Joe Root looked a few pounds thinner than when he last addressed the press and a little less cheerful. For the second time in three Tests this winter he was confronted with the unwelcome yet justifiable question: where did it all go wrong?

“The first innings with bat and ball,” was his response. “We got them to 111 for five in good conditions to bowl and you’re looking to bowl them out for 180-200. I feel they got away from us more than they should. We gave too many boundary balls to someone like Quinton de Kock, who likes to score quickly and we allowed him to play in the manner he likes. Then with the bat, losing five wickets very cheaply was very disappointing.

South Africa win first Test by 107 runs after new ball leads to England collapse Read more

“From that point, we fought very hard to get back in the game. We turned up today with real belief we could win the Test. Even at lunch me and Ben Stokes looked at the scenario and it was the same equation as at Leeds not so long ago. So we knew we would need a couple of really good partnerships and then, when the new ball came, we would have to negotiate that well and we weren’t able to do that. Credit to South Africa who exploited the conditions well.”

How much of an impact did the illness running through the tour party have? “We’re not going to hide behind that as an excuse but 14 of our squad have been taken ill in the last week and a half [this includes four of the support staff]. Ben, in particular has had to deal with that horrible thing with his father and his illness. So we’ve had a lot thrown at us. Everyone has dealt with it the best they can.

“I think the thing that’s frustrating me is that when we find ourselves behind we show a lot of character, fight and determination, and we find ways of getting back into it. We need to do that at the start, get ahead of the game and when the opportunity comes to turn the screw; we really need to take it with both bat and ball. That’s where the game was won and lost this time around. We have to learn that lesson very quickly”

Many challenges await Root in Cape Town; he is desperate for a fit squad, in which case there will be some very taxing decisions to make when picking the next Test team. For example the 11 at Centurion had a disturbingly long tail and no spinner. If Root wishes to change that the spotlight will be on his senior pace bowlers, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad.

“They’ve got fantastic records behind them,” Root said. “You don’t want to wish those guys away or look back and think: ‘We’ve forced Jimmy Anderson out.’ You look at him physically and he’s in fantastic fettle. It is similar with Stuart. You’ve got to look at the surface and pick what you feel is the best attack but if difficult decisions have to be made down the line then they will be.”