Majestic Moeen Ali spins England to victory over South Africa as Joe Root starts life as captain in style

The 211-run win means Root's side will now go into the remaining three matches of this series not only with the advantage of a 1-0 lead but with confidence overflowing

Moeen Ali's supreme bowling display ensured England started the summer with a big win (Getty)

As far as statements go this was emphatic from both England and Moeen Ali as Joe Root’s start to life in the Test captaincy was ushered in with a crushing 211-run victory against South Africa.

For Root, in his first match since succeeding Alastair Cook, this was a sweet triumph as his side wrapped up their first Test win against this opposition at Lord’s since 1960.

This landslide victory was the perfect start to England’s Test summer following a harrowing winter in India, where they were steamrollered 4-0. They will now go into the remaining three matches of this series not only with the advantage of a 1-0 lead but with confidence overflowing.

On a crazy day of Test cricket that saw 19 wickets fall, a match that had meandered serenely on the third evening hit fast forward on this fourth day. Much of that was down to Moeen, who came into this Test with his position as a front-line spinner questioned after a difficult winter with the ball and Liam Dawson coming into the team.

However, Moeen’s response was emphatic as he became the first England spinner since 1951 to take ten wickets in a Lord’s Test.

South Africa had been set 331 to win this match when England were dismissed for 233 in their second innings midway through the afternoon session. That always seemed a long shot but Moeen utterly destroyed the tourists with a devastating return of six for 53 to ensure this contest would be wrapped up with a day to spare.

South Africa have not lost a Test series in England since 1998. Yet that proud record looks in grave danger even though Faf Du Plessis, their captain who missed this match through his extended paternity leave, will be back for the second Test starting at Trent Bridge on Friday.

It’s actually hard to believe England actually started this day with a collapse of seven for 63 that had the home fans fretting that they had thrown their advantage in this match away. Root would have dearly loved to have declared his side’s second innings with a lead of around 400 given they had begun the day on 119 for one and an advantage of 214.


 Root starts his captaincy career with a win 
 (Getty)

However, matters were taken out of their hands thanks to a tremendous South Africa bowling performance that reduced the hosts to 182 for eight by lunch – a lead of 279.

That was still extremely handy on a pitch that was offering variable bounce for the seamers and significant turn for the spinners. But England this was an unwanted flashback following a sub-continental winter that had been fatally undermined by batting collapses.

Things could have actually been even worse for them at lunch had Vernon Philander taken a simple catch to dismiss Jonny Bairstow on seven. Instead Philander, unable to bowl after being hit on the hand on day three, shelled the opportunity at long on and Bairstow went on to make his 15^th Test half-century as England rallied after lunch to ensure they set South Africa a target well in excess of 300.

That did not look a formality during a morning session that saw Morne Morkel dismiss both overnight batsmen – Alastair Cook falling for 69 after driving with undue care and attention and Gary Ballance edging a superb away swinger on 34.

When spinner Keshav Maharaj bowled Root for five, England had lost three for 27 inside the first hour. Worse was to come as Kagiso Rabada trapped Ben Stokes lbw with a ball that kept low. Rabada celebrated dismissing the all-rounder for the second time in this match by raising a finger to his lips rather than using the expletive uttered in the first innings that triggered his ban for the next Test at Trent Bridge.


 Ali proved to be the difference maker on day four 
 (Getty)

Two more wickets came for Maharaj, Moeen and Stuart Broad, who was caught at short leg. In between Dawson, bowled by Rabada, bagged a pair in his first home Test. Ultimately, though, despite their good work with the ball, South Africa had a mountain to climb when they started their pursuit of what would have been the second-highest successful run chase in a Lord’s Test.

By tea, with the tourists 25 for three, the only issue to be resolved was whether England would wrap up victory inside four days or not. James Anderson started the ball rolling, debutant opener Heino Kuhn caught down the legside before Moeen took a fine caught and bowled chance to dismiss stand-in captain Dean Elgar.

The tourists limped into the interval when Mark Wood had JP Duminy caught at midwicket. A four-day win became a live possibility when Dawson bowled Hashim Amla in the second over after tea.

De Kock, sublime during his first-innings half-century, then dragged Moeen onto his stumps. It was the first of three wickets in nine balls for Moeen, Temba Bavuma and Theunis De Bruyn following as South Africa slipped to 72 for seven.

They were pushed closer to the precipice when Moeen completed his first five-wicket haul at Lord’s when Maharaj dragged on. Rabada then became his sixth scalp before Dawson wrapped up victory by having Morkel caught in the deep.