England risk losing the plot

Cricket South Africa's huge comeback victory at Trent Bridge exposes their hosts' mental frailty as they face up to the rest of the Test series.

Mind the mental gap between England and South Africa in a Test series that is threatening to veer off the rails for the home side.

South Africa have overcome the absence of Faf du Plessis at Lord's, in happy circumstances, and that of Kagiso Rabada and Russell Domingo at Trent Bridge, both in unhappy circumstances, to level matters with two matches to go.

South Africa had only four days between Lord's and Trent Bridge to fix things. It was an impressive display of fortitude.

Joe Root's England team are reeling from one ridiculousness to the next.

Apparently, to give of his best off-spinner Moeen Ali needs to believe he has been picked as a batsman and is, therefore, not England's best slow bowler. Good thing, then, that he made 87 in the first innings at Lord's: that would have helped him explain away his match haul of 10/112.

To keep this charade going, England need to pick another spinner as a decoy.

Liam Dawson's cover was not quite blown on a turning pitch at Lord's, where he claimed 4/101. But he was left-arm ordinary at Trent Bridge, where his 1/68 in 18 overs paled alongside Moeen's 4/99 in 24 overs. South Africa will be happy if England retain Dawson.

Just as they are probably disappointed that Gary Ballance has been ruled out for the third Test at The Oval on July 27 with a broken finger, courtesy of Morné Morkel at Trent Bridge.

Ballance has scored 75 runs in his four innings in the series, 34 in one trip to the crease, and has failed to impose himself on South Africa's attack, as No3s have to do to be successful.