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 vs South Africa decider ‘like a World Cup final’, Dean Elgar claims
South Africa captain Dean Elgar is viewing the series decider against England “like a World Cup final” and has warned Test debutant Harry Brook that “this is the big league now”.
Rookie Yorkshire batter Brook has been drafted into the hosts’ team for a tantalising finale at the Kia Oval in place of the injured Jonny Bairstow.
The Proteas have already been on the receiving end of the 23-year-old’s talents after he last month smashed 140 during a crushing win for the England Lions in a tour match in Canterbury.
Elgar downplayed the importance of that display and insists Brook faces a far different proposition over the coming days.
England vs South Africa decider ‘like a World Cup final’, Dean Elgar claims
England vs South Africa
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the third and final test match between England and South Africa from The Oval. This match rounds out a brilliant summer for Ben Stokes’ team which has seen them win five out of their six tests under the new leadership group of Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Their only blip during this run was in the first test of this series where South Africa romped home with an innings and 12 run victory at Lords putting the sustainability of ‘Bazball’ into question. England responsed in fine fashion and dominated from the start in the second test at Old Trafford. They tore through South Africa’s batting line-up to dismiss them for 151 in the first innings before centuries from Stokes and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes put England in firm control of the match. Another brilliant bowling display in the third innings did for the Proteas once again and England closed out the game with an innings and 85 run win.
There has been 12 days between the conclusion of that test and the start of this decisive one. In that time Jonny Bairstow - so crucial to England’s success this summer with the bat - has suffered a freak injury on the golf course resulting in a broken leg and will be out for the rest of the year. In his place comes Yorkshire’s Harry Brook with the 23-year-old set to make his test match debut for England.
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