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Source: Joe Root / BBC Sport via Twitter

England began life under the captaincy of Joe Root with a resounding victory over South Africa in the first Test of their series at Lordas.

The 26-year-old made the perfect start as skipper as he played a match-winning innings of 190 to set his side on their way to victory.

Moeen Ali also had an outstanding game, beating Root to the man-of-the-match award, as he notched ten wickets in the contest along with a knock of 87.

The Proteas were made to rue their missed chances in the first innings, dropping Root on five and 16 a allowing him to go on to make the highest knock by an England captain on debut.

South Africaas batting, especially against the off-spin of Ali, left a lot to be desired as they were meekly bowled out for 119 in their second innings to succumb to a 211-run defeat.

Captain Faf du Plessis missed the opener as he returned home to attend the birth of his first child, but he will make an immediate comeback for the second Test at Trent Bridge, with Dean Elgar gladly handing over the duties after his issues at Lordas.

The momentum is with England, who will be aiming to take a large stride towards securing the series, with Rootas men backed in the latest cricket betting odds at 1/8 to defeat the Proteas over the course of the four matches.

For South Africa to fight back in the series, they will need more from their key players, although Kagiso Rabadaas send-off to Ben Stokes earned him a ban for the second Test.

The 22-year-old will have to watch his team-mates battle against the Three Lions, knowing that he will not be able to capitalise on the potential seamer-friendly conditions in Nottingham.

He was far from his best in the opener as he struggled with the slope at Lordas and when he returns to the fold at The Oval, the Proteas will need him at the peak of his powers.

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Hashim Amla made a combined 40 runs in his two innings at Lordas. Without the presence of AB de Villiers for the series, South Africa need their best batsman to flourish at the crease.

Problems against the spin of Ali and Liam Dawson stopped him from getting going, and should his issues persist throughout the summer, Du Plessis’s men will have huge difficulties competing in the series.

Englandas performance was not without flaws, having been reduced to 76-4 on the first morning of the match. Root bailed out his team-mates, although the concerns over the Three Lionsa top order will persist with Gary Ballance and Keaton Jennings failing to make considerable runs.

Ballance was recalled for a third time into the line-up, but familiar issues reared their head, putting him under huge pressure for the rest of the series.

Should he continue his struggles at number three, England will have a conundrum ahead of Ashes Down Under later this year, even if they brush aside the Proteas and the West Indies later in the summer.

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