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31-Jul-2017 14:49:00 GMT
England v South Africa, 3rd Test, The Oval, day 5

Moeen hat-trick completes England win

London: England's Moeen Ali took a hat-trick to wrap up a 239-run victory over South Africa in the third Test at The Oval on Monday.

The off-spinner had Dean Elgar, who made 136, caught at slip, Kagiso Rabada dismissed in the same manner then trapped Morne Morkel lbw on review.

Moeen finished with 4-45 as South Africa, chasing an unlikely 492, were bowled out for 252.

England lead the series 2-1 with only the fourth Test at Old Trafford to play.

That match begins on Friday, when the hosts will look to buck a recent trend in home Tests in which they have followed an emphatic win with a heavy defeat.

Whatever happens in Manchester, South Africa will not be able to register a third successive Test series win in England and are in danger of losing here for the first time since 1998.

With South Africa 252-7, England realistically had the game won when Moeen began his 15th over in the hour after lunch, but that takes nothing away from the theatre of the moment.

The obdurate Elgar finally played a loose shot to edge to Ben Stokes and, next ball, Rabada poked forward to give a catch to the same man.

With the over completed, Moeen had to wait for the chance of the hat-trick, and hurried the ball into the pads of Morkel only for a huge appeal to be turned down.

The review came instantly, the crowd at The Oval nervously watched replays on the big screen and then joined in with the joyous celebration of the England team when Morkel's fate was sealed.

Moeen is only the third man in Test history to seal victory with a hat-trick and the first for 115 years.

Brief scores
England -
353 (Stokes 112, Cook 88) and 313/8d (Bairstow 63*, Westley 59, Root 50)
South Africa - 175 (Bavuma 52, Roland-Jones 5-57) and 252 (Elger 136, Moeen Ali 4-45)
Result - England won by 239 runs


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