Magical Moeen puts England in driving seat
IT SUMMEd up South africa’s day that it needed Jonny Bairstow to show them how to ‘catch’ Moeen ali as he reached the half-century that has surely guaranteed a series win for England.
For it was a familiar figure on the England balcony of the new Old Trafford pavilion who jumped up and pouched the ‘chance’ when Moeen swung Keshav Maharaj for six to reach 50.
Bairstow took this one with aplomb and raised his hands to the temporary stand 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. ‘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 should have taken the catch when Moeen edged Maharaj to slip on just 15 of his unbeaten 67.
at that stage, England were 295 ahead and South africa could have at least dreamt of an unlikely victory.
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 with England.
Moeen 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 inside edged a delivery from duanne Olivier perilously close to his off-stump.
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.
‘Sometimes you can be a sitting duck and I didn’t want that,’ said Moeen. ‘I like to entertain myself and everyone else when I’m in that rhythm and mood.’
South africa hardly helped themselves. Elgar had dropped Keaton Jennings before he had scored while Temba Bavuma, Heino Kuhn, Hashim amla and Faf du Plessis all squandered chances of varying difficulty.
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 poorly executed cut off Kagiso Rabada which could only find amla in the slips.
For now, new captain Root 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.