England vs South Africa LIVE: Cricket score and third Test result as England seal series victory
England notched the 33 runs they needed to win the game at The Oval and secure a 2-1 series victory over the Proteas
England polished off the remaining runs they needed to beat South Africa by nine wickets in the third Test at the Oval on Monday morning to secure a 2-1 series victory.
Openers Zak Crawley and Alex Lees were still at the crease as the hosts began the day requiring just 33 runs for victory after bad light stopped play on Sunday evening.
Lees was dropped by Proteas wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne from the third ball of the morning and then survived another scare when a thick edge flew over Keegan Petersen at third slip to go for four but the Proteas made a breakthrough on the penultimate delivery of the third over of the day, with Lees’ fortune finally running out as a review showed he had been trapped lbw by Kagiso Rabada.
The Durham batter was out for 39 with England 22 runs from clinching the series but Ollie Pope joined Crawley at the crease to quickly knock them off, as the under-fire opener eased the pressure on himself somewhat by ending unbeaten on 69 and cap a remarkable summer for England’s Test team.
Follow reaction to the third Test below:
England 97-0 (17), Lees 32, Crawley 57, Rabada 0-41 (8)
Here we go then. The final day of the test match summer and England need 33 runs to win the three-match series against South Africa.
Alex Lees and Zak Crawley will pick up where they left off. Kagiso Rabada is going to bowl the first over.
Joe Root on enduring qualities of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes
Former England captain, Joe Root, continued his media duties this morning and spoke to BBC Test Match Special about how team mates James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes continue to improve with age.
“The game was in the balance yesterday and it took a wonderful spell of bowling from the two senior lads [James Anderson and Stuart Broad] to really shift the momentum of the game.” he said,
“It is something that would be very easy to take for granted, we see them perform like that regularly, but when you look back in years to come we will recognise they are the two greatest seam bowlers statistically and they showed every bit of that yesterday.
“One of Ben’s [Stokes] great characters as a leader is him showing what it means to perform for his team and for his players. To be able to do that [produce long spells] takes more than skill and fitness, it takes something else, and yet again he put in something very special for us to be in the position we’re in right now.”
England need 33 runs to win
Play is due to start at 11am with England needing just 33 runs to win with 10 wickets in hand.
Zak Crawley is unbeaten on 57 and Alex Lees is on 32. They raced to 97-0 last night in pursuit of 130, so things might be over pretty quickly this morning if they continue that approach.
Having watched England play test cricket this summer it’s very evident that they will definitely continue this approach.
On this day in 2005: England win Ashes for first time since 1987 after Oval draw
England won the Ashes for the first time since 1987 on this day in 2005 after drawing the final Test against Australia at The Oval for a famous 2-1 series victory.
Michael Vaughan’s side produced one of the country’s great sporting moments to end a run of eight Ashes series defeats after seven weeks of thrilling action had gripped the nation.
It was a dramatic conclusion to what is widely regarded as one of the best-ever series between the two arch enemies.
On this day in 2005: England win Ashes for first time since 1987 after Oval draw
Michael Vaughan’s side produced one of the country’s great sporting moments to end a run of eight Ashes series defeats
James Anderson calls for ‘common sense’ after England made to wait for victory
James Anderson called for more “common sense” from umpires as England were kept waiting for a Test series triumph over South Africa despite needing just 33 runs for victory.
Bad light brought an early end to the penultimate day of the third Test to a smattering of crowd boos and a few disgruntled looks in the home dressing room, with England on 97-0 in pursuit of 130.
Zak Crawley’s classy 57 not out from 44 deliveries, his first half-century in 17 Test innings, looks to have safely negotiated what might have been a tricky target in a low-scoring game while Alex Lees contributed 32 to the unbroken union, drilling the last ball of the day for a boundary.
While Anderson had some sympathy for the officials, who have the ultimate say over the light and set a precedent 24 hours earlier, Anderson told Sky Sports: “In certain situations you do think maybe common sense could come into play.”
James Anderson calls for ‘common sense’ after England made to wait for victory
England were on 97-0 in pursuit of 130 in the series decider against South Africa when bad light stopped play
Root reviews England’s summer
England batter Joe Root came out to speak to Sky Sports before the start of today’s play and explained how things have changed for the team since Ben Stokes took over the captaincy at the start of this summer.
“It’s been incredible, it’s been great fun to be part of, it’s great fun to play the style of cricket that we have and to get back to winning ways as well.” he said,
“To be a part of some brilliant test match wins has been great fun. It’s really nice to see the side flourish and take some big steps forward and hopefully we can take that into the winter and beyond.
“We’re taking 20 wickets regularly, the mindset and shifting how we’ve gone about that has been great. Yesterday for example we had four slips for pretty much the whole game and that sort of attacking mentality, always hunting wickets.
“We’re not afraid to take teams on but there have been times where we’ve had to absorb some pressure. [Ben Stokes] has galvanised the team very well, he’s led in every way possible this summer and I’m really excited for where he can take this team in the coming years.”
England vs South Africa highlights
Day four was another day of barmstorming action with 13 wickets and 270 runs that left England on the brink of victory in the third test of the series against South Africa.
Take a look at the highlights from day four at the Oval.
Zak Crawley finds form to leave England on brink of series victory over South Africa
Zak Crawley ended a disappointing summer with a flourish as England moved to the brink of a Test series victory over South Africa at the Kia Oval.
After 16 innings without a half-century, Crawley’s 57 not out means what might have been a potentially tricky fourth-innings target of 130 in a low-scoring third Test should be safely negotiated on Monday.
England reached 97 without loss – they need just 33 more runs for a 2-1 series win – before bad light brought an early finish 23 minutes before the scheduled 7pm close, prompting some boos in the crowd.
Zak Crawley finds form to leave England on brink of series victory over South Africa
Day four: South Africa 118 & 169 vs England 158 & 97-0 - England need 33 more runs to win: Crawley’s 57 not out helped England to the brink of victory
‘We have a lot of learning to do’ says Rabada
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada is excited for the team’s future and believes the young players coming through the ranks will gain a lot of experience from this tour of England.
He spoke on Sunday about how well England have played during this test series and how things might have been different if the Proteas had taken all their chances.
“England came out hard in their second innings, we did create chances. If those chances go to hand it’s a different game.” said the fat bowler.
“This England side have tons of experience. We have a lot of learning to do as a team. I am excited with the prospects our young players have for the future, it’s all a learning curve. “
Crawley comes good
It’s been a tough summer for England’s opening batter Zak Crawley. Despite featuring in a winning England side Crawley’s poor form has been under the spotlight with commentators and fans calling for him to be replaced at the top of the order.
Ben Stokes and Brendan McCullum both emphasised their faith in the 24-year-old and he repaid them on a gloomy Sunday evening yesterday.
With England needing 130 runs to win the series Crawley, and opening partner Alex Lees, got off to a flyer with the Kent man combining pulls and drives to regularly find the boundary.
He finished the day unbeaten with 57 runs off just 44 balls, bringing up his sixth 50 in 28 tests and his first half-century of the summer. Can he finish off the job this morning?
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