VIDEO: Moeen Ali wraps up England win to enter into the record books
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 31: England celebrate with Moeen Ali after he takes the final wicket of Morne Morkel of South Africa during day five of the 3rd Investec Test match between England and South Africa at The Kia Oval on July 31, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
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.