The England pair played in a thoroughly professional manner, leaving the short seaming balls by dropping their hands and taking full toll of anything short and wide. The half volley was also dispatched with great timing. You could forgive them for merely thinking of survival but they went beyond that by putting the pressure squarely back on the South African attack, who faltered at the first hurdle.

Cronje would have been livid with the inability of his bowlers to hit the precise length and was forced to introduce spin before lunch on the first day; this on a seamer's paradise. If you do not take seven wickets in a day in which you have put the opposition in you have failed, and you could forgive South Africa for harbouring thoughts of batting just after tea, chasing under 200.

But the South African bowlers got too excited about the wicket and I felt they were guilty of trying just about everything: in-swing, out-swing, cutters et al, all without the basics of length and especially line. It led to a thoroughly depressing day where luck also did not do them any favours.

The 'look' of the wicket flattered to deceive and it was much harder to get the right length consistently even though Pollock and Donald have both played at Edgbaston many times.

They, like all the bowlers, were guilty of not making the batsmen play enough, especially off the front foot.

Donald, in fact, bowled his best over of the day with the second new ball at five to six with Atherton past a hundred and England well in control. Five out of six were searing, quick and had to be played. It was such a contrast to the opening overs where line and length eluded the great man.

The weather is improving and there is no doubt the wicket will dry and quicken up, maybe making batting even more difficult. Sideways movement will be harder to avoid, so England must be quietly confident with Cork, Gough and Fraser together for only the fifth time.

Alec Stewart, notably coming in an No 3, will want to dictate the terms and has shown enough aggression to indicate that England will not just be content with a big score but will want to press on and crush South Africa if they can.