England fast bowler James Anderson on Friday became the first pace bowler to take 300 Test wickets at home. The 34-year-old reached the milestone when he took the wicket of Dean Elgar on the opening day of the second Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge.

Anderson has played 71 Tests in England and is fourth in the list of highest Test wicket-takers at home. Anderson is also England’s top Test wicket taker, with Elgar’s scalp his 471th in the format.

Anderson is back in the mix after an injury break following a poor tour of India late last year.

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Meanwhile, England began to toil on the first afternoon of the second Test as Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock vindicated South Africa captain Faf du Plessis’ decision to bat first at Trent Bridge.

The hosts managed a solitary wicket in each session, Amla (65 not out) riding his luck a little and De Kock (68 not out) moving past a typically fluent and attractive 59-ball half-century as they took their stand to 113 in a teatime total of 179 for two.

England had an opportunity to make early inroads after Du Plessis took a calculated gamble on an initially cloudy and blustery morning.

It paid off as South Africa lost only Dean Elgar before lunch and his fellow opener Heino Kuhn soon after the break. Amla and De Kock then took over, kicking on especially in a four-over period against Mark Wood and Liam Dawson which brought 36 runs either side of mid-afternoon drinks.