AND FOR HIS NEXT TRICK..
Moeen follows up Oval heroics with a swashbuckling innings to take the series away from South Africa
MOEEN ALI emphatically answered the age old question of how do you follow a hat-trick?
With a match-changing innings that rubs the opposition’s noses in their own fumbling mistakes of course.
There are precious few cricketers in the world who could do what Moeen’s 67 not out has done to South Africa – but England have got two of them in their team.
Throughout the series Ben Stokes and Moeen have stepped forward to show off their all-round abilities, and at Old Trafford it was the spinner who grabbed the Fourth Test by the scruff of the neck.
He yanked it well out of South Africa’s reach with an innings of flashing brilliance that cashed in on the extra life he was given and punished the bowling on a pitch where batting has proved tricky. “The game has definitely turned our way,” said Moeen. “I felt the situation of the match meant that we needed a bit of impetus and needed a few shots.
“Sometimes you can be a bit of a sitting duck and I didn’t want to be that out there.
“I feel, now that I have played quite a bit, my batting and bowling are getting close together. It is always nice when you do well in one and can take the confidence into the other. There were probably times when I could have been dropped but England and the captains have always stuck with me, which is great for my confidence. Hopefully I can repay that.”
By the time rain halted day three a little earlier than planned, the allrounder had helped add another 90 to take England’s lead to 360 with two days still to play.
And the Proteas can only have themselves to blame for watching the game and the series slip tantalisingly through their fingers, just like the ball did on so many occasions.
Five times England’s batters were let off, and still South Africa managed to take seven wickets in the day. Imagine how tight it would be had the catches stuck.
New boys Keaton Jennings (left), Tom Westley and Dawid Malan all failed to make a telling contribution and for the opener
and the No.5 that may be their lot. No missed catch was more important than the drop of Moeen by Dean Elgar when he had made just 15 and edged Keshav Maharaj to slip.
“That was obviously good for us,” added Moeen. “It looked like he had it in his hand, and as he landed it popped out and things go your way.”
In truth they couldn’t be too upset, since they seemed to all take it in turns to drop chances of varying difficulty.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said left-arm spinner Maharaj. “But cricket is a funny game and sometimes you drop some catches and other times you take some blinders, no one intends to drop a catch.”
How funny it was then when Jonny Bairstow, sat on the England balcony, spotted another massive six from Moeen, and just like a punter in the stands, moved a couple of steps to his
left and took the catch cleanly.