4 test series ENG 3-1 SA

1st Test

Day 1

England 357/5 (87.0 ov)
South Africa

At the first stroke Joe Root has made life easier for himself and his team. The first priority of a new captain who is a batsman has nothing to do with such ephemeral notions as bonding the team or setting the tone; it is to score runs. And at the first attempt Root has delivered in style.

He has sparkled more in the past on his passage towards three figures, but having posted his hundred he was at his impish best, melding sweet and solid orthodoxy with a few homespun specialities that must have had his father and grandad beaming in the stands.

In the last half-hour against the second new ball he was majestic as he headed towards a double century. Instead of playing for tomorrow, as Yorkshiremen of another era might have been inclined to do, Root was, indeed, able to set the tone. He attacked ruthlessly, exploiting the weary legs of the South African bowlers and fielders for whom 87 overs in the field seemed an awfully long time in this white-ball summer. England finished the day sitting pretty on 357 for five; Root had contributed 184 of those with the power to add some more on Friday morning.

Root had his reprieves. On five and 16 he offered difficult chances to long leg and gully respectively; much later, on 149, he was palpably stumped off Keshav Maharaj before the discovery that the left‑arm spinner had overstepped by a few millimetres.

This was Root’s 12th Test century and one of his most significant. With runs in the bank as a captain all the decisions that come his way will now be a little easier. Most obviously, it becomes more straightforward for him to drop fellow batsmen when the time comes – how often has a batting line-up been paralysed because it has been impossible to omit someone who has been scoring more runs than the captain? More positively, the respect and authority for the captain in the dressing room automatically deepens when the man in charge takes control of the game, which is what Root did so emphatically on Thursday with a little help from Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali.

Root’s felt like a landmark innings. But then we were reminded that England’s past three captains, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss, all made centuries in their first match in charge. Before that the only two men to achieve this feat were Archie MacClaren and Allan Lamb (there must be a link between these two, but it currently remains elusive). Root’s innings is the highest of any Englishman on his debut as captain, surpassing Cook’s 173 in Chittagong.

It now seems all too obvious that captaincy can, at least at the outset, enhance a batsman. It concentrates the mind nicely. Gary Ballance, now captain of Yorkshire, might be prepared to confirm that theory. Priorities change; personal milestones are easily overshadowed by the state of the game; it is no fun in the field leading a team that is 150 runs short of par, and that can be a powerful driving force.

There were moments when that looked to be England’s fate after Root won the toss under a cloudless sky as a capacity crowd found their seats. There was a tinge of green in the pitch, which would allow a little extra bounce and modest sideways movement.

Whatever help was available was exploited by Vernon Philander, who has the endearing quality of being a Test cricketer who looks as if he could have been plucked out of a club game. He is not fleet of foot; his muscles do not ripple much and he tends to lumber rather than glide around the boundary. Nor does he bowl swiftly by international standards. He propels at about 80mph and no more.

But he has special, old-fashioned qualities. He bowls from close to the stumps; he finds a good length and he hits the seam more often than most. And when the rhythm is right he generates a little more pace and bounce than expected. He managed that in his opening spell even though he has not bowled in the middle for more than a month.

Cook played a loose shot off the back foot and edged to the wickekeeper; Keaton Jennings was soon given lbw when hit on the front pad. A review was contemplated but rejected; in fact it would have been justified as the ball pitched outside leg stump – just. Since Jennings opts to bat with his pads covering all three stumps the temptation to mark him out as an lbw candidate is hard to avoid.

Ballance, who only ever bats at No3 for England, settled neatly enough until he was lbw to Morne Morkel bowling round the wicket. This time England opted to review – incorrectly. He was hit on the front pad but it was only just beyond the popping crease. So England were rocking on 76 for four with the captain and vice-captain – Ben Stokes – in harness.

They navigated through the afternoon session with Stokes in solid, responsible mode in between the odd awesome boundary. The biggest alarm was when Stokes, on 44, was bowled by Morkel – off another no-ball.

This pair added 114 before Stokes edged a hook against Kagiso Rabada just after tea. Thereafter Moeen, a reassuring presence at No7, was the ideal ally for Root. Moeen took 17 balls to open his account but then he cruised along in Root’s wake, with his own exquisite cover drives. Together they added 167 runs in the final session, which left England dictating the game on a day when there was no doubt about who was the man in charge.


Day 2

England 458
South Africa 214/5 (68.0 ov)
South Africa trail by 244 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

South Africa’s proud and spotless record at Lord’s since returning to world cricket is under threat. In five visits here they have won convincingly four times and drawn once. Currently they are 244 runs behind with five wickets in hand. From here they might settle for another draw.

On another balmy day they were tormented by two of England’s all-rounders, neither of whom was Ben Stokes. Argue among yourselves whether Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali can truly be categorised as all-rounders – maybe the former does not bat well enough and the latter’s bowling is too limited. But there was no denying that in mid-afternoon Moeen joined Broad and five other illustrious England cricketers who have hit 2000 Test runs and taken 100 Test wickets. (The others are Wilfred Rhodes, Trevor Bailey, Tony Greig, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff). Oddly Moeen has reached 2,000 runs and 100 wickets in the same match – as did Ravi Shastri. Of the Englishmen only Greig, in 37 matches as opposed to Moeen’s 38, has reached this landmark more quickly. Both Broad and Moeen are in fine company.

Moeen contributed 87 and Broad 57 not out, an innings not quite so polished but just as entertaining to all but the purist. Then this doughty duo took the first four wickets to fall in South Africa’s reply. By then the cricket had assumed the more traditional qualities of a Test match with South Africa fighting for survival after England had posted 458.

Broad was at his most miserly as he pounded in from the Nursery End. Maybe he sensed some unevenness on a dry pitch, maybe it was just the sense of occasion that a packed house at Lord’s generates. Broad was in rhythm; he becalmed Heino Kuhn on his Test debut and then he found his edge in a six over spell that yielded just eight runs.

After a profligate little spell from Liam Dawson (four overs for 29 runs), who rarely bowls as early as the 14th over for Hampshire, let alone England, Moeen was introduced and with his greater pace and – on this occasion – greater accuracy he posed more problems.

Hashim Amla had purred along beside Dean Elgar but when he tried to work an off-break from Moeen on to the leg side he misjudged both the length of the ball and the amount of turn. Even though Amla’s is a pivotal wicket there was no enthusiasm for a review.

After tea Elgar became Moeen’s 100th victim. He pushed forward and from the inside edge the ball hit the chest of Gary Ballance at short leg before being calmly snared in his hands. Moeen often bowls better when expectations are low and here he had dispatched the two most accomplished batsmen in South Africa’s makeshift top six.

When Broad broached JP Duminy’s defences South Africa were 104 for four and in trouble. But Temba Bavuma, calm and watchful, joined forces with Theunis de Bruyn, relishing his second Test appearance and this pair added 99 together, whereupon Jimmy Anderson found the edge of De Bruyn’s bat. This pair batted with impressive resolution and rather more discretion than we witnessed in the morning.

That first session was frenetic and hugely entertaining. In particular the last wicket partnership between the old guard of Broad and Anderson produced slapstick stuff.

At the start Joe Root doubtless had designs on becoming the first Test cricketer to hit two double hundreds at Lord’s, but it was not to be as he departed early. Against Morne Morkel he essayed what seemed to be a textbook forward defensive except that the ball flicked the outside edge to give the keeper a simple catch.

Two balls latter Dawson, who was selected to give no-nonsense ballast to the side, was heading lugubriously back to the pavilion, lbw for his second duck in three innings for England.

Soon Vernon Philander demanded another lbw from umpire Reiffel against Broad on four. The appeal was denied; a review was contemplated but rejected, which was a mistake since the replays revealed that the ball possessed all the red criteria needed for the decision to be overturned. This was a costly mishap for the South Africans since Broad would finish unbeaten with 57 runs merrily gleaned in a variety of ways.

Initially Broad, using every part of his bat, prospered alongside Moeen, who posted his 2,000th Test run during a 46 run partnership that ended when he was defeated by a full length delivery from Kasigo Rabada. His innings was another delight and a reminder of how hard it is to understand those who query Moeen’s right to be an automatic choice in this team. No doubt there were times when the same was said of Bailey and Flintoff.

Then Mark Wood was palpably lbw without scoring and the assumption was that the innings was rushing to a close. Instead Broad and Anderson engaged in an hilarious – to English eyes – last wicket stand of 45, during which the South Africans lost their discipline. Broad was able to predict Morne Morkel’s intentions all too easily which meant that he smashed two consecutive bouncers over the boundary at square leg.

Even Anderson hit a six against Rabada, pulling fearlessly off the front foot. This was his third six in Test cricket but his first against a pace bowler. He will be proud of that but unfortunately there is not yet a board in the dressing room to accommodate that particular landmark.


Day 3

England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining

South Africa have not lost a Test at Lord's since 1960, recording four victories and two draws in six visits post-readmission. That redoubtable record looked set to come under threat over the next two days as England ground their way into a dominant position in the first Test of the series.

Inch by inch, Joe Root's new(ish) England side took control on the third day. Moeen Ali again played a key role with the ball, his impressive personal contribution continuing with a four-wicket haul as South Africa settled for a first-innings deficit of 97; Alastair Cook then passed 50 for the 15th time in a Lord's Test as England stretched their lead beyond 200 on another hot and hazy afternoon in the capital.

The situation would have been trickier still for South Africa had it not been for contrasting half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander earlier in the day. The majority of Philander's innings came after he had been struck a painful blow on the hand by James Anderson, although X-rays confirmed he had not suffered a break. He did not return to the field until late in the evening session and was not called on to bowl, although South Africa hope he will be fit to play a full part on Sunday.

Cook had missed out in the first innings but was not about to let a second opportunity go begging. South Africa lost both their reviews inside ten overs trying to dislodge him and although he was separated from his opening partner, Keaton Jennings, after an 80-run stand, Gary Ballance helped steer England to the close with the majority of their batting resources intact.

At one stage in the evening session, Cook amassed a single run over the course of 40 deliveries, a man perfectly content to embody the statelier virtues of a bygone era amid the carnival of modern batsmanship. The practice of leaving the off side open to try and make Cook drive against Keshav Maharaj's spin resulted in a brace of well-timed cover drives early on, while another four boundaries were eased behind square on the off side.

He was inconvenienced, if not ruffled, by lbw reviews off the bowling of Morne Morkel, whose delivery was shown to have pitched outside leg stump, and Maharaj, who struck him outside the line of off with a sharply spinning ball. Morkel was eventually rewarded for a probing spell after tea as Jennings wafted flat-footed to be caught behind.

The sense that South Africa were losing their way on a ground where they have enjoyed much success over the last 25 years was betrayed early on, when Temba Bavuma, who had recorded his seventh Test fifty during the opening exchanges, was dismissed by Moeen. Bavuma began heading off the pitch vaguely towards the gap in the boundary boards by the Warner Stand before realising his mistake and being redirected to the pavilion gate.

De Kock was more sure-footed, marking his first Test innings at Lord's with the second-fastest fifty on the ground, from 36 balls. Alongside Philander's battling knock, they prevented South Africa's first innings from being completely subsumed, although there was also a sense of good starts being wasted: of the four South Africa batsman to reach 50, including captain Dean Elgar on the second day, none managed more than Bavuma's 59.

Philander was struck several times during his stay but replied with a few hefty blows off the bat, despite his discomfort. De Kock dominated the scoring during their rapid stand of 66, before Philander helped add another 47 for the last two wickets.

Root had turned to his spinners early on and, with the surface hinting at variable bounce and increased turn as it cooked under the sun, they will doubtless have an even greater role to play later in the game. Liam Dawson enjoyed a more successful outing as he and Moeen shared six wickets - only the second time since 1999 that two England spinners had done so in the first innings of a home Test.

Kagiso Rabada, South Africa's nightwatchman, got through the first 40 minutes before nicking Dawson into Jonny Bairstow's gloves to end a stand of 41 and England made an even bigger breakthrough in the following over when Moeen had Bavuma taken at slip, playing back as a delightfully flighted ball drifted away and then spun in to clip the outside edge.

De Kock arrived low in the order, at No. 8, but not low on confidence. Stuart Broad was twice taken for three fours in an over as de Kock, who scored his maiden Test hundred against England last year, set about matching the grand surroundings with an innings of equivalent pomp. Philander, meanwhile, dealt bravely with Anderson from the Pavilion End.

Although Broad found shape to beat de Kock's outside edge in his first over with the second new ball, he was soon sent on to the back foot: Broad's next three deliveries were dispatched to the rope - clipped off the legs, cut and then driven square. The final over of Broad's spell saw him receive similar treatment, with the last of de Kock's three fours in five balls a magisterial, rubber-wristed drive through midwicket.

Moeen then replaced Broad from the Nursery End but de Kock got stuck into him, too, twice skipping out to loft the spinner over mid-on to go to his half-century. With the adrenalin still pumping, however, he threw his hands at a drive off Anderson from the ball he faced and was scooped up by the diving Stokes at point.

Anderson had bowled almost exclusively to Philander to that point, though his only successes were counted in marks left on his opponent. One kept low, another hit a crack and jacknifed away from the right-hander - worrying signs, perhaps, for the team batting last - and Philander had just been beaten by a similar delivery when he was rapped on the bottom hand by a ball that came back and jumped venomously off a length. Philander grimaced, received some treatment and got back to the job. Come the close, there was more work to do still.


Day 4

England 458 & 233
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 ov, target: 331)
England won by 211 runs

England swept South Africa aside to begin the Joe Root era with a crushing victory as 19 wickets fell in a day at Lord's. Moeen Ali, taking full licence of the attacking brief given him by England's new captain, ran through a mesmerised South Africa batting order to claim 6 for 53 on the way to a maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests.

Having been set 331 to win the first Test, with almost 150 overs in which to get them, South Africa were unable to even take the match into a fifth day. With the pitch offering appreciable assistance for the spin of Moeen and Liam Dawson, they subsided to 119 all out in 36.4 overs, with Temba Bavuma's 41-ball 21 providing the most prolonged resistance. Faf du Plessis, looking on from the balcony having returned to lead the team at Trent Bridge next week, was left with much to ponder.

South Africa were in trouble early in their innings, going to tea on 25 for 3, with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock their main hope of giving Root and England a fright. Only once had a team chased as many in the fourth innings to win a Lord's Test, though Root may have recalled for a moment the occasion when he filled in as Yorkshire captain in 2014 and saw Middlesex ease to a target of 472 three wickets down on this ground.

That gained him the nickname "craptain" in the Yorkshire dressing room, but it looks like England will have to come up with something more generous. In truth, Root did not have to resort to much in the way of tactical genius, as his two spinners bowled in tandem for 24 overs to finish off South Africa with time to spare on another sun-drenched evening in north London. South Africa had not lost a Test at Lord's since 1960 but they broke that record in style.

It meant their fight back during the first half of the day, when they claimed England's last nine wickets for the addition of 114 runs became a distant memory. It could have been better still but Jonny Bairstow, who scored a vital half-century, was dropped on 7 as South Africa's replicated the mistakes that were so costly to their chances in the first innings.

After James Anderson had made the initial breakthrough, Heino Kuhn removed via a fine, diving catch from Bairstow down the leg side, Moeen picked up his first wicket when he brilliantly held a reflex return catch off Dean Elgar. South Africa's stand-in captain must have feared the worst at that moment, and their fortunes sunk further when JP Duminy pulled Mark Wood straight to midwicket on the brink of tea.

The selection of Dawson, who made a pair with the bat, was not widely lauded beforehand but he delivered for Root when he plucked out the key wicket of Amla shortly after tea. Moeen's first four overs were maidens, bottling up South Africa from the Nursery End, and Dawson then produced a ripping delivery that pitched on middle and leg, spun past the groping bat and hit the back leg in front of off; Amla reviewed but in vain.

De Kock and Bavuma dug in for more than 10 overs, lifting the score from 28 for 4 with a 36-run stand, but an increasingly confident England had Mo-mentum on their side. When de Kock tried to relieve some of the pressure by pulling, he only succeeded in dragging the ball into his front leg, from where it fizzed back into his stumps.

Bavuma also fell trying to force an attacking shot to break England's chokehold, a precise delivery hitting the top of off, and Moeen then had Theunis de Bruyn caught at slip and Keshav Maharaj bowled off an inside edge to record his maiden Test ten-for. Having contributed 87 to England's first-innings total of 458, he became the first England player to score a fifty and take ten wickets in a Test since Ian Botham in 1980.

Botham-like heroics will help keep most Test captains chipper and, following his first-innings 190, Root could reflect on a perfect start to his tenure. It had been a slightly bumpier start to the day, however, as England lost nine wickets in 36.1 overs - though only consolation for Root was that the procession of batsmen returning to join him in the dressing room could attest to the increasing difficulty of the pitch.

Bairstow was last man out, stumped off Maharaj, the spinner's four-wicket haul a harbinger of what was to come. At lunch, England's lead had been 279 but Bairstow and Wood scraped together valuable extra runs during a brisk ninth-wicket stand of 45. Apart from Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance, who added 10 and 11 respectively to their overnight scores, no other England batsmen managed to get into double-figures on the day.

Maharaj might have removed Bairstow right at the start of his innings, only for Vernon Philander, who was fit to bowl after injuring his hand batting on the third day, to drop a simple catch at long-off. He claimed three of the wickets to fall in the first session, amid increasing signs of the pitch breaking up. The dismissal of Cook for 69, caught at cover attempting to lift the scoring, precipitated an England collapse of 4 for 10 in 39 balls - which would have been 5 for 19 had Bairstow's offering been held.

The evidence of the first over of the morning was that the Lord's baize was by now a little rumpled. At least two deliveries from Philander kept low before the last jumped to hit Ballance on the glove. When Maharaj came into the attack shortly before the hour mark, the first ball of his second over went directly to slip off the pitch; the same over concluded with Root being bowled by one that didn't turn.

Cook and Ballance picked up initially in much the same mood as they guided England to the close on the third evening, a couple of tugboats towing their barge along the Thames. They had added a boundary apiece, taking their partnership to 59, before Cook suddenly weighed anchor and drove aerially into the covers, where Bavuma snaffled a sharp, diving catch.

Morne Morkel continued his impressive Test by having Ballance caught behind with another exacting delivery that straightened from round the wicket and England slide's continued with the dismissal of Root for 5 in the following over. Having seen Maharaj spin the ball sharply, Root swept a boundary but was then caught playing back and got an inside-edge on to his stumps.

Ben Stokes did not have much time for reconnaissance, pinned lbw for 1 by a delivery that shot through low from Rabada. Stokes started walking as soon as it hit him, while Rabada - suspended for the next Test due to his outburst after dismissing Stokes in the first innings - kept his counsel. That left England 149 for 5 and it ought to have been 158 for 6 when Bairstow lofted Maharaj towards Philander, only for the fielder to drop it on to the rope. He gestured towards the skies, seeming to suggest that Spidercam had distracted him - but little could excuse the scale of South Africa's defeat.


2nd Test

Day 1

South Africa 309/6 (90.0 ov)
England
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat

Joe Root wanted his England side to be stretched and the South Africans duly obliged on a dreamy day at Trent Bridge. Here was Test cricket as we crave it with the game ebbing and flowing tantalisingly at the most soothing venue in the country outside of St John’s Wood. By the close South Africa were 309 for six.

They might have made more if the partnership of 113 between Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock that decorated the afternoon session had continued after tea. They might have been in dire straits at 235 for six but Vernon Philander, with stout assistance from Chris Morris, stayed firm and strong in the evening sunshine. For England Stuart Broad took three wickets on one of his favourite grounds and offered the greatest threat. The game is alive and alluring because no one is quite sure who is winning it.

The toss was a futile exercise. Faf du Plessis chose to bat; Root, with the candour of a new captain, said that he would have bowled. There were some clouds above and a bit of grass below but in both cases not in great quantities. A good pitch has the captains in a bit of a quandary and, although a little short of pace, this seems to be what we have at Trent Bridge.

Du Plessis recognised that his top order would have to battle to survive the first session and that is what they did despite the early departure of Dean Elgar. He fell to a fine diving catch by Liam Dawson at backward point off an inviting full-length delivery from Jimmy Anderson, which provided the old boy with his 300th Test wicket in England.

Then the South Africans dug in. It would be quite an exaggeration to say that Heino Kuhn hit the ball to parts of Trent Bridge that other batsmen could not reach. In fact he loitered on the back foot most of the time from where he occasionally punched the ball through the gaps, heavy on grit, light on glamour.

As ever Amla was more pleasing on the eye, yet there was an element of humility about his innings. In the morning there were no wristy indulgences; the plan was to blunt the new ball and Amla was prepared to do the hard yards. He moved forward diligently in defence, seemingly with more time at his disposal than Kuhn. Only when confronted with the bouncer did Amla look insecure but initially his flails avoided the fielders. However he connected properly with one Mark Wood short ball, which was hooked to the boundary to register his 8,000th run in Test cricket.

In an abbreviated morning session South Africa fought their way to 56 for one. After the break Broad bowled Kuhn off the inside edge, which meant that South Africa’s two best batsmen were now at the crease. They had decided to promote De Kock up the order.

South Africa’s wicketkeeper has never batted at four before in a Test match but it was decided midway through the game at Lord’s that he would have to take on more responsibility. Hiding away at No7 as a wonderful insurance policy was no longer a viable option. South Africa needed to be more proactive.

Obviously De Kock was prepared to step up, which is not always the case. Cricketers can be a superstitious lot, wary of change and the benefits of flexibility, but given the state of the series and the frailty of South Africa’s batting so far the promotion of De Kock made good sense.

He very nearly delivered a masterpiece, purring through the afternoon session, scoring at almost a run a ball while giving the impression that he was in watchful, responsible mode. In fact both De Kock and Amla paid Anderson and Broad their dues; they were blunted but upon their removal from the attack the run rate accelerated. Both these batsmen can propel the ball to the boundary with silky flicks that do not require a follow through. It is just that De Kock does this more often.

Dawson’s first three overs leaked 19 runs and an Amla straight six, which just struck the boundary rope (why waste any energy?) and there were sweet drives against Wood and Stokes. In the afternoon South Africa added 123 for one without a hint of violence.

But in the final session Broad imposed himself on proceedings though not quite so emphatically as in 2015 against Australia. His first delivery after the break found the outside edge of De Kock’s bat and Cook held the catch at slip after a little juggle. Then he dismissed Amla with an intentional bouncer; another hook went up in the air but this time it landed in the safe hands of Wood at long leg.

Now Stokes made his first intervention with the ball in this series. So far the gulf between the old brigade of Broad and Anderson and England’s other pacemen has been all too obvious. Here Stokes, although profligate, at least rekindled his reputation for making something happen.

His dismissal of Du Plessis required some assistance. The ball flew down the leg side and Jonny Bairstow, as he did at Lord’s, took off to his left and held an excellent catch. Umpire Paul Reiffel raised his finger; Du Plessis immediately asked for a review and then third umpire Sundaram Ravi detected a touch on the glove before the ball brushed Du Plessis’s backside. Presumably the South African captain only felt the second contact. Then Stokes dispatched Temba Bavuma, who was surprised by extra pace. Bavuma tried to withdraw from a delivery outside his off-stump but he was too slow and the ball brushed the face of his bat on the way to the keeper.

The innings was spluttering but in the last hour Philander and Morris, both elevated to all-rounder status after South Africa’s decision to opt for the extra bowler, rallied with spirit and skill. Initially England gave them too many scoring opportunities; neither of these players is content when becalmed. So they grew in confidence quickly. Whether the ball was old or new they batted with great assurance on a golden sunlit evening, with Philander to the fore. It may not have been a perfect day for the tourists but they are back in the series.


Day 2

South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining

Faf du Plessis had cause to anticipate a satisfying return to the Test captaincy as South Africa took a potentially decisive first-innings lead of 130 midway into the final session of the second day of the second Investec Test at Trent Bridge. The birth of a son followed by the prospect of a Test victory to square the series: personal delight and professional satisfaction in quick succession.

South Africa's lead at the close of the second day was 205, for the loss of Heino Kuhn, unpicked by James Anderson at second slip. England do have the consolation of a sunny forecast for the fourth day, but historically Trent Bridge surfaces deteriorate more than average in this country so it is hard to conceive of an escape route.

They have already lost one review, failing in a cockeyed attempt to win an lbw decision against Kuhn: a long way down the pitch, a new ball, impact high on the pad: there was not much to like. Anderson therefore joined Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad in failed reviews. At least Joe Root is spreading his largesse to all, but he has some reflection to do.

The panache of Root, a young captain eager to assert himself, provided England's main sustenance as they mustered only 205 in awkward batting conditions, dismissed in only 51.5 overs as they trusted to enterprise and came up short. Only late in the innings could England be described as reckless, but at no point did they deserve to be termed resilient.

Root's elegance, at least, made light of the challenge posed by South Africa's attack as he required only 76 balls for his 78. He played with authority from the outset, before a misjudgement against Morne Morkel saw him edge to the wicketkeeper.

The rest of England's first innings had less to commend it as South Africa held sway on a pitch that had quickened since the opening day and with plentiful swing and seam on offer under overcast skies. Root's Yorkshire team-mates Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow sought a response. But the openers failed and the last seven wickets evaporated for 62 in 22.4 overs. Still, at least it ensured regular activity on a day when the over-rate was a pitiful 12.5 an hour.

Morkel and Vernon Philander, South Africa's new-ball pair, posed most of the threat and Morkel, in particular, was unfortunate to finish with only two wickets on a day when he was always imposing. When they were obliged to turn to the left-arm spin of Keshav Maharaj, with a holding operation in mind, he came up trumps with the wickets of Stokes, for nought, and Bairstow shortly before tea. Chris Morris, lightly used after a short initial spell - short in both senses of the word - adorned his figures with three late wickets.

Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings were rounded up in only 4.1 overs before lunch as it soon became apparent that South Africa's 335 offered them the chance of a sizeable first-innings advantage.

It took a review to remove Cook, with South Africa searching, initially at least, for an lbw as an inswinger from Philander flew off the pad to the wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. That mode of dismissal was ruled out by an inside nick, only for Cook to be dismissed courtesy of the keeper's catch.

Jennings fell to the next delivery, this time from Morkel, a peach of a ball from around the wicket which bounced and left the Durham left-hander.

The rest of the morning was a story of South African ill-discipline as Root and Ballance included 14 boundaries in an 83-run partnership spanning, in all, only 84 balls. Root produced some princely off-sides drives from the outset and had another Test fifty to his name by the interval. Ballance, who got off the mark with a fortunate edge wide of gully off Philander, offering hunched support, sitting deep in his crease with the suspicious air of a mole peering out of a mole hill.

South Africa's challenge was much more focused throughout the afternoon, although their back-up seamers carried limited potency before Morris' late intervention. They achieved this, lest we forget, without Kagiso Rabada.

Ballance perished in the second over after lunch, bowled by Philander as he deflected the ball onto his pads, but the key wicket was that of Root, who had looked immaculate square of the off-side, and who picked off the leg-side in turn whenever South Africa's bowlers tried to straighten their line.

Bairstow, who lacked Root's certainty, was more of a bellwether. He reached 45, but survived two hairy moments against Morkel on the way, the ball twice flying perilously close to his stumps off a play-and-miss that escaped for four byes and an inside edge. Another edge spared him when South Africa reviewed a refused lbw appeal by Philander.

Maharaj then took a hand. Stokes fell for a 12-ball duck, his inside edge onto his pads, finally clutched at the second attempt, off his shoulder, by de Kock as he changed direction. There was a suspicion of helmet involved, which would have spared him, but after innumerable replays he was sent on his way.

Maharaj also found a hint of turn to bowl Bairstow, bringing South Africa their fourth wicket in a productive session.

England's problems intensified after tea as three wickets fell within eight balls. Moeen Ali fell tamely to a pre-conceived plan, flapping a full ball from Morris out of the footholes to du Plessis at point. Broad received the cheers awarded to a local boy, but his innings are always hair-raising affairs and this one did not make it past the first ball as South Africa successfully reviewed Morris' lbw appeal.

Liam Dawson had managed to escape a fourth successive Test duck - Bob Holland, Ajit Agarkar and Mohammad Asif hold the record with five - before overturning a caught behind decision against Morris, replays showing the ball had missed the bat by a distance. He did not make much use of his let-off, as he top-edged Maharaj to square leg.

England's increasingly tame affair came to a conclusion when Mark Wood deflected a rearing delivery from Morris to second slip.

Earlier, James Anderson had demolished South Africa's tail in a spell of 4 for 4 in only 20 deliveries to finish with 5 for 72, taking five in an innings for the 22nd time in his Test career.

England had carped about the second new ball on the previous evening, and they managed to negotiate an immediate change on the second morning. The skies were grey, the floodlights were on and Anderson had a spring in his step, his 34 years falling off him with every delivery.

The best of his wickets was Maharaj, for nought, outwitted by the inswinger/outswinger routine, his edge inviting Root to hold a flamboyant catch at second slip. He had provided a brief masterclass, but South Africa were to make good use of their own opportunity.


Day 3

South Africa 335 & 343/9d
England 205 & 1/0
England require another 473 runs with 10 wickets remaining

England will have to rewrite Test history if they are to beat South Africa at Trent Bridge after the tourists ground out a near impregnable position.

Half-centuries from Hashim Amla (87), Dean Elgar (80) and Faf du Plessis (63) helped South Africa pile up 343-9 declared just before stumps on day three in the Second Test, to set a target of 474 which significantly exceeds the highest total ever made for victory in the fourth innings. That feat stands to West Indies, who made 418 for seven against Australia at Antigua in 2003, while the ground record of a mere 284 here was down to England against New Zealand a year later.

On a pitch which has offered increasingly variable bounce to the seamers – although most often at the Radcliffe Road end only – England may do well to approach either. In four nervy overs of batting after South Africa’s declaration, they at least came through unscathed on one without loss, albeit after Alastair Cook had to overturn a faulty lbw decision against him when Morne Morkel thought he was in business with the very first ball of the innings.

England bowled admirably at times, Ben Stokes especially, but had already dug their own hole with flaky first-innings batting. And despite at least stopping Amla and Elgar short of their centuries, they were powerless to prevent South Africa extending their control. The hosts endured a tough morning, were lifted by two quick wickets just before lunch and then strove hard but struck just once in the afternoon.

South Africa were already in a position of such dominance, as they seek to level the four-match series at 1-1, that Amla and Du Plessis simply dug in as necessary before prospering again in a stand of 62. Amla’s second-wicket partnership with Elgar had earlier realised 135 before Stokes and James Anderson engineered a double-breakthrough in successive overs. Nothing went right for England until then, though.

Stuart Broad would have had Amla caught-behind on 25 if England had gone to DRS, but no one in the ground – the bowler included – seemed remotely convinced of the edge later demonstrated by technology. Then in Broad’s next over, Elgar speared a drive high to Anderson’s left at gully, where he did brilliantly to get even fingertips on barely a half-chance. Not only did Elgar survive on 55 but as the ball was diverted to Stokes at cover, Amla could have gone had the fielder chosen and hit the target at the non-striker’s end as the batsmen dithered and then aborted an attempted single.

Joe Root turned to the spin of Liam Dawson and soon had reasonable cause for regret as Amla followed Elgar to his half-century with a nonchalant six in an over dispatched with alarming ease for 14.

England succeeded at last when Stokes bounced out Elgar, who got in a terrible tangle and was caught at leg-gully as he tried to bail out of a faulty hook shot. Stokes then produced another brute of a delivery first ball to Quinton de Kock, again round the wicket to the left-hander, this time somehow fended safely but unconvincingly down to fine-leg for a single. To only his fourth ball, De Kock was sufficiently discomforted to edge the returning Anderson behind, and suddenly it was South Africa rather than England who needed the lunch break.

Only 15 runs came in the 10 overs after lunch as Stokes especially gave little away and posed a plausible threat. But Du Plessis and Amla were unconcerned, with so much time left in this match, and it was not until the number three got a little greedy at the start of Dawson’s next spell that he paid the price, lbw to the slow left-armer for the second time in successive innings. This time he was up the pitch and missed one that turned, but England still needed DRS to overturn Paul Reiffel’s initial not-out decision.

After tea, Temba Bavuma mistimed Moeen Ali (four for 78) to mid-off just before the second new ball, but the circumstances of Du Plessis’ departure – lbw to one that kept wickedly low from Stokes – would have sown more trepidation for what was to come than transient jubilation at moving another wicket nearer the bottom-line equation.

An hour later, after the addition of another 68 runs for three wickets as Moeen benefited from some late South Africa adventure, Du Plessis set England a finite if distant task over six-and-a-bit remaining sessions.


Day 4

South Africa 335 & 343/9d
England 205 & 133
South Africa won by 340 runs



The excellence of South Africa's pace attack turned the Trent Bridge Test into a rout as England were dismissed in only 44.2 overs, their hopeless pursuit of a world-record 474 to win on a deteriorating pitch transformed with indecent haste into a 340-run defeat.

Faf du Plessis missed South Africa's defeat at Lord's to be at the birth of his first child but he has supervised a staggering turnaround at Trent Bridge, where England had not lost since 2007, which told not just of South Africa's skill but invited increasing questions about England's ability to perform when the going gets tough.

England's coach Trevor Bayliss, appointed primarily because of his reputation in the limited-overs cricket, has now overseen a sequence of seven defeats in England's last 10 Tests. A 4-0 trouncing in India was embarrassing enough, but this feckless batting display will probably attract the loudest condemnation of all. "We've had a shocker," he said.

Data suggests no surface degenerates more reliably than Trent Bridge in Tests in England - and that is normally no bad thing - and South Africa made voracious use of their opportunity, removing England's top four by lunch and then rushing through the rest of the scorecard in unconstrained fashion.

This is an England batting line-up that at its best can be highly entertaining, but which gives the impression it can only swim with the tide. Joe Root, two matches into his Test captaincy, must gather together resolve if his first series in charge is not to end in defeat.

South Africa's new-ball attack, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, were at the peak of their game and this time they gained excellent support from Chris Morris with only Duanne Olivier, an unimpressive stand-in for Kagiso Rabada, failing to pose a perpetual threat.

Philander repeatedly battered away on an excellent line and length as if determined to wear his own hole in the pitch, Morkel possessed uncomfortable bounce and Morris mixed up bouncers and yorkers with alacrity as England struggled to muster resistance. Morkel went wicketless, scant reward for his consistent menace only a few months after he feared his career might be over because of back trouble.

England had a single to their name overnight. It felt utterly worthless; their defeat looked only a matter of time. Perhaps they could have planted it and hoped it germinated, or framed it and put it on the wall. Wickets would not be long delayed. By the time the lunch clock brought temporary release, they had careered to 79 for 4. Only 16.2 overs later it was all over.

Alastair Cook put up most England resistance, scrambling 42 from 76 balls before he became the fourth England batsman dismissed, hurried by Morris' excellent bouncer and punching it away from his face down the leg-side where Quinton de Kock held the catch.

Cook's Trent Bridge record almost defies belief. In 10 Tests at Nottingham, he averages 21.93, less than half his Test average and has managed a solitary half-century - 50, nothing more, nothing less - against Australia in 2013.



Jonny Bairstow holed out to mid-on as England collapsed © Getty Images

It was asking a lot for him to remedy that on this sort of surface. The sound track of the morning was the rapping of pads and the yelping of South Africa fielders as thick edges dropped wide of slips and flew past gully.

Keaton Jennings got off the mark by hooking a bouncer from Morkel, a show of resolve perhaps, although his shot could have fallen anywhere. He has been in mediocre first-class form all summer which did not inspire confidence. He fell in the second over of the morning, Philander wasting no time in creating a gap between bat and pad to bowl him.

Gary Ballance never got out of his ditch. His only scoring shot careered unhealthily through gully, off Philander. Pushing forward to Philander, he was beaten by low bounce, extremely late on the shot. He also required attention from the physio when Morkel struck him on the bottom hand and, as the match ended, was heading for an x-ray on his left index finger.

South Africa's successful review, to win the lbw decision was a model of grown-up conversation. They had lost a review in the previous over - Cook narrowly surviving because of Morkel's high bounce - and du Plessis demanded responsible information as he might if lives were at stake.

Philander, who delivers from so close to the stumps that his chances of lbw are heightened, was adamant, the captain conceded and the wicket was theirs.

Root, the captain, played inside a swinging yorker from Morris. Another excellent delivery from a South Africa attack hunting England down with admirable skill.

If England's top three includes two players whose Test match aptitude must now be in question, their middle-order, so destructive at times, seems unable - or unwilling - to adjust to the more controlled tempo of Test cricket's more demanding days, traipsing through the most hazardous streets as if it was a suitable place for a picnic.

Jonny Bairstow's self-admonishment was clear as he tried to hit Keshav Maharaj's left-arm spin down the ground and only succeeded in dragging it to deep mid-on. Moeen Ali, who gives the impression that he has two gears - marked enjoyment and boredom - reached 27 with his usual sang-froid and then top-edged a sweep at the same bowler to Heino Kuhn in front of square.

At least Ben Stokes showed a willingness to buckle down against his natural instincts, not for the first time, before pushing back a wary drive at Philander.

The end was rapid, as if England's three pace bowlers, still aching from their work on the third day, had observed the efforts of the batsmen on the fourth and decided they had seen enough. England, though, had been outplayed both with bat and ball and the lack of ready-made replacements for Anderson and Broad must be a huge concern.

Stuart Broad indulged in a slog-sweep and was lucky only to get a groan from his home crowd, and, lo and behold, Olivier wrapped things up with two in two. Mark Wood spliced to gully, James Anderson poked to the keeper.

At the on-field press conference, du Plessis looked like a man you would not mess with and Root looked as if he needed to become that man overnight.

The series swung markedly from England to South Africa and conceivably in the last two Tests it could swing back again. But it is South Africa who look ingrained in the ways of Test cricket.
3rd Test

Day 1

England 171/4 (59 ov)
South Africa

Recklessness was the charge laid against England after their double collapse at Trent Bridge, but rarely, if ever, has such an accusation been levelled against Alastair Cook. England presented him as the chief witness for the defence at The Oval - and defence is what he diligently delivered.

On a crabby day frequently taunted by heavy showers, England finished four down, 171 to the good. Two of their three debutants perished as did a third batsman, Keaton Jennings, who at this level - in fact, at all levels - also remains comparatively wet behind the ears.

At such times, Cook's calming presence has often offered England succour - nigh on 12,000 Test runs amassed without excess, and as if oblivious to the tribulations around him. He just about held South Africa at bay, a workmanlike 82 not out fashioned by the time players left the field for the final time around six o'clock.

South of the Thames, life is supposedly relaxed and informal, especially with a 100th Test for The Oval to celebrate, but not for England, who knew that restraint was expected of them, but who struggled to prosper after Joe Root's marginal decision to bat.

An unbroken stand of 51 between Cook and Ben Stokes as the rain became more frequent brought a different complexion after they had slipped to 120 for 4. Stokes, who had taken offence at the questioning of England's dedication after their Trent Bridge defeat, again playing with utmost deliberation. It was perhaps safest not to mention it.

England's task to put Nottingham behind them was far from straightforward. There was swing and, surprisingly at The Oval, some seam movement on offer for South Africa's attack on a green-tinged pitch. England had cause to be grateful that Vernon Philander had to retreat from the fray for periods of the day with a stomach upset.

The shot that got Cook to fifty - a rare wide one from Philander which he flashed through gully - was uncharacteristic of a patient innings in which he left well and prospered off his pads. It was his first Test fifty in the first innings for more than a year. His focus, though, will be forward - and the potential for a 31st Test hundred.

He was grateful, on 28, to survive an lbw appeal from Chris Morris, the ball angling in towards leg stump but Ultra Edge spotting a nick on to his pad after South Africa reviewed.

South Africa followed up the wicket of Jennings in the fourth over of the day with three more in the afternoon. Tom Westley looked comfortable enough in making 24 by lunch, but he fell four balls after the resumption, edging an outswinger from Chris Morris to second slip. As with any international newcomer, analysis will immediately begin - and with Westley it will doubtless emphasise his penchant for the leg side - but it was a decent delivery.

John Crawley at Lord's in 1994 was the last time England fielded a debutant No. 3 at home and there were similarities in Westley's game, notably in a fluent manner and a strong leg-side game. A first-class average below 38 was hardly eye-catching, but he had a dapper air at the crease and, at 28, many believe him to be a late developer. England certainly need one.

Dawid Malan couldn't keep out Kagiso Rabada's fantastic delivery Getty Images
Philander, who had been limited to four overs with the new ball before lunch, returned in mid-afternoon and removed Joe Root during his second over back. Root was drawn into a work to leg by a slightly back-of-a-length delivery of impeccable line, it left him a fraction and Quinton de Kock changed direction in time to take a fine, one-handed catch to his right.

Dawid Malan, on debut at five, is no stodge: selections like this further underline that England are not about to block out the rest of the summer. He was preferred to Liam Dawson as England sought refuge in an extra batsman, but managed only a single before his 17th delivery proved to be his last, a high-class yorker from Kagiso Rabada, which swung late to hit middle and leg and which left the left-handed Malan falling to the floor as it did so, evidence of a closed-off stance.

The sum of England's morning was 62 in 22.1 overs for the loss of Jennings, who made a duck and who is looking increasingly unlikely to survive his first Test summer. Influential figures, Andy Flower among them, like his character, but increasingly England will be disturbed by his batting average.

In three Tests, Jennings' technique has been well and truly filleted. South Africa are experts at it, especially against someone who they regard as one of their own. He has looked increasingly statuesque; as if afraid every move might be his last. Three debutants at The Oval might not preclude a fourth in Manchester.

Not for the first time this series, he was skilfully worked over by Philander, his footwork tentative and bat searching blindly as if unsure which way the ball was moving. He deflected a delivery into his pads, not too far short of square leg, and then pushed blindly at the next. Philander then got him at third slip as he dangled his bat without conviction.

Jennings' departure paved the way for an Essex alliance between Cook and Westley, Westley heartened no doubt, in his first Test innings, to have the presence at the crease of a county colleague he holds in such high regard.

The Oval is traditionally the ground for England debutants, but that owes much to its regular place in the English calendar as the last Test of the summer. To find three of them, all a little squeamish with nerves, searching for dressing room pegs in only the third Test of the summer, was a sign of England's problems.

Three debutants a few months before the start of an Ashes series is hardly ideal for England. Consolation, though, is easy to find because South Africa caused the same fallout in the last Australian summer. Tough and uncompromising, they are adept at uncovering weaknesses. Westley's first four scoring shots in Test cricket were all boundaries, the first of them a signature shot as he whipped Morne Morkel to the square leg boundary.

He was fortunate to get a thin edge on an lbw appeal from Morkel before taking two more boundaries off the first over from Keshav Maharaj, the left-arm spinner. An aerial drive was too close to short extra cover for comfort; a further boundary off his pads possessed more aplomb.

Neither Morkel nor Rabada were at the top of their game before lunch. Morkel was too short, going for 28 in his first six, while Rabada, despite putting himself through a heavy workload in the nets during his one-Test suspension under the totting up procedure, took a while to slip into gear.

Both stepped it up after lunch. Morkel was particularly impressive during a demanding afternoon spell of fuller length. Cook and Root were forced to tough it out. The former captain survived; his replacement didn't. Root slumped back in a dressing room chair, disconsolate and, like many before him, watched Cook dig England out of a hole.


Day 2

England 353
South Africa 126/8 (43 ov)
South Africa trail by 227 runs with 2 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Even before he bowled a ball in Test cricket, Toby Roland-Jones could be said to have made a name for himself. Double-barrelled international cricketers, after all, are a bit of a collector's item, just enough to raise an XI with a 12th man and manager in support.

By the time he finished his first spell, Roland-Jones was more than part of a statistical quirk; his name was about to permeate the cricketing world. Four for 22 was quite an introduction for his first eight overs in Test cricket, South Africa's top four all back in the dressing room, caught cold by a debut that, whatever the extent of his Test career, will go down in England's history.

As the weather deteriorated from the west, and the floodlights pierced the south London gloom, England followed up Ben Stokes' fifth Test century by revelling in a perfect bowling day. South Africa crashed to 61 for 7 by the 26th over before stabilising at 126 for 8 by the close of the second day, still 227 behind.

Widely criticised for the manner of their defeat at Trent Bridge, England remain well placed to go 2-1 up in the series with one to play. South Africa need a further 28 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Supporters spending a day at the Test buy into a lottery. On Thursday, a capacity crowd at the start of The Oval's 100th Test observed Alastair Cook's orderly resistance as England reached a creditable 171 for 4. Friday's full house delighted in something more enticing: Stokes' enthralling hundred - raised during a rush of three successive sixes against the left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj while the last man, James Anderson, looked on from the non-striker's end - followed by the high drama of Roland-Jones' introduction to the Test scene.

South Africa were hampered by the loss of Vernon Philander, who left the field midway through the morning with his stomach ailment unrelenting and went to hospital for tests, which also rendered him unable to bat as wickets crashed in the final session. His involvement on the third day had not been confirmed at the close.

Strong, willing and decidedly able, Roland-Jones has a commodious run-up and, when he finally reaches his destination, hits the seam. He has long been regarded as a redoubtable bowler on the county scene, the man whose hat-trick against Yorkshire at Lord's last September gave Middlesex their first Championship for 23 years. At 29, he has now made his mark in more exalted circumstances south of the Thames, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock all accounted for, the first three in a burst of 3-3 in 15 balls.

Elgar fell to what became the last ball before tea, crouching forward to be caught at the wicket off a faint edge, a decision Elgar failed to overturn on review and which, by his expression, Roland-Jones did not entirely expect until he saw the spike on the big screen.

Amla might have fallen to the next ball - the first after tea - but England's review, in search of an lbw decision, narrowly failed. Considering that the last time Amla played at The Oval he batted for more than 13 hours it was perhaps a better gamble than most.

On this occasion, however, the balance heavily favoured the bowlers. Roland-Jones brought one back in his third over to have Kuhn lbw, struck on the back leg. Amla followed in his fourth - a ripper, this one, which took off and flicked his glove as he tried to drop his hands. The fact Amla walked somehow made it seem even grander. Finally, came de Kock who aimed to work a full delivery to the leg side and sent an outside edge to Stokes at gully.

Roland-Jones had replaced Anderson after only three overs - a sensible nerve-settler by his captain Joe Root - and Anderson's eventual switch of ends did the trick. Du Plessis left one that seamed back and was lbw on the back leg and Chris Morris patted back a return catch.

Their recovery, of sorts, was some relief. No side has made less than 100 in the first innings of an Oval Test since 1957 when Surrey's spinners, Jim Laker and Tony Lock, tore through the West Indies.

Stokes' 112 from 153 balls was one of his most accomplished, an innings of contrasting shades as he defended with conviction and appreciated the opportunities to play more expansively.

Anderson's emergence at No. 11 with Stokes still nine short of his hundred persuaded him that it was time to crank things up. Maharaj's second ball should have caused his downfall at deep midwicket only for du Plessis to touch the boundary markers as he stretched to take the catch.

Undeterred, Stokes stretched to swing a ball well wide of off-stump down the ground and into the stands; du Plessis applauded ruefully. His century secured, for good measure Stokes slog-swept the next one for a third six in a row. The next over, from Morne Morkel, silenced him as he launched the bowler high to Kagiso Rabada, running in from long-off.

There was no 31st Test hundred for Cook - 82 overnight, he had only added six when Morkel won an lbw decision. Morkel's wicket confirmed his excellent record against Cook as he dismissed him for the 10th time in Test cricket. No bowler has dismissed him on as many occasions.

South Africa bowled impressively as long as Philander and Morkel had the ball in their hands, but their support seamers posed less threat. Morris found so much swing from the Dukes ball that he was unable to control it: he was one player, on this evidence, who did not benefit from South Africa's decision to rest between Nottingham and The Oval rather than request a further warm-up match.

Stokes' recognised an opportunity to press ahead. He had stood so far outside his crease against Philander, to negate his movement, that one half expected him to follow Philander into the dressing room and take guard.

Instead, he feasted upon Morris. Three overpitched deliveries in one over from disappeared to the boundary and Maharaj, conceded three more against Jonny Bairstow, one of them an advance to drive down the ground, a typically defiant repeat of the shot that caused his downfall at Trent Bridge.

England rattled up another 73 at nearly five an over, making excellent use of the hour leading up to the second new ball.

Unsurprisingly, South Africa took it immediately with England, at 256 for 5, threatening to break free. Rabada felt the benefit as he took the new ball for the first time in the series. Ten deliveries into the new ball and Bairstow was dislodged, pushing at one that bounced and moved away for du Plessis to take the catch at second slip.

Late-order allies slowly departed as Stokes edged towards his century. Moeen Ali fell to a keeper's catch via an inside-edge onto his pad, Morkel the deserving bowler. Roland-Jones' spirited 25 from 25 balls also provided a glimpse of his dangerous late-order hitting. Morris leaked 17 off an over to complete a miserable day.

Roland-Jones' best shot was a pulled six off Rabada. As he revelled in the near-absurdity of it all, he might have imagined that he would have no happier moment all day. Then England tossed him the ball and he realised that it was only the start.


Day 3

England 353 & 74/1 (21.2 ov)
South Africa 175
England lead by 252 runs with 9 wickets remaining

As rain put a dampener on The Oval's 100th Test celebrations, one England batsman was concerned not with marking the past but protecting his future.

Keaton Jennings' England place was under threat after making only 44 runs in his first five innings against South Africa, his hundred on Test debut against India in Mumbai in December now a distant memory.

Jennings was 34 not out - his best score of a draining summer - when an early tea was taken in the third Test. England, at 74 for 1, were building an impregnable position by tea on the third day, leading by 252 with nine wickets remaining. Jennings was just relieved that one of those wickets was his.

Vernon Philander had been conditionally discharged from hospital, coming out to bat for South Africa at No. 11 as they were dismissed before lunch for 175 and then summoning what strength he had left for a few below-par overs.

His viral infection had not yet departed and he was still vomiting and suffering from abdominal pain. But NHS nurses presumably got him back on his feet by whispering the words "Keaton Jennings" because it has proved to be a pick-me-up all series.

Jennings was chary against Philander from the outset and might have fallen twice in successive balls in his second over. He inside-edged past leg stump for his first boundary, looking round uncertainly as if he had stumbled over a paving slab. The next ball, on 6, he was dropped by Dean Elgar, head high at third slip. South Africa's cordon was bunched and close and, on this occasion at least, suffered for it.

Jennings routinely stands as straight as a sentry at the crease. Put him in a bearskin hat and he could easily double as a guardsman at Buckingham Palace where he would have the discipline to stand still for hours while tourists snapped away intrusively. But it was movement, not stillness, he needed and he danced around on the spot in an attempt to rid himself of the stilted footwork that has bedevilled him all series.

Alastair Cook departed for 7, undone by a top-notch delivery from Morne Morkel which he straightened from around the wicket to crash into the top of off. Too good for Cook, one imagines it would have defeated Jennings, too, but he watched from the non-striker's end, a batsman spared.

Kagiso Rabada's first over afforded a release. He had the poise to crash two short and wide deliveries through the off side. In the next over, he tucked Morkel off his pads for another boundary: 19 and vulnerable had become 32, a score to build on, in a matter of five minutes.

Not that he suggested permanence. He needed a review to survive an lbw decision in Rabada's favour on 33, replays suggesting the ball had both pitched outside leg and would have passed over the stumps.

While Jennings struggled, Tom Westley again played with elan, six boundaries in his 28. The best of them as far as Jennings was concerned was the one that persuaded Philander to leave the field for another toilet break.

The morning belonged to Toby Roland-Jones, who completed a five-wicket haul on Test debut as South Africa were dismissed for 175 - a deficit of 178 . Eight down for spit overnight, with Philander carded at No. 11, South Africa might have folded in no time. Instead they added another 52 in 15.4 overs.

Roland-Jones led England from the field, raising his cap slightly bashfully, after returning 5 for 57- the first English quick to take a five-for on debut since Graham Onions in 2009. His last wicket was a good one: Temba Bavuma pushing forward to a ball that left him to fall to a keeper's catch after making 52 from 120 balls.

Bavuma had been a serene figure even on the previous evening, as South Africa collapsed to 61 for 7 with the floodlights cutting through a grouchy south London evening, and he looked at ease again in more inviting batting conditions.

The stumps were blue to mark Cricket United day, as were much of the crowd, an annual fund-raiser at The Oval for three charities. It is a pragmatic choice. If you are going to get a fair proportion of blokes to dress up in a colour for charity, it's best to choose blue. It's all some have in their wardrobe.

After his dream sequence on the second day, Roland-Jones found life had returned to normal as he began at the Vauxhall End. The comparison between him and the quick he replaced - Mark Wood - is instructional.

Roland-Jones is a classic English seamer, hitting the seam at an average of 83mph. Wood is the sort of explosive quick needed on more benign surfaces. But Wood has only averaged 86mph in his two Tests against South Africa. Averages tell only half the story, of course, as the potential for an occasionally quick ball is also important, but explosive bowlers need to explode.

Bavuma had attractive moments, particularly when driving through the off side, striking Stuart Broad to the extra cover boards to take South Africa past the follow-on and then stretching his diminutive frame to the utmost to plant Anderson in the same direction, although he was dropped off Broad on 40, Ben Stokes failing to cling to a rapid chance as he dived to his left in the gully. His half-century was also raised streakily when he edged Roland-Jones wide of the slips.

Morkel also put up stubborn resistance, reaching 17 before he edged a back-of-a-length delivery from Anderson to Cook at first slip.

Roland-Jones might have picked up Philander on 5, but his edge flew wide of third slip. A one-legged flat-bat then lobbed over mid-off. But Philander survived, albeit not particularly healthily.


Day 4

England 353 & 313/8d
South Africa 175 & 117/4 (38 ov, target: 492)
South Africa require another 375 runs with 6 wickets remaining

The word on the streets after South Africa's victory at Trent Bridge (or on social media at any rate, the meanest streets of all) was that England were a soft touch and could learn a thing or two from the resilience of their opponents.

Such reputations have been dismantled at The Oval, where England will enter the final day only six wickets away from a victory that would put them 2-1 up in the series with one to play. It is England who have had bristled with intent with bat and ball while South Africa's top order has crumbled twice in the match against insistent seam bowling on a surface which has always kept the bowlers interested.

South Africa were up against it in the first innings in devilish batting conditions; the English summer at its most cantankerous. On the final session of the fourth day, with the weather fresher and breezier, mitigation was a little harder to find - unless it was the intimidating presence of their target of 492 to win, a target never previously achieved in Test history, or, more realistically, the need to survive for four sessions.

They slipped to 52 for 4 by the 16th over. All England's quartet of pace bowlers carried a threat, unlike South Africa. Morne Morkel has looked on the verge of something special all summer, but has only one Test left to be rewarded. Chris Morris has gone for nearly six an over in this match. The left-arm spin of Keshav Maharaj was under-used. As for Vernon Philander, he was still under the weather and incorporated 15 overs in his toilet breaks.

Only Dean Elgar assembled doughty - and, at times, painful - resistance with the bat for South Africa, as he battled his way to an unbeaten 72, Temba Bavuma offering support in an unbroken stand of 65. Elgar will check his left hand gingerly on the final morning. He habitually taunted the slip cordon with his angled defensive pushes and when he did nick one, on 9, Keaton Jennings fumbled low to his left.

England have even sorted out their previously incompetent methodology on umpiring reviews, replacing the Who Shouts Wins technique with a more rigorous discussion in which Root, from afar, seems to be asking pertinent questions and Jonny Bairstow, the wicketkeeper, has a central role.

A lot of attention has focused on Jennings' unproductive series at the top of England's order, but Heino Kuhn has fared no better. His debut series has brought 78 runs at an average of 13. He survived Stuart Broad's big appeal for lbw thanks to a big thrust forward, only to be cleaned up in Broad's next over.

Hashim Amla remains the prince of wickets: Toby Roland-Jones has given him both barrels, caught at the wicket in the first innings, held by Root at second slip on this occasion. He was happy to walk, but the umpires insisted, somewhat unnecessarily on checking the validity of the catch, the sort of things umpires do when world-renowned batsmen are dismissed by a relative unknown.

Then came two in two for Ben Stokes, who has looked more of a threat here. A yorker did for de Kock, hitting his boot on the way, although the umpires might have taken a longer look at the marginal no-ball, and Faf du Plessis was lbw first ball to a leave-alone, confirmed on review. South Africa's captain, an inspiration in Nottingham, has made 1 and 0 and left them both at The Oval.

One small word of warning for England: when South Africa batted for 148 overs to draw against Australia in Adelaide five years ago they were four down at stumps with a day remaining. But this is not an Adelaide pitch. And on that occasion South Africa had AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and du Plessie on hand.

Root's first declaration as an England captain had been a conservative one, at 313 for 8, but he would have rested easy at the close and the weather forecast was good for the final day.

England received little charity from the South African attack as they moved gradually to a tea-time declaration. Only when Bairstow, with a run-a-ball fifty, and a twisted ankle in the process, emerged in mid-afternoon did England find a final dash. He added 49 in eight overs with Stokes, who planted Morris into the stands at cow corner before Morris struck his stumps later in the over as he attempted further mayhem.

An abstemious maiden Test fifty by Tom Westley was the centrepiece of a heedful morning. Westley only contributed 22 out of 79 to England's total in the session, but there was again a grace in his game that made him eminently watchable even when not scoring quickly.

Some batsmen, such as Stokes, encourage roars of approval; cheers for Root are sourced in admiration; Westley, if he prospers, will bring sighs of pleasure.

Maharaj then intervened with two wickets in successive overs early in the afternoon. He spotted Westley's advance down the pitch, on 59, and found enough turn to beat his outside edge for de Kock to complete the stumping. Root also reached 50, but then swept him to deep square.

Dawid Malan is as off-side dominant as fellow debutant Westley favours the leg side. His second-innings dismissal carried a reminder of what had gone before. Then he was cleaned up by an inswinging yorker from Kagiso Rabada. He again fell prey to the ball coming back sharply into his pads, falling lbw to Morris, a wicket only won by South Africa on review.

As Root opted for a safe lead then more some, Moeen Ali was run out by a direct hit at the non-striker's end from Bavuma, who dashed in in from deep midwicket as Moeen sauntered a second run. Toby Roland-Jones then had some fun larruping Elgar's left-arm slows - a debut full of smiles.

Jennings' England career is under scrutiny. He is without a Test half-century in six knocks. He added 14 on the third morning, but his two boundaries off Morkel were unconvincing, thick edges. Rabada surprised him with a bouncer, on 48, and won a lobbed catch to gully off the glove.

Rabada has the capacity to bowl an excellent shock ball whether it is the sort of yorker that unhinged Malan in the first innings or the bouncer, by far the shortest ball he had bowled in the England innings, which removed Jennings.

Nevertheless, Jennings' statuesque style is bound to be bringing growing concern for England's selectors ahead of an Ashes tour in Australia this winter. Meanwhile, Alex Hales, an opener England have discarded, is hitting it to all parts in the NatWest Blast.

Westley had challenges of his own to contend with. It has not taken South Africa long to cotton on to his strengths. Indeed, such is the constant analysis of a new England player that it would have been no surprise if a Romanian plasterer had wandered up to him on the platform at Bank as England travelled to the game by tube and said: "You must be Tom Westley, the one with the strong leg-side game."

Resuming on 28, under overcast skies, he did not bring up his first Test half-century until 10 minutes before lunch, courtesy of the shot that he must have been aching to unveil all morning, a graceful clip through midwicket against Morkel that, as much as any other shot in his armoury, exudes quality. There was enough time in the game for him to play in restrained fashion and he had the intelligence to do just that.


Day 5

England 353 & 313/8d
South Africa 175 & 252 (77.1 ov, target: 492)
England won by 239 runs

Despite a major work by Dean Elgar, who composed a defiant 136, England defeated the South Africans by another almighty margin – 239 runs. Joe Root and his squad now head to Old Trafford in a buoyant mood after this copybook victory, which came at a rush, with a Moeen Ali hat-trick polishing off the innings.

That was the icing on the cake, but the major advance in this match has been the advent of new Test bowler. Suddenly an integral part of that squad is Toby Roland-Jones, who enhanced an already burgeoning reputation by making the key breakthrough on the sunniest day of the match.

Elgar and Temba Bavuma had batted without a blemish for almost an hour when Roland-Jones bounded in from the Pavilion end. Soon he managed to beat the inside edge of Bavuma’s bat to take him on the front pad. Aleem Dar, the umpire, was not inclined to raise his finger but after consultation England asked for a review and all the criteria were fulfilled. When the ball strikes Bavuma’s pads above the knee-roll it is no guarantee that it is heading over the stumps. Here was confirmation that England have been more adept at using the decision review system in this match than at Nottingham. A disconsolate Bavuma had to go.

Out came Vernon Philander, who played a captain’s innings. Sadly in this context that means padding up to a straight ball – the first he received – so that he was palpably lbw (no review necessary this time) just as Faf du Plessis has been twice in this match

Thus Roland-Jones had set England on their way. He took eight wickets in the match on his unforgettable debut; the last player to do that for England was James Kirtley at Nottingham against South Africa in 2003. Kirtley only played three more Tests for England after that; Roland-Jones can expect more. There are four more this summer and he will take some shifting from the side after this performance.

After all the headaches over England’s best batting line-up, which still remain despite the encouraging start by Tom Westley, the selectors can at least allow themselves a smidgeon of congratulation over the elevation of Roland-Jones. The pecking order among the pacemen has not been overhauled after this match but the options available have expanded significantly. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are still in the wings and trying to prove their fitness but now the urgency for their return is reduced by the debut of Roland-Jones.

There will be talk of rotation during the series against the West Indies, though it is highly unlikely that Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will be volunteering to stand down. They remain hungry for Test wickets and an inexperienced West Indian side batting against a pink ball at Edgbaston in the first Test of that series might well provide quite a few of those. By then Woakes should be fully fit and he is – literally – the poster boy for that Test, as those who drive down Corporation Street in Birmingham can testify. England might want reintroduce him there.

The man most likely to suffer from Roland-Jones’ rise is probably Jake Ball, another paceman who has been hampered by injury this summer. Now Ball may be asking himself the question whether England will take five pacemen plus Stokes to Australia or six, which is fast becoming his preference.

Back at the Oval, meanwhile, England’s second spinner (they are not playing a first spinner in this match) had an impact at the end. Just before lunch Moeen found the outside edge of Chris Morris’s bat and Ben Stokes held a neat catch at slip. An even more satisfying dismissal was that of Elgar, who batted superbly for 227 balls when he was beguiled by a looped delivery outside his off-stump. Out came Kasigo Rabada to face another tempting off-break. Once again Stokes completed the business at slip.

Thus Moeen became the third Englishman to find himself on a hat-trick in this match, but the first to take one. Morne Morkel prodded forward but the umpire, Joel Wilson, declined to give the lbw. England reviewed and soon Moeen was engulfed by his jubilant team-mates. It has been noted before that Moeen has always been a much better bowler to left-handers. A hat-trick comprising exclusively of left-handed batsmen tends to confirm that. His was the first hat-trick ever taken in Test cricket at the Oval.

Against all odds and expectations (including his own one suspects) Moeen is now the leading wicket-taker in the series with 18. One difference between the Moeen of old (no, not his designation as the second spinner) is that he is often propelling the ball more slowly (at about 53mph) than in the past and also tossing it a little higher, subtle changes that seem to be working rather well. The delight of his team-mates at this hat-trick was touching for this most self-effacing and popular member of the side. He now takes his wickets for England more cheaply than John Emburey – and more quickly.

For South Africa there was very little to cheer except the innings of Elgar. He was craggy and resolute in defence yet when he attacked he did so with a free and easy swing of the bat, which sent the ball speeding to the boundary 20 times. But Elgar seems to be the only batsman among the tourists at ease with himself at the crease. The others do not have much time to recover their confidence. The fourth and final Test begins at Old Trafford on Friday.


4th Test

Day 1

England 260/6 (90 ov)
South Africa

An absorbing day of Test-match cut and thrust finished with honours more or less even but with South Africa over-flowing with belief, thanks to a searing yorker from the final ball of Kagiso Rabada's day that burst through the defences of England's top-scorer and most potent threat, Ben Stokes. His stumps were splayed to bring to an end a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket with Jonny Bairstow and bring to the crease the nightwatchman, Toby Roland-Jones, who loitered at the non-striker's end without facing a delivery as England closed on 260 for 6.

Each of England's top six made starts, including the captain Joe Root, who went past 5000 runs in the course of his 52 - an innings which also equalled John Edrich's England record of ten consecutive matches with at least a half-century. But, as a testing morning session under slate-grey skies gave way to perfect sun-kissed batting conditions in the afternoon, England's recent propensity to squander solid positions with reckless intent threatened once again to destabilise their series prospects.

It had been a testing decision for Root to bat first after winning the toss. After several days of the most stereotypically grim Mancunian weather imaginable, the suspicion lingered that the surface, though ostensibly dry, could hardly have avoided absorbing a considerable amount of moisture in its preparation. And sure enough, England found the going tough from the outset, even in the absence of the one South Africa bowler most likely to have thrived in the seam-and-swing conditions.

After battling through illness in the third Test at The Oval, Vernon Philander succumbed to a back spasm on the eve of the match, as did another valued member of their fast-bowling stocks, Chris Morris - whose pace and aggression had been instrumental in their second-Test fightback at Trent Bridge last month.

However, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada set South Africa's example with the new ball, hammering out an edge-threatening line and length to England's brace of left-handed openers, before Duanne Olivier provided pace, enthusiasm and the odd unplayable delivery in a lively return to the ranks. The undersung hero, however, was the left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, who churned out 29 overs from the Brian Statham End to allow his quicker counterparts to stay fresh and threatening in rotation from the newly anointed James Anderson End.

Jennings, whose 48 in the second innings at The Oval had been a streaky but valuable reminder of his battling qualities, once again failed to dispel the gathering doubts about his Test aptitude with a battling but unfulfilled innings of 17 from 37 balls. He could, and perhaps should, have been dismissed by his fourth ball of the match, a lollipopping inside-edge onto the pad flap that Rabada couldn't gather in his followthrough but that short leg would have swallowed, but was instead lured forward by a sharp lifter outside off by Olivier, for Quinton de Kock to take the catch that ended an opening stand of 35.

Cook, true to his phlegmatic approach, was tested time and again in the channel outside off, particularly by the superb and largely luckless Morkel, but managed, through a combination of skill, luck and judgment, to guide England to a digestible lunch at 67 for 1. His most productive scoring area, unusually for the first morning of a Test match, was straight down the ground, where he twice placed fractionally overpitched deliveries from Morkel and Olivier with dead-eyed timing.

Cook did have one moment of discomfort against the sharp pace of Rabada, who hurried him on the pull as he combated a round-the-wicket bouncer, and gloved a top-edge over the keeper's head for four. But it was the spin of Maharaj that made the next big breakthrough, half an hour after the resumption. Warming to a spell that would span the entire session, his relentless accuracy on and around the blockhole, allied to a hint of spin and natural variation, lured Cook into the indiscretion that the seamers had been unable to tempt.

Harnessing the breeze across the ground, Maharaj drifted the ball past an urgent drive for de Kock to gather a thin edge behind the stumps. Cook was gone for 46 from 103 balls, an innings that almost precisely represented both his career average (46.18) and strike rate (46.77). Distinctly average by his standards, therefore, but a cut above what most other players would have produced in such conditions.

As if to prove the point, four overs ticked by without addition to the score before Tom Westley too was extracted - his 29 echoing his 25 in his debut innings at The Oval last week, in that it had showcased a Test-worthy technique and temperament, but had been cut short before it had fully formed. This time the executioner was Rabada, and in dramatic style. Cranking himself up to full pace and ferocity, he burst a lifting delivery off the edge and into the outstretched right mitt of de Kock.

A brilliant dismissal though it was, de Kock had arguably made up in athleticism and hang-time what he had lacked in his initial footwork, as he dived fully to his right to gather the flying edge. It was a suspicion that would be reinforced in jaw-dropping style three overs after tea, when he failed to react as Morne Morkel found Root's edge with a lifter that couldn't have passed his motionless gloves by more than a foot.

De Kock's crestfallen expression brought to mind that of Mark Boucher after dropping Nasser Hussain at Trent Bridge in 1998. And, as Root ground through to his fifty from 91 balls, South Africa might have feared it would be equally ruinous to their series prospects. And yet, on 52, and with a lazy afternoon of accumulation yawning in front of him, he galloped down the pitch to Olivier and fell lbw to a one-day waft through midwicket.

By that stage, Malan had been and gone, having played his part in a fourth-wicket stand of 52 with Root, before succumbing to another moment of impetuosity with four minutes of the afternoon session remaining. He might have departed first ball, as he whooshed into a nervy and hard-handed drive to an exocet from Rabada outside off. But, having steadied his nerves and remembered his arena, he was suckered by a change of angle from Morkel, who had switched his line to the left-hander from round the wicket to over.

Suddenly balls that had been bearing into Malan's body were being dangled across his bows, and it was too much of a temptation for a man whose first international innings had been 78 from 44 balls. Du Plessis took the chance in his breadbasket, and Malan stalked from the field, swishing his bat in annoyance.

The evening session, therefore, was reserved for England's middle-order pairing of Stokes and Bairstow - the most prolific partnership of the Trevor Bayliss era, and architects of that 399-run stand in Cape Town 18 months ago. This was a performance far removed from that batsman's benefit game, however, and both men were obliged to ride their luck despite occasionally breezy moments of accumulation.

Bairstow, on 4, was given not out, out and not out again by a combination of Kumar Dharmasena and the TV umpire, Joel Wilson, after an inside-edge off Maharaj was adjudged to have fallen millimetres short of du Plessis at slip. And Stokes, his face reddening in keeping with his mood as he gritted his teeth in the day's closing overs, exacerbated Morkel's lack of luck by edging his fifth delivery with the second new ball clean through the unposted third slip. Undeterred, he punched Rabada down the ground to bring up his fifty from 89 balls, to allow England to reclaim the upper hand.

But, with stumps approaching, Rabada cranked up his aggro in one last-ditch bid for a breakthrough. Stokes picked off two boundaries in a high-octane finale, including a rushed pull that flew through at a catchable height through fine leg. But he had no answer to the yorker, and South Africa reached the close with their ambitions still very much intact.


Day 2

England 362
South Africa 220/9 (68.3 ov)
South Africa trail by 142 runs with 1 wicket remaining in the 1st innings

It cannot do the confidence any harm to run up to bowl from your own end. For the first time Jimmy Anderson had the privilege of running in from the James Anderson End, which was, briefly, the Pavilion End at Old Trafford. And he bowled rather well.

The paceman’s cricketing home has never been his favourite hunting ground in Test matches but by taking four cheap wickets on another sunny Manchester afternoon he registered his best figures here (four for 33). Anderson’s privilege is a rare one. Down at Taunton, Marcus Trescothick has batted in front of his own stand for several years; Darren Sammy occasionally plays in “his” stadium. But usually the privilege is accorded to players after they have retired, as was the case with the Lillee/Marsh stand at the WACA in Perth, which we will visit one last time in the winter.

Anderson was, by a margin, England’s best pace bowler, as the hosts methodically wore down any South African resistance. By the close the tourists were 220-9 in reply to England’s first-innings total of 362. The Lancashire fast bowler delivered another masterclass even though his main weapon, that wondrous ability to swing the ball, was only evident in his first spell.

In his first over he produced the perfect in-swinger to a left-hander and Dean Elgar, who instinctively recognised that a review was futile, was the lbw victim. In the afternoon session Anderson was less prominent but England managed to chip away. Hashim Amla had begun in princely fashion but then edged Toby Roland-Jones’s third ball down the leg side. Somehow the Middlesex seamer has taken the prized wicket of Amla three times in 21 balls. This was the worst delivery of the three to do the business for him.

Then Moeen Ali dismissed Heino Kuhn just before tea. The South African opener has struggled in this series and, sadly, the longer this innings went on the less suited he appeared for Test cricket. Any fluency gradually evaporated so that it was almost a relief when he was neatly caught at slip by Stokes for a painstaking 24. Thus, he became Moeen’s 19th victim of the series. The England spinner took the same number against India in 2014, but much more expensively and in a five-Test series. Under Saqlain Mushtaq’s empathetic eye, he is improving.

Moeen is operating with confidence, keeping Stokes on red alert at slip – a tough catch was dropped there from a Quinton de Kock flash when South Africa were 132 for five. This was not the case at the end of the tour to India. He is bowling a little slower and more accurately but is still spinning the ball vigorously. If it does not turn it is still likely to dip.

He now has 118 Test victims and is on the verge of going past some serious England spinners – Phil Tufnell, Ray Illingworth, David Allen, Phil Edmonds and Wilfred Rhodes. The selectors have had their trials‚ and, there are more to come‚ but plucking out Moeen, who was not the obvious choice three years ago, was a minor triumph.

However, it was Anderson’s second spell that put England in control. Temba Bavuma had battled away skilfully but then he opted to leave a ball which brushed his off-stump. At the other end, Faf du Plessis may have recognised better than most the perils of doing that. But then the South African captain dragged another Anderson delivery on to the stumps from his inside edge. Soon after Theunis de Bruyn edged to Joe Root at second slip. Anderson had taken three for six in four overs.

By now Moeen was embarked upon a long spell at the Brian Statham End and was rewarded by the wicket of Keshav Maharaj as England ruthlessly tightened their grip. Not even de Kock, who by his lofty standards scratched away for 24 runs, could break the stranglehold. He was eventually dispatched by Stuart Broad, as was Kagiso Rabada just before the close, courtesy of a brilliant catch in the gully by Ben Stokes, who until then was having a rare day in the sun without catching our attention.

Most of the technicolour cricket had taken place in the morning when the ball whizzed around the ground as if it was a giant pinball machine.

Batsmen came and went and Jonny Bairstow, the last man out, departed within one run of a most unlikely century. When the ninth England wicket fell he was on 53. Yet when Bairstow was dismissed, lbw to Maharaj 40 minutes later, he was on 99 and therefore disgruntled, mostly with himself.

Roland-Jones played one carefree cover drive for four against Rabada but the next one went straight into the hands of Bavuma at cover.

Out came Moeen at nine, not for the first time, and for 15 minutes he was magisterial, unfurling three silky boundaries way beyond the capabilities of a proper number nine. But then he edged to second slip off fast bowler Rabada.

Broad, mysteriously, did not seem minded to bat for Bairstow at the other end and was bowled by Morne Morkel for seven. But Anderson was prepared to hang around for as long as possible. Bairstow improvised brilliantly in the manner of Brian Lara. He hit 46 of the 50 runs this pair added and the hard work in terms of registering his fourth Test century had been done when he failed to make contact with the sweep that was designed to take him to three figures. Even so, Bairstow had shepherded England to 362, which now seems enough.


Day 3

England 362 & 224/8 (66.2 ov)
South Africa 226
England lead by 360 runs with 2 wickets remaining

Moeen Ali's thrilling, unbeaten 67 cemented England's stronghold over South Africa on day three of the final Test at Old Trafford.

The home side, leading by 136 on first innings, wobbled to 153-7 before Moeen's 59-ball knock took them 224-8 when rain forced an early close.

Under-fire opener Keaton Jennings managed only 18.

South Africa were earlier bowled out for 226 and will begin day four 360 runs behind.

The Proteas already need to break the record for the highest successful run-chase on this ground, with the pitch showing further signs of turn and uneven bounce.

England, 2-1 up, are chasing their first home series win against South Africa since 1998.

Moeen lights up Manchester

Bar captain Joe Root, was made a typically unflustered 49, none of the England top order were able to take advantage of home side's superior position in the game.

Collectively, South Africa's attack was excellent, none more so than pace bowler Duanne Olivier, who picked up three wickets in the Manchester gloom.

When Jonny Bairstow became the seventh wicket to fall, England were 289 ahead and in danger of letting South Africa back in.

Moeen, though, counter-attacked, dishing out some particularly brutal treatment to the previously economical Keshav Maharaj.

Targeting the leg side, left-hander Moeen hit the left-arm spinner for three sixes, sharing an eighth-wicket stand of 58 with Toby Roland-Jones, who contributed 11.

When the rain arrived at 17:15 BST, Moeen had taken 38 runs from the previous 22 balls he faced.

South Africa waste their chance?

South Africa began the day on 220-9 and lost their last wicket when Olivier top-edged to Bairstow.

Trailing by such a large margin, they needed everything to go their way with the ball and, though the bowlers played their part, they were not always backed up in the field.

Jennings was dropped by Dean Elgar at third slip and Dawid Malan put down by a diving Temba Bavuma, with Kagiso Rabada the unfortunate bowler on both occasions.

A potential Ben Stokes edge off Morne Morkel did not result in an appeal, with the same batsman put down by Heino Kuhn at short mid-wicket off Olivier.

Bairstow and Roland-Jones also survived tough chances to Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis respectively.

None were particularly costly in terms of runs, but the same cannot be said about an edge from Moeen off Maharaj to Elgar at slip, which just about carried. Moeen was on only 15 at the time.

Curtains for Keaton?

This was perhaps a last chance for Jennings, who averages 15.87 in eight innings in this series.

The Durham left-hander, the 11th different partner for Alastair Cook since 2012, had not scored when he was given a life by Elgar and battled for more than an hour before lunch.

Soon after the break he slashed at Rabada to be held at first slip by Amla.

If his place is the one that is most under-threat, then the other new batsmen in the England side still have work to do in order to establish themselves in Test cricket.

Tom Westley, who made a half-century on debut in the third Test, made only nine before edging a drive off Morkel, already a familiar dismissal.

Malan, who has managed just 35 runs in four innings, tamely inside-edged to short leg off Maharaj for six.


Day 4

England 362 & 243 all out (69.1 overs)
South Africa 226 & 202 all out (62.5 overs)
England win by 177 runs

Recent South Africa tours have seen off England captains with a disturbing frequency but on a sunlit Old Trafford evening Joe Root, new to the job, could raise the Basil D’Oliveira trophy in the knowledge he had passed his first examination with flying colours.

The series against South Africa had been won 3-1 after England bowled the tourists out for 202 to ensure victory in the final Test by 177 runs. Root had established himself as the best batsman the series, his output unencumbered by the captaincy; he had handled his team deftly on and off the field. He has looked comfortable in the job. He is now the man in charge. Bring on – no, let us not get ahead of ourselves – West Indies.

The shortcomings of this England side are obvious and will occupy the minds of the selectors over the next few days before a crucial meeting to decide the team for the first Test against West Indies on Thursday week. But crucially over the last six weeks Root has been able to maximise the skills of the established players, who have been the architects of victory over South Africa. In particular this applies to Moeen Ali and Jimmy Anderson, who have shared 45 wickets in the series.

On Monday this was most obvious in the way Root handled Moeen, who has been a revelation as a bowler since the drubbing he took in India last winter. With Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla cruising along Moeen was offering little threat. Both batsmen kept dragging his off-breaks to the leg side with the breeze, no matter where the ball was pitched. There did not seem a line for Moeen to bowl.

Soon Root switched his off-spinner to the James Anderson End. This was where all the pacemen wanted to bowl and that had been the case throughout the match when England were in the field. But Root now changed that pattern, recognising that priorities were different on a fourth-day pitch. This excellent surface was sleeping for the seamers when operating with an old ball. It was time to give his off-spinner all the assistance available; unusually it was the spinner who should have the better end. That switch paid dividends rapidly in a startling passage of play.

No longer was it so easy for the right-handers to shovel the ball on the leg-side as Moeen enjoyed a little drift that was encouraged by the breeze. Soon Hashim Amla was plumb lbw on the back foot, not for the first time in this series against a spinner, even though England had to ask for a review to gain that decision.

If the removal of Amla was critical, the dismissal of De Kock soon after was universally uplifting. Seldom have the two most phlegmatic English cricketers been so animated. De Kock drove against Moeen and edged; the ball flew rapidly to the off-side where Cook in the gully had stayed down as the manuals demand. England’s former captain, who was reckoned to be a bit of a liability in the field when he started in the team, stuck his hands in the right place and there the ball magically resided. It was a brilliant, instinctive catch, which had Moeen and Cook punching the air and the rest of the side in huddled exultation.

In the same over Ben Stokes pocketed another fine catch at slip to dispatch Theunis de Bruyn, the sort he practises assiduously each day with Trevor Bayliss. One imagines this was how Wally Hammond used to take them. Then, for good measure, Moeen was on hand to polish off the tail with consecutive deliveries and another nonchalant catch by Stokes. By now Anderson was more than happy to bowl at the wrong end, the one that does not belong to him, since he had snaffled two more victims, one of whom was a forlorn Faf du Plessis.

As usual in this series it all ended with bewildering speed. Earlier in the day, with Moeen left stranded on 75 after the swift departures of Stuart Broad and Anderson to Morne Morkel, it seemed as if England would have to work harder for their win, though there was little expectation that South Africa could knock off the 380 runs they needed to square the series.

Dean Elgar edged a beauty from Broad early on. Then Heino Kuhn, in what may well be his final Test, was caught at first slip by Cook off Anderson. Just before lunch Temba Bavuma feathered a delivery from Toby Roland-Jones and South Africa were 40 for three.

But after the break Amla and Du Plessis settled in, scoring at will. Suddenly batting was straightforward. It was now that Root started juggling his bowlers until he hit on the winning combination, which had Moeen given the privilege of the James Anderson End.

Thus England’s off-spinner ended up clutching the ball as a trophy and, rather sheepishly, waving it at the crowd having acquired his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Soon afterwards he received the man of the match award.

So there were plenty of causes of celebration for the England camp. For once the selectors’ primary source of angst is not the spin department. With Moeen in this form the cupboard is not entirely bare, though an accomplice for him would be handy. However there are holes to fill. The oddity is that England have won this series with something to spare, yet no one has any firm idea who should bat at No2 or No5 in the next Test. That is something for selectors, coaches and the captain, whose opinion gains in gravitas after this series, to ponder – tomorrow.