England v South Africa: Moeen Ali & Stuart Broad give hosts edge in first Test
Last updated on .From the section Cricket
| First Investec Test, Lord's, day two |
|---|
| England 458: Root 190, Moeen 87, Broad 57*, Morkel 4-114 |
| South Africa 214-5: Elgar 54, De Bruyn 48, Bavuma 48* |
| South Africa trail by 244 runs |
| Scorecard |
Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad helped give England the advantage over South Africa on day two of the first Test at Lord's.
Off-spinner Moeen and seamer Broad each took two wickets to reduce the Proteas to 104-4.
Temba Bavuma (48 not out) and Theunis de Bruyn (48) added 99 before James Anderson removed De Bruyn late on to leave the tourists 214-5, 244 behind.
Moeen (87) and Broad (57 not out) earlier took England from their overnight 357-5 to 458 all out.
Broad also shared a riotous last-wicket partnership of 45 with Anderson off only 27 deliveries.
When England took three wickets for 22 runs either side of tea, South Africa were in danger of subsiding, only to be steadied by Bavuma and De Bruyn.
The fifth-wicket pair looked set to reach the close, but Anderson had De Bruyn caught behind to leave England in the ascendancy on a surface showing sporadic signs of turn and low bounce.
Moeen proves his worth
Moeen has batted in every position from one to nine for England and scored four Test centuries in 2016.
However, his bowling average has got worse each year since his debut and he has nominally been replaced as the number one spinner by slow left-armer Liam Dawson.
Here, he reached 2,000 runs and 100 wickets on the same day. It has taken him 38 Tests to do that particular double - only Tony Greig has done it faster for England.
The left-hander was fluent with the bat, moving from his overnight 61 before being bowled by Kagiso Rabada.
He then saw left-armer Dawson, in his second Test, used ahead of him and return an expensive 0-45 from eight overs.
Moeen found turn to trap Hashim Amla lbw for 29 and had captain Dean Elgar caught at short leg for 54, accounting for the two most experienced batsmen in the South Africa line-up.
South Africa steady before Anderson's final say
Broad already had opener Heino Kuhn held at first slip by Alastair Cook when he returned to pin JP Duminy lbw with a full delivery to push South Africa firmly on to the ropes.
The stylish Bavuma and De Bruyn, in only his second Test, began tentatively, but gradually blunted the England attack. Dawson was targeted, Bavuma eased the ball through the off side and De Bruyn scored of his pads.
Joe Root, captaining England for the first time, shuffled his bowlers and showed occasional invention with his field.
"Root was clever at times and put in some good fields but almost too many - he was bowling a lot of people not enough," said former captain Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special.
Earlier in the day, Amla was greeted with an unconventional short cover, while at one stage Anderson was frustrated to be yanked from the attack after a spell lasting only two overs.
But Anderson, England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker, had the final say. With two overs remaining, he found movement down the slope and De Bruyn's flat-footed prod was edged to Jonny Bairstow.
Broad charges on chaotic morning
Root, 184 not out after his first day as captain, was caught behind off Morne Morkel for 190 in the third over of the day, with Dawson leg before two balls later.
Broad should have been lbw to Vernon Philander on four - South Africa chose not to review - and took full advantage.
What began with edges and inside edges turned into clean hitting - Morkel was hooked for consecutive sixes as Broad registered his first Test half-century for four years.
Anderson joined in - his hook off Kagiso Rabada was only his third six in 123 Tests - and by the time he edged Morkel behind, England had scored 101 runs and lost their last five wickets in 18.3 overs.
'England have their noses in front'
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "A dry pitch is producing some uneven bounce and also some slow spin, suggesting that England's 458 could be a winning total."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on TMS: "It's a day when England have got their noses in front - they've played well.
"Broad was very good with the bat, the way he attacked South Africa. They lost their discipline. Tail-end cameos are massive momentum-changers.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali on TMS: "I'm just pleased to have played so many Test matches. I'm much happier with the bowling stats - I never thought I would get 100 wickets.
"I feel like a big part of the team. I know I'm still a little inconsistent but I feel like I can change games. At number seven, I go in and play on instinct.
"Rooty has asked me to change my mindset, to take wickets rather than worry about runs. That's what I did when I first came into the side."
South Africa batsman Hashim Amla on TMS: "We're in need of a comeback. England were in trouble and they managed to get to more than 450. We have to get to score as close to their score as possible.
"It's turning a little bit, so it will probably turn more. I don't think the wicket will speed up, so it will probably get more difficult to bat."
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Taking 100 wickets most of them top batsman in critical situations and then removed from the attack.
Never moans, just gets on with it.
Top pro, brilliant temperament - surely a future England captain?
I suppose it shows the effect that no terrestrial coverage has on cricket's status in the public eye.
Especially also since he's often been the one to take huge amounts of stick over his bowling or batting.
He's become a huge cornerstone. Congrats.
Hence was amazed to find out today that he's the 5th fastest to have achieved this milestone in the entire glorious history of Test cricket.
Take a bow Mo. You deserve it today 😀
I can only see an England victory now and more wickets for Mr Ali, plus more runs from his bat.
Today the stupidity of picking Dawson ahead of Rashid was exposed.
Both Ballance and Dawson are good County cricket journeymen but not good enough at Test level.
Mo's detractors have been loud and very vocal in the past, and especially so during the recent Indian tour. But where are they now to shout down his achievement today.
He is not the best spinner, but good enough to get to 100 wickets faster than some greats.
The fact is, he is really a Goweresque top order batsmen who bowls a bit - but managed to get SA's two best batsmen out.
Most countries have immigrants playing. You'd be hard pressed to find a cricket team without a player of Asian origin for instance.
I think people are normally very keen to do well for the country that offers them home & a career. Besides even completely selfish ones would want to perform if only for their own career.
Did mickey Arthur look upset when his Pakistan beat his native SA?
A toast to Mr. Ali's impressive achievement. Well done, sir!
Doesn't look like a draw to me , pitch already showing wear and turning . 100 run first innings lead would make England firm favourites.
I really like Moeen. Apart from his actual batting and bowling, he has lots of composure and maturity, and he's honest about his own game.
Part of the reason may be that, at 30, he is a bit older than many players at the same stage of their international career. Future captain? Only if Root needs to give it up, and we won't wish that...