England set South Africa a daunting 466 to save series

Philander fined and injured in his final Test

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 26, (AP): England set South Africa a daunting 466 to win the final Test at the Wanderers and save the series on Sunday.

All expectations are that, with South Africa facing a world-record chase, England will clinch victory and confirm a convincing 3-1 series triumph.

England retained their dominance on the third day in Johannesburg by bowling South Africa out for 183 after the struggling home team was 88-6 overnight.

Mark Wood, in his second Test back for England after nearly a year out,

England captain Joe Root plays a shot on day three of the fourth cricket Test match between South Africa and England at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South

Africa on Jan 26. (AP)

took 5-46 to help blast the South Africans out and only Quinton de Kock’s 76 was memorable for South Africa.

England captain Joe Root led from the front in England’s second innings. He made 58 in England’s 248 all out – his second 50 of the Test – and although the tourists’ batting wasn’t as impressive as it’s been previously in the series, the lead of 465 was almost certainly more than enough.

Root was dashing at stages in the second innings with five fours and a six and England had controlled every day of the deciding Test so far, and just about every day of the series since losing the opening match.

The third day at the Wanderers ended with a rare South African high. Root edged well wide of South Africa captain Faf du Plessis at second slip, but he dived full-stretch to hold a fabulous one-handed catch. Root’s wicket gave left-arm quick bowler Beuran Hendricks 5-64 on his Test debut for South Africa. That also ended the day’s play. The South Africans were smiling as they came off the field but England’s joy is likely to be lasting and confirmed at some point in the remaining two days of the series.

Root’s team has been superior ever since rebounding from an openingTest loss, when half the England team was affected by a flu-like virus. England won by 189 runs in the second

Test in Cape Town and then by an innings in Port Elizabeth to turn the series around.

England could have enforced the follow-on again on Sunday when South Africa fell for 183 and 217 runs short of England’s first innings of 400. Root instead decided to bat South Africa out the game, and the series.

And he did much of the work himself. Root hasn’t been his brilliant best this series, but he’s been solid as a rock.

If England wins 3-1, it’ll be its most impressive margin of victory in South Africa in more than 100 years.

South Africa’s woes at the Wanderers

were exacerbated by the loss of leading seam bowler Vernon Philander, who left the field in the third over of England’s second innings with a right hamstring injury.

It’s Philander’s final Test before retiring from international cricket and it was unclear if he’d be able to return to play any more part in the game on his farewell.

That was the second piece of bad news for Philander on the day. It was also announced he had been fined and given a demerit point for a provocative celebration after getting England batsman Jos Buttler out on the second day.