South Africa vs England 2017 4th Test Full Commentary

Result · Aug 04 2017, Fri - 03:30 PM (IST)

4th Test, - Emirates Old Trafford

ENGLAND

362, 243

SOUTH AFRICA

226, 202

England win by 177 runs

108.4

Jonny Bairstow lbw b Keshav Maharaj 99 (145)

OUT! L.B.W. Verified by umpire after REFERRAL. Keshav Maharaj to Jonny Bairstow. Stock length ball, off stump on the front foot sweeping, hit pad. Heartbreak for Bairstow as he falls on 99. It was umpire's call on impact but as he was given out on the field it is enough to bring his fabulous innings to an end.

South Africa made inroads in the first hour but their momentum was checked by that 10th wicket partnership. 362 appears an impressive total on this pitch and the Proteas will need to bat well to reach first innings parity. First up, however, they will have to negotiate a tricky 15 minute session before lunch.
108.3

Keshav Maharaj to Jonny Bairstow. Stock length ball, off stump on the front foot defending, to cover for no runs, fielded by du Plessis.
108.2

Keshav Maharaj to Jonny Bairstow. Stock length ball, outside off stump on the back foot defending, to silly mid off for no runs, fielded by Maharaj.
108.1

Keshav Maharaj to Jonny Bairstow. Stock length ball, middle stump on the front foot defending, to cover for no runs, fielded by Bavuma.
107.6

Duanne Olivier to James Anderson. Back of a length, middle stump on the back foot defending, to square leg for no runs, fielded by de Bruyn. Bairstow on 99.
107.5

Duanne Olivier to James Anderson. Short, down leg side moves in front, to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
107.4

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Full toss, outside off stump on the back foot Steer, to deep backward point for 1 run, fielded by Elgar. 50 partnership, Anderson contributing 8 per cent of it.
107.3

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, to deep cover for 2 runs, fielded by Elgar.
107.2

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Back of a length, off stump on the back foot pushing, to deep extra cover for 2 runs, fielded by de Bruyn.
107.1

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, to long off for no runs, fielded by de Bruyn.
106.6

Keshav Maharaj to James Anderson. Stock length ball, outside off stump on the front foot, to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
106.5

Keshav Maharaj to James Anderson. Stock length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, missed to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
106.4

FOUR! Keshav Maharaj to James Anderson. Stock ball back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot cutting, well timed past deep backward point for 4 runs.
106.3

Keshav Maharaj to James Anderson. Stock length ball, middle stump on the back foot cutting, to backward square leg for no runs, fielded by Bavuma.
106.2

APPEAL! Verified by umpire after REFERRAL. Keshav Maharaj to James Anderson. Stock length ball, middle stump on the front foot reverse sweeping, hit pad for no runs, appeal made for L.B.W. South Africa review this and it is close, but it is only umpire's call on height. Anderson survives.
106.1

Keshav Maharaj to James Anderson. Arm length ball, outside off stump on the back foot pushing, missed to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
105.6

FOUR! Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, wide outside off stump moves in front Late Cut, well timed past third man for 4 runs.
105.5

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement Steer, to gully for no runs, fielded by du Plessis.
105.4

SIX! Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, off stump down the track driving, well timed over long off for 6 runs. What a hand this is from the Yorkshireman.
105.3

FOUR! Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump moves in front Scoop, well timed past fine leg for 4 runs. Wonderful innovation from Bairstow.
105.2

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot cutting, missed to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
105.1

Duanne Olivier to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, to deep extra cover for no runs, fielded by Morkel.
104.6

Kagiso Rabada to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, middle stump on the back foot working, to fine leg for 1 run, fielded by Morkel. Bairstow doing an excellent job of farming the strike and scoring runs when he has it. Here comes the first bowling change of the day.
104.5

FOUR! Kagiso Rabada to Jonny Bairstow. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot cutting, well timed past deep backward point for 4 runs.
104.4

Kagiso Rabada to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, missed to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
104.3

Kagiso Rabada to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, middle stump no foot movement working, to deep mid wicket for 2 runs, fielded by Maharaj, fielded by Bavuma.
104.2

Kagiso Rabada to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, in the air under control to deep cover for 2 runs, fielded by de Bruyn.
104.1

Kagiso Rabada to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, off stump no foot movement flick, to long on for no runs, fielded by Maharaj.
103.6

Morne Morkel to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, off stump on the back foot Steer, to backward point for 1 run, fielded by du Plessis.
103.5

FOUR! Morne Morkel to Jonny Bairstow. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, well timed in the air under control past deep extra cover for 4 runs.

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72.1

OUT! Caught. Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Short, outside off stump on the back foot hooking, top edge in the air uncontrolled to slips, by Bairstow. An apology from Broad as Anderson will not get his five wicket haul. Olivier swings hard at an accurate bouncer from the paceman, but the ball goes straight up off the edge. Bairstow has to turn and run back a few paces to pouch it. Makes it look easy. Excellent job from the England bowlers there. Cook and Jennings will be back shortly to try and add to their 136 run lead.
71.6

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, to leg no foot movement defending, to backward point for no runs, fielded by Ali.

Morkel has handled himself very well with the bat, and has clearly improved dramatically in that department. A decent little knock from him here.
71.5

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, off stump on the front foot, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
71.4

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, down leg side on the back foot defending, bat-pad to leg slip for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
71.3

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, to leg no foot movement, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
71.2

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, off stump no foot movement, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
71.1

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, off stump no foot movement, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
70.6

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement pushing, bat-pad to short leg for no runs, fielded by Malan.
70.5

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, off stump no foot movement working, hit pad to gully for no runs, fielded by Stokes.
70.4

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Short, outside off stump on the back foot working, to short leg for no runs, fielded by Malan.
70.3

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, to mid off for no runs, fielded by Anderson.
70.2

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, to mid off for no runs, fielded by Anderson.
70.1

Stuart Broad to Morne Morkel. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot flick, to deep backward square leg for 1 run, fielded by Westley.
69.6

FOUR! James Anderson to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, thick edge past third man for 4 runs. Olivier prods away from the body and it runs along the turf off a thick outside edge. Squeezed through gully, and Stokes cannot cut it off with a big dive towards the third man boundary.
69.5

James Anderson to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, back to bowler for no runs, fielded by Anderson.
69.4

James Anderson to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement Fended, thick edge to backward point for no runs, fielded by Ali.
69.3

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot working, to mid wicket for 1 run, shy attempt by Jennings.
69.2

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Length ball, down leg side on the front foot defending, to mid wicket for no runs, fielded by Jennings.
69.1

James Anderson to Morne Morkel. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot defending, to extra cover for no runs, fielded by Malan.
68.6

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, back to bowler for no runs, fielded by Broad.
68.5

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, missed to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
68.4

Stuart Broad to Duanne Olivier. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.

It is moving day at Old Trafford. The hosts are in a formidable position as we head into day three of the final Test of the series. Jonny Bairstow produced a classy knock yesterday to give England that extra boost to get up to 362, but unfortunately fell one short of a much deserved century. Jimmy Anderson then got to work with the ball, ripping through the South African batting line up to put his side in the driving seat. A vital lead going into the third innings, so the visitors need to fight back hard with the ball later on today if they are to get back into this match.
68.3

OUT! Caught. Stuart Broad to Kagiso Rabada. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement defending, outside edge to gully, by Stokes.

Wow! How good is Ben Stokes? Quick edge which flies to him low at gully, he manages to pluck the ball just off the ground with one hand. That ends what has been a very good day for England. James Anderson once again was superb and the two wickets he took in an over blew open the game. That was brought about though by the pressure which Moeen Ali applied at the other end, with his impeccable lines and lengths. South Africa are going to have to bowl well tomorrow or England could end up with a huge lead.
68.2

Stuart Broad to Morne Morkel. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, thick edge to backward point for 1 run, run save by Ali, fielded by Malan.
68.1

Stuart Broad to Morne Morkel. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
67.6

FOUR! Dawid Malan to Kagiso Rabada. Leg spinner length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, well timed in the air under control past long on for 4 runs. Drilled from Rabada. He was not missing out on some part-time leg spin.
67.5

Dawid Malan to Morne Morkel. Leg spinner half volley, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, thick edge to deep backward point for 1 run, fielded by Westley.
67.4

Dawid Malan to Morne Morkel. Leg spinner length ball, outside off stump on the back foot defending, to gully for no runs, fielded by Stokes.
67.3

Dawid Malan to Kagiso Rabada. Leg spinner length ball, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, to long on for 1 run, fielded by Broad.
67.2

Dawid Malan to Kagiso Rabada. Leg spinner yorker, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, back to bowler for no runs, fielded by Malan.

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69.1

OUT! Caught. Morne Morkel to James Anderson. Short, outside off stump on the back foot Fended, to short leg, by de Bruyn. Morkel wraps things up quickly by bouncing out the Burnley Lara. Accurately into the throat from the big fast bowler, and it lobs up off the splice of the bat to short leg.

A handy 20 runs added to total which means that South Africa need 380 to win and level the series. Still plenty of overs left across the two days, so time is not the issue for the visitors. Batting conditions are not the easiest, so the hosts are the comfortable favourites. The fourth innings to come after a short break.
68.6

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Back of a length, middle stump on the back foot pushing, to point for no runs, fielded by Bavuma.
68.5

FOUR! Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Back of a length, to leg on the back foot flick, well timed past deep mid wicket for 4 runs. That is a remarkable shot from Ali. Not a bad ball from Rabada at all, but a backfoot swish is whipped through mid wicket to the boundary.
68.4

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Back of a length, middle stump on the back foot driving, to cover for no runs, fielded by Amla.
68.3

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot defending, to point for no runs, fielded by Amla.
68.2

Kagiso Rabada to James Anderson. Short, down leg side on the back foot Steer, to third man for 1 run, fielded by Bavuma.
68.1

Kagiso Rabada to James Anderson. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot defending, back to bowler for no runs, fielded by Rabada.
67.6

Morne Morkel to James Anderson. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot working, to mid wicket for 1 run, fielded by Olivier.
67.5

Morne Morkel to James Anderson. Length ball, to leg no foot movement defending, to short leg for no runs, fielded by de Bruyn.
67.4

OUT! Caught. Morne Morkel to Stuart Broad. Length ball, to leg backing away driving, mis-timed in the air uncontrolled to point, by de Bruyn. Broad had the license to play attacking strokes, but doesn't last too long. The short one followed by the fuller delivery works for Morkel. Broad shuffled outside leg stump and wanted to carve it over the offside. The bat turned in the hands and scewed into the bread basket of the point fielder.
67.3

Morne Morkel to Stuart Broad. Short, down leg side swayed away, Left to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
67.2

Morne Morkel to Moeen Ali. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot flick, to deep mid wicket for 1 run, fielded by Bavuma.
67.1

Morne Morkel to Moeen Ali. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot defending, to cover for no runs, fielded by Amla.
66.6

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Length ball, down leg side on the front foot working, well timed to deep mid wicket for 3 runs, fielded by Olivier.
66.5

Kagiso Rabada to Stuart Broad. Back of a length, to leg on the back foot pushing, to deep cover for 1 run, fielded by Bavuma.
66.4

Kagiso Rabada to Stuart Broad. Back of a length, down leg side on the back foot defending, outside edge past third man for 4 runs.
66.3

FOUR! Kagiso Rabada to Stuart Broad. Length ball, off stump on the front foot driving, well timed past deep cover for 4 runs. Broad starts off the day with a glorious drive on the up through the covers to get off the mark with a boundary. Nice.

An early evening Moeen Ali onslaught on day three have put England in the ascendancy, but can they finish off the job to win the series 3-1? Welcome to the fourth day at Old Trafford, where the hosts have built a tremendous lead on a tough and wearing pitch. History shows that chasing above 300 is difficult on any wicket, so South Africa need a miracle to get themselves out of this one. Attack might be the best form of defence for the Proteas, so it looks like we are going to be in for a thrilling day of cricket.
66.2

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Full toss, middle stump on the front foot flick, leading edge to backward point for 1 run, mis-fielded by du Plessis.

Rain has been expected to come all day and threatened for the last few hours, but finally it has come across the ground. The umpires reckon it is heavy enough for everyone to go off, probably to the annoyance of Moeen Ali, who was right in the groove. Hopefully it passes quickly and we can get back on for more entertainment.

That is it for the day then. No chance for them to get back on tonight. Better weather forecast tomorrow, so England will be back to have a hack in the morning. Joe Root and Ali the stand out performers with the bat today. South Africa were superb with the ball throughout too, but are still behind in the game.
66.1

FOUR! Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Off cutter half volley, off stump on the front foot driving, well timed past long off for 4 runs. Straight as an arrow down the ground from Ali. What a counter-attacking innings this is turning out the be. He clubs it back over the bowler's head for four more.
65.6

Keshav Maharaj to Stuart Broad. Stock length ball, to leg on the front foot glancing, to backward square leg for no runs, fielded by Kuhn.
65.5

Keshav Maharaj to Stuart Broad. Stock length ball, outside off stump on the front foot, padded to short leg for no runs, fielded by de Bruyn.
65.4

Keshav Maharaj to Stuart Broad. Stock length ball, outside off stump on the front foot sweeping, hit pad to slips for no runs, fielded by Elgar.
65.3

Keshav Maharaj to Stuart Broad. Stock ball half volley, outside off stump on the front foot sweeping, well timed to mid wicket for no runs, fielded by Bavuma.
65.2

Keshav Maharaj to Moeen Ali. Stock length ball, outside off stump down the track Slog, inside edge to deep backward square leg for 1 run, fielded by Bavuma.
65.1

SIX! Keshav Maharaj to Moeen Ali. Stock length ball, outside off stump down the track Slog, well timed in the air under control over deep mid wicket for 6 runs. Moeen goes big again. He sprints down to Maharaj and smears it over the legside boundary for six more. Not a clean connection, but got enough behind it.
64.6

Kagiso Rabada to Stuart Broad. Short, down leg side swayed away, Left to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by de Kock.
64.5

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, to deep cover for 1 run, fielded by Bavuma.
64.4

OUT! Caught. Kagiso Rabada to Toby Roland-Jones. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot pulling, top edge in the air uncontrolled to deep mid wicket, by Maharaj. That turns out to be an excellent catch from Maharaj over his shoulder. Roland-Jones played a good hand in that parternship, and gave England the extra boost they needed. He cannot control the pull shot, it comes high off the bat, and is snaffled by the South African spinner.
64.3

Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Half volley, off stump on the front foot driving, to deep backward point for 1 run, fielded by Morkel.
64.3

Wide Kagiso Rabada to Moeen Ali. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement driving, missed to wicketkeeper for 1 run, fielded by de Kock.

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62.5

OUT! Caught. Moeen Ali to Duanne Olivier. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, outside edge to slips, by Stokes. Moeen Ali gets another five wicket haul. Two in two for the spinner, as the ball skids on to take the outside edge, and Stokes cleans things up at slip.

England were thoroughly professional in wrapping it up quickly, but the tail of South Africa showed little fight once their captain was dismissed. Hashim Amla also showed his class earlier in the day with his super knock of 83. But overall England were the dominant team, and their bowlers, along with some attacking batting, took the game away from their opponents. The series finishes 3-1 to the home side.
62.4

OUT! Caught. Moeen Ali to Morne Morkel. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, mis-timed in the air uncontrolled to long off, by Root. South Africa crumbling to a heavy defeat now. Morkel goes first ball. It is a tame dismissal as he tries to go for the big shot straight away. No chance of getting his timing right this early on, and he shanks it into the hands of mid off.
62.3

Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break half volley, outside off stump on the front foot driving, to mid off for 1 run, fielded by Broad.
62.2

SIX! Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break length ball, outside off stump down the track driving, well timed in the air under control over long on for 6 runs. Maharaj fancies playing some shots here. He might as well have a bit of fun. He charges down and launches Moeen over the long on fence for six.
62.1

Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot pulling, to backward square leg for no runs, fielded by Malan.
61.6

OUT! Caught. James Anderson to Kagiso Rabada. Half volley, outside off stump no foot movement driving, mis-timed in the air uncontrolled to short extra cover, by Westley. Anderson gets a third, England have eight! Anderson goes round the wicket and it works. Rabada's feet are nowhere to be seen, and he limpy drives into the hands of a short cover fielder. Terrific catch from Westley, using all his jump and height to grab on.
61.5

James Anderson to Kagiso Rabada. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot defending, to extra cover for no runs, fielded by Roland-Jones.
61.4

James Anderson to Kagiso Rabada. Half volley, off stump on the front foot driving, back to bowler for no runs, fielded by Anderson.
61.3

James Anderson to Kagiso Rabada. Length ball, to leg on the front foot defending, to mid on for no runs, fielded by Broad.
61.2

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Half volley, middle stump on the front foot flick, to fine leg for 1 run, fielded by Malan.
61.1

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot pushing, missed to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.

60.6

Moeen Ali to Kagiso Rabada. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot, shoulders arms to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
60.5

Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break length ball, outside off stump down the track pushing, to mid on for 1 run, fielded by Root.
60.4

FOUR! Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot driving, in the air under control past long off for 4 runs. A gentle chip over mid on's head by Maharaj. Didn't look to hit it too hard, and got the elevation to get it away for four.
60.3

Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot driving, to cover for no runs, fielded by Malan.
60.2

Moeen Ali to Kagiso Rabada. Off break half volley, off stump on the front foot driving, thick edge to backward point for 1 run, fielded by Westley.
60.1

Moeen Ali to Kagiso Rabada. Off break half volley, off stump on the front foot defending, to short extra cover for no runs, fielded by Anderson.
59.6

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Length ball, outside off stump no foot movement driving, to mid off for no runs, fielded by Broad.
59.5

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot driving, to cover for no runs, fielded by Ali.
59.4

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Short, outside off stump ducked, Left to wicketkeeper for no runs, fielded by Bairstow.
59.3

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot driving, to point for no runs, fielded by Stokes.

59.2

James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, to cover for no runs, fielded by Ali.
59.1

FOUR! James Anderson to Keshav Maharaj. Back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot driving, thick edge past third man for 4 runs. Flashy shot from Maharaj, who whips the bat through the ball. Off the outer half of the blade behind backward point for four.
58.6

Moeen Ali to Kagiso Rabada. Off break length ball, off stump on the front foot defending, back to bowler for no runs, fielded by Ali.
58.5

Moeen Ali to Kagiso Rabada. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, thick edge to slips for no runs, fielded by Cook.
58.4

Moeen Ali to Kagiso Rabada. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, to short extra cover for no runs, fielded by Anderson.
58.3

APPEAL! Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break half volley, outside off stump on the front foot driving, well timed to long on for 1 run, direct hit by Ali, fielded by Root, appeal made for Run Out. Smashed back to Moeen, who dives and gets a fingertip onto the non-striker's stumps. Appeal for the run out, but Rabada had his bat grounded well behind the line.
58.2

Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break back of a length, outside off stump on the back foot defending, to gully for no runs, fielded by Stokes.
58.1

Moeen Ali to Keshav Maharaj. Off break length ball, outside off stump on the front foot defending, to silly point for no runs, fielded by Cook.
57.6

James Anderson to Kagiso Rabada. Yorker, off stump no foot movement defending, to mid on for no runs, fielded by Broad.

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