Ben Stokes' first century as England captain ensured his side was in a commanding position at the end of day two of the second Test against South Africa, with the hosts hoping to level the series.
After a magnificent spell from Anrich Nortje removed Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley in quick succession, Stokes came together with Ben Foakes to steady the ship and build a lead. Together the pair added 173 runs for the sixth wicket, with Stokes leading the way as he went through the gears.
After reaching his half-century with a six that went into the England dressing room, Stokes accelerated and brought up his hundred off 158 balls after striking nine boundaries. After he fell to Kagiso Rabada for 103, Stuart Broad blasted a quickfire 21 off 14 balls before Foakes brought up his second Test century.
Foakes finished on 113 not out as England declared on 415-9 with a lead of 264 in order to have a quick nine over burst at South Africa. Despite, the best efforts of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach, Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee survived as the Proteas reached 23-0 at the close.
Here are five talking points from the day's play...
Nortje's pace and quality
Nortje began day two brilliantly for South Africa, producing an excellent spell of quality fast bowling in the morning session which accounted for both Bairstow and Crawley. He first removed Bairstow for 49, getting him caught at first slip by Erwee, and then ended Crawley's vigil when he was caught behind for 38.
It was an excellent five-over spell that saw him pick up 2-13 and, according to CricViz, his average speed during that spell was more than 142kph (88mph) and he also averaged more than 1.5 degrees of swing as he managed to make the ball reverse. He was then bafflingly not handed the ball again until 2.15pm, by which time England had already established a big lead as Stokes and Foakes dominated.
Speaking on Sky Sports about the importance of a pace bowler like Nortje, Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara said: "I think it's absolutely critical, especially for South Africa, not just Nortje, he's got good pace around him as well. Once you have an out-and-out tearaway, it just puts doubt all the time in the batter's mind and for the captain you have different stages of the game to use him in."
Crawley battles
Having entered the game under huge pressure after averaging just 16.40 in his last five Tests, Crawley battled hard as he made an uncharacteristic 38 off 101 balls. When England reached 100, Crawley had contributed just 12 runs which is the lowest unbeaten score an England opener has made when the team has reached three figures, breaking a record held by Chris Tavare since 1982.
Although he eventually fell to the brilliance of Nortje, Crawley was praised for playing a "gutsy innings". Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, former England spinner Vic Marks said: "Zak Crawley gets a round of applause, the biggest round of applause for a 38 in a long time.
"It was a gutsy innings. Has he turned a corner? There's no disgrace in that dismissal."
Stokes' magnificent century
Having come to the crease after Nortje had picked up two quick wickets, Stokes played a brilliant innings to leave England well and truly in control of the Test match. The captain struck an excellent 103, his first century since becoming skipper, and shared a crucial 173-run partnership with Foakes.
He batted smartly, absorbing pressure initially as he scored 41 from his first 98 balls, before accelerating to add a further 62 from his next 65 balls. He eventually fell to Rabada after skying a catch to Elgar, having put his side in an excellent position to win the game.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Sangakkara said of Stokes' innings: "I spoke to Brendon McCullum in the morning and he was very bullish about the message they've sent about being aggressive but not reckless and this is a great example by their captain in setting the tone. He mixed aggression with smartness, the longer this English team commit to this process they will learn and become smarter."
Foakes' second Test ton
Having only averaged 20.90 with the bat since getting recalled to the side in the Caribbean in March, Foakes was perhaps in need of a big innings after Geoffrey Boycott called for him to be dropped and Bairstow handed the gloves in order to give Harry Brook a chance.
However, Foakes batted brilliantly at Old Trafford as he made an unbeaten 113 while sharing an excellent partnership with Stokes. His innings helped England build an imposing lead over South Africa, with the wicketkeeper scoring just his second Test hundred and his first since his debut against Sri Lanka in 2018.
"You have to give Ben Foakes a lot of credit," Former South Africa seamer Vernon Philander told BBC Test Match Special. "Everyone is raving about Ben Stokes but he needed someone around to help build his innings.
"It's been a phenomenal effort from Foakes when his team needed it. He's managed to steer England clear of any sort of danger."
The 'Nighthawk'
Although the 'nighthawk' is technically only a role Broad will play if he is asked to come in and be a more attacking version of a nightwatchman, he certainly embodied that mindset when he struck a quick-fire 21 off 14 balls.
After Stokes and Foakes had established England's lead, Broad came out swinging before getting stumped off Simon Harmer. Broad's batting has become something of a meme in recent years, with the 'Is Stuart Broad Batting?' Twitter account amassing 12,000 followers and the idea of the 'nighthawk' has only added to that.
Stokes explained the role earlier this summer, saying: "He might get 30 off 10 balls or 0 from 1. We are looking at every situation we are going to find ourselves in and what the positive thing to do is. For example, we renamed what the nightwatchman is all about. We called it 'Nighthawk.' That was Broady. He was going out with half an hour left to play to try to literally slog."
