South Africa vs England: "We let them off the hook," says Ben Stokes

Five chances were spurned as South Africa amassed a first innings total of 475

Ben Stokes runs between the wickets during his first innings against South Africa (Getty Images)

England, already the series winners and new holders of the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy, have struggled in the fourth Test. They know where they have gone wrong. Five chances were spurned as South Africa amassed a first innings total of 475, enough – almost certainly – to ensure they are not beaten.

“We will look back on this game and realise we let them off the hook massively,” said the tourists’ all-rounder, Ben Stokes, who finished with 4-86 in South Africa’s first innings. “We were the ones who enabled them to get the big score and you can’t give any player, especially a player like Hashim Amla, chances. He really made us pay. In Test cricket good players do.”

The culprit in chief was the wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, who had another lapse yesterday to add to his two errors on the opening day, taking to seven his missed opportunities in the series. Bairstow’s runs are saving him at present.

“I know from dropping catches you feel like the whole team is looking at you, you feel like the whole ground is looking at you,” said Stokes. “But it’s something you have just to get on with. Unfortunately, Jonny this innings, didn’t take the chances but on another day it could have been a different ball game. There are no grudges held and at the same time there’s no going up and saying catch the next one because that’s just a cliche. There are 11 individuals out there who know that it’s up to us to put that kind of thing behind us, and I think Jonny definitely does as well.”

Quinton de Kock, the third man to make a century for South Africa, missed the previous Test match after slipping while walking his dog. “It was embarrassing really, I fell and my knee swelled up.” He was dropped last year after his batting form fell away and wondered when he would return. “I was in a bad place. I didn’t care, but then I started scoring runs again and it was ok.”