Daily Mail

MOEEN SPECIAL

-

MOEEN ALI took the first hattrick in 137 years of Test cricket at The Oval. It was also the first hat-trick by an England spinner since Tom Goddard removed South Africa’s Dudley Nourse, Norman Gordon and Billy Wade in Johannesbu­rg in 1938.

HE IS the first bowler to take a Test hat-trick against South Africa since Australian left-arm wrist-spinner Lindsay Kline at Cape Town in 1958.

AS MOEEN prepared to bowl to Morne Morkel, it was the third time in the innings an England bowler had found himself on a hat-trick. On day four, Ben Stokes removed Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis in successive deliveries. Then, yesterday, Toby Roland-Jones got rid of Temba Bavuma and Vernon Philander. Moeen’s dismissal of No 11 Morkel meant four South Africans had fallen first ball in the innings, a new Test record.

IT WAS the fourth time a Test has ended with a hat-trick, but the first since Kline in 1958. England’s George Lohmann also achieved the feat against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 1896, and so did Australia’s Hugh Trumble against England at Melbourne 1902.

MOEEN now has 18 wickets in this series at an average of just 14.72.

IT WAS the first Test hat-trick comprising three left-handers. HIS hat-trick was the 14th by an Englishman in Tests: W Bates (v Australia,

J Briggs (v Australia, 1892); G Lohmann (v S Africa, 1896); J Hearne (v Australia, 1899); M Allom (v New Zealand, 1930); T Goddard (v S Africa, 1938); P Loader (v West Indies, 1957); D Cork (v West Indies, 1995); D Gough (v Australia, 1999); M Hoggard (v West Indies, 2004); R Sidebottom (v New Zealand, 2008); S Broad (v India, 2011); S Broad (v Sri Lanka, 2014); M Ali (v S Africa, 2017).

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom