Alastair Cook settles English nerves after Paul Collingwood falls

After the dramas of the morning both sides took stock in the afternoon. It was a cagey session. England soon lost the wicket of Paul Collingwood, lbw to Morne Morkel, and there followed a quiet period of play in which both sides gave very little away. It took Ian Bell 42 balls to reach double figures – and this included two exquisite cover drives off Jacques Kallis. Against the quicker bowlers Alastair Cook was ever-watchful, shunning the cover drive at all costs. After an hour's play only 24 runs had been added for the loss of Collingwood. But there was a little flurry of runs when the left-arm spinner, Paul Harris, was introduced. Mirroring his approach in Durban, Cook took the attack to him. Three times he dragged the ball over the leg-side field for boundaries. He used the sweep shot deftly. This was intelligent, enterprising batting when England were stuck in a hole. So Cook reached an invaluable half-century from 112 balls. Bell was more tentative. Kallis peppered him with short balls and as a result he required the physio to give some attention to his hand. Bell looked less secure than Cook, less fluent than at Durban. But at tea he was still there, fortified by two cut boundaries off Friedel De Wet and the 50 partnership had been posted.