MOWN DOWN BY MAGIC MO
Big-hitting Ali puts England in sight of series victory
IT SUMMED up South Africa’s day that it needed Jonny Bairstow to show them how to ‘catch’ Moeen Ali as he reached the swashbuckling half-century that has surely guaranteed a series victory for England.
For it was a familiar figure on the England balcony of the new Old Trafford pavilion who jumped up and, as two sub fielders scattered, pouched the ‘chance’ when Moeen swung Keshav Maharaj high and handsome for six to reach 50.
Not since Andrew Flintoff’s dad Colin dropped a ‘chance’ in the Edgbaston stands offered by his son during his century against West Indies in 2004 has an England batsman found someone in the crowd he knew so well so accurately.
Bairstow took this one with aplomb and raised his hands to the raucous temporary stand here as his captain Joe Root joined in the fun by playfully accusing his fellow Yorkshireman of milking the Lancastrian applause.
‘I went on instinct,’ said Moeen of the moment of the day. ‘When I’m playing like that I don’t care who’s out there or if there are three men back. I just back myself. Jonny caught it and was quite excited about it. Then I saw Rooty taking the mickey out of him!’
How South Africa must have wished their own fielders had been as assured as England’s keeper because they squandered the chance to nip a quite brilliant innings from Moeen in the bud and hang on by their fingertips to this final Test.
Dean Elgar really should have taken the catch with ease when Moeen, chancing his arm as all around him struggled, edged Maharaj to slip on just 15 of his unbeaten 67 that was smashed off just 58 balls in the Manchester gloom.
At that stage England were 295 ahead after their usual top order collapse and South Africa could have at least dreamt of a highly unlikely victory to preserve their unbeaten status in Test series in England since 1998.
Surely they cannot now after the latest contribution from a world-class allrounder, who is having the series of his life, propelled England to a lead of 360 with two wickets left before the rain finally arrived. South Africa will have two days, weather permitting, to make what would be a record Old Trafford chase, but with the ball turning and spitting for Maharaj and keeping low for the quicks, the advantage is very firmly with England.
This was sublime stuff from Moeen in conditions where batting had become acutely hazardous, not least for left-handers having to deal with the rough outside their off stump that gave such assistance to Maharaj.
Moeen clearly decided to abandon any pretence of caution to try to take the game away from South Africa and could have fallen to his very first ball when he insideedged a delivery from Duanne Olivier perilously close to his off stump. Clearly the force
was with Moeen, and, after his reprieve from Elgar, he went on to hit three sixes and eight fours to add a potentially match-clinching contribution with the bat to the 20 wickets he has taken so far with his off-spin.
The man who took a hat-trick to win the third Test at The Oval and give England a 2-1 lead arrived after 134 had been added to the first innings lead of 136 but with six wickets gone and the game not quite out of South Africa’s reach.
Moeen changed all that by dominating stands with Bairstow and Toby Roland- Jones, hitting 38 off the last 22 balls he received. ‘Sometimes you can be a sitting duck and I didn’t want that,’ added Moeen. ‘I like to entertain myself and everyone else when I’m in that rhythm and mood.’
South Africa hardly helped themselves. Elgar dropped Keaton Jennings before he had scored and Temba Bavuma, Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis all squandered chances.
England’s top- order problems showed no signs of easing and again they needed their middle and lower order to bail them out. This must surely be the end, at least for now, for Jennings after he failed to take advantage of his latest slice of luck and played a poor cut off Kagiso Rabada which found Amla in the slips.
England now face a tricky choice over who should become Alastair Cook’s next partner and their decision was not made easier by news from Southampton that Haseeb Hameed had failed on his Championship return.
Tom Westley fell again in the way it was feared he would, attempting a drive with a slightly closed bat face, but he has shown enough in his first two Tests to at least be guaranteed a start in the pink-ball Test against West Indies.
Whether Dawid Malan will be at Edgbaston on August 17 remains to be seen as he fell for his fourth failure out of four. Is it fair to drop him after two Tests, and if he plays in three Tests against West Indies, would that be giving him an unwarranted chance?
For now new captain Root, busyness personified in his own 49 before becoming one of three victims for Olivier, is poised for a notable triumph in his first series in charge.
But just think how good England would be if they could ever take to a Test match without carrying two or three passengers.
127 KEATON Jennings’s latest failure (left), caught at slip for 18, took his series haul to 127 runs at an average of 15. Since his debut 112 v India, Jennings has scored 182 runs in 11 innings at 16. The end may be nigh.
Moeen ALI is confident he has helped put england in a winning position after ‘riding the wave’ in an instinctive counter-attacking half-century at old Trafford.
Moeen hit eight fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 67 as england reached 224 for eight, a lead of 360, on a rain-shortened third day of the fourth Test.
Moeen said: ‘I just went with the flow. My family were in the crowd, my parents, and I just
LAWRENCE BOOTH at Old Trafford
wanted to make sure they enjoyed my batting.
‘once I knew where they were sitting, and got my 50, I gave them a bit of a wave. We’ve put pressure on South Africa, and the game has turned our way.’