England vs South Africa LIVE: Cricket score and third Test result as England seal series victory
England notched the 33 runs they needed to win the game at The Oval and secure a 2-1 series victory over the Proteas
England polished off the remaining runs they needed to beat South Africa by nine wickets in the third Test at the Oval on Monday morning to secure a 2-1 series victory.
Openers Zak Crawley and Alex Lees were still at the crease as the hosts began the day requiring just 33 runs for victory after bad light stopped play on Sunday evening.
Lees was dropped by Proteas wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne from the third ball of the morning and then survived another scare when a thick edge flew over Keegan Petersen at third slip to go for four but the Proteas made a breakthrough on the penultimate delivery of the third over of the day, with Lees’ fortune finally running out as a review showed he had been trapped lbw by Kagiso Rabada.
The Durham batter was out for 39 with England 22 runs from clinching the series but Ollie Pope joined Crawley at the crease to quickly knock them off, as the under-fire opener eased the pressure on himself somewhat by ending unbeaten on 69 and cap a remarkable summer for England’s Test team.
Follow reaction to the third Test below:
The current state of play
The sun was blazing an hour ago.
‘This is a reset moment for the ECB and wider game of cricket'
Richard Thompson hopes his arrival as England and Wales Cricket Board chair acts as a “reset moment” even if he anticipates more testing times in the sport’s push for greater equality.
Thompson officially started as the ECB’s figurehead on Thursday but has little time to bed into his new position, having inherited a multitude of issues on several fronts which have to be addressed.
Chief among them is the racism scandal that has engulfed cricket in the past couple of years, but while challenges remain, Thompson outlined his vision to make the sport the “most inclusive” in the country.
Richard Thompson: This is a reset moment for the ECB and wider game of cricket
The ECB’s new chair has inherited a multitude of issues on several fronts which have to be addressed
A schedule change
At the start of the day the umpires delayed the match by half an hour and gave this revised schedule for the day’s play:
11:30- 13:00 - Morning session
13:00 - 13:40 - Lunch
13:40 - 16:10 - Afternoon Session
16:10 - 16:30 - Tea
16:30 - 18:30 - Evening session with 30 minutes to be added on if required.
Obviously, these times are now out of date due to the rain which is still coming down in force. The umpires may be starting to think about an early lunch.
The extra 30 minutes at the end of the day will definitely be needed now.
England vs South Africa decider ‘like a World Cup final’, Dean Elgar claims
South Africa captain Dean Elgar is viewing the series decider against England “like a World Cup final” and has warned Test debutant Harry Brook that “this is the big league now”.
Rookie Yorkshire batter Brook has been drafted into the hosts’ team for a tantalising finale at the Kia Oval in place of the injured Jonny Bairstow.
The Proteas have already been on the receiving end of the 23-year-old’s talents after he last month smashed 140 during a crushing win for the England Lions in a tour match in Canterbury.
Elgar downplayed the importance of that display and insists Brook faces a far different proposition over the coming days.
England vs South Africa decider ‘like a World Cup final’, Dean Elgar claims
The two sides are tied 1-1 heading into the third and final Test
A waiting game
Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson look out at the rain from the England dressing room and are a picture of how we’re all feeling at this delay.
Who will win the series?
With the rain properly hammering down now, play doesn’t look like it will start for a while. Ben Stokes has already given England the advantage in the match by winning the toss and electing to bowl.
This weather should help swing movement when play does begin and in Jimmy Anderson, England have one of the greatest swing bowlers of all time.
It’s raining
The supporters have fled under the stands and more covers are being brought onto the ground. We haven’t had a ball bowled yet and now the match faces an indeterminate delay.
The rain has to stop first before any play can take place.
Not good signs
There’s a lot of activity happening with the groundstaff as a bunch of dark clouds have arrived over the top of The Oval. It is quite dark out there and the covers are coming on in preparation of a downpour.
The players are ready to go but it looks as though the start will face another delay.
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