England’s “golden nugget” Ben Stokes and his captain Joe Root both threw their support behind five-day Test cricket after a dramatic late victory over South Africa in Cape Town.

The tourists were forced to toil through 137.4 overs at Newlands, straining every sinew along the way, but finally put the finishing touches on a 189-run when Stokes claimed the last three wickets with 8.2 overs remaining.

The trail had gone gone cold several times over the course of an exhausting concluding act but the rousing manner in which Stokes wrapped the innings up for 248, levelling the series at 1-1, cast a heavy shadow on the current debate around reducing Test cricket to four days.

Root was happier to shine a light on his star man’s efforts.

“He’s a golden nugget isn’t he? He’s just a fantastic specimen, really. You put him in a lot of different situations and he stands up to it. He’s a born match-winner that will always put the team first and give everything to the group of players he’s playing alongside.

“Not many sides that have a Ben Stokes in them. We’re very lucky to be witnessing what we are at the moment.”