James Anderson struck early in his 100th home Test, before Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes struck twice each, as England seized the early initiative in the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford with five wickets before lunch in handy seam-bowling conditions.
In a deviation from the tactics that had brought South Africa success in their innings victory at Lord's last week, Dean Elgar chose to bat first after winning the toss, despite both cloudy overhead conditions and England's stated preference for chasing games, as shown by their four wins in a row at the start of the summer.
Elgar's logic was dictated to a large degree by South Africa's team selection, with Simon Harmer restored to the XI as a second spin option alongside Keshav Maharaj, and given his prowess for Essex in the County Championship over the past five years, he could well come into his own in the fourth innings, on a ground where he has claimed 15 wickets at 17.60 in his three matches against Lancashire. But for the time being, there is a tricky first innings for South Africa to negotiate, on a pitch offering appreciable seam movement as well as extra bounce for England's quicks - not least the restored Ollie Robinson, who utilised his high release point to challenge both edges of the bat, and hinted at a renewed commitment to his fitness levels in the quickest spell of his Test career to date.