By Adam Ellis
Moeen Ali sealed a 239-run win for England in the Test series against South Africa with a dramatic hat-trick to see the hosts regain the upper hand.
It was the first time ever in 100 Tests at the Oval a bowler has taken a hat-trick, as Ali claimed the wicket of Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, and Morne Morkel upon review to put England 2-1 up in the series with one Test left to play.
The capture of Elgar’s wicket provided a major boost to Joe Root’s hopes of sealing victory quickly, after some superb rearguard action from the South African opener had made him a thorn in England’s side.
Dismissed by the Worcestershire all-rounder for 136, the sight of Elgar walking off the square saw England welcome the tail.
Rabada came in to face the final ball of the over and produced a replica of the previous wicket, as he edged Ali to Stokes at first slip looking to attack on the off-side just like Elgar.
Retreating to the field to the applause of the Oval supporters after his quick-fire double, Ali waited through a Ben Stokes maiden over before getting his crack at a hat-trick.
Watch the video below to see what happened next…
WICKET! A brilliant 136 from Elgar is ended as @MoeenAli gets him caught by @benstokes38 at slip
SA 252/8 #ENGvSAhttps://t.co/a0qhO1p3jy pic.twitter.com/bMAHbDNnnB
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2017
WICKET! Now @MoeenAli gets Rabada first ball!
SA 252/9 #ENGvSAhttps://t.co/a0qhO1p3jy pic.twitter.com/Tsk7IURF6R
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2017
YESSSS!! HAT-TRICK for @MoeenAli and we win by 239 runs! #ENGvSAhttps://t.co/a0qhO1p3jy pic.twitter.com/3vIKblgg5B
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2017
Moeen Ali becomes the first bowler to take a hat-trick at the Oval in its 137-year history of hosting England Test matches, handing his team an emphatic win in the process after many criticisms over their 340-run defeat at Trent Bridge.
On the hat-trick ball, vice-captain Ben Stokes said: “I couldn’t believe it didn’t get given straight away! It was a dramatic end to a dramatic day – Dean Elgar hit a really gutsy hundred and it was good to see the back of him, so congratulations to Mo.”
While Ali himself told BBC Test Match Special: “I’ve done it in football, but that’s my first hat-trick in any kind of cricket.”
The win caps a few days which has seen a lot of positives deliver a reprieve from sleights on selection and England’s batting capabilities, with Tom Westley impressing in his second-innings with a patient 59.
And with Toby Roland-Jones providing an impact after replacing Mark Wood by taking eight wickets in the match.
