one into the hands of midwicket when over-committing to a defensive push. And then both fall to controlled shots around the corner.

They had also seen Denly - on one and then 11 - playing aerially in the vicinity of untraditional yet occupied placings. So when the screen showed that indeed he did middle it, but not before the ball had struck his pad in front of middle and leg, du Plessis celebrated wildly. A third hunch had brought a third wicket. Little did he know, it would be the last one to come good.

A fourth dismissal did arrive, though, and it was the most traditional of the lot, even if it did involve Rabada cutting one in outrageously from outside Root's off stump to claim it as his own. His celebratory jump and scream in the opposition captain's way felt like a statement.

But it was England, in going from 148 for four to 224 for the same through to stumps, who responded best. Even on a day of guesses and yet another wave of unconverted starts, they at least dealt with certainties.

Crawley's boldness saw him not just strike five boundaries to his new top score, including a flamboyant whisk over the cordon, but also get creative in defence. He walked down the wicket to Philander to negate what movement he could extract and, perhaps, it was his pro-activeness that led to an approach adopted throughout the order that meant a player with 222 Test wickets bowled just 11 out of the 90 overs - the least of the five to turn their arms over – in three different spells.

The confidence of Sibley off the back of his unbeaten 133 in the last innings was also evident, tapping and running into the off-side. There was also more fuel to the fire that Ollie Pope is a Root-Bell hybrid, forged in a Loughborough test tube. His 39 runs featured the sort of shots that lead to fan-fiction, especially a square drive which whetted the appetite for more to come. Even Joe Denly reached another 100-ball milestone - an eighth in 13 innings - before falling immediately for 25.

Perhaps the biggest certainty was just how fearful South Africa are of Ben Stokes. The all-rounder was the subject of three reviews, all of which were unsuccessful with two incorrect enough to lose their DRS challenges outright. The third, a delivery that clipped his knee role from Philander bowling over the wicket and across the left-hander, was the most desperate. They might not sleep a wink knowing he'll recommence with a healthy platform and a 10-over old ball to race across the outfield. It certainly did not do much off the strip.

Rabada's intent and Maharaj's diligence in bowling the first 30 of his 32 overs straight were the only aspects du Plessis could rely on and, maybe,he can take solace from a run rate of 2.48. England are merely shuffling ahead, not racing.

In many ways, it is tough to criticise du Plessis too much. Gut-feel was all he had in docile conditions - wildly different to what was expected if a preview not a million miles from here is to be believed - but we have already seen turn, the odd bit of variable bounce and some seam.

Quite how much of that is exaggerated tomorrow remains to be seen. But if England can post 400 - and, more importantly, get that many overs into the pitch - they could be in a position to bowl when this ground is at its liveliest and not need to bat again. But that, as like a lot today, is just a hunch.