I just like to entertain myself in that kind of mood, says batsman

Andrew Flintoff has spent most of this match watching from the Old Trafford pavilion so it was fitting he was on the ground when Moeen Ali matched one of his feats from 2005.

Moeen became the first England player since Flintoff in that Ashes summer to score 200 runs and take 20 wickets in a series when he powered his way to an unbeaten 67, slotting the kind of sixes that were trademark of Freddie at his peak.

A Flintoff six was once dropped in one of the hospitality boxes at Edgbaston by his father, but Jonny Bairstow has a safer pair of hands and took a dolly when Moeen slapped Keshav Maharaj over long on and straight into the England dressing room.

The shot brought up his halfcentury and it was greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd. England fans are blessed at the moment for four of their senior players – Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen and Bairstow – are all entertainers.

“The fans asked me to wave at them a couple of times but it is difficult when you are batting,” Moeen said. “At places like here and Edgbaston when the crowd get on your side, you ride the wave a bit.

“I like to entertain myself and everybody else when I am in that rhythm and mood. I just went with the flow. My family and parents were in the crowd and I wanted to make sure they enjoyed my batting.”

Despite the runs and wickets in this series, Moeen still sees himself as a batsman who bowls as a second string. Today he has to bowl in the fourth innings to win the game for England having seen South Africa’s Maharaj exploit the rough from the Brian Statham End.

“I feel that now I have played quite a bit of Test cricket and my batting and bowling are getting closer together,” he said.

“The one thing that gives me the most enjoyment is bowling in the last innings. In the past I have thought about it too much and the pressure gets to you but I have tried to keep my mind clear and just be as simple as I can with the ball.

“Thankfully I have been more consistent and that bowling average is coming down. I want to be known as an all-rounder but I am definitely a batsman who can bowl a bit.”

Moeen fed off the crowd and he rated this as one of his best Test innings as he scored at quicker than a run a ball on a pitch that had troubled every other batsman. He had luck when he was dropped early on in the slips and he also almost played on to his first ball.

“I think it was my best [innings] in terms of trying to take momentum away and putting pressure back on them. I had a few hacks which you get away with at times but we needed a bit of impetus and few shots and get 30-40 runs or so as quick as we could. Sometimes you can be a sitting duck and I did not want to do that.”